when the pack brings a big timber or gray wolf to bay. When 

 this happens the wolf frequently has to be shot, because you 

 simply can't surround one of the big animals every time with 

 enough dogs to do the job. 



Ammon is a staunch supporter of such an activity as coyote 

 hunting for promoting general health and well-being. 



"I think every business man, rancher, or farmer should take a 

 few days off each month," he said. "By doing so they will live 

 longer, and after all is said and done they only live once, and 

 when they leave they won't take anything with them." Ammon 

 demonstrated this philosophy one afternoon by leaving his ranch 

 in Bassett and bagging five coyotes before sundown. 



Although the coyote is hunted relentlessly in almost all west- 

 ern states, he seems not only to survive but to thrive. In fact the 

 coyote has infiltrated into New York State during the past ten 

 years, mated with stray or wild dogs, and produced a distinct 

 breed called the "coydog." The coydog is the subject of much 

 controversy, but it seems to have done not too much harm to 

 poultry and livestock. In an article titled "Nature's Quiz Kid," 

 O. A. Fitzgerald says that much of a coyote's diet consists of 

 crickets, grasshoppers, and grubs in season. 



Ammon's pack may soon have a chance at much bigger and 

 fiercer game. Reports have been coming in that a large mountain 

 lion, ranging far from its natural habitat, has been causing 

 trouble with livestock in the rough, hilly country along the 

 Niobrara River to the north of Bassett. If the talk persists, 

 Ammon will take his dogs north for a try at North America's 

 biggest cat. 







