Tombstone epitaph., 1921-11-13
GOVERNMENT FREEING
 RANGE COUNTRY OF
 PREDATORY ANIMAL s

VT
 PREDATORY ANIMALS
 WASHINGTON. Nov. ,. - Uncle sam maintains an army of approxi- mately $50 professional hunters who by policing the western range coun- try protect many million dollars worth of livestock from damage and death by predatory animals The Bd- reau Of Biological Survey. United States Department of Agriculture, es- inmates that annual losses of from s2o,O0o000 to sS0,o0O 900 a year were heretofore sustained through the slaughter of domestic stock by noun tain lions. bears, wolves, coyotes and other wild beasts which prey cn houses, cattle sheep and swine
 The average destruction by preda- tory animals is estimated to be 5000 worth of livestock annually for each wolf and mountain lion. $500 worth for each stock-killing bear. and $50 worth of damage by each coyote and bobcats. The government hunters utilize every possible means-guns, traps, poisons, and the like-to de- crease the numbers of range rascals. which ravage domestic herds and flocks. They police the Rocky Noun tain States from Washington to Tex as, and are constantly in receipt of calls from regions where predatory depredations occur.
 Three Principal Methods of De-
 struction
 With the adoption Of the hunter ser vice. three methods of destroying pre- datory animals were inaugurated- shooting. trapping and poisoning. Dur ing the first year 424 wolves, 9 noun tain lions. 11.S90 coyotes and 1864 bobcats were exterminated. Extensive activities were also devoted to the matter of suppressing rabies in the range country. An outbreak of rabies in Nevada was ultimately largely sup pressed.
 Illustrative of the damage done by wild beasts in Colorado a single wolf killed nearly s3.O00 worth of cattle in one year. In Texas two wolves killed 12 sheep. valued at s9 each, during a period of two weeks. One wolf in New Mexico killed 9 head Of cattle in two months, while another killed 150 cat tie valued at about 5000 during six months period.
 In Wyoming two male wolves were killed which during one month had destroyed 15G sheep and colts. An other pair were reported to have kill ed about si.000 worth of stock during the year preceding their capture. The county agricultural agent at Coalvale, Utah. reported that wolves had killed 20 per cent of ahe years calf crop in his section. \ wolf captured in New 20 per cent of the years calf crop in ing the preceding five months, 20 yearling steers, 6 calves l COW, 15 sheep. and a valuable sheep dog
 After personal investigation. during a recent year. the president of the State Agricultural college of New Mexico reported that 34.350 cattle, 5000 sheep and $50 horses are kill ed annually by predatory animals in that state, these losses amounting to s2,715,250 and involving the sacrifice of 16,000,000 pounds of meat and ap- proximately 1,32o,O0O pounds of wool
 At the present time the government hunters police 13 districts. each with a trained inspector in charge, which cover Arizona. California. Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico and South Dakota, Oregon, Texas, Utah. Washington and Wyoming. The hunters of the various districts are paid in part from the Federal treasury and in part from cooperative funds and moneys supplied by state appro- priations. and from contributions from livestock organizations and individu- als.
 Methods Have Been Greatly Improved
 Study and experimentation have re- suited in grea, improvement in the methods and practice employed in