The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1902-12-27
HUNTING COYOTES

l
Scalps are Hard to Get-They Come
High, but We Must Have Them.
The tradesmen of town are not
likely to consider the killing of a
coyote circumstance of any great
importance. It does not affect
their. business sufficiently to at
tract their attention. They know
that coyotes kill sheep when they
have an opportunity, but assume
that the sheep men will devise
means to protect their hocks, so
that the matter of one or two coy
otes more or less, gives them little
concern. With the farmers and
stock man, who have sheep, it is a
widely different story. A coyote
may come into neighborhood and
destroy hundreds of dollars worth
of sheep in night or two. By the
sheep men of that community the
death of the animal would natur-
ally be regarded with much sat
isfaction.
In pursuance of what is expected
of them by the business men of
town, they endeavor to protect
their focks by offering a bounty
for coyote sca1ps. The amount of
this bounty in Benton county is
about $40 per scalp, the portion
paid by the state being S2. A levy
of one mill for the payment of the
coyote scalp bounties is levied as a
special tax. The balance of the
bounty is subscribed by sheep men.
This bounty is sufficient to in
duce persons having the skill and
equipment to spend much time in
hunting and trapping for coyotes
Oscar Deatley has during each
winter, the past four years, hunt
ed the pests in the foothills adjacent
the Coast range in Benton county.
The usual method of hunting is to
place hounds on the track of a coy
ote, which is likely to run in cir
Gle of uncertain extent when pur-
sued. In a short time the exper-
fenced hunter is able to make some
calculation as to where he is likely
to obtain a shot and proceeds thith-
er. Frequently the coyote makes a
stand at some point favorable for de-
Tense and during the time he is at
bay the hunter may be able to come
within gunshot range. At other
times the coyote chooses to leave
the neighborhood entirely when
pursued. For the most part he
runs in open ground, seeming to
prefer to see what his enemies are
doing and depending on his craft
to outwit them.
In the early part of the month
Mr. Deat1ey and:: Frank McGee learn
ed that two sheep had been killed
near the Jerry Lilly place, and they
at once put the hounds on the track
of the coyote that had done the
mischief. In a short time the ami
NAL was sta rted from his bed in the
Logsdon hollow. He came to bay
near the Lilly far1 after long
run. Here he fought the dogs un-
til he saw the hunters coming in the
distance. He broke away again
and ran to Mary's river, where he
made a stand on some drift in the
stream. At this point he defed
both the dogs and hunters, but it
was a fatal conclusion. When the
latter came up the animal was
speedily dispatched by bullet
from Deatley's gun.
On Tuesday the 10th Mr. Deatley
started his dogs on the Witham
hill and they followed a trail for
two hours, finally starting the coy
ote from his bed in the Jones can
yon. The animal did not adopt the
usual tactics. Instead, he ran over
the Cardwen hill to Li11y's across
the Jackson places, and at length
crossed into Kings Valley. From
there he ran eastward to Savage
creek, north to Ca11oways, and
thence to the Willamette river,
below Albany, where all trace of
him, and the dogs was lost. Two
logs returned to Marys river on the
following Thursday, and one did
not come until Monday, A few
lays ago Mr. Hawley and Ed Viii
Jams came down from Dusty and
made run west of Corvallis. They
started coyote on the Kline place
n the forenoon, The dogs followed
he animal all through the foot
ills until 8 o'clock in the evening,
md it is thought they brought
he coyote to bay at that time, but
he hunt had been abandoned. Dur
ng the day the coyote was obser-
red by the hunters, but wire fences
them from taking advan-