The Louisiana Democrat. [volume] (Alexandria, La.) 1845-1918, 1895-03-20
THE CANYON WILDCATS.
Big, Fierce Animals That Even Women
Hunt In the Sierra Madre.


Big, Fierce Animals That Even Women
Hunt In the Sierra Madre.
Hunting the wildcat is one of the
favorite sports in southern Califor-
MIA, said Major Sam Garner. these
savage, short tailed providers find
Just the sort of homes they like in
the deep canyons Of the Sierra
Madre. The wildcat of the Sierra
Madre's canyons is not to be con-
founded with the bobcat of the east,
for our wildcat is nearly twice as
big, bigger yet than the big Canada
lynx and fercor by far. They are
hunted on horseback with packs OF
hounds trained for the purpose.
While ordinarily, like the eastern
wildcat this savage cat will not face
a fight alone, but will rather sneak
away and hide, two of them together
will stand their ground and fight to
the death, something that rarely
comes to them before more than one
hound out Of pack has been torn
to pieces.
"a wildcat hunt in southern Cali
fornia is generally organized after
rain, for then the scent of the cat is
fresher on the trail, and if one
chooses to seek his game by the still
hunt he can follow the trail easily
by the paw marks of the animal in
the soft ground Some old noun
tainocrs profess to prefer a close
combat with a mountain lion than
with the canyon wildcat of the
Sierra Madre.
Il remember one hunt I was on
that brought out the qualities of the
game in way that satisfied me that
the old hunters weren't far out Of
the way. The dogs had trailed a cat
into q narrow defle in the canyon.
One side of tho defile was wall Of
rock. The other side was covered
with heavy growth of brush. A
stream coursed at the bottom of the
narrow space. The trail led the dogs
into the thick brush on one side OF
the ravine, and they had scarcely
disappeared in the thicket when an
immense wildcat leaped out, landed
in the creek, crossed it and began to
scramble up the wall of rock on the
opposite side. In spite of the almost
up and down character of the rocks,
the animal found foothold in its CREW.
less and on it's jagged projections and
was scaling the wall magnifcently
when one Of the hunters interrupted
her progress With a rifle ball. She
was perhaps 40 feet up the side of
the defile. Turning with a savage
snarl as she felt the wound, she
leaped into the dir, came down like
a meteor, lit on the neck of the bron-
cho the huntec was riding and dis
mounted the rider instantly. Cling
ing to the plunging broncho's neck
with the long, hooked claws of her
fore feet, she ripped and tore him
with her frightful hind claws until
his breast was laid open in great
gashes, from which the blood gushed
In streams. This was all done before
any one had recovered from the sur
prise the cats terrible leap and as.
sault had caused.
1.-The dogs were the first to go tc
the broncho's did. AS they dashed
upon the savage cat she loosened hel
hold on the horse and dropped dowr
among tho hounds. Before she was
killed she had stretched three Of
them dead at her feet.
There are wildcat hunting clubs
in some places in southern Califor.
MIA, and women share in the exciting
and often dangerous sport Some o!
the best shots of these clubs are
among the wives and sweethearts Of
its members. The trophy of the
wildcat hunt is not the brush, fo1
the wildcat has no brush unless thu
three inches of stumpy tail that any
thing but adorns the animal Nigh
be called brush by courtesy. Tht
trophy Of the wildcat hunt is the
skin. The fur is coarse, but nicely
marked and makes a handsome rug
The taking of this trophy is higl
honor, and no part of the adornmen
or decoration Of her home does thu
wildcat hunting woman of southern
California exhibit with more pride
than the rugs of this animal mad.
from skins taken from cats she has
!. herself slain. New York Sun.
! Fast Train Runs.