The Morning Tulsa daily world. [volume] (Tulsa, Okla.) 1919-1927, 1922-12-03
COYOTES USED AS
FOXES BY HUNTER
Oklahoma Brand Of Trick
Animal Suits Nimrods
of North Carolina
AN IDEAL SUBSTITUTE
Experienced Hounds Forced
TO Put In II Hours Catching
First "Gray-Fox" in Hunt

PONCA CITY. Dec. 2.--"The CO.
vote. and particularly the Oklahoma
brand. ls Just as good for Il chase
with the hounds as the gray iox,
which is the superior OF all others,
and the coyote has the red fox
skinned a milo for such a purpose"
This iA the ultimatium of Louis
reuiow. old timer In this portion OF
Oklahom1, a cowboy here 22 years
ago, ana a hunter ana trapper OF
note when the o,d Cherokee strip
abouudci in game OF all kinds.
Bcnbuw gained some nutor-ety
number OF years ago through the
shipping OF coyote puppies back to
Greensboro, n. C.. to be used by
hunting clubs instead OF foxes. The
latter had been killed off 20 u great
extent and the heads OF the clubs
believed they could he supplauted by
coyotes. Benbow still chuckles when
he tells about II.
Coyotes Equal to Fox.
"It took these expert fox hunters,
with their best trained hounds, Just
| II hours TO catch the first coyote
| after it had emerged from puppy
! hood back in Carolina, and the little
| OKLAHOMA wolves (for Benbow says
/ the coyote Is a species of wOlD
N
respect of the gray fox which these
/ hunters had been accustomed to
| following in the chase
Bcubow'B old home was back in
/ North Carolina. where his Sher
was n well-to-do farmer. and he
knows every nook and corner OF
that entire section of the state, IN
between Greensboro and winston
Salem and the mountains. He knows
just the contour OF the land over
which the coyotes must travel In
avoiding the hounds to the last min
ute and Just how far the animals
must travel before they have the
protection of the mountain fast
ncsses.
The gray fox will circle when
the chase is on says Benbow
while his red brother will travel IN
a straight line to the hills. The
former will cover an area perhaps
three miles in diameter, and tho
coyote follows this same plan. al
though he may travel circle that
will be fully six miles In diameter
instead OF three, and II was this
fact that made the Carolina hunter,
and their trained hounds work II
hours to catch the first coyote II
that country"
DtfspN hu YIN tbNooS.
bnbow came to oklahoma abou
20 years ago to he q cowboy
It was lust another call OF tn,
Wild. He went to work immedillel,
on the George Brett ranch. down II
the Otoe Indian country, and h
Is still In Brett's employ today. Hi
outdoors existence there, coupled
with the knowledge he had game,
, in fox chasing back In Carolina
l made II possible for him to stud!
the habits OF the coyote in particu
: lar, for there were more coyotes II
this portion of oklahoma than an,
: other animal, "and there still are,
: Benbow says.
yes. IL was against the law T.
: ship the coyotes from one state 4
I, another" Benbow now admits, "bu
a they were marked foxes instead o
: coyotes. and it is not against tn
, law to ship foxes. The law hold
= the coyote a pest and a destroye
n and its arm is against him all tn
!, time Benbow finally quit sue
shipments following a warning fror
his father, who was afraid that hi
son, out ~ pioneer Oklahoma. woul
II get into trouble.
a The hunting clubs. compose
4 chiefly of millionaire cportsme
from New York City, Philadeiphi
ana other northern cities, peede
!. some animal to replace the rapid
a disappearing fox, and through Ben
: bow they learned that the coyot
= was practically the gray foX's equa
5 Arrange ments were then made {
3 have some OF the coyotes sent hac
for experimental purposes, and Ben
e bow spent many day digging int
2 their dens in the Otoe country an
v thus securing the ntters OF puppici
q 1t was believed that they wcul
). breed and increase in North Caro-
) lima and eventually become as plen
{ tlful as the foxes had been. and
was on just this point that Benhow