The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-02-21
TWO CHAMPION woLF-KILLERs.
Trap and Stay Coyotes and wolves
on Great Cattle Ranges.

From the St Louis Giobe-D Democrat.
The wolf-killing championship of the
northwest can be confidently claimed 10y
Jesse and Lon" Brown, living between
Chamberlain, s. D., and the Black nils,
who at present are making from 500 TO
$40 a week trapping wolves and coyotes
for the liberal bounties offered by the cat
tlemen. The bounty fund is raised by IS
sessing cattemen cents a head for cat
tie owned by them.
John Albers who has just returned from
The cattle ranges of the ceded Sioux
lands, west Of the Missouri river gives
some interesting information concerning
the operations of these skifful wolf hun
ters. The vast cattle range between here
and the Black Hills, extending for a dis
lance of 250 miles is divided INFO three
wolf and coyote bounty districts. Thus
between the Cheyenne riVer and lire
drawn north and south through the cen
ter of jackson county, a bounty Of SO
gray wolf is paid; from Inc center of Jack
son to the center of Pratt county COM
prises the next district, where all gray
wolves killed are paid for at the rate Of
IS each In these two districts The bounty
for coyotes is 81 each. The third and last
district comprises the territory east of
the center of Pratt county and extending
to the mouth of Bull creek, on White
river For gray wolves killed in this re-
gion the bounty is fixed az 81 and 80 cents
for each coyote. In addition to these
bounties, the cattiemen board Jesse and
Lon Brown, and furnish Them with The
horses needed by them in their campaign
against the wo1ves.
These men, who are brothers, own a to-
tai of sixty or seventy steel traps, with
which they catch the wolves and coyotes.
In a little over two weeks they recently
caught 105 coyotes and twenty gray
wolves. They place the traps in places
where wolves and coyotes are accustomed
to rendezvous, and take such precautions
as are necessary to prevent cattle, calves
and horses being caught in the traps.
They employ a peculiar scent 10 draw
wolves and coyotes TO their traps. ..us
scent is very powerful, the principal L. gre
dent being musk or something very SINH
lar to il in odor,
The four-footed pests OF the rang. are
decidedly cunning, and great care mas 10.
be taken not 10 arouse their suspit ions.
The traps after being set, are placed in
followed out spot in the ground covered
with paper and then hidden from view by
sprnkling light dirt or dust upon them.
piece Of fresh meat. usually mutton,
purchased for the purpose, is then laid
close 10 the trap after a quantity OF the
scent has bsen placed upon 1t. This SCENT
has a peculiarly penetrating odor and lr
the wind is favorable, VIII attract wolves
and coyotes from as much as a mile away.
The animals snin the air proceed toward
the spot from which the scent proceeds
and while smelling suspieiously aroun
the scented piece Of meat, step into the
trap and are caught.
Each crap is securely fastened by
chain, so thar they cannot be dragsud
away by the captivcs. Frequent visits 10
the traps are made ~ the hunters, when
the captured animals are killed and their
scalps and hides taken away as evidence
necessary to secure the bounty. Prairie
dog towns" are a favorite lurking pace
for the fierce gray wolves, for when food
is scarce, they catch up and eat tho prsi-
RE dogs These little animals are willing
to share their comfortable underground
homes with the deadly rattlesnake with
which they ore constantly on good terms,
but in running on the surface OF the
ground from one to another of the iittle
mounds Of earth surrounding the on
frances to their subferranean dwellings,
they are compelled to keep sharp look
out for what Is, in the coded Sioux lands,
perhaps their most deadly enemy-the
gray wolf.
The two trappers meet with good sue
cess when they set their traps in prairie
dog towns, and many wolves have been
caught there. The recipe for making the
peculiar scent employed by the two Een
is known only to themselves, and they
have repeatedly declined oners Of large
sums Of money for the information. They.
however, consent to sell quantities. of the
connection, but only with the understand
ing that il Is not 20 be used in the coun-
try where they carry on their operations.
Some years ago il was believed wolves
could be killed by leaving pieces of pol
soned meat in places where 1t would be
detected and eaten by them, but 1t was
not long before they became 100 wary 10
be killed in this manner. Cold meat no
longer has any attraction for them.
Young colts appear 20 be favorite article
of food.