The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1906-02-15
700 MANY MOUNTAIN LIONS
Guides Have Government Contract to
Kill Ali Found in Yellow
stone Park.

Mountain lions have Increased 20
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 government
through President RcOsevolts recon-
mendation. has given John and Homer
Gon, celebrated guides and hunters at
Meekin, Col. contract in clearing
lions out OF Yellowstone park, re-
ports the San Francisco Bulletin.
Goff and his brothers will have sew
eral assistants. all celebrated lion
hunters, snd with his great pack OF
cougar-hunting dogs. will make q
thorough business Of Kidding Yellow
stone park of it's pests.
The work of hunting lions in Yell
lowstone park. will. II 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 suf-
fering losses from these predatory
animals. Cougars are said 20 be on
the increase in the Rocky mountains,
and unless something is done to stop
their ravages they will not only make
way with much OF the wild game, but
will infict incalculable damage on the
live stock industry.
Owing 70 the numerous number or
mountain lions In Yellowstone park.
the government will not have 20 pay
large bounty 10 the Con brothers
The hunters viii receive a bounty OF
FIVE dollars on each mountain lion they
kill. in addition to a salaE OF t75 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 70 the moisture generated
by the many geysers. The work win
be done systematically and there Ia no
one else in the country equipped TO
carry on the business OF exterminating
cougars in such wholesale fashion.
The Con brothers have the largest
and finest pack OF cougar hounds In
the world. A good cougar hound costs
s35 TO 500 as a puppy. but this j.
mere bagatelle In comparison With he
work OF training the hounds. The ami
mails have to be trained constantly IN
the work OF trailing and freeing oou-
gars and In learning how 10 close with
them when they have been brought 10
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 a cowboy shoots =
mountain lion az the animal Is found
eating the carcass Of a colt OF calf it
has killed. but these are rare instances
and usually the mountain lion makes
its XIII 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 XIII
the loss TO stookmen would not be 90
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 Hon was traced 20 his
lair and killed. Scattered about the
place we're the bodies Of IL calves. All
killed within a short time.
For some reason the mountain Hon
prefers the flesh OF a colt to that OF
any other animal and cougars have be-
come the terror OF horse raisers In the
Rocky mountain states.