THE WOLF QUESTION. 



FROM CENTRAL WYOMING. 



Casper, Wyo. 



Editor Recreation: The wolf question, 

 brought forward in the July number of 

 your magazine, is well worthy of the 

 thoughtful consideration of all Western 

 stock growers. Ten years ago a gray wolf 

 was a rarity, in Central Wyoming. Now 

 there are thousands. They are slowly 

 spreading Southward, and in a few years 

 they will cover the entire range country, 

 clear to the Texas border. Three years 

 ago there were none in the Saratoga val- 

 ley, of Southern Wyoming. Now they are 

 numerous and destructive, and are rapidly 

 crossing the border into Western Colo- 

 rado. The damage they do to all classes 

 of live stock is incalculable. In Wyoming 

 they destroy more stock than all our taxes, 

 county and State, amount to and their rav- 

 ages steadily increase. They killed fully 

 $1,000 worth of cattle, mostly calves and 

 yearlings, for me last year. They are very 

 destructive to young colts, and whenever 

 a sheep raiser is so unfortunate as to lose 

 a portion of his flock on the range, as fre- 

 quently occurs, the wolves completely wipe 

 them out. Stock is so plentiful that I 

 never knew of wolves attacking a human 

 being. In fact they are extremely wary; 

 and where bands of sheep are closely herd- 

 ed and watched, the wolves usually leave 

 them alone. In winter they will run a full- 

 grown steer into a snow-bank, or a gulch 

 full of drifted snow, and kill him. They 

 usually travel in packs of 2 to 20, and when 

 in pursuit of a victim, their howling will 

 attract others, for several miles. 



A full grown wolf will weigh close to 

 100 pounds, and ranges from 2 to 3 times 

 the size of an ordinary coyote. 



This coyote is a great nuisance also, but 

 is easily destroyed. They are of no benefit, 

 whatever, in keeping down gophers and 

 ground-squirrels. They destroy many 

 sheep and lambs, and frequently kill young 

 calves; living principally,, however, on 

 rabbits and sage-hens, with an occasional 

 prairie dog mixed in, for an appetizer. 



There are only 3 ways of killing wolves — 

 poisoning, trapping, and shooting. Dogs 

 have proven useless, in this mountainous 

 country. Shooting them is rare sport, and 

 with a good tracking snow and a swift 

 horse, it is far more exciting than hunting 

 bear. No. 4 steel traps are quite success- 

 ful, but it takes lots of patient, hard work, 

 to get sufficient bait, and to properly at- 

 tend to them. Poisoning is the best and 

 surest method of extermination but unfort- 

 unately there has never been invented a 

 poison that would act with sufficient cer- 

 tainty and despatch. In winter a wolf will 



devour a rabbit full of strychnine, and then 

 travel completely out of the country, with- 

 out apparent discomfort. Last fall I bought 

 $60 worth of strychnine, and put out im- 

 mense quantities everywhere. In one 

 place I shot a big-jawed steer, and filled 

 the carcass and entrails with 3 ounces of 

 poison. The wolves ate it up slick and 

 clean, but I never found a dead one. I 

 am satisfied it killed a number, but they 

 went so far before the poison took effect, 

 that I could never find them. Recently I 

 poisoned 3 with the same brand of strych- 

 nine. All of these I found within a quarter 

 of a mile of the bait; so I infer that in hot 

 weather, the poison acts more quickly. 



In regard to the best method of extermi- 

 nating these pests, I think all the Western 

 States interested should get together, and 

 establish a uniform bounty; this to be 

 steadily increased, year by year, as the 

 wolves grow scarcer, until they are finally 

 wiped out. 



Wyoming's last legislature appropriated 

 $30,000 to pay a State bounty of $4 on each 

 full grown gray wolf, and 75 cents each on 

 coyotes and wolf puppies; but many of the 

 surrounding States pay no bounty, and this 

 works a hardship on Wyoming. In addi- 

 tion to a bounty, I think the Western 

 States should combine, and offer $5,000 for 

 the invention of a suitable poison, that 

 would prove instant death. Then the 

 States should lay in large quantities of this 

 poison, and distribute it gratuitously. 



B. B. Brooks. 



FROM EASTERN COLORADO. 



Prairie du Chien, Wis. 



Editor Recreation: I have been read- 

 ing July Recreation, in which you ask for 

 information about wolves. I spent some 

 time on the plains of Eastern Colorado, 

 during 1882, 3 and 4, in the employ of the 

 U. S. government, locating and superin- 

 tending the location and boring of experi- 

 mental artesian wells. During the fall of 

 '83 and the winter of '84 I was at Cheyenne 

 Wells, Colo.. 177 miles Southeast of Den- 

 ver, engaged in putting down a well. I 

 found there wolves (Canis occidentalis). 

 prairie wolves or coyotes (Canis latrans) 

 and swifts, or sand foxes. 



I procured some small double spring New- 

 house traps and set them, and at the end of 

 6 weeks had one large gray wolf, weighing 

 90 pounds, and measuring 5 feet n^> inches 

 from tip of nose to tip of tail; 13 coyotes, 33 

 sand foxes, one badger, one skunk and 5 

 kangaroo rats. 



I lost 5 traps, the chains not being strong 

 enough to hold the gray wolves. 



My method of trapping these animals was 



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