Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-21
Recommendations of Fish and Game
Commissioner Sharp Before
Bounty Exposures
7 LOOKS DIFFERENT NOW.
he Wanted to Employ Twenty Hunters
And Go Out aud Kill Apparently
Fast Increasing Animals

Men are coming forward these days
who say they saw crooked things In
bounty payments many months ago.
The county clerk who, with virtue turn
ed down the bounty jumper be-
cause his skins looked old and
had punch holes in them IL
telling the story and now comes the
report OF state Fish and Game Warden
John Sharp with an insight into the
situation, which shows that he recog-
nlzed something was queer but didn't
Just know where the queer came in.
He thought It was with the animals
that persisted In being az plentiful as
ever I'm the infested districts. despite
the fact that the state was paying FOR
the years 1908 and 1904, bountes on the
destruction Of 10000 coyotes, 1000 wild
cats, 1900 bear, cougars and wolves,
making total number of 2j,5O0 ami
mails destroyed on The bounty books
The report which is issuing from the
printers continues that despite the KILL
Ing Of this great number Of 'parisiteA
that prey upon and destroy the domes-
tic and game animals and birds, yet
they seem TO be as numerous as ever
From reports received 1t would seem
that they are not being eXterminated
very fast but on the contrary are IN
Creaslng In the more sparsely settled
districts OF the state, where sheep and
cattle mostly range.
The commissioner then raises the
question Of whether the present bounty
system Is the best means OF eXter-
mluuting these pests, and decides In the
negative. lie then makes the following
suggestions
A NEW LAW SUGGESTED,
"This commission believes that the
best and cheapest method for the state
to handle and control Them ana even
tually eXterminute them, ~ to inaugu-
rate an organized system Of hunting,
! shooting, trapping and poisoning on a
! plan something similar TO the follow
ing
WOULD EMPLOY HUNTERS
Let 20 men, say be employed by the
state on salary that may be agreed
upon, and let these men outfit them-
solves and go in pairs into the worst
infected districts and hunt, trap and
! Kill steadily during the four months,
November December January and
[ February, when the pelts are In prime
/ condition for sale and when the animals
! can be better and easier captured.
| Their outfit should be COM
| Portable camp wagon such as the
sheep camp wagon, with team Of horses
or mules. The men should be good
| marksmen and hunters and have ac-
| curate shooting rifles, together with a
| few traps, and poison, and last but
! by far the most important, each party
! OF two should have a small pack OF two
! or more stag or wolf hounds, which can
! easily pick up a coyote I'm o. very short
/ time wherever or whenever he shows
| himself These men engaged in this
| way would soon learn all the habits OF
! these various predatory animals and
/ would become expert IN capturing them
| In short time.
| And now as TO the expense. Say that
| 20 men were employed throughout the
| state In this business, and the salary
| was $50 each per month for the four
| months mentioned This would he Si.-
| 600 per year. or $4,000 for two years, as
! period; during which 2b,5OO Of these
| animals were killed, at an average cost
| to the state OF about 81 62 per herd
/ Upon Inquiry II las been asceriained
| from a reliable source, that the present
| market value Of these %, 500 pelts I'm the
| raw state, and classified would amount
| to about $4,000, which the state treas
| ury received no beneht from, and
! which amount would pay the salary Of
| 20 hunters and trappers i've times over
/ tor their services during the four
months named Of each winter, for two
years, As an inducement to extra
effort on the part OF the hunters, they
/ might be allowed "A percentage or
] I..ttrttF 90 ia ulAtti.t. ga, "a
/ salary, and then the state would he
even from tine sHle Of the pelts. II liz
| believed that. N Hn situation were full
| ly understood are plenty of men
| in the outlying stricts Of the state
| thai would equip themselves for "a syF-
| tcmatiC hunting ana Killing OF these
| destructive animals during the winter
months when employment s scarce
for the profit that would Doe made from
| the sale OF the pelts, and the state
would thus be relieved Of the trouble
some question There would De no
| profit IN killing these animals IN the
summertime for the pelts as tho fur Is
not IN saleuble condition at that time
| Shold a war Of determination I'M IA few
| years, regardless of the profit In the
| sale OF the pelts be deemed advisable
! then these 20 hunters and trappers
| could be employed the year round at
| 10000 per year. which would be littlo
more than half the amount paid out I'm
annual bountes by the state IN the
| last two years
In concluding hls recommendation,
! Commissioner Sharp points out the
! great need FOR "a new law, ana eX-
presses tho hope that discussion win
be taken up that win lead to the aboll-
| ton OF the present measure