THE WOLF QUESTION. 



209 



FROM THE, WIND RIVER COUNTRY. 



Editor Recreation: I see by your July 

 number that you are agitating the wolf 

 question — a question which has been and is 

 now of serious importance to all cattle, 

 sheep and horse owners in the Western 

 States. In the section of country where I 

 live, and where I have run cattle for over 15 

 years, the wolf pest has been and is a source 

 of incalculable loss to all stock owners; so 

 much so, that it almost calls for action on 

 the part of the general government to pro- 

 tect its settlers and stock owners from the 

 depredations committed by these blood- 

 thirsty varmints. 



Very few of the counties in the states 

 mentioned in your article are in such finan- 

 cial circumstances as ±0 enable them to af- 

 ford a large bounty on wolf scalps, and the 

 consequence is that unless some other 

 steps are soon taken to rid the ranges of 

 these terrible pests, they will increase to 

 such an extent as to jeopardize the whole 

 stock industry of the arid region. 



Where I live we formed an association 

 among ourselves, and paid $25 a head, for 

 each wolf killed in our county. Several 

 hundred were paid for, but owing to vari- 

 ous causes the association disbanded; and 

 now one hears and sees, on all sides, evi- 

 dences of the havoc played by these fierce 

 denizens of the prairies. 



Mr. Otto Franc, of Meeteetse, Wyoming, 

 a large cattle owner, will be able to inform 

 you of the exact number of wolves killed 

 in this vicinity. He was secretary and 

 treasurer of our association, and marked 

 and tallied all hides and scalps presented 

 for bounty; Mr. Franc has been one of the 

 most energetic exterminators of wolves, 

 and generally employs one or 2 men, dur- 

 ing the winter, for the sole purpose of 

 poisoning and killing wolves. 



Mr. Jesse Frost, also of Meeteetse, who 

 is- an expert rifleman, has killed a large 

 number of wolves and has had some long 

 and exciting rides after them. In one in- 

 stance I knew him to ride over 15 miles 

 after a wolf, over as rough a country as it 

 is possible to ride, and he killed the brute 

 with a shot, as soon as he got close enough. 

 I have known wolves, here, to kill 4 year 

 old steers, and big, strong cows, and 2 years 

 ago I saw where wolves had run down and 

 killed a large bull elk. Their tracks were 

 plainly visible and in a snowbank, nearby, 

 you could see the marks where they had 

 rubbed the blood from their mouths and 

 paws. 



I am glad to see you taking up this mat- 

 ter. The labor you devote to the cause will 

 meet with its due reward, and you will not 

 only give your readers a most excellent and 

 interesting magazine, but you will become 

 a benefactor to a large number of people 

 who are living on what was so lately the 

 frontier, and who, like all pioneers, are 



patiently but steadfastly struggling, " to 

 keep the wolf from the door." 



I have pleasure in answering your ques- 

 tions in their order, and to the best of my 

 ability. 



1. Wise, Bighorn Co., Wyoming. 



2. Yes. 

 3- All. 



4. From $8,000 to $10,000. 



5. I have authentic knowledge that a 

 number of wolves have chased one person, 

 but have never heard of any one's being 

 killed or harmed. 



6. Yes. 



7. Am unable to say. 



o a " a a 



9. I don't think coyotes do much injury 

 to stock. 



10. I think the federal government should 

 offer a bounty on all wolves killed, the 

 hide and scalp to be presented while fresh 

 and green to the County Clerk of the county 

 where killed, or to a justice of the peace, or 

 a game warden; said hide to be retained 

 by the officer to whom presented. For each 

 full grown wolf a certain bounty should be 

 paid, and for each wolf cub a smaller 

 amount, about 25 per cent. 



R. Ashworth, Wise* Wyo. 



FROM FREMONT CO., WYO. 



Editor Recreation: Here are Mr. 

 Thompson's wolf questions, and my an- 

 swers to them: 



1. Where are you located? 



Ans. : Lander, Fremont county, Wyo. 



2. Are gray wolves troublesome in your 

 region? 



Ans.: Yes; more in the remote ranges 

 than near the settlement. 



3. What do they destroy? Horses? Cat- 

 tle? Sheep? 



All kinds of live stock, but more espe- 

 cially sheep and young cattle. I have seen 

 a single gray wolf pull down and kill a 2 

 year old steer. 



4. About what amount of damage should 

 you estimate they do in a year, in your 

 county or K range? 



Very hard to determine, but I should 

 judge, from interviews with the cattlemen 

 of this section, that the damage done by 

 wolves and coyotes in this county would 

 reach $20,000 possibly $25,000 a year. 



5. Did you ever know of a gray wolf kill- 

 ing or harming a human being? 



No. 



6. Are wolves increasing: in numbers? 

 Yes, rapidly in this part of the state. 



7. Have you any reason to believe wolves 

 can signal across country, and so tell each 

 other what parts are dangerous or where 

 the hunting is good? 



Yes, 



