Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1914-04-30
HUNTING THE WOLF.
tn Russia the Vicious Brute, if
 Full Grown, Is a Marvel.
FLEET, FIERCE AND STRONG.
He Is Often More Than a Match Fer a Pack of Trained Hounds and Fairly Fights His Way to Freedom-An Ex. citing Chase With a Grand Duke.


 Fights His Way to Freedom--An Ex.
 citing Chase With Grand Duke.
 Hunting wolves with dogs is one of the most expressing and exciting of the winter sports in Kussia. and in the pursuit of the full grown wild beast three types of dog are used-the ordi nary foxhound pack, the borzoi. or Russian wolfhound. and the bear hound, type which is becoming rarer all the time. The Russian imperial hunt. which is situated at Gatchina, about thirty miles from St. Petersburg. is the scene of most of these sporting events.
 The method of hunting Is to employ q "rfng" or locate the animal by means of his tracks in certain portion of the forest, the mounted huntsmen remain ing quietly about. with groups of bor zois ill leash. three together. The next step Is to send the foXhounds into the forest to force the wolf to break cover. and on his appearance the wolfhounds are slipped. If the quarry can survive two miles of hard pressure he will have outlasted the pace and staying powers of hls pursuers. but If not the wolfhounds will have pulled him down. They can make no impression on his hide. however. but must wait until the first horsemnn comes up. The wolf is either killed then by knife, or his legs and jaws are bound up. and he Is taken back home and exhibited a few days in captivity. when he is turned loose to furnish sport at future time
 In the London Times x. Kravtchen- ko tells of q hunt in company with a grand duke. in which one of these full grown vicious brutes proved too much for the hounds:
 We had reached our stutious and be- came accustomed to patient. motionless waiting when far away was heard the voice of hound on the scent. Soon whole chorus joined in, and little later the wood in front of us began to i'll with noise, and then suddenly, not far from US. appeared huge full grown wolf.
 He seemed to be absolutely undis turbed and trotted off as if nothing par ticular was occurring. but in reality he was travelling at great speed and had almost covered half the distance when the grand duke unleashed upon him. Like lightning the wolf turned and re- treated. but the dogs were quicker Let go!" shouted the grand duke. and my leash quickly followed. Every mo- ment thought the dogs would roll the wolf over and pin him. But the task was evidently no easy one. The wolf went on and on. Now and then he would turn his head when some more enterprising hound pressed him with his attentions. It seemed that there was nothing particularly menacing in the act. but so quickly did the mighty jaws snap that we could only tell as one hound after another fell away with ripped sides that it had been far more than mere head shake. The in credible strength and agility of the beast and the apparent ease with which he dealt with six of the might. jest and best borzois of the grand ducnl kennel compelled one's respect and admiration.
 But now came whirlwind directly In his path-two borzois. dark as night, gallopins toward the pursued. intent at the risk of their lives to overturn him 1 thought to see him torn to pieces in a few moments. But it is not in vai,, that according to the rules of wolf coursing grown wolf has the honors of the whole kennel-all the borzois on the field must be unleashed-for be sides his strength the grown wolf Is extraordinarily agile and intelligent All these qualities he displayed to the full before me. For the first time l saw a grown wolf at bay. and was no longer disposed to feel any surprise that so many dogs should be unleaShed against one beast. Without changing his course or his gait, suddenly, under the very noses of the borzois that were rushing upon him. he turned to the eight and headed straight toward us. Some dogs. trying to turn quickly. fell but jumped up again and gave chase. But the wolf, 1t seemed. continued on his course at the same quiet gait. as If he felt no need to expend his strength on such foes
 Not far from me the dogs almost overlook him. thought that one had gripped him. but he turned his head. and those terrible fangs of his again . did their deadly work. SapIings of birch and oak. the outposts of the for est. were already nigh. The dogs made a last desperate effort and almost sur him on the very edge of the wood. We saw how they all came to- gether. md then we heard the howl of one dog after another as the wolf snap ped them of and his gray body disap peared in the thicket Then the borZi- atniki began to call their dogs together. nnd to gather up the wounded.
 So we courscd the grown wolf. In twenty-five years tha Pershino hunt has taken only ffty.six of them. where as the number of cubs and yearline wolves that have been taken by the grand dukes borzOis is. .625