The Idaho Republican. [volume] (Blackfoot, Idaho) 1904-1932, 1910-08-12
COYOTE PROOF PASTURE SUC
CEEDS IN COLORADO

The enclosure of sheep range with
in a coyote-proof fence has been
tried in Colorado by F. H. Taylor,
OF Mancos, with highly satisfactory
results. An experiment begun by
the U. S. Department of Agriculture
on the Wallowa National Forest, in
Oregon, to discover whether sheep
could be advantageously pastured
within such an enclosure, led Mr..
Taylor to give the new method a
trial. The outcome is set forth in q
letter to the Department as follows:
After reading the description of
your coyote-proof fence in Oregon, l
constructed fence to enclose about
500 acres in the same manner. The
fence was constructed during the
fall of 1908, and in the spring OF
1909 and 1910 one thousand head
of ewes were LANDED in this en-
closure" In the vernacular of the
herder, lone hundred per cent of
the lambs were saved" that is a
lamb to each eve, land one man
did all the work. ] think the per
cent of the lambs would have been
higher, but one animal, presumably
a coyote, was inside when the fence
was constructed. 1t was impossible
to capture this animal even with
hounds. Some of the herders
thought the animal was not a coyote
bnt since coyote tracts were found
in several places am of opinion
that it was. Whatever the animal
was it raised its young inside the
enclosure"
Connecting his loss with the ra-
pacity of this animal Mr.. Taylor
says:
"A great many of the lambs were
killed and a small hole eaten behind
the foreleg and the remainder of
the carcass was untouched. On the
land outside of the enclosure It re-
quired the services of three men and
a pack of hounds to care for one
thousand ewes, and only 95 per cent
Of the lambs were saved. This per
cent could not have been saved with
out the assistance of the hounds.
II consider this fence a splendid
investment since it easily pays for
itself in three years. On the other
hand it is often difficult and some
times impossible to get men during
the lambing season. For this reason
the money value of the fence can
hardly be estimated"
The Department of Agriculture
entered upon the experiment of en-
closing sheep range within a fence
which would turn stock-destroying
animals in the belief that this method
would save forage as well as stock
and wages. This belief has been
fully justified by the results. The
Oregon enclosure carried more sheep
than an equal area of range of the
same quality outside, produced a
heavier lamb crop, heavier sheep,
and more wool, and at the same time
resulted in better condition of the
range itself These advantages are
due to the different behaviour of
sheep pastured within such an enclo-
sure from that of sheep herded in
the ordinary way.
When a band of sheep moves about
In charge of a herder, it must be
kept from scattering much. AS al
result much of the forage is wasted
through trampling. Within an en-
closure, however, the sheep soon
learn to spread out and shift for
themselves. Under those conditions
1t is not to be wondered at that a |
given area supports more sheep, puts
them in better condition, and suffers
less wear and tear. The success of
the new method, however, depends
on the determination of all danger
GUS animals within the enclosure,
and on the maintenance of a fence
which will keep off outside attacks.
Mr.. Taylor believes that the Wal
Iowa plan of construction is open to
in one particular. He
advocates placing barbed wire on
the ground before the woven wire is
unrolled, and stapling it down. 'T
expect to build another enclosure
soon," his letter concludes, land will
have a barbed wire stretched around
the enclosure and have the men place
their foot on the wire and press it
close to the ground and staple it.
With the fence already constructed
It seemed almost impossible to get
he wire as close to the ground as
S necessary on account of the I'M
,ven surface"