The Madison daily leader. [volume] (Madison, S.D.) 1890-current, 1907-11-22
UNCLE SANS HUNTER
Forest Service Men Hired to Kill
Wild Beasts.
WOLVES AND BEARS SLAIN.
Stockmen and Farmers Suffer Very
Heavily Through Their Ravages.
Steps Taken by the Government to
Rid Reservations of the Animals

Rid Reservations of the Animals
Substantial evidence that the govern
ment Is determined to put forth every
effort to bring the national forest lands
to the highest point of development is
given in the activities of Uncle Sam in
planning the eradication OF pdatory
animals which destroy annuahy thou
sands Of dollars worth of stock run
ming on the ranges in the forests, says
Washington dispatch to the San
Francisco Chronicle.
Eleven experienced trappers and
hunters, whose knowledge of condi-
tions and training iii the great west
qualities them TO hunt wolves, cougars,
mountain lions, coyotes and wildcats
successfully, have been assigned to the
work of exterminating these destruc-
tive range animals In national forests
in eight western states. These men,
supplied with traps. poisons. guns and
ammunition, are going at their work
in a way which Is beginning to show
its useful effect, and the forest officers
believe that the losses caused by the
animals which make stock their prey
have been cut down very materially
The most effective way to destroy
wolves and coyotes is to locate their
dens, where, In addition to the old AMI
mails, the pups may also be killed. In
the Wind river division of the Yellow
stone national forest two forest guards,
acting as hunters, killed twenty one
pups and two old wolves In, two
months work this summer. In an
other case, where two hunters were
working separately, one found a den
and killed seven pups and their moth
er, and the other ranger killed five
pups in another den.
The Importance of killing these thir
ty-six wolves in one national forest Is
realized only when the extent of dam
age which is done by these animals In
a year is known. Vernon Bailey, who
made an investigation Of the ravages
Of wolves last year for the forest serv-
( ice. reported that in certain part OF
! New Mexico q moderate estimate OF
| the stock killed by four wolves was a
| yearling COW or calf every three days,
or approximately hundred head of
cattle year, to each wolf. Counting
all as calves at the low rate of $40 q
head. each wolf would cost the ranch
| men $1,000 a year. This would make a
saving of $4,000 year to the ranch
men in the Yellowstone national for
est. where the several hunters men
| toned accomplished such effective
work.
The work Of killing off wolves and
| other predatory animals on the other
| national forests is going on equally
| well, and the stockmen grazing under
permit in the strips Of ranges within
the boundaries Of the forests will be
saved many thousands of dollars annu
| ally An indirect good coming from the
| governments activities will be to spul
ranchers grazing outside of the ma
tional forests to join in the work OF
Kidding the western ranges of destruc
| tive animals. Besides the great saving
I through preventing the loss Of stock
/ further encouragement is given thi
work In many states, where bounties
as high In some cases as $50 head
are given for killing wolves and $40 t.
$50 head for mountain lions.
/; The eleven forest service hunters are
distributed as follows:
Sawtooth forest, Idaho, two men: Vel
lowstone forest. Wind river division, Wy.
oming. two men; Highwood mountain for
est Montana. one man: Grand Canyon
forest. northern division Arizona. ons
man; Park Range forest. Colorado. one
man; Dixie forest. Utah. one man: Trim
ity forest, California. one man: Imnahs
forest, Oregon. one man: Montezuma for
est Colorado, one man.
These hunters submit reports OF til,
results of their work through the su
pervisors of the forest upon which
they are employed. A large number o
applications for similar cooperation
have been made by the local stock as
sociations. Indicating their apprecia
tion of the value of this part OF til,
forest seryigp work These applIca
tions are i,t'i acted upon as suitable
men are ~ to fiji the positions an,
the funds sci ;.siae for this work will
Permit tielfen'ploymeut
The toie-e .1ss,.iee hunters have man,