Patroling Eight Miles of Fence 



How hunters and hounds protected a flock of sheep and 

 how a new type of fence was built to keep out coyotes 



TO pre\ent wolves, coyotes, and 

 other wild animals from entering 

 a pasture where experiments in 

 sheep-raising were being conductetl, 

 hunters employed by the Forest Service 

 were required to patrol eight miles of 

 fence twice a day in the Wallowa 

 National Forest, in Oregon. 



Two thousand ftv'c hundred and sixty 

 acres of choice land were enclosed to 

 conduct experiments with a view to 

 ascertaining wiicther it was more advan- 

 tageous to care for sheep in pastures 



than to lierd them on the open range. A 

 coyote-proof fence eight miles in length 

 enclosed the pasture. It was made of 

 woven wire about four feet high, with 

 two strands of barbed wire across the top. 

 The large flock of sheep within the 

 enclosure attracted many wild animals 

 and it was not long before they burrowed 

 under the fence and set u[)on their prey. 

 Accordingly, the Forest Service had 

 expcrienccnl hunters accompanied by. 

 hounds patrol the entire length of fence 

 twice a day for four years. But the sheep 

 were still preyed upon until hundreds of 

 coyotes and wolves had been killed. 

 The erection of the fence over rocky 

 stretches of ground proved a trouble- 

 some problem, because the Forest 

 Service did not want to go to 

 the expense of drilling post holes. 

 riu' diftirulty was overcome by sup- 

 porting the posts with "jacks" con- 

 sisting of piles of rock holding in 

 position props which were nailed to 

 the posts. The "jacks" were set up 

 on the inside of the pasture. The 

 depth of the post holes that were 

 dug before rock was encountenni 

 governed the height of the pile. 



Patroling eight miles of fence twice a 

 day for four years to prevent wild 

 animals from entering a pasture 

 where experiments in sheep-raising 

 were being conducted, was the tedi- 

 ous task of the Forest Service hunters 



III, tc. 1(1 (il iliv',i'.iii|'. hull . 1 I -c tehes of rneky I'.iouiul, where the expense of 



■ InllinK would hiive been i.r< itii ili.iu tin !• oresl Service was willinn to incur, large stones 

 were piled up to hold in position props to which the posts supiwrliug the wire were nailed 



704 



