The river press. [volume] (Fort Benton, Mont.) 1880-current, 1905-03-15
The River Press.
Published every Wednesday, Morning
By the Rirer Press Publish-
ing Company.
NEW WOLF BOUNTY LAW.

The en- actment of a wolf bounty law
or making slight changes in the Law
already in effect, has formed part o
the proceedings of nearly every state
legislature in recent years, and the
ninth assembly was no exception &c
the rule. 1t passed o measure which
is said to have had the approval Of
representatives of the Montana live
stock industry. and the main features
of which are to this effect:
The old law made the bounty on
grown wolves s.. whereas the new law
makes it $40. For each coyote, wolf
pup and coyote pup the bounty re-
mains at So, while the price for a
mountain lion scalp is raised from s.
to $40. The new law offers no bounty
for the scalp of a bear, which was
worth 81 under the old law.
1t is the duty of the Judge of the
district court to appoint three repre-
sentative stock growers, whose duty
it shall be to appoint not to exceed
ten bounty inspectors for the county,
and these inspectors are to receive
and inspect all skins or pelts present.
ed for bounty within their respective
localities. The inspector is to receive
ten cents for each skin examined, the
amount to be paid by the owner of
skin.
The person killing any Of the ami.
mails on which bounty is paid must,
within sixty days of the date of the
killing, exhibit the skin of the animal,
including the tail and the skin from
the entire head, including the ears,
to the bounty inspector nearest the
locality in which the animal was
killed, and must at the same time file
an affidavit that he killed the animal.
In the case of Il mountain lion, the
slayer must present to the inspector
the skin as provided in the case of
coyotes aud wolves, and in addition
the lions skin must include the entire
skin Of the lower jaw.
1t is made the duty of the inspector
to infinitely examine each skin pre-.
scented, and If no evidence of fraud is
found he must sever the skin of the
head, including the ears, and re.deliv.
er it to the person presenting it. He
must require the al1id avit of one stock
grower residing in the vicinity as to
the genuineness of the claim that the
animal was killed as claimed, and at
the same time make out and deliver 10
the person a certificate addressed to
the county clerk and Immediately mail
q duplicate to the clerk, showing the
number of skins and other informa-
ton necessary.
In addition to keeping a book of
record, the inspector must string up.
on a wire all of the scalps offered by
the bounty claimant and ''securely
seal the ends of the wire with a lead
seal by means of a punch, both to be
by the state board of stock
commissioners. each punch to contain
a letter of the alphabet and no two
punches in the same county to contain
the same letter, and numbering seal
with a number corresponding with the
number Of bounty certificate issued for
the skin or skins contained thereon
Wolf and coyote skins are to be strung
on separate wires.
The inspector is not authorized to
any skin or issue a certificate
except on the first three days
Of each month, and he shall, not later
than the 18th of each month, send to
the county clerk Il report Of the cer,iti-
Gates issued, and these are to be kept
until the arrival of the scalps, prop
erly sealed. He must then call to his
assistance either the county treasurer
or the clerk of the district court and
examine each scalp on each wire, aud
if found correct the scalps must then
be destroyed by fire, without having
been removed from the wire. The
county clerk is to receive five cents for
each scalp accounted for by him, the
sum to be paid quarterly by the treas.
urer out of the bounty fund.