Evening star., 1905-08-22
HUNT MOUNTAIN LIONS
MEN WILL RID YELIOWSTONE
PARK OF THE BEASTS.
From the San Frapcisco Bulletin.

Mountain Hons have increased 90 rapidly
In Yellowstone Park Of late that they
threaten the extinction Of deer. elk and
other wild animals that live in this great
government game preserve. SO numerous
have the cougars become that the govern
ment. through President Roosevelts recon-
mendation. has given John and Homer Goff,
celebrated guides and hunters OF Meeker.
Col. q contract to clear the lions out OF
Yellowstone Park. John Goff is the guide
who won fame taking President Roosevelt
on his successful cougar hunting trip In
Colorado and who was engaged to guide
the President on his very recent Colorado
trip. Goff and his brothers Will have sew
eral assistants, all celebrated lion hunters,
and. with his great pack Of cougar hunt
ing dogs. will make thorough business OF
Kidding Yellowstone Park of its pest.
The work Of hunting lions in Yellowstone
Park will, 1t is estimated. take several sea-
sons, and in the meantime there is de-
mand for lion hunters In Colorado: Wyo-
ming and other cattle states where stock
predatory animals. Cougars are said to be
on the increase In the Rocky mountains,
and unless something Is done to stop their
rayages they will not only make way with
much of the wild game, but will infiict in
calculable damage on the live stock indus
try
Bounty on Lions.
At this years session of the Arizona iegis-
lature stockmen asked that the bounty on
mountain lions be increased from SO to $50
apiece. 1t was shown that the loss OF
young calves. owing to attacks by noun
tain lions. has been from 13 to 18 per cent
during the last year. So many colts have
been killed that the business of horse rails
ing is practically ruined in Arizona Stock
men say that the bounty should be $50 for
females and $S5 for males. This would en-
courage men to go into the business of lion
hunting. which at present is both perilous
and expensive.
Owing to the enormous number of noun
tain lions in Yellowstone Park, the govern
ment Will not have to pay large bounty to
Con brothers. The hunters will receive a
bounty OF s. on each mountain lion they
kill. In addition to salary of SIS a month
each for their work. Most of the work will
be done between spring and fall. for the
winters are verX severe in Yellowstone
Park, the climatic conditions being almost
arctic. owing to the moisture generated
by many geysers. The work will be done sys-
tematically and there Is no one else in the
country equipped to carry on the business
OF eXterminating cougars in such wholesale
fashion. Goff brothers have the largest
and finest pack of cougar hounds in the
world. A good cougar hound costs $35 to
500 as a puppy. but this is mere baga-
telie in comparison with the work of train
ing the hounds. The animals have to be
trained constantly In the work of trailing
and freeing cougars and in learning how to
brought to the ground desperately wound
ed. And then. after months of training, a
dog may develop a yellow streak and
prove utterly worthless for cougar work.
Great Expense Of Lion Hunting.
Owing to the great expense and enormous
amount Of work necessary In securing a
well-trained pack Of cougar hounds. there
are few professional hunters of mountain
lions In the country. Without dogs it Is an
almost hopeless task to hunt lions. Some
times they can be trapped. but they are
very wary animals and are possessed Of
such enormous strength that in many cases
they have been caught. Occasionally a
cowboy shoots mountain lion as the ami
NAL Is found eating the carcass of a colt
or calf which it has killed but these are
rare instances and usually the mountain
lion makes It's kill and gets successfully
away. Most of the calves killed by the
lions are under six months old. If they
would content themselves with eating the
carcasses of the animals they kill the loss
to stockmen would not be so heavy, but
cougars develop a taste which is fairly
epicurean and will have nothing but the
blood of calves. Frequently a stockman
finds on the range. close together the car
casses of three or four calves. all killed by
the same animal.
An Arizona stockman recently reported
that a lion was traced to his lair and
killed. Scattered about the place were the
bodies of eleven calves, all killed within
short time.
For some reason the mountain lion pre-
fers the flesh of colt to that of any other
animal, and cougars have become the ter
ror of horse raisers In the Rocky Noun
tain states. 1t is estimated that as a result
of the ravases of mountain lions in the
last year. not fifty colts-are left alive on
the ranges between Phoenix and Prescott.
Rachmen in Colorado rejoiced the other
day when the Denver papers reported the
killing of "Old Bob, said to be the larg-
est and fiercest mountain lion in the west
"Old Bobs" range near Salida in the
Collegiate mountains. ]. E. Hicks a ranch
man. set some cunnngly contrived traps
and caught Bob's female mate and two Of
her young. The traps were set about the
carcass of calf which the lions had killed
and partly eaten. The ranchman on his re-
turn found the female and her young ones
caught hard and fast, but in front of them
with his teeth barred and his eyes flashing
fire was "Old Bob" prepared to fight to
the death for his family. When .Old Bob"
saw the ranchman approaching he crouch
ed and prepared for a spring. But Hicks
took perfect aim and sent rifle bullet
through the great animals head killing
him instantly. He then shot the three
other lions in the traps and ''Old Bob's"
body was sent to Salida.
The carcass Of the huge lion weighed 225
mounds and me