The Twin Falls times. [volume] (Twin Falls, Idaho) 1905-1916, 1908-04-02
Wild Horses

| Wild horses by the thousand are
overrunn;ng the government National
Forests OF Nevada and neighboring
states, and the authorities in Washing
ton are besieged with petitions from
stockmen and farmers begging them to
put stop to the nuisance. A recent
dispatch from Reno conveyed the In
telligence that there are fifteen thous-
and OF the untaimed beasts upon the
Toiybe, Toquina and Monitor forest re-
severes in LaEdor County alone, and
that orders have been received by the
forest rangers to begin systematic
war of determination upon them. This
This dispatch, although twisted as to
facts, does not exaggerate the number
OF horses now supposed to be roaming
at large in the districts mentioned AS
a matter of probable truth there are u
good many more than fifteen Thousand
wild horses in Nevada and the neigh
boring states, and every herd Is pest
to the owners of Vegetation and domes-
tic stock
The part of the Reno telegram which
is not true is that relating to the orders
sent from Washington. Neither the
forest rangers nor any other employees
of the government have been told TO
destroy the horses, and unless they do
receive such orders they will confine
their energies to fencing crops from
the trespassing animals or rounding
them up when they appear and threat
en- damage to the range. Indeed, If
half the stories brought to the capital
Sans service would have little chance
of destroying the big herds that are
roaming over the western states.
Within the last few years they have
increased to such an extent that In
many localities they are classed as
varmints, with wolves, wildcats and
grizzlies, and every mans rifle is
turned against them No fence is
strong enough to stop these horses, and
when they appear in force they have
even been known to knock down and
kill cows and calves. After each visi.
tation from a herd the ranchmau is
likely to mourn the loss of his domes
tic horses, and itrequires only few
days association with their new com
panions for the best broken animals to
become as wild as their nomadic COM
rades
A study of the wild horse problem
briggs to light many interesting facts
about the animals. The legislature of
Nevada, it seems, passed law many
years ago specifically allowing hunters
to shoot wild horses and to sell their
hides for what they could get in the
open market. The law opened the way
to new and unusual industry, and
many men found the killing of wild
horses very profitable. Besides the
work was exciting and gave the bust
ness the added zest of sport.
AS time went on and the business of
killing these outlaws, as the wild
horses were often termed, on the
ranges, assumed greater and greater
proportions, stockmen found that the
professional hunters were in many
cases, abusing their rights and were
killing branded and shod horses. This
put an end to the business, for on com
plant Of the stockmen the Nevada
Legislature promptly repealed the law
1t is estimated that 15,000 animals
were killed during the time that the
law was in force. This figure gave the
basis for last weeks story.
THE report however had good basis of
fact, for the wild horse question has
grown to be as serious in the last few
years as 1t was when the Nevada Leg
islature was forced to enact the old law.
The United States forest service has
not given orders for the killing Of a
single horse because it has no right to
do so The forest officers of the Ne
vada national forests realizes how bad
conditions are, and will do anything to
assist the stockmen to put down the
nuisance.
Any one who finally discovers an eff
fective method to settle this problem
Will have done great service for the
stockmen of every state west of the
Missouri river AS an old and expert
enced stockman, now in the employ of
Uncle Sam, said of this wild horse
problem: theoretically it seems a
very simple matter to handle, but prac-
tically it is quite the reverse" Ga the
ranges of many of the national forests
the supervisors have been at their wits
ends for several years trying to devise
d method to meet the difficulty. APP
| parently an entirely satisfactory
method can not be found because of