﻿16 
  COYOTES 
  IN 
  THEIR 
  ECONOMIC 
  RELATIONS. 
  

  

  THE 
  COYOTE'S 
  RELATION 
  TO 
  THE 
  SHEEP 
  INDUSTRY. 
  

  

  The 
  coyote 
  is 
  especially 
  notorious 
  as 
  an 
  enemy 
  of 
  the 
  sheep 
  indus- 
  

   try. 
  In 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  West 
  sheep 
  raising 
  has 
  greatly 
  languished 
  

   because 
  of 
  the 
  depredations 
  of 
  wild 
  animals 
  upon 
  the 
  flocks. 
  While 
  

   some 
  of 
  the 
  injury 
  is 
  caused 
  by 
  the 
  larger 
  wolvfS, 
  mountain 
  lions, 
  

   bears, 
  and 
  lynxes, 
  the 
  coyotes 
  are 
  by 
  far 
  the 
  most 
  formidable 
  enemy. 
  

   They 
  are 
  not 
  only 
  more 
  abundant 
  than 
  the 
  other 
  animals 
  mentioned, 
  

   but 
  they 
  are 
  present 
  throughout 
  the 
  year, 
  and 
  their 
  depredations 
  are 
  

   a 
  steady 
  drain 
  upon 
  the 
  resources 
  of 
  the 
  flock 
  owner, 
  comparable 
  in 
  

   extent 
  to 
  the 
  losses 
  caused 
  by 
  worthless 
  dogs 
  in 
  many 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  

   country. 
  

  

  Dr. 
  E. 
  A. 
  C. 
  Foster, 
  writing 
  from 
  Russell, 
  Kans., 
  in 
  1887, 
  said 
  : 
  

  

  Of 
  mammals, 
  the 
  prairie 
  wolf 
  is 
  perhaps 
  the 
  most 
  troublesome. 
  It 
  is 
  con- 
  

   stantly 
  preying 
  upon 
  sheep 
  and 
  lambs 
  ; 
  so 
  much 
  so 
  that 
  sheep 
  can 
  not 
  be 
  left 
  

   alone 
  without 
  some 
  of 
  them 
  falling 
  a 
  prey 
  to 
  this 
  animal. 
  Should 
  the 
  herder 
  be 
  

   absent 
  or 
  out 
  of 
  view, 
  the 
  wolf 
  makes 
  a 
  dash 
  into 
  the 
  flock 
  and 
  usually 
  secures 
  a 
  

   lamb. 
  

  

  William 
  Lloyd, 
  writing 
  from 
  Paint 
  Rock, 
  Concho 
  County, 
  Tex., 
  

   said 
  : 
  

  

  In 
  January, 
  1S8G, 
  coyotes 
  killed 
  over 
  30 
  sheep 
  near 
  Fort 
  Stockton, 
  and 
  in 
  

   March 
  about 
  20 
  at 
  Toyah, 
  Tex. 
  

  

  Charles 
  W. 
  Richmond, 
  in 
  1888, 
  wrote 
  to 
  the 
  Survey 
  from 
  Gallatin 
  

   County, 
  Mont., 
  relating 
  the 
  following 
  incident: 
  

  

  While 
  we 
  were 
  camped 
  near 
  Bozeman 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  some 
  4,000 
  sheep 
  were 
  driven 
  

   by, 
  and 
  night 
  overtook 
  them 
  on 
  some 
  foothills 
  south 
  of 
  Bozeman. 
  During 
  the 
  

   night 
  a 
  flock 
  of 
  coyotes 
  entered 
  the 
  ranks 
  and 
  the 
  sheep 
  stampeded. 
  Many 
  ran 
  

   over 
  some 
  bluffs, 
  and 
  next 
  morning 
  sheep, 
  dead 
  and 
  dying, 
  were 
  several 
  feet 
  

   deep 
  at 
  the 
  foot 
  of 
  the 
  bluffs. 
  Nearly 
  500 
  were 
  counted 
  in 
  the 
  pile, 
  and 
  for 
  

   several 
  days 
  afterwards 
  sheep, 
  with 
  lacerated 
  ears 
  and 
  torn 
  flanks, 
  wandered 
  

   into 
  barnyards 
  in 
  the 
  vicinity. 
  The 
  total 
  number 
  lost 
  must 
  have 
  been 
  heavy. 
  

  

  In 
  parts 
  of 
  the 
  Southwest 
  sheep 
  growers 
  have 
  estimated 
  their 
  losses 
  

   from 
  wild 
  animals 
  as 
  equal 
  to 
  20 
  percent 
  of 
  the 
  flock. 
  The 
  average 
  

   loss 
  reported 
  from 
  several 
  States 
  is 
  5 
  percent. 
  In 
  nearly 
  all 
  the 
  

   States 
  west 
  of 
  the 
  Mississippi 
  the 
  industry 
  has 
  declined 
  in 
  the 
  past 
  

   two 
  years, 
  and 
  one 
  of 
  the 
  principal 
  causes 
  given 
  is 
  losses 
  from 
  co}^otes. 
  

   At 
  present 
  the 
  industry 
  thrives 
  only 
  in 
  sections 
  where 
  the 
  local" 
  con- 
  

   ditions 
  permit 
  the 
  herding 
  of 
  sheep 
  in 
  large 
  flocks 
  — 
  a 
  system 
  highly 
  

   injurious 
  to 
  the 
  pasturage. 
  

  

  It 
  is 
  evident 
  that 
  the 
  wealth 
  of 
  any 
  State 
  could 
  be 
  materially 
  

   increased 
  if 
  it 
  were 
  possible 
  everywhere 
  to 
  keep 
  small 
  flocks 
  of 
  sheep. 
  

   Flocks 
  increase 
  rapidly 
  under 
  favorable 
  conditions 
  and 
  good 
  manage- 
  

   ment, 
  and 
  the 
  cost 
  of 
  keeping 
  them 
  is 
  small 
  when 
  herders 
  can 
  be 
  dis- 
  

  

  a 
  In 
  1891 
  the 
  loss 
  from 
  dogs 
  was 
  placed 
  at 
  .$152,034 
  in 
  Ohio 
  and 
  $200,000 
  in 
  

   Missouri. 
  (Sheep 
  Industry 
  in 
  the 
  United 
  States, 
  U. 
  S. 
  Dept. 
  of 
  Agric, 
  1892.) 
  

  

  