The Neihart herald. [volume] (Neihart, Mont.) 1890-1901, 1898-09-24

INV "A ahihais AhAC frey upon the
Live Stock of the Ranches Near the
Santa Rosa Mountains and the Ex-
element of Hunting Them.
Sixty-five miles northwest Of Eagle
Pass, Tex, on the Mexican side of the
river, lie the Santa Rosa Mountains,
whose only inhabitants are scattered
American ranchmen, Mexican vague
ros, pastores or sheep herders, n
wild game. A few days ago, says the
New York Sun, two men who came
down to buy supplies for the Rincon
ranch brought news of a cougar chase
with a fatal ending. Pablo Gonzales,
an old huIter and horse tanner, known
as "Viejo," was killed, along with three
Of his dogs, and other dogs were badly
wounded. The beast which did the
damage was a male cougar, measuring
nearly six feet from nose to root Of
tail, and of massive build, showing ex-
traordinary strength. His light coat
told that he had reached a great age,
though his teeth and claws, which
were long and sharp beyond the COM
mon, were in perfect condition. He
was not weighed, but the ranchmen be-
lieve that he would have gone over 200
pounds. His pelt, which was in ex-
cellent keeping, was so mauled by the
dogs that it was not worth saving. The
head, however, was preserved and will
be mounted for Charles Maurice, man.
ager Of the Rincon, who was very fond
of the dead "Viejo."
During the fall, winter m spring
the Santa Rosa ranchmen have been
much annoyed by predatory wild
beasts, which have become so numer-
Gus and daring. The removal of form
err Gov. Romualdo Pacheco and the
death of Charles Greeff, two Of the
most noted sportsmen of the region,
seemed to take the heart out of their
associates and for five years little hunt
ing has been done. The result has
been a steady and large increase in
beasts of prey and a consequent dam
age to the herds. 1t is impossible TO
estimate the amount of loss inflicted
in the past years. Cougars, timber
wolves n even an occasional jaguar
have slain calves and colts by the
score. Many grown animals have fall
len victims. Under the present Mexi-
can tariff a COW is accounted to be
worth nearly 500 and each calf is a
loss of SIS. Some effort has been made
to trap or poison the wolves, but it
has amounted to nothing. The timber
wolf of this section has grown too
wise for the trap or bait. Numerous
trials to still hunt the cougars and
wolves have proved of little avail, and
it was decided that they must be run
down and exterminated with dogs.
The Rincon, Saaos, Salado and Val
enzuela ranches are joint owners O
the pack. Pablo Gonzales collected il
and travelled many hundred miles in
doing SO. He cared nothing for the
breeding of a dog. What he wanted
was size, nose and fght-particularly
fight. When he heard of a good doc
anywhere in the state of Coahuila, he
went after it and bought it, paying
sometimes as much as IS, which, FOL
a dog in Mexico, is a fabulous price
His difficulty v''s increased by the fact
that he wante4 hounds good for both
cougar and wolf. 1t is easy enough tt
train dogs to run the couga or any
other member of the cat family, but
even the best show both fear and dis.
gust when first laid on the trail of tn,
timber wolf.
Finally the old Mexican succeeded
- nnllnnfinn n f-nyVo n rIyo hJo -nnI 7
numbers, or did number last week
twenty-five males and females, youns
and old, trained some for panther
and some for wolves, and OF a univer
sally fierce disposition. They were ST
savage, in fact, that Pablo was tn
only ranch hand who dared to 81
among them OF attempt tt handl'
them. They were Of all sorts o
breeds, Newfoundland, bull mi,
mastiff crosses, and ma y of then
showed the greyhound strain O
both the smooth-coate6 and rougl
Scotch variety, han whicn, whel
properly seasoned, no Drawer do,
! is alive. The greyhound is much es
3 teemed by Santa Rosa hunters, no
only on account of his speed and bot
} tom, but because he is not afraid whel
once he has f1eshed his fangs, and tn,
4 terrible snap of his jaws Is not sur
| passed in power and effectiveness b,
? that of the wolf himself. The pride O
the pack was a dog from Torreon, Al
] enormous, rangy, powerful fellow,
S years old, and yellow in color, with
black muzzle. He was what is know
2 locally as a beef dog" that is, he hal
been trained to go straight at the mos
savage steer, catch him by the nose
throw him, and hold him. This do,
weighed $50 pounds, INT the nose hol,
was the only hold he knew.
After several preliminary runs, o.
which the dogs killed two wolves an,
one lynx, following the animals witt
speed and steadiness and making shor
work of them when brought to bay
the managers of the four ranches in
: terested, accompanied by a dozen O
their cow-hands, Mexican and Texan
started after a cougar whose depreda
2 tory work was well known to then
all, not only from the frequency an
value of his kills, but from the fac
that his preying had all been don
I in one part of the country. The Rim
ron ranch had been the only one Wis