Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-14

I were playing havoc with hocks and herds.
| A huge semicircle was formed. and over
twenty square miles of desert were secured.
A racing, yelping mass of coyotes, followed
by dozens of excited dogs and whooping
cowboys and Indians. were forced into q
small box canyon. In the pack OF coyotes
was frenzied lot of Jackrabbits. driven to
desperation by their forced association with
their natural enemies. Closely guarded on
| all sides. not a coyote escaped. Revolver
and rifle shots laid the animals low as they
lodged among the rocks and tried to hide
, behind sagebrush. When about an equal
number of coyotes and dogs were left In the
canyon the firing ceased and the dogs were
left to fight 1t out. For over an hour
fierce battle was waged, some Of the coyotes
| making a determined stand and crippling
| many Of the dogs. When the count was
| made 1t was found that over two hundred
and fifty coyotes and nearly one hundred
jackrabbits had been killed. A.out a dozen
dogs had also been killed during the fierce
fight In the canyon.
Fashionable Hunt Club.
This form of coyote drive is one Of the
most primitive methods of hunting and is
what the Highland Scotch call the tin
chel' The methods adopted by the fash
ionable hunt clubs of the west are more
spectacular, though they hardly result in
the slaughter of SO many coyotes. The
hunt club members are merely after an ex-
hilarating chase, while the cowboys are
DESTROYS Of getting rid of a natural enemy,
1t Is pretty sight to see a western
hunt club after coyotes, however. Smart
costumes are worn, and the red coats and
nutterfng riding habits give the scene many
or the characteristics of an eastern fox
hunt. The dogs are carried out into the
prairie in a little wagon. This is a two
wheeled affair, suitable for jolting over the
| rough prairie ground. When a coyote is
sighted by the master of the hounds who
, rides well in front. the door of the wagon
box is opened and the hounds bound out as
If on steel springs. They are held in leash
until they get good glimpse of the coyote
and then they are released They dart
forward like twin streaks of lightning and
then begins pretty chase The coyote
is one of the f1eetest animals in existence
and can distance any other breed of dog
but the greyhound. Some of the animals
when in good condition even manage to
draw away from the greyhounds. but this
/ is rare. Usually the coyote tries to run at
| right angles, and this effort to throw the
| pursuers off the track is usually fatal as
! 1t enables the greyhounds to make up
| much OF the intervening distance.
las soon as the dogs have seized the coy
ote they hang on like grim DEATH until the
| leaders of the hunt appear Then the coy
| ote's body is taken in charge and the hunt
ers wander over the prairie in search of
| another victim. The ride across the plains
| is dangerous as well inspiring and 1t is
| this element that appeals to horsemen of
| the Roosevelt type. The plains are scanned
| with deep cuts, or arroyas, some of which
| are so wide as to tax the jumping ability of
trained hunter. Then there are occasion
al barbed wire fences put up by stockmen
! and 1t is nervy huntsman who will try
to jump one of these on the gallop. In
| spite Of its dangers, however, coyote hunt
| Ing Is a favorite sport among western
women, and in Denver there is a hunt
| club composed entirely of society bellies.
I'm spite of the various means of hunting
| the coyote. however the animal continues
| to flourish. Wary, fleet and brave when
! brought to bay, this animal will haunt the
plains until civilization has completely
| blotted out the old west"