Idaho County free press. [volume] (Grangeville, Idaho Territory) 1886-current, 1916-02-10
TO RAISE MONEY FOR BOUNTY
VOUCHERS BY SHEEPMEN AND
CATTLEMEN FURNISHING
CAPITAL TILL LEGIS-
LATURE MEETS.
(F'rom Roberts Sentinel, Roberts, Ida. }

At the last session OF the state legis-
lature, held at Boise, in January and
February, 1915, under House Bill No
1873, a Predatory Animal Fund was
created, to be used for the Nextermina-
tion of predatory amin ais of Idaho.
The chief offender to the livestock
men is the coyote, they alone destroy
ing over 10000 head Of sheep annual
ly in parts of Idaho, Wyoming, Utah
and Colorado. bounty of $3.50 per
head was placed on coyotes and during
the time that the money lasted, un-
wards of 10000 coyotes were destroyed
in our state.
About ten days ago the predatory
animal fund became exhausted, the
state having paid out in bounty over
$4,000 since March IL, 1915. The
bounty is still in force, but owing to
the money being all used up, and the
states inability to issue deficiency
warrants or raise special fund, the
trapper must hold the vouchers until
the meeting of the next state legisla-
ture in 1917. The trappers declare
their inability to hold the vouchers for
so long a period so must necessarily
quit trapping for want of ready money.
The sheep and stock interests pay the
greater part of the predatory animal
tax, as they are the greatest gamers by
the extinction of predatory animals
The loss to the livestock interests in
this part of the Rocky mountain coun-
try during the past year was a stagger-
ing blow to the owners of stock, and
the present system Of getting rid of
coyotes and other predatory animals
will be boon to livestock interests.
The writer has been and is the preda-
tory animal Inspector for the state of
Idaho, at Roberts, and during the past
three months many hundreds of coyote
and bob-cat pelts have been presented
and vouchers issued to the claimants
from this office.
With the coming OF word from State
Veterinarian Bodle, some ten days ago
that the fund was exhausted, and that
the trappers must hold their vouchers
for more than year, we are met with
the universal answer that the trapper
must get ready money or cease opera
tions, or go where they can collect
bounty money to live.
The work of the coyote destruction
in Idaho has been very successful dur
ing the past ten months as the figures
show, and it would be almost a waste
of the money that the state has already
paid out in bountics, if the work is to
stop now, with the spring increase of
coyotes not far ahead. In short time
there would be as many coyotes as pre-
viously, where on the other hand if the
work is continued, in not far distant
future the coyote will be an unknown
quantity in our state.
Naturally the heaviest loosers by pre-
datory animal inroads are the sheep and
cattle industries, and ways, plans and
means have been the chief topics of
meetings everywhere. At the National
Woolgrowers convention at Salt Lake,
Utah, held a short time ago, the des-
truction of the predatory animal was a
vital one. Many theories were advanc-
ed, and federal aid is being sought for
nationwide campaign.
The writer has formulated plan for
the solution of the problem, which has
met with unanimous approval from |
every stockman that it has been sub
mitted to. The state fund is exhaust
ed, still the bounty is in force, the
claimants for bounty to hold their
next January. Every trapper who has
brought pelts to us for bounty since the
fund is no more, declared their inabil-
ity to hold the vouchers for a year, and
necessarily must quit trapping until
money is available.
Our plan is in brief, as follows:
Let the sheepmen and cattlemen Of
Idaho collectively, furnish the neces-
sary capital to purchase the state
vouchers, hold them until next year
when state money is available, send in
the vouchers get their money, and !.
they are out but the interest and use
of small amount of money each
They are the means at very small ex- Z
pense of benefitting themselves, run
ming no risks of loss of money furnish
ed, and continuing the work of exter-
minating that otherwise in a large
amount of money each would indeed to
measure, will be abandoned. With the (
large number of sheepmen in Idaho the
very small, and the returns to them
would we think, be a thousand fold.
Our plan his been presented to a
number of prominent sheepmen, among
them John w. Hart, livestock superin-
tendent of the Wood Livestock com
pany, J. D. Kennedy of the Denning
and Clark Livestock company. The ,
Alaska Basin Sheep company, and sew
eral others and they rave all highly
favored the movement and have prom /,
Used to support it.
What do you think of its !
The writer would be pleased to hear
from every sheep and stockman that
reads this, as we feel sure the plan is
a logical one, and will be adopted and /
the determination work continue un-
hampered for want of funds until the !,
state is again in position to take care !
of the bounty. /;
Please address communications to A.
B. Kennedy, Jr., Publisher the Rob.
erts Sentinel, Roberts, Idaho.