The Ketchum keystone. [volume] (Ketchum, Idaho) 1885-1899, 1893-09-30
A SCUURGE OF WOLVES.
Montana and Texas Cattle Killed
by the Ravenous Beasts.
Stock RAlssrs In These States Arc 1T .
Loss for Some MsAns to Save Their
Young Cows aud HoFses fR0n
DDstruetioo.

cope with the pest come alike rom
points in western Texas and in eastern
Montana.
At the recent annual meeting Of the
Montana stock growers the surprising
fact WAS stated and corroborated by
ranchmcn from all parts of the state
that during the past two years twenty
five per cent. of the young calves and
ten per cent. Of the colts on the ranges
have been destroyed by wolves The
sheep men Of Texas agree that they
suffer from the depredations of wolves
more than from any other cause, and
estimate their average loss at twenty
per cent. OF their flccks. ]. NJ. Camp
bell, who has one of the largest ranches
in western Texas near Del Rio, where
he has flock of twelve thousand head
of sheep, says he has had over three
thousand head killed by coyotes or
wolves during the past year.
The number of wolves does not di-
minish. 1.-The fact u.s." says Montana
newspaper, "that wolves have increased
in vast numbers within the past three
years, and that all methods for their
destruction have hitherto failed"
And Mr.. Campbell says of Texas:
''The wolves are becoming SO numer-
Gus and bold that it is no trouble to
trap and shoot them; but their num-
bers do not seem to decrease" His
fellow sheepmen say that the losses to
their focks from the deprcda tions Of
the wolves in the past few years have
equaled, and in many cases exceeded,
the profits from the business. Men
who have raised sheep in Australia
and other countries say there is no
better country in the world for sheep
raising than Texas, but for the wolves.
How wolves may kill sheep is not
difficult to conceive. Killing young
steers and colts is a bolder job. The
wolf, preying alone or as one OF band,
picks out fine young animal, leaps
on its hind quarters and cuts the ten
dons of the leg. The animal is Grip
pied and the feast is easy for the wolf
or the pack. Usually but little of the
animal thus killed is devourcd, for the
wolf prefers fresh meat, and calves
and colts and sheep are plentiful and
easy prey.
How to get rid Of the wolves is
problem much cssayed but still wholly
unsolvcd. The Montana stock growers
debated it for six hours and left the
case open. The unanimous opinion
was that only two suggestions were
considered at all worka BILE, one for their
determination by stag hounds and the
/ one OF a bounty to hlnters. The
sly beast will not touch pols-
oned carcass unless driven by ex-
treme hunger, condition unlikely
with young stock SO plentiful and easy
to slaughter. The stockmen say that
strychnine, even when eaten, for some
strange reason or other, now rarely
takes effect on a wolf. Offering an in
creased bounty is an expensive and
risky business. It might mean as much
expense as the loss of the stock the
wolves kill, for if the bounty were large
wolf scalps would be imported from
Canada and neighboring states for
bounty purposes.
Mr.. Campbell, the Texas sheep raiser
quoted, has new scheme for extermi-
mating the pest, bout which he is very
hopeful. He trapped seven wolves re-
Gently and penned them with dog
badly afflicted with the mange. In
sever al weeks the wolves had all caught
the disease, and, having made it sure
that they had it bad, Mr.. Campoell
turned them loose in Val Verde county,
Tex. He believes that the disease will
spread SO rapidly that within two Jears
that there will not be a healthy volt
in Texas. Dogs afflicted with mango
do not breed, and die in q short time,
and he believes the same effect will
hold good in the case of the wolves.
Mr.. Campbell proposes that the legis-
lature should establish stations in
every county in western Texas for the
propagation OF mango among wolves.
The shccpmen in his section have great
faith in his experiment., and with stock.
men in other parts Of the union are
looking with much interest for results.