Vernon County censor. [volume] (Viroqua, Wis.) 1865-1955, 1907-06-19
is THE BOUNTY
LAW tFFECT|VE2
QUESTIONABLE IN VIEW OF ALL
THE CIRCUMSTANCES
MANY FRAUDS DISCOVERED
Foxes, Raccoons, Woodchucks and
Even Dogs, Palmed OFF on Comfy
Clerks as WoIVes-Over $4,000
Paid During Past Year-oane coun-
ty Victim.
Madison. June Is.

Whether the law which provides for
the payment of bounties by the state
and the counties for the killing OF wild
animals, wolves wildcats, lynx, etc.
has accomplished the purposes con
templated by the lawmakers uIay be
seriously doubted In fact, it might
be successfully contended that under
the operation of that law the number
of those animals has constantly in
creased while the area of forests and
wild lands, their natural homes, has
continuously decreased.
The present law provides that any
person who kills any mature wolf
shall be paid a bounty of $40, for
lynx or wildcat SO and for any cub
wolf 81. Prior to 1905 the law pro-
vided for the payment of the same
bounty, S., for wolf mature or cub.
While the increase of the amount OF
bounty for mature wolves was in
creased 100 per cent in 1905 yet the
fact that the bounty on cubs was re-
duced from IS to 50 and the further
the bounties claimed are for cubs
there should be no material increase
in the total sum of money paid on
that account. And yet an investiGd-
ton discloses that from year to year
it has been found necessary for the
state to increase the bounty fund
The amount paid by the state for
these bounties in 1906 was $780, 61,
nd as the law requires that the state
shall pay no bounty except in those
counties that pay like sum, it follows
that the total paid in 1906 by the
counties and the state was s61,522.
The total amount paid by the state
in 1900 was but s9,7S6 and in 1905
$16,520. The total paid in the ten years
1895 to 1905 was s161.6
Dane county paid bounties on wolves
last year in the sum of $3.50 and in the
years since 1903 1926, notwithstand
ing that wolves are mighty scarce in
this neck of the woods
And all these facts are interesting
to the taxpayers when it is known
that frauds are practiced and that
wolf bounties have been paid for
various kinds of animals, foxes, rae
coons, woodchucks and even dogs Il.
3. Nagler, chief clerk in the secretary
of states office, who has charge of tho
payment of these bounties for the
state became suspicious when he first
came into the Office and began an in.
srrot 10 tod -
clerks to forward scalps to him and,
being somewhat of an expert in wild
animals, he found that in many case S
fraud had been practiced. To such
an extent was this true that in the
short time since January, 1907, he has
found among the limited number of
samples submitted to him "A cases
where payments had been made for
wolf scalps when in fact they were
foxes, racoons aor just common dog.
One case where a resident of Dane
county had secured payment for nine
wolves from the county clerk when in
fact they were all foxes, an old one
and eight kittens: and he was not
certain himself whether they were
foxes or wolves.
The discovery of these frauds has
prompted Mr.. Nagler to issue a
pamphlet, under the direction of Secre
tary of state Frear, covering the
bounty laws, together with instruc-
tions to county clerks. These
clerks are told not to issue certificate
for bounty until they are satisfied the
scalp exhibited is that of wolf wild
cat or lynx, as the case may be. II
they are unable to decide they must
send the scalp To the secretary of
state or the department of zoology
at the university, and must not pay
the bounty until they get a decision.
The following are descriptions which
one can readily distinguish wolves from
foxes are given:
do not issue a certificate without
first carefully examining the carcass
of the animal killed. The Law re
ouires that the entire carcass be pre-
scented to you for your inspection and
you have no right to issue certificate
if you have seen only the scalp OF
even the whole hide or pelt. Examine
the upper front teeth of a dog Note
tse notches on the side OF the crown.
The upper fornt teeth of wolves are
marked the same but those of foxes
have no notches They have single
crown. This is a very good and easy
test
There are two kinds of wolves:
Timber wolves, also called iobo OF
loafer. and coyotes or prairie wolves
also called brush wolves. The general
appearance of these two is the same
differing only in size. The coyote OF
! the western plains is not as dark as
those which have long inhabited the
forest but all wolves answer practical
III the same description although
there are great variations in color
A grown timber wolf will average
fully FIVE feet from the tip of the
nose to the tip of the tail. II is much
larger than the coyote which measures
about four feet, yet a coyote is much
larger than fox Wolves kill foxes
and the two do not interbreed. vol
cub four months old is too bulky 70
be mistaken for fox; its legs are
thicker and its feet larger than those