The Rock Island Argus and daily union. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1920-1923, 1920-11-18


This sounds like q title for . movie.
but 1t is really An accurate descrip-
ton Of q Job just finished by H. 2.
Williams of Custer, South Dakota.
who is one of the most experienced
Of the small standing army Of trap
pers employed by the biological sur
vey in its work OF exterminating
animals.
williams was, directed to spend
all of his time in the task of getting
one old and cunning wolf, which
had been dining on beef and elud-
ing rife. trap, dogs and poison for
years. Ranchmen. had despaired Of
ever catching this old prairie pirate.
but word has just been received at
the biological survey that Williams
has been successful in his long
hunt. The hide of the Dakota free
booter will probably be in Washing
ton before long.
II you think that the pursuit Of .
single wolf is an inadequate. occu-
patton for a government employe.
you should be informed that this
wolf is estimated to have destroy
ed 81, 900 worth of beef and mutton
during his lifetime. and that he was
piling up the score 1t the rate OF
more than a thousand dollars q
year.
This wolf had developed a cum
ming which compares favOrably
with the mental operations Of many
humans. For example, when he
killed a COW, it was his custom to
travel a few miles, and then come
back, paralleling his first track at a
distance of a few rods. He then
returned to the edge of the thick
timber, and waited. When hounds
| were put on his track, he watched
them go by, and retired to safety
in one direction while they were
going in the other.
A Hard Job.
To find and kill a single wolf il
a large and broken wilderness
might seem a hopeless task, but tht
government hunters have gotter
their methods of work down pretty
fine. They know that a wolf, like
a man, is a creature Of habit. How
ever widely he may range, he al
ways returns to the same plact
eventually.
Furthermore, wolves are alst
like most other creatures, in tina
they cannot do wholly withou
others of their kind. Wolves hav,
signboards, as have dogs, wher,
passers-by register their presence
for the information of the mex
conner. BY locating these canin,
registers, the wolf hunter can mai
the range of q wolf or that of ;
band of wolves with tolerable &C
curacy. He USUALLY finds that
wolf travels in a great circle, some
times hundred and fifty miles il
circumference. He never kill
twice in succession in the sam
vicinity, but the hunter may, never
theless guess about where the mex
kill will be.
Wolves soon learn how to detec
poison in meat, and express thei
scorn of such crude methods b,
scratching dirt sover the poisone,
bait. Poison will kill out the yOun,
and foolish animals in a regiol
when it is first used there, but tn
survivors are wise and cannot b.
taken that way. Traps are a NOR
reliable method. but the wolve
soon get wise to these, too. Tn
utmost precautions must be used t
hide the scent of iron. The hunte
stands on a calf hide while settin
the trap, he smokes the trap itsel
and handles it with blood soake
gloves. Even so, the wolf who
old and wise often walks aroun
the trap as carefully as though |
were marked with a danger sigr
Hunting with hounds and lying i
wait with rifle are the other chic
methods.
A Survivor Of Early Days.
The lobo or gray wolf is one {
the few figures of the old west ths
still survives These wolves in th
early days hung on the TANKS {
the buffalo herds in great number