The Kalispell bee. [volume] (Kalispell, Mont.) 1900-192?, 1900-12-01
Heavy Expenditure In Pro-
tecting Live Stock From
WOLVES AND COYOTES.
Over Eighty Thousand Dollars Expended
During the Year Ending
June 80, 1900.

Not by any means the least item
OF expense incurred in running the
state is that occasioned by wolves.
The bounties which have been paid
out for the slaughter of these animals
during the past year amount up to
sum OF considerable dimensions, and
the payment of back bounties raises
the expense of the wolf pest to the
state to something formidable. For
the year ending June 80, 1900, the
wolves killed in the state cost the
people $S2,296. Besides this amount,
the state will also have paid off $751;
900 in old bounties, which were in
Cured before the present method of
raising the fund was in vogue.
special chapter will be devoted
to wolves in the report of Commits
sioner of Labor Calderhead, together
with table showing the distribution
of the bounties in the different coun-
ties of the state. Previous to the
time that the legislature authorized
the levy of a special tax on the stock
valuation of the state for the pur
pose of getting rid of the wolves.
there were more claims for bounty
than there was money to pay them.
Since the passage of the above act,
the officers have been paying off the
old bounties as fast as there was
any surplus in the fund and it now
seems that before the present off,
GERS retire from Office all the old
bounties amounting to $4,000, will
have been paid off and the state will
start out after Jan. /, 1901, with a
clean slate as far as wolves are con-
cerned
amounting to $4,000 have been taken
up by warrants in the state auditors
office, but they have been sent back
by the postmasters, who could not
find the persons to whom they were
addressed. This is likely due to the
fact that the wolves were killed by
persons who were not permanently
settled in the state, and who gave up
the hope of ever getting their money,
and moved away. The next legisla-
ture will likely pass law cancelling
these claims.
The old claims and the bounties
that will be paid out of the collection
of taxes from stockmen during the
net two months for this purpose, will
swell the amount of money paid out
by the state in the last IL months for
wolves to $175,0OO. The money is
raised by tax of five mills on all
the stockmen in the state. The tax
is willingly paid, as it gives incentive
for many men to make a living kill.
ing wolves, and therefore prevents
their killing calves and otherwise i'll
juring the stock.
During the past year the wolf and
coyote population of the state was
materially decreased. Coyotes to the
number of 22,513 went hence. while
5,117 wolves took the same trip. Wolf
whelps that had not reached the age
of doing damage, to the number of
642, were destroyed.
The following is the amount re-
ceived by each county during the
last year for wolf bounties: Beaver
head $9,962; Broadwater 1857; Car
bon $749; Cascade $2,414; Choteau
$14,932; Custer $16,54O; Dawson $4,-
176; Deer Lodge $799; Fergus $5,-
sO3; Flathead $704; Gallatin $1.743;
Granite $464; Jefferson s479; Lewis
and Clarke $1,201; Madison $1,4o1;
Meagher $1,203: Missoula $969; Park
$99S; Ravalli 1857; Silver Bow 1926;
Sweet Grass $2.414; Teton S6.09s:
Valley $9.659: Yellowstone s5,5a7.
Total $S2,S96.