﻿COYOTES 
  IN 
  KANSAS. 
  V 
  

  

  was 
  comparatively 
  easy 
  to 
  poison 
  large 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  gray 
  wolf, 
  

   the 
  coyote 
  was 
  not 
  an 
  easy 
  victim 
  and 
  usually 
  avoided 
  both 
  the 
  baited 
  

   traps 
  and 
  the 
  poisoned 
  buffalo 
  carcasses. 
  

  

  The 
  plains 
  east 
  of 
  the 
  Iiocky 
  Mountains 
  and 
  the 
  higher 
  plateaus 
  of 
  

   the 
  Great 
  Basin 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  mountains 
  are 
  especially 
  adapted 
  to 
  the 
  

   wants 
  of 
  the 
  coyote. 
  Cultivated 
  areas 
  are 
  far 
  apart; 
  stock 
  ranges 
  

   are 
  extensive; 
  tall 
  grasses, 
  weeds, 
  cactuses, 
  and 
  sagebrush 
  afford 
  

   excellent 
  hiding 
  places; 
  rabbits, 
  prairie 
  dogs, 
  ground 
  squirrels, 
  and 
  

   other 
  small 
  animals 
  are 
  plentiful 
  ; 
  and, 
  when 
  these 
  natural 
  resources 
  

   of 
  the 
  country 
  fail, 
  sheep 
  and 
  young 
  calves 
  furnish 
  abundant 
  food. 
  

  

  In 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  Western 
  States 
  the 
  efforts 
  of 
  ranchmen 
  to 
  destroy 
  

   the 
  coyote 
  have 
  been 
  supplemented 
  by 
  laws 
  authorizing 
  the 
  payment 
  

   of 
  bounties 
  from 
  public 
  funds. 
  Some 
  of 
  these 
  laws 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  

   operation 
  for 
  a 
  score 
  of 
  } 
  7 
  ears 
  or 
  even 
  more 
  and, 
  except 
  locally, 
  no 
  

   diminution 
  in 
  the 
  general 
  numbers 
  of 
  the 
  animals 
  has 
  resulted. 
  In 
  

   some 
  parts 
  of 
  Mexico 
  where 
  the 
  natives 
  have 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  practiced 
  

   systematic 
  poisoning, 
  the 
  coyote 
  is 
  becoming 
  rare, 
  but 
  in 
  most 
  sections 
  

   of 
  its 
  range 
  it 
  is 
  either 
  increasing 
  or 
  no 
  substantial 
  decrease 
  has 
  been 
  

   observed. 
  

  

  COYOTES 
  IN 
  KANSAS. 
  

  

  The 
  State 
  of 
  Kansas, 
  where 
  settlements 
  are 
  comparatively 
  old 
  and 
  

   where 
  man's 
  warfare 
  against 
  the 
  coyote 
  has 
  been 
  long 
  continued, 
  

   affords 
  an 
  excellent 
  illustration 
  of 
  the 
  animal's 
  ability 
  to 
  maintain 
  its 
  

   numbers 
  under 
  seemingly 
  adverse 
  circumstances. 
  Most 
  of 
  the 
  coun- 
  

   ties 
  of 
  the 
  State 
  have 
  for 
  many 
  years 
  paid 
  bounties 
  for 
  killing 
  coyotes, 
  

   and 
  conditions 
  have 
  been 
  reached 
  where 
  there 
  is 
  little 
  fluctuation 
  

   in 
  the 
  total 
  amount 
  paid 
  from 
  year 
  to 
  year. 
  The 
  returns 
  of 
  the 
  

   animals 
  killed 
  for 
  the 
  fiscal 
  twelve 
  months 
  from 
  Jul} 
  7 
  1, 
  1903, 
  to 
  

   June 
  30, 
  1901, 
  show 
  that 
  nearly 
  20,000 
  scalps 
  were 
  presented 
  for 
  

   bounty 
  in 
  the 
  State. 
  

  

  The 
  following 
  is 
  a 
  table, 
  by 
  counties, 
  of 
  the 
  number 
  of 
  coyotes 
  on 
  

   which 
  bounties 
  were 
  paid 
  during 
  the 
  year 
  above 
  specified. 
  Of 
  the 
  

   11 
  missing 
  counties, 
  10 
  — 
  Cherokee, 
  Comanche, 
  Finney, 
  Grant, 
  Has- 
  

   kell, 
  Kearney, 
  Morton, 
  Seward, 
  Stevens, 
  and 
  Wyandotte— 
  paid 
  no 
  

   bounties, 
  and 
  1, 
  Doniphan, 
  made 
  no 
  report. 
  The 
  bounty 
  in 
  all 
  cases 
  

   is 
  $1 
  for 
  each 
  animal 
  killed. 
  

  

  