The Yellowstone journal. [volume] (Miles City, Mont.) 1893-1901, 1894-04-19
RANGE INTERESTS.
The Wolf Question Causes a
Lengthy and Spirited
Debate.
President scott Re Elected for the seventh
Consecutive Term-The Executive
Committee Chosen.

y. ii. Loud, one OF the "Wolf' com
mittee. said the committee made a com.
mittee report Of their ideas for the
purpose Of engendering discussion in
the hope that We might arrive at some.
thing practical. The Legislature would
not meet until January next: the cleo
tien OF two United States senators would
take up all OF the early part Of the ses-
sIon-until February say. We all know
that the present certificates are in the
hands Of the bankers. and the approp-
Ration next year will first 90 to pay
these off, virtually leaving no benefit
from the state law Mr.. Kohrs' plan
could not go into effect until next March
at the best We must organize and do
something ourselves. 1t was a business
proposition shall we destroy the wolves
or permit them TO destroy our cattle:
MIR. Connors said the matter was too
serious to be dropped. This man Wolf
destroys - per cent Of my property
every year" he said. They have killed
y per cent of the calf crop for four or
hve years. and the wolves are increasing
He had furnished strychnine to his boys
they were as good as the average boys
and had furnished them board and
bait When it was right cold they
didn't go much further than the barn.
occasionally poisoning cat. II was
necessary to put a bounty on the wolf
that would induce men To go out and
locate themselves IN the head Of the di.
vides sand get this wolf We can't do
this alone We must go at it and give a
bounty Of about Z. for grays; give the
hunter the state bounty and the hide,
making sl3 or Ella per head. Then let
all COW counties make levy OF |. > or ,
cents per head on stock; have respon-
sible man To punch hides in each DIS
trict; let the range boss go with the man
to punch the hides This will kill the
wolves off In year. One county cannot
do this alone.
Mr.. hohrs wanted a uniform tax to be
levied in all counties, but Mr.. Connors
thought We could not expect anything
from the state or county. Neither can
We afford tor loose - per cent Of our
stock
Mr.. Neidringhaus said that they paid
- on wolves in Texas and killed many
but not all. and he was in favor Of the
best way that could be devised to kill
them off in Montnna
Mr.. Loud said since he was last on
his feet gentlemen had made a sugges-
ton that recalled the action Of the as.
sociation yesr..ago in passing resolu.
tion to turn over one-half or two-thirds
Of the stray fund. which had accumu-
lated for two years. to the Board OF
Stock commissioners for inspection pur-
poses. II this was lawful, why not make
a similar one for the purpose Of hunting
wolves as well as horse thieves.
Col. Bryan would go further and have
the money turned over TO pay hunters
in proportion to the amount paid by the
different counties in the state. Some Of
the counties have not levied any inspec-
tion tax for one. and sometimes two or
three years. and those counties that
have paid up should get the benefit. IL
We get earnestly at work. we can SOON
destroy the wolves. but il is necessary to
have uniformity Of action. The time Of
hunting wolves is an essential point. and
We generally neglect them the latter
part Of the working session, having so
much other labor to perform. We put
of poisoning until the bats freeze so
hard that the wolves refuse them or get
away for miles, and the men do not get
them. but we frequently find them in
the spring. In September. October and
November we could destroy 20 per cent
OF The wolves on the ranges.
Mr.. Green said that in Dakota they
had the same conflict as in this state,
the cattlemen OF the west end had to
ccntend against the farmers in the east
end. poison man was now put with
each beef wagon in the fall, and he did
nothing else. This was new idea, but
was generally liked. Either Mr.. Boice
or Mr.. Wibeaux had said dead wolf
was worth as much as live steer, and
he was right.
Mr.. Herford said unity was most desir-
able. but it was the greatest fallacy in
the world to refuse to pay a bounty on
wolves because an adjoining county re-
fuses to do SO.
j. L. Brown agreed with Col Bryan
that the fall is the time to poison. Last
fall he put the big jaws" and cripples
with the beef heard and killed them
whenever it was convenient. The result