The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1905-01-21
FAKE WOLF STORIES.
Very Entertaining but not to be En-
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protest in the Duluth Evening Herald
concerning the fake wolf stories that
form regular feature in the daiiies du-
ring the winter months. In reference
to this matter the Herald says; .,,.s
These yarns are repeated year after
year, but the plain fact remains that no
body ever yet heard of a mao being kill
ed by wolves in Northern Minnesota.
ANY person who has ever been in the
woods and heard the bowls of pack of
wolves after their quarry can readily i'm
aglne how lone and Inexperienced
traveller, hearing these bowls, would
have an attack of cold shivers and be
tempted to climb tree. It is a hair
raising and mind.torturing experience
for the nninitiated: It may be true
that the creatures will sometimes follow
a sleigh containing fresh-killed meat, at
tracted by the smell Of blood, in the
hope of getting something to eat, but
the man who is provided with gun and
AMMUNITION and knows how to shoot
who would run away from a pack OF
wolves in Minnesota is foolish. He
could have no better means of making
good pot of money at little expense and
trouble to himself, if the wolves did not
get ont of sight before he could shoot.
people who live IN the woods all
their lives, hearing the bowls almost
nightly, rare1y catch a glimpse of these
ANIMALS, they are so shy, skulklng and
cowardly. One we'll directed shot from
a gun would effectually scatter the big
gest pack that ever congregated. A
good sized bull dog. can whip one of
them to standstill and they will run
from an ordinary dog unless rnered-
If all'the deer, all the rabbits, all the
grouse and otter small animals that in
habit the north woods were suddenly
wiped out of existence, and only the
wolves renamed. then the time might
come when, made desperate by hunger,
a pack of them would tackle man.
But ordinarily they obtain plenty of
food. Rabbits, of which there are mil
lions IN the swamps, form the principal
Item of their bill of fare. Then when
the conditions are right they OCCASION
ally run down and slaughter a deer.
Were it not for the plentiful supply of
rabbits the deer would soon be wiped
out of existence, but a deer can run
longer and farther than rabbit and so
usually escapes, unless he is surround
ed or unless there is deep snow with a
crust so that the deer breaks through
while the wolf runs on top.
''Many time men working in the
woods have had deer, being pursued by
wolves, run up to them for protection,
! but the wolves rarely appear. II they
| do, as soon as they see man, even if he
is unarmed, they skulk away. Some
times wolves. like deer, will follow or
prccede a team in the woods at night,
but they always keep at respectful dis
lance and it is only uesessary to stop
the team to see them suddenly dlsap-
pear from view.
'These wolf tales are very entertain
ing, but they work an injury to this Sec
ton, and the reader can put 1t down as
settled fact that the man who is freed
by woly*s is usually freed by their
howls rather than by the wolves them
Selves and if he assumes that position
While possessed of gun he richly de-
serves his fate even if he freezss.'