The Somerset herald. [volume] (Somerset, Pa.) 1870-1936, 1895-04-10
WHOLE NO. 22SO.
A Dakota Wolf Huat.
From the $. LouI- eIIoae-pemoeral.

From the -. Louis Globe-Democrat.
In winter, when DEVILS Lake *
frozen over as smooth a. a barn floor
and the ice is from one 20 two feet
thicS, the wolves make their head
quarters Oh Rock Island. They gather
there BY hundreds, and every night the
chorus Of their short, sharp yelps
sounds weirdIy over the frozen lake.
The excitement attending the Dakota
wolf hunt is probably no. equaled by
any sport known q the nimrOd. since
the game Is large, wary, swift OF move
mcnt and fuii OF tricks. There is an
clcmen. Of danger in il, too, for when
the wolves are cornered they viii fight
with the desperation Of mad dogs. It
ROW and then happens that wolf
hunter comes OF the field with his
clothes badly torn and his flesh lacera-
tel by the claws or teeth Of an infuria-
ted animal, but there has never been 2
fatality resulting from the sport. The
hunting party get together at a given
point on the shore OF the lake about
noon, and they come from all quarters.
it is not an unusual thing b see one
hundred and fifty men engaged in a
wolf hunt Each man carries a rifle
and couple of reyolvcrs. Some are
on foot and some on horseback. The
horses ridden are usually the little,
why Indian pony or mustang, that can
run all night and all day and not get
tired.
When the party is ready to march it
starts out acr1ss the lee in the direction
Of the island. The horsemen are sta
toned around the island as near to
each other a. it is possible to place
them and complete the Gordon. The
men on foot form in The shape of the
letter Z across the island. Some Of
them carry horns, Others tin pans, and
when everything Is ready the men
move in the direction of the bowldcr
heaps blowing the horns, pounding the
tin pans and yelling like fiends. The
racket roUsrs the wolves lying
among the rocks and they dash from
cover. ~ome OF the animals are liz
burrows. These are smoked out, and
It = bJ; . very short time before there
is plenty OF game running heller skel-
ter, looking for new cover. At the
northwest extremity of the island is
clear spot, aud 1t is the aim OF the hun
ters % get the wolves into this open
space, where they may completely
surround them. The men gradually
advance up the island, drumming,
bowling and iiring oif their g,sns and !
the LcwiIdcred wolves flee before them !
until they are driven beyond the rocks. /
Il Is not until the animals are sur I
rounded at the upper end Of the island 7
tha, the real fun begins. They dash |
here and there to find an opening !
through which it i possible TO escape. !
They are rendered frantic by the con- /
tlnueJ blarc of horns and the horrible I
yelling, and in their excitement snap
and snarl at each other like a lot Of !
sIrly ears. Occasionally a hunter
taxes 81 shot 1t one and brings him
down, and in this way the ranks OF /
the beasts are thinned out until from a
possible thirty OF forty but seven or
eight remain. These are preserved for
the horscmen on the ice, who are gem |
orally the best marksmen in the party. /
The frightened beasts are given an Op-
portunity to escape. The circle Is
broken with the opening - calculated
that the wolves viii fee 20 the lee.
They Immediately dash through, and
the hOrsemen remain inactive until
they have passed beyond their circle;
then they give chase. Tie wolf, with
its sharp claws, i a swift runner, even
OF smooth ice, and the ice : covered
with a slight coating Of SHOW he i
capable OF making wonderfully qIicS
time, but, a fast y he i, ihe little
mustangs are able 70 keep close 10 his
heels IN -traightaway race, bit the
wo!f has the advantage Of being able
to make quick turns, and that Is what
he does.
Every wolf hunter mounted on a
horse Is proud of his workmanship,
and il is the aim OF each to shoot an
animal in the head, which, from horse
back, j. no easy matter. To shoot one
through the body, these men claim,
requires no skill, and 80 it often hap
pens that several hours are consumed
in the wild chase of the wolves before
the remnant Of the pack is destroyed,
and it is no, infrcqueutly the case that
one man succeeds in killing the great
est nImAer. When the last wolf es-
capcs OF has been killed the party re-
turns 70 the town with their trophies
and the affair winds up with a banquet
and ball, which is looked upon a. the
event OF the season. The man who
has proven himself the most expert
mlrSsman i designated ~ the leader
Of the huating party for the next sea-