On the Little Missouri 



own neighborhood the ranchmen have of their 

 own accord put on a further bounty of five 

 dollars. This makes eight dollars for every 

 wolf, and as the skin is also worth something, 

 the business of killing wolves is quite profit- 



"otves are very shy, and show extraordin- 

 ary cunning both in hiding themselves and in 

 slinking out of the way of the hunter. They 

 are rarely killed with the rifle. I have my- 

 self shot but one with the rifle, though I 

 have several times taken part in the chase of 

 a wolf with dogs, and have if necessary helped 

 the pack finish the quarry. They are occa- 

 sionally trapped, but after a very few have 

 been procured in this way the survivors be- 

 come so wary that it is almost impossible even 

 for a master of the art to do much with them, 

 while an ordinary man can never get one into 

 a trap except by accident. More can be done 

 with poison, but even in this case the animal 

 speedily learns caution by experience. When 

 poison is first used in a district wolves are 

 very easily killed, and perhaps most of them 

 will be slain, but nowadays it is difficult to 

 catch any but young ones in this way. Occa- 

 sionally an old one will succumb, but there 



215 



