The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-10-14
KILLING OFF THE
WILD ANIMALS
Forest Service Has Employed
Eleven Experienced Hunters
and TrapperS.
YOUNG DESTROYED IN DENS
SAVING OF THOUSANDS TO
STOCkMEN.
(sueciaI to ma Herald.O

Washington, Oct. l3--Substanual evil
dence that the government 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 eradica-
tion of preda tory animals which destroy
annually thousands of dollars worth of
stock running on the ranges in the for
ests.
Eleven experienced trappers and hunt
ers. whose knowledge of conditions and
training i'm the great west qualities them
10 hunt wolves. cougars. mountain lioI.s.
coyotes and wildcats successfully, have
been assigned to the work of extermi-
mating these destructive range animals
in national forests in eight western
states. These men. supplied with traps.
poisons, guns and ammunition, are 60
ing at their work in a way which is be
ginning 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 ma
terially.
Destroying the Young.
The most effective way to destroy
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 another case, where
two hunters were working separately, one
found a den and killed seven pups and
their mother, and the other ranger killed
five pups in another den.
The Importance of killing these thirty
six wolves in one national forest is
realized only when the extent of dam
age which is done by these animals in
q year is known. Vernon Bailey, who
made an investigation of the ravages of
wolves last year for the forest service,
reported that in a certain part of New
Mexico a moderate estimate of the stock
killed by four wolves was a yearling COW
or calf every three days or approximately
100 head OF cattle year, 70 each wolf
Counting all as calves at the low rate
OF so a head. each wolf would cost the
ranchmen $1,000 year. This would make
saving of $4,000 a year to the ranch
men in the Yellowstone national forest
where the several hunters mentioned ac-
complished such effective work.
Saving to Stoekmen.
The work of killing off wolves and
other predatory animals on the other ma
tional forests is going equally well
and the stockmen grazing under permit
in the strips of ranges within the boun-
carries OF the forests Will be saved many
thousands of dollars annually. An indi-
rect good coming from the government S
activities will be to spur ranchers graz
ing outside of the national forests 10
join in the work of Kidding the western
ranges Of destructive animals. Besides
the great saving through preventing the
loss Of stock further encouragement is
given the work in many states. where
hounties as high in some cases as S5i
q head are given for killing wolves, an.
$50 to So a head for mountain lions.
The eleven forest service hunters are
distributed as follows: Sawtooth forest.
River division. Wyoming, two men; High
wood Mountains forest, Montana, one
man; Grand Canyon forest, Northern di-
vision. Arizona, one man; Park Range
forest, Colorado, one man; Dixie forest,
Utah. one man; Trinity forest. California,
one man: Imnaha forest, Oregon, one
man; Montezuma forest. Colorado. one
man.
These hunters submit reports of the
results of their work through the super
visors OF the forests upon which they
are employed. large number of APP
plcations for similar cooperation have
been made by the local stock assOcia-
tions. indicating their appreciation of the
value of this part of the forest service
work. These applications are being acted
upon as suitable men are found to fill
the positions and the funds set aside
for this work will permit their employ
ment.
Fight With Big Bear.
The forest service hunters have many
exciting experiences in their work and
sometimes even the oldest and most tried
westerners have q very close call for
their lives. short time ago a huge
bear was giving much trouble to the set
tiers and stockmen in the Dixie national
forest in Utah. Two men and three dogs
were sent out to hunt the beast, but they
failed i'm locating II. In the latter part
of September a ranger came across Bruin
on his patrol shot and wounded him. and
followed his trail On the third day he
found and killed the big animal. shoot
ing him fourteen times. The bear fell
within six feet of the ranger. He weighed
500 pounds.