Arizona republican., 1893-10-18
A SCOURGE OF WOLVES.
Montana and Texas Cattle Killed
by the Ravenous Beasts.
Stock Raisers in These States Are at a
Loss for Some Means to Save Their
Young Cows and Horses from
Destruction.


Wolves are the great bane of the
stock-raising industry in the west and
southwest, and how to get rid of them
or even to prevent their increase is just
now of most serious concern to ranch
men. The trouble is not confined to
any one section, for stories of havoc
among stock and of helplessness to
cope with the pest come alike from
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
ranchmen 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 ficcks. J. M. 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 is,' 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:
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 depredations 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 holder 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 vol
or the pack. Usually but little of the
animal thus killed is devoured, for the
wolf prefers fresh meat, and calves
and colts and sheep are plentiful ano
easy prey.
How to get rid of the wolves is E
problem much essayed but still wholly
unsolved. The Montana stock grower:
| debated it for six hours and left the
case open. The unanimous opinion
was that only two suggestions wer,
considered at all workable. one for theil
determination by stag hounds and thu
old one of a bounty to hunters. Tit
sly beast will not touch pois
oned carcass unless driven by eX
IRENE hunger, a condition unlikel,
with young stock so plentiful and cas-,
to slaughter. The stockmen say tina
strychnine, even when eaten, for SOM
strange reason or other, now rarel,
takes effect on wolf. Offering an in
creased bounty is an expensive ant
risky business. 1t might mean as mucl
expense as the loss of the stock tn
wolves kill, for if the bounty were larg
wolf scalps would be imported from
Canada and neighboring states TO
bounty purposes.
Mr. Campbell, the Texas sheep raise
quoted has a new scheme for extermi
mating the pest, about which he is YER
hopeful. He trapped seven wolves re
Gently and penned them with a dos
badly afflicted with the mango. Il
several weeks the wolves had all caugh
the disease, and, having made it sur
that they had it bad, Mr.. Campbell
turned them loose in Val Verde county
Tex. He believes that the disease vii
spread so rapidly that within two year
that there will not be healthy vol
in Texas. Dogs afflicted with mang
do not breed, and die in short time
hold good in the case of the wolves
Mr.. Campbell proposes that the leglS
lature should establish stations i
every county in western Texas for tn
propagation of mango among wolves
The sheepmen in his section have grea
faith in his experiment, and with stool
men in other parts of the union ar
looking with much interest for result:
Falcons as Letter Carriers.
Falcons may be used as letter cal
riers in place of homing pigeons. N
Smokoff, lieutenant in the Russia,
army, has contributed to the Revue de
Sciences, the result of some exper
ments in training falcons to carry dis
patches. Compared with pigeons, ia,
cons are in more than one respect ST
perior as carriers. Apigeon travels fror
eight to ten leagues in an hour, Will
a falcon it aDDearS can cover fif+oa,