The Portland daily press., 1899-05-26
A PLAGUE OF GRAY WOLVES
Increasing Damage Done on the
Cattle Ranges.
Fierce Beasts That Pull Down Cattle,
hut Som etimes Meet Their Match In
Texas Steers-A Desperate Battle In
Snow-Changes In the VOLTS Habits.
New York Sun. ]

snow-Changcs In the VOLTS Habits
| New York SUM-
Strange to say. while the buffalo has
be en- wiped of the face of the continent
and the antelope is found now but rarely,
| the gray wolves have increased in num-
Der upon the plains, said +. L. Archer
of Denver. 1.-THE building of railroads
| in all directions, with towns and cities
on their lines, and the occupying of every
available stream, valley and water hole
| by ranchmen have had the effect upop
the wolf to make him more cunning and
Dold. He is near enough to the dog in
his nature to adapt himself to the presence
of humanity, and he shows the same
sagacity in plundering that ths dog does
in ser ing mankind. In the old days the
Molf followed the buffalo herds in the
migrIuions ami kept near them where
they went. No number OF wolves would
ven ture to attack so much as buffalo
calf while it was with the others, for the
buffaloes travelled like an army, with
the bulls in front and rear and TANKS,
ever ready to defend the cows and calves
against the attack of anything but man.
1T was for the stragglers-the very old
or the very young, or the disabled buffa-
loes which fell out OF the herd-that the
wolves lurked ana waited In the winter
when pressed by hungr, pack of wolves
| would muster courage to attack and pull
down one of the solitary old bulls that
in their declining years had been out
fought and driven from the herd by the
younger ones; but as u rule the wolf pre-
ferred to dine off carrion, or go good
while hungry, to risking his skin for
fresh meat.
sit was years after the stockmen had
generally occupied the Western country
before the wolves began to make serious
inroads on the stock. BY degrees they
found that beef was as much to their
taste as buffalo meat, that a COW was
easily pulled down and killed, and that
cattle, scattered in little punches over
a wide range, did not organize to protect
one another as the butfaloes Used to do
in their great herds. From killing calves
and COWS the wolves came to the tackling
of bulls and steers. SO that now over wide
tract of country there Is no safety for
any cattle on the range except on ranches
which are constantly patrolled by range
herders with firearms, who take shot
at every wolf that shows his head within
shooting distance. The slaughter of
wolves is not great by this method but
the cunning beasts realize what the whiz-
zing of bullet signifies. and 1t makes
them tight shy Of the locality. 10 set a
trap or a poisoned bait for wolves Is not
of much use, for they pass it by where
they can kill their own meat SO easily.
Moreover, many of the wolves have be-
come blood drinkers and on killing
COW or a steer will eat none of the fiesh
but suck the blood from the carcass and
go ON to the slaughter OF more cattle.
Hunts on u grand scale intended to drive
peatedly been organized, but the results
have been trtding, the wolves inclosed
slipping away between the hunters long
before the lines draw closely together.
Attempts to hunt them with hounds have
proved destructive to the dogs. with few
casualties 10 the wolves.
Commonly the wolves make their at
tacks in packs Of from three to ten or
twelve in number. In killing a COW or
steer that offers fight their mode of attack
Is always the same. While two or more
wolves engaged thu creatures attention
In front, wolf stealing up behind makes
a leap and snap at the auimals's hind leg,
just above the gampril, for the purpose
Of ham -stringing 1t. If the pack num-
bers as many as five or six. two wolves
will often spring together, each at a hind
leg. The swapping bite OF a wolf Is ike
knife stroke, and the first leap often
sewers the tendon. If not, the attacks are
repeated until successful, when the vic
tim sinks helpless to the ground to be
pounced on by the whole pack, every
wolf tearing at the throat or some other
part where the n tsries lie near the sur
face, and snarling and swapping at any
of the others who crowd too closely upon
him.
1T is the finer cattle. the thoroughbreds
and graded stock, that suffer most from
the attacks of wolves. They ara less
hardy and active than the native stock