THE WOLF QUESTION. 



461 



ing, about a mile from my ranch, and for 

 more than 2 hours, in the morning, heard 

 a wolf howling, about Y\ of a mile away. 

 He kept it up so long that my curiosity 

 was aroused, and I concluded to investi- 

 gate. I accordingly went to the top of a 

 small hill, about J4 of a mile from where 

 I was working, and in the direction of the 

 wolf. I crouched down behind a rock and 

 began to howl, as nearly like the wolf's 

 howl as I could. I must have given a good 

 imitation of the genuine howl; for at my 

 first outburst I got an answer. I returned 

 the compliment and he replied. After 

 howling a few times I found he was com- 

 ing nearer. In a short time I saw him com- 

 ing up a long draw, and heading for the 

 hill I was on. Occasionally he would stop 

 and howl and I would answer. He would 

 then come on again, in a long, swinging 

 trot. 



-When he got quite close I ceased answer- 

 ing, and he slackened his pace. I could 

 hear him making a noise something like 

 that of a dog whistling, or whining, through 

 his nose. When he got to the foot of the 

 hill he sat down, like a dog, and gave one 

 long mournful howl. As he lifted up his 

 voice, and his nose too, I could see that 

 his cheeks were covered with the fresh 

 blood of some animal he had lately killed. 



He then began to circle around the hill 

 and as he did so I crawled around the rock 

 pile so as to keep it between us. Finally 

 he came to my trail where I had gone up 

 the hill. He took one sniff of my tracks, 

 tucked his tail between his legs and ran 

 as if old Satan were after him. Unfort- 

 unately I had no gun with me, so he got 

 away. I think his howling was a signal 

 for other wolves to come and eat with 

 him. 



On still nights, in the winter, we often 

 hear them calling to one another. 



8. What is the average and the greatest 

 weight and measure of a wolf, according to 

 your certain knowledge? 



I never weighed or measured one. 

 Should judge a large one to weigh about 

 100 pounds. Perhaps 70 to 75 would be 

 an average weight. 



9. Do you consider the coyote a nui- 

 sance; or do you consider the harm done in 

 killing lambs, etc., more than balanced by 

 the good they do in keeping down gophers, 

 ground squirrels, etc.? 



To the sheepman I know, for a certainty, 

 the coyote is a great pest, as well as the 

 gray wolf. He is a sneak thief and many 

 a lamb and sheep he gets. Cattlemen tell 

 me the coyotes also kill many calves. The 

 good they do in killing gophers, etc., is 

 trifling compared with the damage they 

 do to stock. 



10. What do you consider the best means 

 — legislative and practical — of dealing with 

 the wolf question? 



The most practical, and the best plan, for 



their extermination, I believe, is for Con- 

 gress to come forward and offer a bounty 

 on scalps, no matter where killed, and 

 make it large enough to be an inducement 

 for hunters to get out and " rustle " for 

 wolves. A $10, $15, or $20 bounty would 

 not be too high. 



If Congress does not take up the matter, 

 then I believe the next best thing would 

 be for the States that are most affected or 

 interested to come to some understanding 

 whereby the bounty law of each should be 

 alike, and high enough to exterminate the 

 pests. I do not believe any $3 or $5 bounty 

 will ever do it. It ought to be at least $10. 



It is almost useless for any one State to 

 pay a bounty on scalps, as they will come 

 into it from other, adjoining States, either 

 on foot, or unscrupulous persons will bring 

 in their pelts and swear they were caught 

 within the confines of the bounty paying 

 State. W. A. Cameron (Sheep raiser). 



FROM NORTHWESTERN MONTANA. 



Rosebud, Mont. 

 Editor Recreation: Here are my an- 

 swers to Mr. Thompson's wolf questions: 



1. Where are you located? 



On Otter creek, Custer Co., Mont. 



2. Are gray wolves troublesome in your 

 region? 



Very. 



3. What do they destroy? Horses? Cat- 

 tle? Sheep? 



Cattle and horses. 



4. About what amount of damage should 

 you estimate they do in a year, in your 

 county or range? 



The amount of damage done by each wolf 

 is very hard to estimate, here, where the 

 cattle range through the rough hills; but 

 I am certain each bunch, of 3 or 4 to a 

 dozen wolves, kills more than one animal 

 a week, and often one each night, for many 

 successive nights. These bunches do not 

 hesitate to kill even 3 and 4 year old cows, 

 steers and horses, when they do not hap- 

 pen to see fat young animals that are easier 

 game. In many cases the wolves do not 

 return to an animal they have killed. I am 

 therefore conservative in estimating that 

 each wolf destroys at least $100 worth of 

 stock each year of his life. They are also 

 very prolific, one she wolf often raising 8 

 or 9 strong, healthy pups. 



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

 ing or harming a human being? • 



No. There are too many cattle and 

 horses here, to kill, for wolves to ever get 

 hungry enough to attack people. All the 

 wolves killed here are fat. 



6. Are wolves increasing in numbers? 

 Three years ago they had become so 



thick the stockmen, in order to keep them 

 from destroying all their stock, were com- 



