The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1895-07-06
DAKOTA Wolr HUNTS.

some 1lvsly 1lsnes q ths A1Aaas
Dayifa Lake Hound-un
- 1unAs<s 1soe Wlzy GAae1s 1neenn0
- ua0e osaoe opeRs n CAaGang
- sAaesan1 &hs, 1eas-1eeeee
Rnsess g - xaasHA
In winter. when Devils Lake = huesA
over q smooth q . bGrn hoor, and the
Ice II from one % ave fee4 thick, the
wolves make their headquarters on
Rock island. They gather there BY
hundreds, ,and every night tho chorus
Of their short, sharp yelps sounds
weirdly over the froaen lake. The ex
element extending the Dakota won
hunt, says the st. Louis Globe Demo
oest, II probably not equaled BY any
sport known to the nimrod, since the
game is Large, wary. swift of movement
and fuu OF tricla There II IN element
Of danger In It, too, for when the
wolves are cornered they will aght
with the desperation Of mad dogs. It
now and then happens that . woh
hunter comes OF the deld with his
clothes badly torn and his Aesk lA&
Grated by the claws or testh Of a inr
infuriated animal, but there has never
been . fatality resulting from the
sport. The hunting party get together
at given point on the shore Of the lake
about noon, and they come frQA oll
quarters. It Is not m unusual thin4 10
see ono hundred and fifty men ea66Rcd
in . wolf hunt. Each man carries.
rife and . couple OF revolverA Some
are on foot and some are ON horseback.
The horses ridden are usually the lit
tie, wiry Indian pony or mustang, thai
can run Ill night ana al dsy and nos
get tired.
When the party II ready to march =
starts out ACROSS the Ice In tho direction
Of the island. The horsemen are Sta
toned around the island, % near to
each other as It Is possible to place
them and complete the Gordon. The mon
on foot form in the shape Of the letter
U across the island. Some Of them carry
horns, others tin pans, and when every.
thing is ready the men move in the di.
rection OF the bowlder heaps, blowing
the horns, pounding the tin pans, and
yelling like denda. The racket rousee
the wolves lying along the rocks, and
they dAsh from cover. Some of the an
imals arc IN bur1owa These are
smoked out, and It u but .. very short
time before there u plenty of game
running heller skelter. hooking for new
-
the island is clear spot, and it 10 the
aim Of the hunters to get the wolves
into this space, where they may com
pletely surround them. The men grad
ually advance mp the islsnd, drumming.
bowling, and firing OH their gums, and
the bewildered wolves nee before them
until they are driven beyond the rocks.
II Il not until the animals are sur
rounded at the upper end Of the island
that the real fun begins. They dash
here and there to And IN opening
through which it i possible to escape
They arc rendered frantic by the con-
tinued blare Of horns and the horrible
yelling, and In their excitement snap
ana snarl at each other like . lot Of sur
" ours. Occasionally . hunter takes
shot at one and bring him down, and
in this way the ranks Of the beasts are
thinned out until from possible thirty
or forty but seven Or eight remain.
These are preserved for the horsamep
on the Ice, who are generally the best
marksmen in the party. The frightened
beasts are given IN opportunity TO e.
cape. Tho circle u broken, with tho
opening 20 calculated that the wolves
win Zee to the Ice. They immediately
dash through, and the horsemen remain
inactive until they have passed beyond
their circle. Then they give chase. The
wolf, with his sharp claws, b . swift
runner, even On smooth ice, and when
the Ice i covered with Z. s.sli9ht oesting
Of SNOW, he Il oapeble Of making wan
derfully quick time. bat fass - heaq,
the little mustangs are able TO keep
close to his heels in . strai9htaway
race, but the wolf has the advantage o1
being able to mako quick turna, ana
that l. Whist he doea
Every wolf huuter mounted en- heeso
Il proud Of hia mAxlknnanship, and Il b
the aim Of each to shoot IN sninal IN
the head, which, from hoFsebeck, Il ~
easy matter. To shoot one throngh the
body, these men claim, requires no daki1l
and % II often happens that several
hours are eonsumed In the Wild chase
Of the wolves before The remnan4 q the
pack u destroyed, and It is not infrs-
quently the cass that oae naasucceeds
In killing the greater number. Whe1
khn lat ~nesaf anaAsnna ~ hns Raein kfl1nA