Gut wrenching hound story

Winter of 1970-71? We were in central Iowa looking for a fresh coyote track to put our two hounds on. One hound was a large Black-N-Tan male weghing 110 lbs. The other hound was a male Walker hound maybe 60 lbs or so.

Both were tough experienced coyote dogs.

We turned out the hounds on a fresh coyote track going into a 2x2 mile hilly timbered section. Once they took off, all the other guys in their trucks slowly drove around the section looking for the push out.

An hr or so into it. My Dad's friend & I sat a top of a high hill over looking a long wide open foothill valley. Shortly there after we seen 3 canines coming our way over 1/2 mile out.

As the 3 drew nearer. We seen both hounds right on the heels of a very large dusky[dark] colored wolf. They were all chugging up a deep snowed ridgeline about a city block from us. B+T was right on that wolf's rump, grabbing the hair on it's tail.

We lost sight of them over the ridgeline. We grabbed our firearms & trudged as quick as we could through the hilly deep snow drifted sloughs. It took us about 1/2 hr just to get to that ridgeline. It was exhausting but we thought they would catch that wolf. Et the wolf would win the battle. Wolf was another 4" or so taller @ the shoulder than the B&T. Which was a tall heavy hound.

As we neared the ridgeline. We seen both hounds slowly slogging our way. They were both plastered in blood & bitten/punctured so many times on the face/muzzle, head & upper chest area. Looked like they were shot with a shotgun @ close range.

The hounds could barely stand as they were completely exhausted from the run & the fight. We packed snow in their largest wounds to clot off the bleeding. They were both a mess.

After tending to the hounds. We topped over the ridgeline. There just over the ridge we could see where the wolf had spun around 180 to fight the dogs. They battled in a 50' area or so on the high hillside. Area was beat down with tracks & blood was every where. The wolf was gone. Two tough hounds got their butt kicked by a lone wolf.

There wasn't suppose to be any wolves in Iowa.
 
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I hate to hear stuff like this.That's alot of hard work,time,and money gone.Let alone the bond they shared.But I don't like to think about eliminating a species either,even if they are transplants.I've heard that most species lose the fear of man and dogs if they are not ever threatened by them.Maybe a few should be hunted out of each pack to keep that fear going strong. I lost my Mountain Cur yesterday to a car.It sucks,especially since I was far from busy roads.He got lost and didn't come back to me.Must have ranged out of hearing.That was Tuesday night.I got a call from a guy that lived about 4 miles from there,and he had found him dead on the road in the morning.Like I said,it sucks and I'm bummed.But I don't hate cars or drivers.It is just an unavoidable risk that we must deal with.
 
Got a email with a story similar to this quite a few years go, pretty much the same thing happened only the guy was sending a pup or two out with the adult hounds for training or something (dont remember the exact story). when he got there a wolf turned on him but his last dog attacked the wolf and died saving his master. Just remember the pics and all he had of one dog was a spine and head and bits and pieces of the other few.
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I was a bit younger then but it brought tears even to my eyes.
 
Kirby, I hope your hounds came out of the deal ok. Sounds like you were able to get them doctored in time.

One question though, Did you walk to where the fight happened, and inspect it well? Since your dogs survived i would assume that you are right, the wolf stoped, and fought the dogs. But allot of times when you hear stories like yours, people think it was one wolf who killed 4 dogs, and it usually isnt. Wolfs are like coyotes in the fact that when the heat is really put on them they will try to get to the pack. Or the pack will move in around the dogs. Well, a good yote dog will just keep pushing through, and be fine. But when the wolfs move in, its not so good.

We lost several dogs one day. Pretty well decimated our pack. We thought it was the same wolf that they were running killing all of our dogs, because it was always the lead dog that we would find dead. We tried to get infront of the hounds and pick them up, but never could seem to get there. When we started looking closer, we figured out that the Wolf would go make a big loop and bring the hounds right into the pack, they would grab the first hound in, and kill him. It was a long rough day, and we lost a bunch of good dogs.

I do know guys in Canada that run Wolfs with hounds. They dont lose many dogs, but they lose a few here and there. I guess the dogs learn the game, and play better than the wolfs. lol.

Jb, sorry to hear about your loss. Unlike you, i have learned to hate the car-driver, because about 90% of the time a hunting dog gets run over it is on purpose.
 
Jesse, after we packed the hounds wounds with snow. We walked over the ridgeline. We could tell by the tracks & the slide mark on the snow. That the wolf turned sharply to confront the hounds. The B&T which was right on it's rump. Apparently rammed into the wolf head on.

They both slid down the hill maybe 20' or so[looked like a toboggin slide mark]. That is where they all did battle. I suspect that wolf was bitten as well. Because both of our hounds would pile into a coyote head on. Even though they would get bit.

The wolf above was the 1st wild wolf I ever seen in Iowa. I seen two other lone wolves since then in the following yrs. Every one of them was quite large. No doubt once in a while a lone wolf will pass on through Iowa.

The fight lasted near 1/2 hr, as that is roughly how long it took us to get to the ridgeline. Once we got out of the truck.
 
Prime example of what happens when people think they know better than mother nature and try to introduce species. I'd love to kill a wolf, prairie dogs, Kudu, elk, and all kinds of other animals, but I'm not stupid enough to think they belong in Virginia. Someday people will learn to leave well enough alone. Hunting is better at wildlife regulation. It can be turned on and off and be moderated. Wild animals and plants know no such boundaries. This is what happens when greenie weenies let an animal do their dirty work.

I hate to see such attacks on a dog, especially when they are truly members of the family
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