Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1894-05-10
COYOTE FARMING IN KANSAS.
The Offer of Bounties for Scalps Results in
Establishing a New Industry

The Offer of Bounties for ScaIps Results in
Establishing New Industry
For years the western prairies have
been fruitful in the production of that
fieet-footed nuisance, the coyote. Sur
passed in speed only by the antelope
and particularly fast greyhounds, it is
practically secure from harm. In or
der to keep down their rapidly increas-
ing numbers, the Kansas legislature
authorized in 1880 the offering by coun-
ties of bounty for wolf scalps. Near
ly every county in the state seized the
opportunity and gave in order to pro-
tect focks and chicken yards. a re-
ward of three to four dollars per scalp.
The result has been astonishing. Men
have discovered that it paid better to
hunt wolves than to raise crops, and
several frontier counties have paid
from three to four thousand dollars
year in bounties, the total in the state
reaching sixty thousand dollars, with
40 appreciable diminution in the coyote
supply.
This fact puzzled the commissioners
of several counties until it was dis
covered that farmers were making a
business of raising wolves for the
bounty to be secured by means of wire
fence enclosures with ample burrowing
grounds, the creatures increase with
marvellous rapidity. The growth Of a
family of kittens can alone be COM
pared to them. For feed, the cheaEes
of meat is sufficient, and as nothing is
required but the scalp in order to draw
a bounty. the carcasseS of the killed
wolves are used for sustenance for
those not ready for market The best
sheep that the prairie farmer can
raise can scarcely be sold for more than
two dollars. To produce several litters
of wolves a year, each member of
which is worth from three to four dol
lars exclusive of skin and carcass, is, it
is seen, remunerative,
These wolf raisers also supple ment
their home supply by constant hunting
on the plains. Parties are formed
which surround creek valleys and
ravines beating the brush" with as
much skill as the trained retain er. and
capturing, dead or alive, dozens of the
! lank, gray creatures The former go
| to swell the cash account of the hunt
ers and deplete that of the county
| treasury. while the latter are added to
| the supply on the wolf farm.
Prob bly, the most remunerative
| hunting is that by means of half-mile
wires introduced by New England
sportsman this winter on the prairies
of western Kansas. Hitchiug n team
to each end of half-mile strand of
wire, it is dragged over the curling
/ buffalo grass, with a row of sportsmen,
, their guns ready for instant use, scat
tered behind it in long row. The
! coyotes, rabbits, foxes and prairie dogs,
/ crouching low in their fancied security,
| are aroused from their hiding places
and go scurrying here and there ahead
of the remorseless wire. When the
| eavalcade has made a half-day's prog
| ress the wire is swung around and an
other course taken homeward. Parties
have in this way killed as many as a
thousand jack rabbits in a single day
and sent them to the charitable socie-
! ties of western cities. The harvest of
| coyotes has also been large, and the
| bounties received have made good re-
turn for the days amusement-St
/ Louis Globe Democrat