Omaha daily bee., 1917-04-22

one of the leading sources OF loss to
the western stock grower.
There are some sections in the
southwest where it is not possible to
raise horses because of the ravages Of
the mountain lions. Gray wolves do
great damage to the cattle herds, In
glass case at the headquarters of the
biological survey there is kept the
skull of an old gray wolf who ate
$1,000 work of cattle before he was
trapped. The wolf had only two toes
On one forefoot, so it was possible to
recognize his work by the tracks
around each kill. There are doubtless
numerous other wolves on the range
whose meat bills run as high.
The western states have been fight
ing the predatory animals without
success for many years. Most of the
work has been done on the bounty
system. which offers reward for the
scalp of each wolf or coyote. In some
states this system has been in opera
ton for twenty-five years, and the
relative losses today are greater than
they were in the beginning. In the
last year the Biological Survey has
started work on a new cooperative
method which promises to solve the
problem. The new system calls for
the trapping and poisoning of wild
animals by salaried hunters using the
best methods and doing away with
the bounty system.
The great drawback to the bounty
system is the fact that the trapper
makes his living from the wild ami
mails, and if he kills them out, he de-
stroys his source of profit. Also, he
wants to kill the greatest possible
number of animals in the least posi-
Bile time. So he works against the
young and unsophisticated animals,
who probably do not kill many cattle
anyway, and leaves the old and wary
cattle killers alone, because it takes
too much time and trouble to catch
them. These old animals bring forth
litters of young each year, and thus
furnish the trapper with fresh sources
of bounty season after season. As an
official of the Survey puts it, it is more
like stock raising than animal killing.
The Survey has divided the twelve
big western stock-raising states into
nine districts, each under the super
vision of an inspector, and worked by
salaried trappers, who draw no bounty
money, and who are judged solely by
the results they get. The catching of
one wise old wolf may be a harder
job and worth more to the cattle bust
ness than the trapping of dozen
young ones, and the inspector in
charge knows it and gives credit ac-
cordingly. Wherever possible, the
states are being induced to revoke
their bounty laws and make an ap-
preparation to cooperate with the
Survey instead. Three states are al
ready working on this system, and
others are expected to follow shortly.
In Montana in the last five years,
100000 has been spent on the old
system and the losses are as big as
ever. DIR. Fisher, who is in charge of
the wild animal work for the Survey,
told the Montana stockmen that if
the Survey had that amount Of money
to spend in five years, they would
guarantee to kill out all the wolves
and most of the coyotes. 1t seems to
be only matter of time until the
Survey plan will be adopted all
through the west, and it promises to
solve the problem. .
The larger predatory animals are
only one side of the question OF ami
NAL control. Prairie dogs and ground