The silver state. [volume] (Winnemucca, Nev.) 1909-1925, 1912-12-24
(By S. w. MeClnre.l

many western states are about to
meet, seems to be good time to say a
word relative to wild animal b unity
laws The public, or that portion Of Il
that lives in the cities. is generally
misinformed as to the need and JUS
tice Of wild animal bounties. and as a
result of this misinformation many
people oppose these laws, even when
such laws are distinctively in their
own interest. A conservative estimate
places the annual loss of cattle, horses,
sheep, swine and poultry in the Unit
ed States from predatory wild animals
at 8l5,000,O00. Unfortunately for the
west 80 per cent of this loss oecprs in
the states west Of the Missouri river.
and not less than $4,000. 900 of this
falls on what is known as the fTelev.
en- western range states.D Therefore
each OF these states is sustaining an
annual loss from depredations Of wild
animals of very close to 81 600. 600.
Such less Of course is a serious drain
upon the economic forces Of these
states, aud falls with particular Sc
verify upon them because they are as
yet but sparselv settled.
The greatest offenders among these
animals are coyote wolf and wild cat.
named in about the order Of their i'm
portanee. The coyote and wild eat
display particular fondness for
sheep, calves and poultry. while the
wolf devotes most OF his attention to
colts and young cattle giving varrie-
ty to his menu by occasionally con-
snming a wandering sheep or hog
Coyotes seldom trouble cattle over a
few weeks Of age, but the first two or
three weeks Of the range calf's life is
made extremely hazardous BY the
proving coyote who makes the at
tack singly or IN pairs. In early
years the cattlemen did not pay much
attention to the coyote, but during the
last decade they have come to recog-
uize this pest as particularly destuc-
tive because OF the enormous loss of
young calves oeeasi0ned hy it.
The range COW inherited the desire
to be alone when its young is born.
and in response to this instinct the
calf is generally born in some seclud-
ed canyon or clump of bushes. Here
the calf is kept for the first few DAYS
of its life which, like the young of all
species, are generally spent in sleep.
Now all of the mothers time cannot
be spent watching the calf, for food
she must have. Therefore according
to her nature she hides the calf and
ahsents herself for considerable time
in search Of grass. The coyote is
wise, wiser i'm the wavs of nature than
any of our domestic animals He has
been made wise because nature intend
ed that he should make his living by
stealing He understands full well
this solitary instinct of the COW, and
has probably been watching from a
hillside the mother and
her newborn. Therefore when the
cow leaves for feed and the coyote
feels she is at a safe distance be
makes a rush upon the unprotected
calf and with little struggle ends its
life. There he feasts upon the ten
are fully satisfied, when he sinks off
with dripping jaws, content with the
fact that while he has advanced the
price of meat to all the people, he has
secured it at low cost. This scene
is repeated thousands of times each
spring in all the range country, and is
the chief cause of the number of calf
less cows so commonly found at the
spring roundup
However great may be the cattle
man s loss, it is the lot of the sheep
man and poultry raiser to furnish the
coyote with most of his rations Start
ing with the lambing season the coy
ote follows the footprints of the sheep
over hin and dale and goes into win
ter quarters within killing distance
Of the band. Spring may find him a
little thin, but the diet of newborn
lambs soon covers his ribs with
laver Of fat. At lamhing time the
ewes and lambs are split up into little
bands until the lambs are old enough
to Join the main flock. This is the
season of sunshine for the coyote. He
takes up his position on the hillside
behind some shrub or huh and patient
lv wait until a lamb or eve strays
from the flock. Then q quick dash
and the lamb is carried to some hole
OF cave. generally net far distant, 70
feed q litter o. young coyotes, who
the next spring VIII perform this same
lufv in accordance with the dictates
of nature. When at night the sheep
are driven home . fev lambs and even
ewes may drop from the band VhI
mems that morning win find the
Ground strewu with wool end caf
asses Of such sheep rs may hay
been left out. In herding sheen IN the
range country It frequently happens
hat small band, even hundred or
Two. may separate from the main
band. The herder does not miss ms
loss. az least not until he counts ms
sheep into the corral at night or OUT
81 II next morning, In any event the
ost sheep are destined to remain out
,ver night. This they could do with
safety were it not for the coyote
However. in FIVE case out Of six the
shades Of evening find bunch of five
,r six coyotes busy killing and MAIN
NO the wandering sheep. Morning
inds little alive except the overfed