WOLF AND COYOTE HUNTING.
In training a dog to run wolves, it is unsafe to allow a young dog to
go alone, as some wolves prefer fighting to running, and if a young
dog is whipped back a few times, he will become afraid, or will be
perhaps, spoiled altogether. Training a dog to hunt young wolves is a
harder task, and unless your dog is born for it, you will fail to
make anything like a first class dog out of him. Almost any good fox
dog will hunt old wolves, but very few will hunt pups, and my
experience has been that a bitch will hunt quicker than a dog. There
are a great many dogs that will trail and hunt a wolf to a finish,
but will pay no attention to the pups whatever; but if you succeed in
finding one that is inclined to hunt them, remember that practice
makes perfect.
Speaking of brush wolves: The kind of dog needed is a good ranger,
extra good cold trailer and an everlasting stayer. Then if he will
only run a short distance after starting the wolf and come back and
hunt the pups, and then bark at them when found, you have a good,
valuable dog. There are plenty of dogs that will hunt and trail
wolves all right, but very few that will hunt the pups.
Sometimes when your dog trails in near the pups you will get a fight,
and sometimes they will jump out and run for it. Sometimes if the
pups are quite young you will find the mother in with them and for
the first few days she will be found near them, but as they grow
older she will be found farther away.
A Minnesota wolfer who averages 35 wolves a year pins his faith in
the long eared variety of hounds, with features of strength,
endurance, good tonguers and stayers.
From another source we are advised that the best dogs ever for
coyotes, are part English blue and Russian stag. English blue are
very fast and the stag are long winded and have the grit to make a
good fight.
Another admired and capable dog is the one-half Scotch stag hound and
one-half grey hound.
A Wisconsin hunter writes that the best breed to catch and kill
coyotes are one-half shepherd and one-half hound. They are faster
than a hound and trail just as well on a hot trail.
Another fast breed for coyotes is a one-fourth English bull,
one-fourth blood hound and one-half fox hound.
[Illustration: Typical Western Wolf Hounds.]
A Kansas hunter contributes some first hand discussion of wolf
hunting as follows: I have been hunting wolves with dogs for eight or
nine years and have caught my share. I only hunt in spring and late
in fall, but any time is good when you can find them. But don't take
your dogs out in summer, as it will be sure to be the time when you
will find a hard race, and there is where you will hurt some of your
best dogs. I use a pack of from three to five, but the more the
better.
I have tried most all kinds of dogs and have found a cross with stag
hound and English greyhound suits me the best. I don't have any use
for a full blood English greyhound--they cannot stand the cold
weather and are too easily hurt in a fight.
I want a dog that will weigh 75 pounds, with long legs and short back
so he can gather himself up quickly. I don't think foxhounds are any
good for wolves. I have seen thirty-five of them start after the same
wolf, in good weather and four hours afterward there were only two,
the smallest of the pack, still in the race. I have no doubt but that
they could have taken the wolf several times in the race, but all
they could do was to bark.
I will not say a full blood stag hound is not all right, in a level,
unobstructed country, but in many parts of the country many large
dogs would not be able to get thru the fences or over the rough
ground with the ease that the smaller ones do.
I have never seen the big dog that could catch and kill a wolf by
himself. I have killed them with two, but would rather have four or
five.
I always hunt on a horse, and they should be the best of horses, well
broken and not afraid of wire. I never carry a gun of any kind, but
always have a hammer, and if I want to succor the dogs in the race, I
will ride up to the dogs and kill the wolf for them.
THE IRISH WOLFHOUND.
The Irish wolfhound of history is no more, the breed having become
extinct years ago. There has been a determined effort, however, to
approximate him with a present day breed. The modern Irish wolfhound
is a cross between the Scottish deerhound and the Great Dane. Other
combinations have also been tried, with more or less good effect.
According to the idea of the American-Irish Wolfhound Club, the Irish
wolfhound should be "not quite so heavy or massive as the Great Dane,
but more so than the deerhound, which in general type be should
resemble. Of great size and commanding appearance, very muscular,
strongly though gracefully built; movements easy and active, head and
neck carried high; the tail carried with an upward sweep, with a
slight curve toward the extremity.
The minimum height and weight of dogs should be 31 inches and 120
pounds; bitches 28 inches and 90 pounds. Anything below this should
be debarred from competition. Great size, including height and
shoulder and proportionate length of body is the desideratum to be
aimed at, and it is desired to firmly establish a race that shall
average from 32 to 34 inches in dogs, showing the requisite power,
activity, courage and symmetry."
"The coat should be rough and hard on body, legs and head; especially
wiry and long over the eyes and under the jaws. The recognized colors
are gray, brindle, red, black, pure white, fawn or any color that
appears in the deerhound."
THE RUSSIAN WOLFHOUND.
The Russian wolfhound has a reputation for being a most capable
wolf-catcher in his native country, but so far the pure bred hound of
that family has not held his own with the American wolf. He has the
speed and capacity for catching the wolf, but is unable to cope with
him or detain him long enough for the hunter to arrive. Admirers of
the dog say he lacks training and adaption and that he will with a
generation or two of careful training and practice become the most
available dog for the purpose.
[Illustration: Termination of a Successful Chase.]
Others get good results by crossing in some fiercer and stronger
blood.
The Russian Wolfer has somewhat the clean cut appearance of the
greyhound, though more stockily built, and has a long, silky coat of
wavy or curly hair.
"In general appearance" says an authority, "he is an elegant,
graceful aristocrat among dogs, possessing courage and combining
great muscular power with extreme speed, weighing from 75 to 105
pounds."
[Illustration: Good Dogs Make Good Luck.]