Omaha daily bee., 1899-10-15
How He Hunts.

How He Hunts.
He is always ready to take to the saddle
and his methods of conducting a hunt of
determination are peculiarly his own. Wat
son rides into the section where the wolves
are reported to be killing young stock and,
with his dogs, jogs along until a wolf is
sighted He carries a powerful field glass
and is constantly sweeping the surroundings
with 1t. In this way he frequently sees the
wolves before they see him. If the gamo
is off and away Watson simply notes care
fully the general direction taken; then he
swings his pack around behind hill, drops
out of sight, only to reappear ahead of the
game, onto which he rides with a rush.
Then the dogs take up the chase. The wolf
seldom holds out for more than mile;
sometimes particularly strong animal
| manages to run two miles before the hounds
| overhaul him. The pack works together.
If they did not they would not last long as
| the average gray wolf can kill in relays
| any pa,k of hounds that ever attacked him.
for the gray wolves of the west are stronger
| than any dog and their teeth are long and
sharp, while their claws are very dangerous
weapons. But when the Watson trained
pack jumps On a wolf that is the end OF
him. They fight together and seldom get
more than a scratch. They follow the wolf
| closely and attack him altogether. Such a
| fight lasts but minute or two.
Mr. Watson in all his experience as a wolf
| hunter has never found it necessary to aid
! his dogs In dlspatching wolves. In fact, it
J would be hard to render service after the
| attack is made because of the indiscriminata
| mixture of dogs and wolf. On these hunts
| the wolf slayer is armed with nothing but
large revolver. He has several times been
! forced TO use this weapon in self def fense
for while wolves when not pressed will never
| attack a man except in packs, and the prai-
| re gray wolf is not so numerous as to form
many packs in western Nebraska, occasion
! ally a hard pressed wolf will turn on his
| pursuers, as if TO die facing his enemy.
| Hard Fight with Wolf.
| This was the case few days ago over in
Box Butte county, where Watson was en-
| gagged in exterminating a number of big
gray wolves, which had killed and eaten
| several young heifers. His pack had started
| wolf and was far in advance OF their mas
ter, when suddenly huge gray wolf. which
had evidently been asleep in the rank under
brush until disturbed by the wolf-hunter's s
| horse, sprang upon Watson. The animal
buried his claws into the side Of the horse
and his fangs into the riders legs. He was
one of the largest beasts OF the kind Watson
had ever seen and the suddenness of the at
| tack gave the animal a distinct advantage
The attack was made from the right side
| and the only weapon the wolf-hunter carried
was beneath the body of the ferocious brute.
| Watson struck the animal repeatedly across
the snout with his quirt. Then he thrus,
his hand down under the growing wolf to
secure his pistol. Instantly his arm was
| seized by the animal and the skin torn from
his wrist. Watson reached over and grabbed
| his pistol with his left hand. The wolf still
had his right hand between his Jaws and
was chewing it very industriously.
Watson retained his presence OF mind and
fired two shots with great care into the beast
He was forced to be very careful to avoid
wounding his horse. Still, the animal did
not release his hold. An the time Wat
sons horse was rearing and psunging over
the prairie and screaming in Mony. This
made the riders aim uncertain. Four times
he fired at the wolf and had but one bullet
left. Blood was streaming from his Iacer-
ated arm and leg, the horse was covered
with blood and the wolf was bleeding pro.
fusely. With an effort tho wolf hunter
thrust his revolver into the mouth of the
wolf and at the risk of blowing off his OWL
arm fired the remaining shell in his pistol
The VOLTS head was shot nearly off and The
body dropped on the prairie. Weak from
loss of blood, Watson climbed down. tie,
up his wounds and, throwing the body o
the fierce animal across his horse as a tro
ply OF the desperate battle, started for home
ten miles away. He was in precarious con
: dition when he reached home. The heav,
leather covering he had over his limbs alon
saved his leg from being almost torn t
pieces.
Watson declares that this was the mos
exciting experience of his entire career. Tn
- H.. l.