﻿COYOTE-PROOF 
  FENCING. 
  27 
  

  

  became 
  used 
  to 
  it 
  and 
  would 
  go 
  under 
  or 
  between 
  the 
  wires 
  without 
  

   hesitation. 
  More 
  strands 
  were 
  added 
  without 
  effect, 
  until 
  a 
  woven- 
  

   wire 
  fence 
  was 
  adopted, 
  which 
  proved 
  satisfactory. 
  

  

  In 
  South 
  Africa 
  three 
  types 
  of 
  fence 
  have 
  been 
  in 
  use 
  for 
  protec- 
  

   tion 
  against 
  jackals, 
  and 
  each 
  has 
  advocates 
  among 
  the 
  farmers. 
  The 
  

   cheapest 
  is 
  built 
  of 
  strands 
  of 
  barbed 
  wire 
  placed 
  close 
  together 
  and 
  

   stayed 
  at 
  intervals 
  by 
  light 
  strips 
  of 
  wood 
  fastened 
  to 
  the 
  wires 
  by 
  

   staples. 
  In 
  the 
  second 
  form 
  the 
  staying 
  is 
  done 
  by 
  light, 
  smooth 
  

   wire 
  woven 
  in 
  by 
  machinery, 
  involving 
  more 
  labor 
  in 
  the 
  building. 
  

   The 
  third 
  type 
  is 
  that 
  recommended 
  by 
  Mr. 
  Hoole. 
  It 
  is 
  more 
  

   expensive, 
  but 
  seems 
  always 
  to 
  have 
  stood 
  the 
  test 
  of 
  experience. 
  

   The 
  others 
  have 
  not 
  always 
  been 
  satisfactory, 
  but 
  their 
  advocates 
  

   claim 
  that 
  the 
  fault 
  has 
  been 
  in 
  construction 
  and 
  not 
  in 
  design. 
  The 
  

   jackals 
  have 
  entered 
  the 
  inclosures 
  through 
  openings 
  at 
  the 
  ground. 
  

  

  Mr. 
  J. 
  H. 
  Clarke, 
  of 
  Laytonville, 
  Mendocino 
  County, 
  Cal., 
  has 
  for 
  

   several 
  years 
  succeeded 
  in 
  fencing 
  coyotes 
  from 
  his 
  sheep 
  range. 
  In 
  

   a 
  letter 
  to 
  the 
  Chief 
  of 
  the 
  Biological 
  Survey, 
  dated 
  March 
  4, 
  1905, 
  

   he 
  describes 
  the 
  fence 
  and 
  relates 
  his 
  experience 
  : 
  

  

  The 
  fence, 
  inclosing 
  nearly 
  4,000 
  acres, 
  consists 
  of 
  redwood 
  pickets 
  6 
  feet 
  

   long 
  driven 
  into 
  the 
  ground 
  1 
  foot 
  and 
  leaving 
  spaces 
  or 
  cracks 
  not 
  over 
  4 
  

   inches 
  wide 
  ; 
  posts 
  8 
  feet 
  long 
  and 
  driven 
  2 
  feet, 
  projecting 
  1 
  foot 
  above 
  the 
  

   pickets 
  ; 
  two 
  barbed 
  wires 
  stapled 
  to 
  the 
  posts 
  5 
  inches 
  above 
  the 
  pickets 
  and 
  

   the 
  same 
  distance 
  apart. 
  These 
  should 
  be 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  posts. 
  The 
  

   pickets. 
  are 
  driven 
  evenly 
  by 
  using 
  a 
  slat 
  as 
  a 
  guide 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  and 
  a 
  line 
  at 
  

   die 
  top. 
  One 
  barbed 
  wire 
  is 
  placed 
  at 
  the 
  bottom 
  on 
  the 
  outside 
  to 
  prevent 
  

   digging. 
  The 
  pickets 
  are 
  fastened 
  to 
  a 
  No. 
  9 
  cable 
  wire 
  with 
  a 
  No. 
  13 
  wrap- 
  

   ping 
  wire. 
  The 
  posts 
  are 
  set 
  12 
  feet 
  apart, 
  or 
  less, 
  according 
  to 
  the 
  surface 
  — 
  

   at 
  top 
  and 
  bottom 
  of 
  each 
  rise 
  or 
  indentation. 
  

  

  Where 
  gulches 
  or 
  small 
  streams 
  are 
  crossed 
  boxes 
  and 
  gates 
  are 
  put 
  in. 
  

   Where 
  larger 
  streams 
  are 
  encountered 
  a 
  dam 
  is 
  first 
  put 
  in 
  and 
  the 
  gate 
  so 
  

   swung 
  as 
  to 
  rest 
  on 
  or 
  against 
  the 
  dam 
  head 
  in 
  the 
  dry 
  season. 
  

  

  The 
  cost 
  of 
  construction 
  varied 
  from 
  $320 
  to 
  $400 
  per 
  mile. 
  Galvanized 
  wire 
  

   was 
  used, 
  and 
  of 
  the 
  barbed 
  the 
  thickest-set 
  four-pointed 
  wire 
  obtainable. 
  If 
  

   four-point 
  wire 
  could 
  be 
  had. 
  with 
  sharp 
  points 
  set 
  not 
  over 
  2 
  inches 
  apart, 
  the 
  

   top 
  wire 
  might 
  be 
  dispensed 
  with. 
  

  

  While 
  this 
  fence 
  was 
  begun 
  in 
  1S07. 
  it 
  was 
  not 
  finished 
  until 
  three 
  years 
  ago. 
  

   It 
  was 
  partly 
  experimental 
  at 
  first, 
  and 
  at 
  the 
  end 
  of 
  the 
  second 
  year 
  only 
  that 
  

   portion 
  of 
  the 
  range 
  used 
  for 
  lambing 
  was 
  inclosed 
  with 
  a 
  coyote-proof 
  fence. 
  

   We 
  do 
  not 
  know 
  that 
  a 
  coyote 
  hns 
  ever 
  scaled 
  or 
  jumped 
  it. 
  A 
  very 
  large 
  

   coyote 
  that 
  got 
  in 
  through 
  an 
  accidentally 
  'propped' 
  floodgate, 
  though 
  chased 
  

   by 
  dogs 
  all 
  day, 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  made 
  to 
  jump 
  out, 
  even 
  when 
  cornered. 
  Consider- 
  

   ing 
  the 
  steep, 
  wild, 
  and 
  broken 
  nature 
  of 
  the 
  country, 
  with 
  several 
  'slides' 
  in 
  

   the 
  fence 
  that 
  could 
  not 
  be 
  avoided 
  when 
  building, 
  and 
  which 
  move 
  and 
  displace 
  

   the 
  fence 
  during 
  hard 
  storms, 
  it 
  is 
  not 
  surprising 
  that 
  a 
  few 
  coyotes 
  have 
  gotten 
  

   in. 
  Fortunately, 
  partition 
  fences 
  have 
  aided 
  in 
  the 
  capture 
  of 
  these 
  before 
  

   much 
  damage 
  was 
  done. 
  Two 
  obstacles 
  are 
  encountered 
  in 
  keeping 
  up 
  this 
  

   fence 
  — 
  trespassers, 
  who 
  cut 
  or 
  break 
  a 
  picket 
  to 
  get 
  through, 
  and 
  slides. 
  

  

  Coyotes 
  are 
  very 
  persistent, 
  and 
  when 
  they 
  see 
  young 
  lambs 
  on 
  the 
  opposite 
  

   side 
  will 
  follow 
  the 
  fence 
  for 
  miles, 
  trying 
  to 
  find 
  a 
  hole. 
  * 
  * 
  * 
  None 
  have 
  

   gotten 
  in 
  this 
  season. 
  

  

  