A WOLF SHOOT IN RUSSIA.

New Zealand Herald, Volume XLV, Issue 13757, 23 May 1908, Page 5 (Supplement)

A WOLF SHOOT IN RUSSIA.

Tiibrk were four of us, surveyors, engaged by a firm of English engineers to survey ii tract of country between (1 must, suppress nil names), the railway at and that at —-~ in Russia, a distance of several hundred miles. A similar surveying party was to start from the other end. .As the I'ne would pass through a most inhospitable country, a large and powerful motor bud been provided, which our driver, being an intelligent young Russian engineer, thoroughly understood. Besides the motor, we had a light but strongly-built' covered waggon, in which was stored all the necessaries and. some of the luxuries of life. Over these presided a capital fellow as storekeeper and cook for the party. He had been a passenger chip's steward, but, being fond of adventure, had offered his services to the expedition. Fresh meat was scarce, but there was usually

game—partridges, hares, and variousfor Ivan, the storekeeper, proved himself a good hunter, and kept our larder very fairly supplied. Probably no expedition of the kind ever enjoyed so many comforts. I have been told by brother surveyors of terrible hardships they had to endure in traversing parts of Russia. Besides those I have mentioned, we had six Russians with as as chainmen and staff-holders. These walked. Our motor, it was said, was capable of about 30 miles an hour, but as the road, or, rather, track, was generally pretty - rough, wo had no moans of testing her; at all events, when the waggon was attached, as we moved, from one camping place to another, I think six miles an hour was about our speed. Wc each curried a, 12bore double shot gun. A few weeks after the start found us in the most dreary country it had ever been my lot to view; fiat, as far as the eye could see, with no habitation for miles, and when one was encountered it was always a miserable abode. I have heard someone say these plains arc agreeable to them to see! to me they seemed most melancholy and depressing. At length, however* we arrived at what by courtesy might be called a village, or collection of wretched abodes of men ; all the inhabitants looked miserable, and well might they, for they had just been raided by hordes of wolves, which had descended upon them suddenly, and in one night had destroyed the whole of their little flock of sheep; no, not all, for one had managed to escape, and was carefully shut up in a hovel. * We had observed here and there along the route we had passed wolves quite close to the track, they seeming but little frightened at our motor, unless we founded 'he syren; this they could not stand. This village was situated about half a mile bolow the boundary of what we learned was an immense pine forest, from whence these brutes had issued. We drove our motor into the yard of the best farmhouse (save the mark!) we could find. Here we hired a loft, cleared it out, and swept it, purchased some bundles of sweet, clean straw, and this for a week or more we made our bedroom, able to stretch ourselves out at full length. We had hitherto slept in the car itself, and when the covering, which was constructed to cover all in, was drawn over, it was cosy enough, but somewhat cramped as to length. We secured the friendship of these poor people by little gifts of luxuries and sweets (of which we had brought several big bottles for this very purpose) for their children. We heard what, to us Englishmen, seemed a very sore talc of privation as a normal condition of life, and this incursion of wolves was a sad disaster; snow had fallen, and not only all meat, but wool, was gone, and the case seemed hopeless. Day by day, as we motored to our work, we passed these brutes singly or in littlo groups, waiting about, perhaps, until the solitary sheep, which, no doubt, they could smell, should be forthcoming. They took little notice of us as we passed, and wo resolved to try whether it was possibio to attract them 'into a big group, and then have a grand slaughter. It happened that the same night they had destroyed the sheep they had also' killed an old horse, but, probably being surfeited with mutton, had eaten scarcely any of it. Its carcase was still in a hovel. This we bought for a small sum, and' having cut some of it into small pieces, took them with us in the car and pitclicd them out alongside the track as ground bait when we went to work next morning. Upon our return at; night wo found our ruse was taking, for all the pieces had disappeared, and numbers of the animals were to be seen near by. We, therefore, resolved to take a holiday the following day, and try for a grand shot. So we cut off the hind-quarters of the horse, and next day sallied out to about half a mile along the track, drove a stake in firmly with the leg tied strongly to it,, and returned. We had not to wait long before the man Ave had set to watch reported that they had found the flesh, and he- had seen several making for it. We waited for some little further time, and stalled on the motor towards the " kill," each with his gun. We had taken the small shot out of the cartridges and replaced them with 18 'copers, as .that number we' found to equal the removed charge in weight. Upon approaching we saw our bait had attracted well; all over and around it was a seething mass of the hungry brutes, tearing, growling, and fighting over the delicious spread. Wo agreed to aim at much as possible at heads, and so avoid spoiling the pelts, and when within 50yds gave the order to go dead slow. Creeping along in this manner, we got close, and seeing they were too busy to take any notice, brought the car right opposite to them, the bait having been tied about 30ft from' the track. Here and there one of them looked up at us, but resumed his feast in a moment. Then our live barrels rang out, for the driver had his gun as well. Even then they were loth to leave, and a number of them immediately fell to again, and were treated to a second volley. Then they did move off: but we had time to put cartridges in the chambers and treat them to a parting reminder, numbers limping away towards the forest, rind one more falling. Wo now requested our driver to give a good, loud syren shriek (which was the only thing they seemed to fear), whilst we collected the slain. Taking, our guns with us, we went to them, and finished the only two that were not quite dead, and hauled their carcases into the motor. Fourteen had fallen at the bait side and one up the slope. A very successful battue. We found we had only just been in time, for. short as the time wo had allowed, nearly the whole of the meat had been consumed. We were back at the village in a few minutes, where the whole community came to view the spoils, and much was the rejoicing at the fall of the enemy; some of them were enormous brute's; the whole were handed to a peasant to skin, the heads were cut off in order to send to the official, who would pay a fee for each on behalf of the Government. We then produced from the stores a bottle of whisky, and entertained the victims of the wolves' raid. We waited a day, and then repeated our former tactics, laving the bait this time on the other side of the village, at the two shoots obtaining 29 wolves, including one or two single ones we shot from the car as we passed along : a mere drop in a bucket, I expect, but still a good hard. A man who was driving his drnsky to a town some 40 miles ahead of us, took. the heads to the official there, and received the reward, taking our skins also to be cured (and for these we called as we passed through afterwards). In a few days tin's man returned, when he handed us "the reward, and vo divided if amongst (hose who had suffered the losses of their little flocks.— Lutra," in Illustrated Sporting and Dramatic.