, 1905-01-27
HAS EARNED
MANS CURSE
COYOTE THE ONE MOST DEsPIs
Ed OF ANIMALS ON BOARD
WESTERN PLAIN.
It Visits the Raneher's Chicken coops,
Kills His Young Calves, Destroys
Many Lambs and Leaves a Trail
Of Blood All over the PIain-Mode
Of determination.

If there is one wild animal more than
another that has earned the hatred of
mankind on the western plains it is
the coyote-the hybrid between the
wolf and the dog, says the Denver Field
and Farm. 1t visits the rancher's
chicken coop; steals upon nj destroys
the young calf after the COW has care
fully hid /. away in the willows while
she goes after a drink of water or a
little food, but its worst depredations
are among sheep. Twelve months in
the year this varmint is a constant
harrassing agent of destruction, pick
ing up sheep of all sizes and always
the latest ones, but during Landing
time it finds its greatest harvest. With
the small lunches of ewes and lambs
scattered as they necessarily must be
the coyote finds a picnic. Were it not
for the coyote, sheep losses would be
less than one-third their present
amount and the cost of lambing a band
VI SLSSp "ouiu DS Noillp PAL dtlNtiy SIudli.
In Australia where range lands are
leased nj held in solid blocks the
ranges are fenced coyote tight and
sheep are allowed to Craze at will. The
first cost is large but the damage from
wild dogs, as the coyote is called there,
is avoided. In this country some
states, counties, live stock associations
and individuals have offered bounties
for scalps, but the coyote seems to
be on the increase rathe- than on the
decrease and we are hearing more COM
plant about It's ravages this winter
than was ever heard before. The more
sheep and chickens grown in this coun-
Try the more chance for the coyote to
thrive and relish its measly kind.
Poison, traps and dogs are the three
first is often very effective but nearly
always gets away with the best dogs.
To lose one or two valuable sheep
dogs worth probably $50 each is very
disheartening. Trapping and shooting
is a good method, only the coyote will
not walk into a trap at the bidding of
everyone and one seldom sees a coy
ote when he has a gun. About the only
effective way is to use wolf dogs bred
and trained for the purpose to rid the
ranges Of this very expensive nuisance.
Gray hounds crossed with the Russian
stag hound are being used quite sue.
cessfully all over the range country. A
pair OF dogs in a district which is not
too rough or rocky will likely kill If
ty to 100 coyotes in a season. The
wolf hound has been used In Montana
to fight the timber wolves and Is said
to be the best dog obtainable for coy
otes.
Only a few are to be had in this
state, but sheep men in various local
tiles are raising this class of dogs and
selling them to the farmers, thus help
ing the farmers and themselves, too.
With the extension OF telephones
through the stock country the most
favored amusement in the winter Is a
neighborhood coyote hunt in which
twenty Or thirty ranchmen with their
dogs meet at certain points and round
up the cauntry in a circle. This sport
is destined to become very general
throughout the country as the farmers
become possessed of coyote hunting
dogs and half a dozen drives have al
ready been pulled off in Colorado this
SeQSOn