| Show gg iB r- r Q i d 67 b l THOUSANDS OF WILD ANIMALS HUNTED OUT AND of t I t g BY WHOLESALE IN THE TUE ANNUAL NEBRASKA WOLF DRIVE 9 n. I J 1 i HE lIE season for the annual drives In Nebraska has come corne comeIn comen corneIn In n and halt half a dozen are being held In Inious ious bus parts of ot the State quarter of ot a century ago the drive er covered less than ten tea miles square i the result of such a days day's work was m m. The seventh fi e to one me hundred wolves say ay nothing of other game t e late years year since the country has ome more settled the space has contracted until now It rarely covers re than five square miles the last two months half a dozen I es eg have been held In as many different is ts of Nebraska In the eastern section plan was to corral the coyotes and Irle Irie wolves and In the western part to the great and formidable y wolf which would as soon attack a anas anas nas a s sheep There ar are still I plenty t of se so In northwestern t rr NebrasKa and anden anden ri rien en a drive Is arranged sportsmen have havee 10 Ie e all the way from England to e. e ne no drive held lately near Beatrice ln In lne Ine e county was very successful fifty ves Ives besides other game being ed ad The ground covered by the sports- sports r n was five miles mlles square Four captains re chosen one for every side of tho the are iare Each was assisted by two lieu- lieu ants whose duties were to keep the then n in line and see that the advance was made on all arly orly In It the morning several wagon- wagon ds of or hunters started for the centre of ot drive taking with them their dogs in sh Others mounted and carrying rifles rilles med along the lines and at an agreed ie the sigal lal to advance was given by four captains with a whoop and a a. wild yell the riders for the centre care being taken to top top toP p P the line close l eno enough h so that no If might escape an and make malte a. a backward ak As the lines gradually contracted i wolves were driven closer loser and closer ether tether The riders as the territory bene bene bene be- be ne smaller also drew nearer to one anier anler an- an ier ler Until at length it was impossible for forme forme me roe to escape he congestion of smaller animals beme beme berne be- be me rne greater and greater and the alarm at felt b by them turned Into abject ter- ter Prairie chickens quail jackrabbits d fi other small game fled fied in wild dismay m the approach of f the human army ille the wolves realized that a trap had been set for them and that they ln in it It Defiantly dashing back Lack and forth tho sava savage beasts sought to break through the lines and make for shelter When it appeared that one might escape It was shot down but that was the only occasion occasion occasion occa occa- I sion when the rifle was used By the time the been huddled hud bud I died t together gether In a field the wagons with the dogs dogg arrived at the centre The eh iv dogs does I at once started upon the trail of the the- wolves and then the slaughter began Even Kven at that period however the capture of the wolves was by no means certain This animal Is a most moat sagacious beast In v eluding H tt l pursuer and unless the do dos is I well trained the wolf may slip away tt if It It Itis Itis itis of th the riders The wolf is rot t hot shot by one oce will will run like a race horse for half haH a mile jump from ten to fifteen feet to one side and then double on It its track passing the dog on its trall If the dog Is not trained to scent both that ways that tha t Is to follow something besides the trail he is on the on-the the Pursued pursued will get to the rear of him This is frequently tho the case Sometimes Sometimes the animal escapes entirely lIe He Is then run down and if he manages to reach his den the only thing to be done clone Is to out The best wolf drives are held in sections sec see where there are steep sleep canyons ons or cliffs There the wolf burrows Its den in tn inthe inthe the side and makes a second hole hoie at the theton ton of f the cliff to provide air lr or for escape v when e en too closely l e pursued eed When one Is thus trailed to its home a quantity of brush rush Is collected and shoved into the lower hole and tire lire is set to it bring the quarry This rarely if ever falls fails to r ry out Dogs are stationed at the hole on the top and whichever way he tries to escape the suffocating smoke the wolf Ismet ismet is ismet I met by his enemy and torn to pieces In the drive near Beatrice a hundred Y AV men participated with half halt as many dogs to run the game gme down These dogs are of the grey and fox breed as well as those known as the wolf dog dog wise wise fellows that never let a wolf get away if once they meet I Aside from the of wolves actually ac at- killed these drivEs drivE's arc are beneficial to the farmers and stockmen in that they have a tendency to drive the wolves from front their old haunts After passing through or two day all drives dries few wolves even which escape the tha cordons entirely entirely entirely en en- care cara to remain in the nel neighborhood As soon as the hunt is over the wolves hY N and In a heap are gathered together State A the fica scalps scalped For these tor to pays PYS 3 1 apiece bounty realized however Before this money Is as aa As soon In hilarity It has been spent the Is known the number of captures leader of turned over vr to the scalps are the money the drive and he advances wolf expended In a which Is that night banquet This generally Lists lasts wen well along alon toward the next morning |
