The San Francisco call., 1908-03-29
WILD HORSES ARE
MENACE IN NEVADA
Thousands Overrun National
Forests and Cause Great
Damage
Old Law to Shoot the Stray
Animals Repealed by the
Legislature

huilIdlS NSpcdiSu ny tuS
Legislature
Wild horses by the thousands are
overrunning 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 a stop to the nuisance. A re-
cent dispatch from Reno conveyed the
intelligence that there were $4,000 of
the untamed beasts upon the Toiyabe,
Toauina and Monitor forest reserves in
Landor county alone. and that orders
had been received by the forest rangers
to begin & systematic war of externli-
nation upon them. This dispatch, al
though twisted as to facts, does not
exaggerate the number of horses now
supposed to be roaming a large in the
districts mentioned, says the New York
Tribune. As a matter of probable truth
there are a good many more than $4,000
wild horses in Nevada and the neigh
boring states. and every herd is pest
to the owners of vegetation and do
mestic 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 threaten
damage TO the range. Indeed. if half
the stories brought to the capital are
true, all the rangers in Uncle Sanls
service would have little chance of de-
stroying the big herds that are roam
ing over the western states.
CLASSED As .vARMINTS-
Within the last few years they have
increased TO such an extent that in
many localities they are classed as
"yarmints.' with wolves, wildcats and
grizzlies, and every mans rife 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
visitation from herd the ranchman
is likely to mourn the loss of his do
mestic horses. and it requires only a
few days association with their new
companions for the best broken ami
mails to become as wild as their no.
madic comrades.
study of the wild horse problem
brings 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 busi-
ness the ADDED zest OF sport.
AS time went on and the business
of killing these outlaw Gas the wild
| horses were often termed) on the
ranges assumed greater and greater.
proportions. stoc.imen found that the
professional hunters were n many
cases abusing their rights and were
killing branded and shod horses. This
put end TO the business. for on
complaint OF the stockmen the Nevada
legislature promptly repealed the law.
1t is estima ted that $1,000 animals were
killed during the time that the law
was in force. This figure gave the
basis for last weeks story.
STILL A SERIOUS PROBLEM
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 it was when the Nevada legis-
| lature 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
Nevada national forests realize how bad
conditions are. and will do anything to
assist the stockmen to put down the
nuisance.
Any one who finally discovers an ef-
fective method to settle this problem
will have done a 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 prob
lem: Theoretically it seems very
simple matter to handle, but practically
| ii is quite the reverse" On the ranges
of many of the national forests the
! supervisors Nave been at their wits
ends for several years trying to de-
wise a method to meet the difficulty.
Apparently an entirely satisfactory
method can not be. found because of
the inadequate estray laws now en-
forced in the different states. Under
the circumstances the following plan
has been recommended to meet the
conditions in the national forests:
IF the presence of the horses is seri-
ousiy damaging the national forest
range and public sentiment favors such
action the supervisors may upon petit
tion of majority of the permittees
of grazing district allow the horses
to be gathered and disposed of accord
Ting to the state or territorial laws. In
such cases the forest service will, upon
recommendation of the supervisor, CO.
operate in the construction of corrals
or fences for the purpose of captur-
ing the horses.
Forest officers may drive unper-
mittad horses from the national for
ests at any time, but if the owners of
the horses are known and ownership
acknowledged the owner should be
allowed to adjust the matter by