The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1906-03-01
roo MANY MOUNTAIN LIONS
Huides Have Government Contract to
Kill All Found in Yellow
stone Park.

Mountain lions have increased so
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 he
cougars become that the governu ent,
through President Rooseyelt's recon-
mendation. has given John and Homer
Goff celebrated guides and hunters at
Meekin, Col, a contract in clearing
lions out of Yellowstone park. re-
ports the San Francisco Bulletin.
Gof and his brothers will have sew
eral assistants. all celebrated lion
hunters. and with his great pack of
cougar-hunting dogs will make
thorough business of Kidding Yellow
stone park of its pests.
/ The work Of hunting lions in Yell
lowstone park. will, it is estimated.
take several seasons. and in the mean
time there is a demand for lion hunt
ers in Colorado, Wyoming and other
cattle states. where stockmen are ST.
fering losses from these predatory
animals Cougars are said to be on
the increase in the Rocky mountains
and unless something Is done to stop
their ravagcs they will not only make
way with much of the wild game, but
will iniiict incalcuable damage on the
I've stock indus ry.
owing to the numerous number OF
mountain lions in Yellowstone park,
the government will not have TO pay
large bounty to the Goff brothers.
The hunters will receive a bounty OF
FIVE dollars on each mountain lion they
Kill. in addition to a salaE of S75 a
month each for their work. Most
Of the work will be done between the
spring and fall for the winters are
very severe in Yellowstone park. the
climatic conditions being almost arc
tic. owing to the moisture generated
by the many geysers The work will
he done Systematically and there is no
one else in the country equipped to
carry on the business OF exterminating
cougars in such wholesale fashion.
The Gom brothers have the largest
and finest pack of cougar hounds in
the world. A good cougar hound costs
S35 to 800 as puppy, but this Is
mere bagatelle in comparison with the
work of training the hounds. The ami
mails have to be trained constantly in
the work of trailing and freeing cou-
gars and In learning how to close with
them when they have been brought TO
the ground desperately wounded. And
then. after months of training. a dog
may develop a yellow streak" and
prove utterly worthless for cougar
work.
Occasionally cowboy shoots a
mountain lion as the animal is found
eating the carcass of a colt or calf II
has killed but these are rare instances
and usually the mountain lion makes
It's kin and gets successfully away
Most of the calves killed by the lions
are under six months old II they
would content themselves with eating
the carcasses Of the animals they Kill
the loss 20 stockmen would not be 50
heavy, but cougars develop taste
which is fairly epicurean and will
have nothing but the blood OF calves
An Arizona stockman recently re-
ported that a lion was traced to his
lair and killed. Scattered about the
place were the bodies Of II calves, all
killed within a short time.
For some reason the mountain lion
prefers the flesh Of colt TO that oi
any other animal and cougars have be-
come the terror of horse raisers In the
Rocky mountain states.