The Hope pioneer. [volume] (Hope, N.D.) 1882-1964, 1910-08-25
SPORT ON PRA|R|Es
Modern Motor Car Used in Cha
sing the Fleet Jack Rabbit.
Coyote Is Run to His Hole, Then
Hunters Pour in GasoIine-When
Animal Emerges Wild Race
Across Open Is Resumed.

Topeka, Kan.-The faithful horse is
going into the discard in Kansas as a
necessary adjunct of a hunting party
or the chase of horse thief. Motor
cars are becoming SO plentiful in the
state and they have been found so
much better in chasing the feet jack
rabbit or driving the common coyote
to It's lair or catching those who take
horses and mules from stables with
out the owners permission that the
horse is being relegated to the rear.
Rabbit and wolf hunts have long
been common sport in Kansas. Men
would go out with horses and dogs
and have a rabbit or wolf drive. Now
party of dozen men in three or
tour motor cars go out and make more
successful drives than 100 men with
horses.
A wolf hunt with motor car is
about as exciting sport as any one
would care to indulge in. In middle
and western Kansas are thousands Of
acres of wheat and corn lands with
out fence. Often one can drive five
or ten miles across the country and
encounter few fences except those
around small pasture on each farm.
Motorists can drive miles and miles
across the prairie lands of the western
half of the this state without running
Into fence or creek or gully.
1t Is not much trouble to stir up q
coyote or prairie wolf in western Kan
sas, and when the motor. party sees
one the race begins. The coyote runs
In large circle. He does not dodge
back and forth, or zig-zag much, so it
Is comparatively easy matter for the
driver to keep right behind Mr.. Coy.
ote. But that motor car must be
moving along at lively gait. The
coyote can hump along across the
prairie at about 80 miles an hour, and
be can also do some tall squirting when
necessity demands
In the days Of coyote hunting with
horses and dogs, the wolves were
never driven to their dens. But about
an hours driving with motor car
gives the coyote about all the running
he cares for, and he makes for his
den. But his rest is not long, because
the hunters pour some gasoline down
the hole, and the fumes soon drive the
coyote out, and the race begins again
Within the last month not less than
eight coyotes have been run down and
killed by the wheels of the motor cars
or shot by members of the party after
the animals had been driven until they
could run no longer.
The Kansas jack rabbit is also a
nifty" chap on his legs when it comes
to hitting hot pace across the prai-
rie. The rabbit cannot run so long,
but can go faster than the coyote. The
rabbit does more or less short lodging,
but he also runs In a circle of about a
mile in circumference, and the short
lodges to one side or the other Of the
path are simply by-plays. The driver
of the motor car keeps far enough be-
hind the rabbit to turn to either side
and head the rabbit off when he
makes these turns, and still close
enough to keep the rabbit going at
full speed. About two runs around
the circle are enough for the rabbit,
and the hunters have no trouble in
driving up close enough to shoot.
Sometimes the hunters are able to
pick up rabbit alive because he is
too tired to run further.