The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-07-10

peatedly been organized, but the results
have been trlling, the wolves inclosed
slipping away between the hunters long
before the lines draw closely together.
Attempts to hunt them with hounds
have proved destructive to the dogs
with few casualties to the wolves.
Commonly the wolves make their at
tacks in packs of from three to ten or
twelve in number. In killing COW or
steer that offers fight their mode of at
| tack is always the same While two or
| more wolves engage the creatures at
| tention in front, wolf stealing up pc
hind makes a leap and snap at the AMI
| mails hind leg, just above the Samplll
| for the purpose of ham-stringinS 1t. Ii
the pack numbers as many as five or
| six, two wolves will often spring togeth-
] err, each at a hind leg, The swapping
! bite of a wolf is like a knife-stroke, and
1 the first leap often sewers the tendon,
| If not, the attacks are repeated until
| successful, when the victim sinks help-
less to the ground to be pounced on by
| the whole pack, every wolf tearing at
| the throat or some other part when the
! arteries lie near the surface, and snarl-
ing and swapping at any of the others
who crowd too closely upon him.
ut is the finer CATTLE the thorough
| breds and graded stock that suffer most
from the attacks of wolves, They are
less hardy and active than the native
stock and less accustomed to rough and
tumble fighting. A Texas bull or
long-horned steer who has hustled for
himself and kept his end up as fighter
no ooy AGAINST him
the day he was weaned is no picnic,
even when alone, for pack of wolves
When he is with several of his fellows
the wolves had better go away and hunt
their dinner elsewhere. for the Texans,
who fight cheerfully among themselves
when nothing else is going on, pool their
issues and stand back to back against
all 'vatmints and take on gray wolves,
mountain lions or grizzly bears as readi-
ly as they would poodles or coyotes,
when they or the COWS and calves are
threatened. The native cattle are not SO
numerous north of the Arkansas river as
they We're in the early days when great
herds of pilgrims were driven yearly
from Texas to stock the ranges of the
northwestern territories, but they are by
no means extinct and, unless some
means is found to check the ravages of
wolves they may yet prove to be the
most profitable stock to rear,
"A friend Of mine who had cattle |
ranch al Shively Springs in Dakota,
about a hundred miles north of Yankton,
saw a battle royal between five Texas
steers and seven wolves 1t was in Feb |
ruary, just after a blizzard, and there |
two fba Of on the ground |
level. With the steers were two cows |
and three yearlings, They had been
running south before the storm, and, |
coming to a little knoll blown bare by
the wind, had all lain down to rest.
They We're so still that the ranchmaH
had to ride near them to satisfy himself
that they were not dead. Finding that
none of his own stock was in the bunch,
he rode away. He had gone mile
when, looking back, he saw seven gray
wolves that had come out of the head of
a canyon near by and were making to-
ward the cattle. With his field glass he
could get an excellent view of the wolves
and follow closely all their movements.
They Were having a hard time to
make their way through the snow, sink
ing in it to their bellies at every jump,
but they kept on until they were within
q few yards Of the bare spot where the
cattle were lying, when they all drew to-
gether and made a survey of the field,
then started on, widening out into line
as they did so. Up to this time none of
the cattle had moved, but now one of
the COWS and a steer rose to their feet
and faced the wolves, shaking their
horns, and some of the others were get
ting up as the wolves struck the bare
spot
Three of the wolves jumped in front
If the steer and the COW, feinting to at
tack them, and so keeping their atten-
ion engaged while the other four
5prang upon one of the yearlings just
getting to its feet and pulled it down
The ranchmen could see the four
wolves together upon the yearling, and
hen the rest of the cattle coming all to
their feet shut them from his view.
The cattle were stiff and slow in their
movements. but the steers at once closed
n on the four wolves about the year I
ing and drove them from their prey.
rhe wolves had no trouble in getting |.
away from the horns, and, instead of
Iuitting the field, they kept to the bare
,pot-it was about half an acre in ex-
round the cattle and feint-
ne to attack them on every side, but
lodging away whenever a steer made
or them in earnest While four of them
sept the attention of the other cattle,
hree of the wolves, coming together as
f at a signal, leaped upon another Of
he yearlings, one seizing it by the throat
md the other two tearing at its gam
Drills. The yearling went down under
he wolves, and then two or three of the
teers, charging as before drove them
if
"The aim of the wolves plainly was to
disable the two weaker animals, know
ne that they would eventually fall to
hem when the others moved away But
he cattle were getting warmed to their
york and after five minutes of fighting
here was little of the stiffness that they
lad at first displayed. The wolves,
.eeping still to the bare spot where
here was clear running, had all they
wanted to do to avoid the rushes of ths
teers who charged whenever any of
hem came to standstill. Then one of