Omaha daily bee., 1909-01-18
AUTOS USED IN WOLF CHASE
Machines Become Popular iR Races
and Raids ON Pests. ~

ana kta1ds ON Icsth
Two hundred men on what the people OF
central Nebraska know as a wolf chase
have found a new use for the automobile.
These wolf chases'' are organized from
time to time for the purpose of Kidding
the region of coyotes. which are numerous
and a menace to the farmers.
When two visitors from the east hap
pened along at Harvard. and found one of
these hunts scheduled, the motor car was
introduced into the game. The fasteners
were George Z. Messer and Arthur
Wheeler, and they, with the cooperation
OF Raymond Herzog of Harvard took two
Franklin touring cars into the event, being
in at the death and shooting from their
point OF vantage in the cars like the tiger
hunters Of India mounted upon the backs
Of elephants.
The hunters were divided into four squads
Of fifty each. and each division was lined
up along one side of a great square, several
miles on a side. A place where It was
known coyotes were to be found in con-
siderable number had been selected for
the roundup OF the animals 1t was sought
to extermiDate. This was some distance
from the town, and the 200 hunters in loads
Of ten were packed into the two automo-
bikes and taken out to their stations.
At each corner of the square was a cap
tain. mounted upon n horse. Each COM
manded one of the four sides, and no one
was allowed to advance until all were
ready. Then a signal was given to close
in.
Every man had a shotgun; no rifles were
allowed, and every one was ordered to
shoot low. These regulations were for the
purpose of minimizing the danger to the
hunters themselves of cross-fire.
The automobile party kept with the line
of beaters until all had worked In half
way to the center of the roundup. Then
with their OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES, the
two motor cars were driven straight across
the prairie to the point at which the hunt
would reach its climax.
This was at a straw stack near a corral,
and there eight wolves were brought n
bay. Baffled in attempts to break through
the relentlessly tightening chain of human
foes, the eight made a last stand and faced
their executioners.
When the men on foot were about LIZ
yards from the stack the firing began. II
was al over in a few minutes, and tbs
sight lay lifeless surrounded by the 20
hunters. A ninth had been seen to escape
through the line soon after the hunt hat
t started.
y -" IAN SNA
caught IN the same trap, had been sho
) as the men closed in. Only the cottontaili
t were saved for food.
Because Of the time saved by the use o
the automobiles in the stationing of TIN
men the entire hunt was held between tn,
{ hours OF IL and 1870 O'Clock.
: The wolf chases' are without sanctiol
! on the part Of the public officials; so NJ
=; one in authority can be held responsible
a in case of any injury. Every participant
goes in at his own risk. but no one ha
been hurt in the last few years.
$ When a chase Is planned an unsigne,
. notice is given upon bill boards and pub
lished in the daily paper. The expense Q
the hunt is met in part by an auction sal
0 OF the wolves killed, a coyote skin maxim
4 the animal worth about $1.75, and by tn
revenue from d commissary wagon whic
accompanies the hunters. Any money LEI
e over is used in the purchase of ella
a pigeons, and the remainder of the day
t spent in trap shooting.