TRArei Glass v;/'^&c : Copight'N?- COFVRIGHT DEPOSnV Wolf and Coyote Trapping An Up-ro=Date Wolf Hunter's Guide, Giving the Most Successful Methods of £«xperienced "Wolfers" for Hunting and Trapping These Animals, Also Gives Their Habits in Detail. BY A. R. HARDING Published by A. R. HARDING PUB. CO, COLUMBUS, OHIO ./T*'^/ ^^\,$^ ,\\^^ Copyright 1909 By A. R. HARDING PWB. CO. 24^8^8 9 TABLE 0F:C0NTENTS. Chapter I. The Timber Wolf 15 II. The Coyote -5 III. Killing of Stock and Game by Wolves 36 IV. Bowities • "^^ V. Hunting Young Wolves and Coyotes 05 VI. Hunting Wolves with Dogs "iQ VII. Still Hunting Wolves and Coyotes 86 VIII. Poisoning Wolves ^^ IX. Trapping Wolves 109 X. Scents and Baits , 124 XI. Scent Methods 133 XII. Bait Methods for Wolves 142 XIII. Southern Bait Methods for Coyotes 158 XIV. Northern Bait Methods for Coyotes 169 XV. Blind Set Methods 189 XVI. Snow Set Methods 196 XVII. Some Rules and Things to Remember 209 XVIII. The Treacherous Grey Wolf 215 XIX. Wolf Catching 223 XX. With the Coyotes ; 231 XXI. Wolf Trapping an Art 244 5 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS- PAGE Map Showing the Range of the Timber Wolf 17 Western Grey Wolf in a Trap 20 Track of the Grey Wolf 23 Coyote and Badger Killed in Texas 28 A Trapped Coyote 32 Track of the Coyote 34 Wolves Killing a Deer 37 Remains of Deer Killed by Wolves 47 Grey Wolf ^2 Diagrams showing Difference in Size of Wolves and Coyotes ^^ A Wyoming Wolf Den 66 A Near View of the Den 67 Young Wolves at Entrance of Den 71 The Hunter's Outfit 73 An Oklahoma Hunter with Young Coyotes 74 Catch of a Canadian Hunter 80 A Still Hunter and His Outfit 88 Killed by the Still Hunt 92 Method of Preparing Poison Baits 104 The Newhouse Wolf Trap HO 7 8 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE The Two-Pronged Drag Ill Method of Attaching an Oblong Stone 112 Method of Attaching a Triangular Stone 113 Iron Stakes for Traps 114 Trap Set and Ready for Covering 117 Wyoming Wolf Trapper 120 Caught in a Scent Set 136 Trail Bait Set 143 The Square Setting 145 Coyote Caught at a Bank Set 147 Wolf Water Set 150 A Trapped Wolf 154 A Trapped Texas Coyote 159 A Northern Coyote 172 An Idaho Coyote 177 A Trail Set 185 Traps Set at Badger Den 187 A Good Catch 191 A Snow Set 197 A Large Wisconsin Wolf 203 Mr. Davis with the Big Wolf Skins 217 A Texas Specimen 224 Caught at Last 238 A Northern Wolf 247 Cf^ ^ ^^:M.^^^Q, INTRODUCTION. There are certain wild animals which when hard pressed by severe cold and hunger, will raid the farmers and ranchmen's yards, killing fowls and stock. There however, are no animals that destroy so much stock as wolves and coyotes as they largely live upon the property of farmers, settlers and ranchmen to which they add game as they can get it. While these animals are trapped, shot, poisoned, hunted Avitli dogs, etc., their numbers, in some states, seem to be on the increase rather than the de- crease in face of the fact that heavy bounties are offered. The fact that wolf and coyote scalps command a bounty, in many states, and in addition their pelts are valuable, makes the hunting and trap- ping of these animals of no little im- portance. One thing that has helped to keep the members of these "howlers" so nu- ll 12 INTRODUCTION. merous is the fact that they are among the shrewdest animal in America. The day of their extermination is, no doubt, far in the distance. This book contains much of value to those who expect to folloAv the busi- ness of catching wolves and coyotes. A great deal of the habits and many of the methods were written by Mr. E. Kreps, who has had experience with these animals upon the Western Plains, in Canada, and the South. Additional information has been secured from Gov- ernment Bulletins and experienced "wolfers" from various parts of Amer- ica. A. E. Harding. WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING CHAPTER I. THE TIMBER WOLF. OLVES of all species belong to that class of animals known as the dog family, the members of which are considered to be the most intelli- gent of brute animals. They are found, in one species or another, in almost every part of the world. They are strictly carnivorous and are beyond all doubt the most destructive of all wild animals. In general appearance the w^olf resembles a large dog having erect ears, elongated muzzle, long heavy fur and bushy tail. The size and color varies considerably as there are many varieties. The wolves of North America may be divided into two distinct groups, namely, the large timber wolves, and the prairie wolves or coyotes (ki'-yote). Of the timjber wolves there are a number of varieties, perhaps species, for there is considerable difference in size and color. For instance there is the small black wolf which is still found in Florida, and the large Arctic wolf which is found in far Northern Canada and Alaska, the color of which is a pure white with a 15 16 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. black tip to the tail. Then there is that inter- mediate variet}^ known as the Grey Wolf, also called ''Timber Wolf/' ''Lobo'' and ''Wolf," the latter indefinite name being used throughout the West to distinguish the animal from the prairie species. It is the most common of the American wolves, the numbers of this variety being in excess of all of the others combined. In addition to those mentioned, there are others such as the Ked Wolf of Texas and the Brindled Wolf of Mexico. All of these, however, belong to the group known to naturalists as the Timber Wolves. Just how many species and how many distinct varieties there are is not known. As a rule, the largest wolves are found in the North; the Gray Wolves of the western plains being slightly smaller than the white and Dusky Wolves of Northern Canada and Alaska, specimens of which, it is said, sometimes weigh as much as one hundred and fifty pounds. Again the wolves of the southern part of the United States and of Mexico are smaller than the gray variety. The average full grown wolf will measure about five feet in length, from the end of the nose to the tip of the tail, and will weigh from eighty to one hundred pounds, but specimens have been killed which far exceeded these fig- ures. The prevailing color is gray, being darkest 18 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. on the back and dusky on the shoulders and hips. The tail is very bushy and the fur of the body is long and shaggj^ The ears are erect and pointed, the muzzle long and heav}^, the eje^ brown and considering the fierce, bloodthirsty nature of the animal, have a very gentle expres- sion. In early days wolves were found in all parts of the country but they have been exterminated or driven out of the thickly settled portions and their present distribution in the United States is shown by the accompan^dng map. As will be noted they are found in only a small portion of Nevada and none are found in California, but they are to be met with in all- other states west of the Missouri and the lower Mississippi, also all of the most southern tier of states, as well as those parts bordering on Lake Superior. A few are yet found in the Smokey Mountains of North Carolina and Tennessee. They are prob- ably most abundant in Northern Michigan and Northern Minnesota, Western Wyoming, Montana and New Mexico. Wyoming is the center of the wolf infested country and they are found in greatest numbers in that state, on the headwaters of the Green Kiver. As to the numbers still found the report of tlie Biological Sur\^ey for the years 1895 to 1906, inclusive, but not including the year 1898, THE TIMBER WOLF. 19 shows that bounties were paid on 20,819 wolves in that state. In Northern Michigan they are also abundant. In the year 1907, thirty-four wolves were killed in Ontonagon County; in Luce County fifty-four were killed up to November 10th, '07, and in Schoolcraft Co., thirty were killed from October 1st, '07 to April 29th, '08. This gives a total of one hundred and eighteen wolves killed in three out of the sixteen counties of the Upper Pen- insula. These statistics are from a pamphlet is- sued by the Department of Agriculture. The breeding season of the timber wolves is not as definite as that of many of the furbearing animals, for the young make their appearance from early in ]March until in May, and an occa- sional litter will be born during the summer, even as late as August. The mating season of course varies, but is mainly in January and Feb- ruary, the period of gestation being nine weeks. The number in a litter varies from five to thir- teen, the usual number being eight or ten. In early days the wolves of the western plains followed the great buffalo herds and preyed on the young animals, also the old and feeble. After the extermination of that animal they turned their attention to the herds of cattle which soon covered the great western range and their dep- redations have become a positive nuisance. 20 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. In the Northern States and throughout Canada they subsist almost entirely on wild game. Wolves den in the ground or rocks in natural dens if such can be found, but in case natural excavations are rare as in northern portions of Western Grey Wolf in a Trap the country, they appropriate and enlarge the homes of other animals. In the heavily timbered country they sometimes den in hollow logs. The wolf is both cowardly and courageous, depending on circumstances. When found singly, and especially in daylight the animal is THE TIMBER WOLF. 21 as much of a coward as any creature could pos- sibly be, and especially does it fear man. But when suffering- from the pangs of hunger and when traveling in bands as they usually do, they are bold, fierce and bloodthirsty creatures. In such cases they have been known to attack man. When hunting large game, wolves always go in bands, usually of three to five but often a larger number. They invariably kill animals by springing on from behind and hamstringing the victim. Small game is hunted by lone animals. The great losses suffered by stockmen in the West led the Biological Survey, in connection with the Forest Service of the Department of Agriculture, to make a special investigation, and later a general campaign against the wolves of the National Forests began. During the year 1907 a large number of wolves and coyotes were captured in and near the forest reserves: the number from the various states being as follows : STATE. WOLVES COYOTES. Wyoming 1,U09 1,983 Montana 261 2.629 Idaho 14 3,881 Washington 10 675 Colorado 65 2,362 Oklahoma 3 15 New Mexico 232 544 Arizona 127 1,424 Utah 5,001 22 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. STATE. WOLVES. COYOTES . Nevada - 500 California 224 Oregon 2 3,290 Total 1,723 22,528 Many of these aHimals were captured by the forest guards but in addition the government employed a number of expert trappers. On the Gila National Forest 36 wolves and 30 coyotes were killed by one forest guard, who sent the skulls to the Biological Survey for identification, as well as the skulls of 9 bears, 7 mountain lions, 17 bobcats, and 46 grey foxes. One den of 8 very young wolf pups was taken March 13. These statistics are from Circular 63, issued by the U. S. Department of Agricul- ture. Wolves are great ramblers, traveling over a large section of country. Like almost all other animals of rambling habits, they have their reg- ular routes of travel. By this, we mean they fol- low the same valleys, passes, water courses, etc., but when in pursuit of game they sometimes stray quite a long distance out of their course. The track of the wolf resembles that of a dog, but is a trifle narrower in proportion to its length. The difference is in the two middle toes, which are somewhat longer on the wolf, 23 24 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. however, the difference is so slight that it could easily pass unnoticed. When the wolf is running these toes are spread well apart. The length of step when the animal is walking will be from 18 to 24 inches, and the average footprint will measure about 2| or 3 inches in width by about 3J or 4 inches in length. Ernest Thompson Seton, the naturalist claims that he can judge with fair accuracy, the weight of a Avolf by the size of the track. He allows twenty pounds for each inch in length, of the foot print. • CHAPTER 2. THE COYOTE. N the western parts of the United States, the coyote is far more abund- ant than the grey, or timber wolf, but its range is more limited as it is found only in those parts lying west of the Mississippi Eiver and in the western por- tion of the Dominion of Canada. As there are a number of varieties of the timber wolf, so it is with the coyote, but naturalists have never yet been able to agree on the number of types and their distribution. In the Southwest, it appears there are several distinct varieties, showing con- siderable difference in size and color. Mr. Vasma Brown, a noted coj^ote trapper of Texas has the following to say on the subject : "I have lived in Texas nineteen years and have had some years of experience with the coy- otes, coons and cats. Some coyotes are of a silver-grey color, others are dark brown. The ends of their hair are jet black and it makes them look brown. Some have black tips on the tail and some white. The dark variety are the most vicious of the two.'' 25 26 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPINQ. With the exception of the southwestern sec- tion, it is probable that the coyotes of all por- tions of the Great Plains and the country to the westward are of the same variety, and a description of this, the most common type will answer for the species. In size, the co^^ote or prairie wolf is considerably smaller than the timber wolf, the largest specimens of the former being about equal in size to the smallest adult wolves. The average coyote will measure about ^f thirty-six or thirty-eight inches from the end of the nose to the base of the tail, which is about sixteen inches additional length. The fur is of about the same texture as that of the grey fox and the general color is fulvous, black and white hairs being mingled in parts, giving a grizzled apj)earance. The ears are larger, comparatively than those of the grey wolf, and the muzzle is more pointed. 'All through the animal appears to be of more delicate build. A larger form of the coyote is found in Minnesota and the adjoining territory and is commonly known as the '^brush wolf". Whether this is a distinct variety is not known. Coyotes are intelligent and cunning animals and their habits and general appearance suggest the fox rather than the wolf. While they are greedy, bloodthirsty creatures, they are sneak- ing and cowardly and never kill animals larger THE COYOTE. 27 than deer, in fact they rarely attack such large game. An Arizona trapper writes : ^'The coyote bears the same relation to the wolf family that the Apache Indian does to the human race. It is a belief among some of the Apaches that they turn into coyotes when they depart this life, and nothing will induce one of them to kill a coyote. Like the Indian he is sneaky and treacherous, and full of the devil." While there is no doubt tlmt the animal en- joys its wild, free life, it ahvays has a miserable, distressed expression. It carries its tail in a drooping manner and slinks out of sight like a dog that has been doing wrong and has a troubled conscience. The high piercing cry of the animal, which is so different from the deep bass note of the timber wolf, is mournful in the extreme. In the morning before the coyotes retire for the day, they stop on the top of some elevation and sound their ^'reveille", which once heard will never be forgotten. It is a shrill, piercing note, combining a howl with a bark and although in all probability there will be only a pair of the ani- mals, one who does not know would be inclined to think that the number is larger, the notes are so commingled. Coyotes live in natural dens in the rocks, also in dens of badgers, in the prairie country. In 'a pq G 03 O o U THE COYOTE. 29 the ''Bad Lands'' of the West and the foot hills of the mountain ranges, wind worn holes in the rim-rock and buttes are quite common and the animals have no trouble in securing a good den. Katurally, they select the most secluded and in- accessible places for their dens. The food of the coyote consists of small game, such as hares and grouse, prairie dogs and any other small animals that they can capture. In the sheep raising districts of the Western States they are Yerj destructive to sheep and in those parts it is probable that their food consists mostly of mutton. They feed on carrion and have a par- ticular liking for horse flesh. They also kill bad- gers and when conditions are very favorable ma}' kill an occasional deer or antelope. They also sometimes kill calves and hogs. Speaking of conditions in Oregon and other parts of the Northwest, one of our friends writes : "The prairie \\olf or coyote in the Western states are becoming so numerous that it looks as though the sheep industry in Idaho and East- ern Oregon would soon be a thing of the past, if something it not done to lesson the number of the destructive coyotes. "Twenty years ago there were a great many coyotes in Oregon, but the black tail rabbits w^ere so numerous then that the coyote contented him- 30 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. self with them and did not molest the sheep to any great extent. Idaho and Oregon both put a bounty on rabbits, which soon caused them to become scarcf, then the coyotes began their depredations among the sheep. The wool grow- ers supplied themselves with plenty of strycli- nine and kept the coyote reduced to quite an ex- tent. Of late years it seems that poison will not kill a coyote. As soon as he feels the effect of the poison he throws up the bait he has just eaten, and in a few minutes he is all right. The only way to kill coyotes these days is with the gun, the trap or with dogs. They are so thick here now that hounds would not be much good, as the coyotes would change at any time and run them down. I don't think there was a band of sheep anylvhere in this country but what suffered more or less from coyotes last winter. I trapped some last winter for the Munz Brothers, and I saw where 48 sheep had been killed at one camp. They had been camped there about ten days. This is about an average killing if the weather is stormy. "In Southeastern Oregon there is a desert about one hundred miles square, and thirty or forty bands of sheep feed there every winter. They run from two to three thousand sheep in a band. The sheep men on this desert last winter, 19r04-'05, paid |40.00 per month and board for THE COYOTE. 31 trappers to trap coyotes, and the trappers were allowed to keep the furs they caught. Some of them made very large wages.'' ; It is said that when hunting rabbits, two coy- : otes will join forces and in this way one animal 1 will drive the game to within reach of the i other, thus avoiding the fatigue caused by run- ning clown game. Naturalists also claim that the adult animals will sometimes drive the game close to the den, so that the young coyotes may have the opportunity of killing it. They fre- quently pick up scraps about the camps, and if ^ undisturbed, will in a short time, lose much of their ^timidity. . Old camping places are always inspected in the hopes of finding some morsel of food, and one can always find coyote tracks in the ashes of the campfire. Though the coyote belongs to the flesh-eat- ing class of animals, it is not strictly carnivor- ous. In late summer when the wild rose tips are red and sweet and berries are plentiful, its flesh eating propensities forsake it in part and it adds fruit to its '^bill of fare". Whether this is caused by hunger or a change of appetite, or whether the fruit acts as a tonic and the animal, instinctively, realizes that it must tone up its system in preparation for the long winter, is not known. Covotes have a more regular breeding season 32 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. than the timber wolves, for practically all of the young make their appearance in the months of April and May. The number of young varies from five to twelve. The young animals are of a yellowish grey color with brown ears and black tail, muzzle tawny or yellowish brown. As they A Trapped Coyote. become older they take on a lighter shade and the tail changes to greyish with a black tip. Both wolves and coyotes pair for the breed- ing season and the males stay with the females during the summer and help take care of the young. It is probable that they do not breed until two years of age. As soon as the young are strong enough, and their e^-es are open they THE COYOTE. 33 commence to play about the mouth of the den and later on the motlier leads them to the nearest water and finally allows them to ac- company her on hunting excursions. In late summer they start out to shift for themselyes. As before mentioned, the coyote is a wary and cunning animal, especially in the more set- tled portions of its range; where man is not too much in eyidence, they are far less wary. Again the fact that there are seyeral yarieties may ac- count for the difference in the nature of the ani- mals of the yarious sections, anyway those of the southern part of the range are less wary than those of tlie North. The trappers of Texas, Arizona and New ^Mexico claim that the coyote is a fool and is easily caught while those of the North and Northwest find them exceedingly cunning and intelligent. Not only does the ani- mal appear to know when you are armed but it also seems to know something of the range of the weapon and will sneak along proyokingly close, but just out of reach. When one is unarmed they appear to be more bold and will loaf around in the most unconcerned manner imaginable. In intelligence and cunning, we, consider the northern coyote the equal of the eastern red fox. While the. western trappers make yery large catches of coyotes, we belieye that if foxes were found in equal numbers the catches of those 34 THE COYOTE. 35 animals would be fully as large. The number of coyotes found in some parts of the West is al- most incredible, and in most parts one will find a hundred coyotes to one grey wolf. The coyote makes a track similar to that of the timber wolf, but considerably smaller. The length of step, when walking, is about sixteen inches and the footprints Avill measure about two or two and a fourth inches in length by one and a half in width. CHAPTER III. KILLING OF STOCK AND GAME BY WOLVES. NDOUBTEDLY the wolves and coyotes of the United States and Canada destro3^ more stock and game than all other predatory an- imals combined. In the Western part of our country where stock raising is one of the principal in- dustries, the ranchmen suffer great losses from the depredation of these animals, and in other sections jthe Avolves destroy large quantities of game. The reason that wolves are more destruc- tive than others of the carnivora is that when they have the opportunity, they kill far more than they can consume for food. Often they only tear a mouthful of flesh from the body of their victim; sometimes they do not even kill the animal but leave it to suffer a slow and pain- ful death. The animals that are only slightly bitten are sure to die from blood poisoning, ac- cording to the western ranchmen. The wolf-s method of attack is from the rear, springing on its victim and hamstringing it and literally eating it alive. The bite of the wolf is a succession of quick, savage snaps and there is 36 I ^.iL& sv 38 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. no salvation for the creature that has no means of defense from a rear attack. This peculiar method of killing prey can not be practiced suc- cessfully on horses, owing to the fact that they can defend themselves by kicking, but for all of that, a considerable number of colts and a few full grown horses are killed. For this reason cattle suffer more than horses, but while the horse is, to a certain extent, exempt from attack by wolves, tliey are frequently killed by moun- tain lions, because their method of attack, a spring at the head and throat is more successful with these animals than with cattle. As food, however, horse flesh is preferred to beef by both of these animals. One of tlie western trappers w^rites : ^^Many times in the past thirty years I have watched wolves catch cows. The wolf is by na- ture a coAvard and will not, singly, attack a grown cow, though he will by himself kill a pig, chicken, calf, goat or sheep. "On the ranges, where the stockmen and set- tlements are far apart, wolves go in bunches, from three to ten or even more, and w^hen very hungry a bunch of them will attack a grown bull. They frighten him by snapping and play- ing around him till they get him on the run, when the bunch give full chase and stay close KILLING OF STOCK AND GAME. 39 at his heels. While he is running in this way, one or more of them Avill grab him by the ham strings just above the hock joint. The bull makes, of course, a vigorous effort to free him- self from the wolf, but before he can do so, the sharp teeth of the latter have cut or partially cut the ham string. They keep him on the run till they final Ij^ cut him down in both ham strings and then he cannot go further or fight the hungry wolves off. ^'Ttl? whole bunch then eat his hams out while the bull is still alive, and after they get their full they let him rest. When they want to fill up again, they return and eat him till he dies, fin- ishing the carcass as they require fbod. ^^I have seen horses and cattle killed by wolves in this way live for several days with their hams eaten out, and have never seen the wolf make his attack or give chase in any other way. Being cowardly, he always follows behind and keeps out of all danger from the bull's hoofs." Of cattle, ^calves and yearlings are generally selected, partly because the flesh of the younger animals is more to the wolf's liking and partly bcause they cannot defend themselves as readily as full grown animals, but full grown steers are also killed at times. Far more cattle are killed than are eaten. The wolf prefers fresh food 40 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. always and in summer when their resources are unlimited they seldom return to the carcass for a second meal. In ^'Bulletin 72/' issued by the United States Department of Agriculture, the author, ]Mr. Vernon Bailey, has the following to say on the subject: ''The actual number of cattle killed by wolves can not be determined. Comparatively few an- imjals are found by cattlemen and hunters, when freshly killed, with wolf tracks around them and with wolf marks on them. Not all of the adult cattle, missing from a herd can surely be charged the depredations of wolves, while missing calves may have been taken b}^ wolves, by mountain lions, or by 'rustlers.' " Nevelrtilieless there are data enough from which to draw fairly reliable conclusions. In the Green River Basin, Wyoming, on April 2, 1906, Mr. Charles Budd had 8 yearling calves and 4 colts killed in his pasture by wolves within six weeks. At Big Piney a number of cattle and a few horses had been killed around the settle- ment during the previous fall and winter. At Pinedale, members of the local stockmen's as- sociation counted 30 head of cattle killed in the valley around Cora and Pinedale in 1905, be- tween April, when the cattle were turned out on the range, and June 30, when they were driven KILLING OF STOCIv AND GAME. 41 to the mountains. In 1906, wolves were said to have come into the pastures near Cora and Pine- dale and begun killing cattle in January on the '^feed grounds,'' and Mr. George Glover counted up 22 head of cattle killed by them up to April 10. Just north of Cora, Mr. Alexander, a well known ranchman, told me that the wolves killed near his place in June, 1901, a large three vear old steer, a cow, 3 yearlings and a horse. On the G O S Ranch, in the Gila Forest Re- serve in New Mexico, May 11 to 30, 1906, the cowbovs on the round-up reported finding calves or yearlings killed by wolves almost daily, and Mt Victor Culberson, president of the company, estimated the loss by wolves on the ranch at 10 per cent, of the cattle. In a letter to the Biological Survey, under date of April 3, 1896, Mr. R. M. Allen, general manaoer of the Standard Cattle Company, with headquarters at Ames, Neb., and ranches m both Wyomino- and Montana, states that m 1894 his companv paid a |5.00 bounty at their Wyoming ranch on almost exactly 500 wolves. The total loss to Wvoming through the depredations of wolves Mr. Allen estimated at a mniion dollars a vear. " In an address before the National Live Stock Association at Denver, Col., January 25, 1899, Mr A. J. Bothwell said: "In central T^ yoming 42 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. my experience has been that these wolves kill from 10 to 20 per cent, of the annual increase of. the herds." Lieut. E. L. Munson, of Chouteau County, Mont., writing in Recreation^ says : ''It is said that in this country the loss from wolves and coyotes is about 15 per cent. * * * Wolves in this vicinity seldom kill sheep, as the latter are too carefully herded. They get a good many young colts, but prey especially on young cattle.'^ Mr. J. B. Jennett, of Stanford, Montana, says in Beer eat ion : ''A family of wolves will destroy about |3,000 worth of stock per annum." The loss caused by wolves and coyotes in Big Horn County, Wyo., is estimated at three hundred thousand dollars per year. It has been variously estimated that each grey wolf costs the stockmen from tAvo hundred and fifty to one thousand dollars annually. Sheep, for some reason, are seldom troubled by timber wolves in the West, but suffer con- siderably from the attacks of coyotes; in fact, the loss occasioned the sheep m,en of Wyoming and Montana in this way is enormous. In sum- mer when the sheep are driven up into the mountains, the coyotes migrate to those sections and kill sheep whenever the opportunity is pre- sented. In tlie fall when the sheep are brought down into the foothills, the coyotes are also to KILLING OF STOCK AND GAME. 43 be found in great numbers in those parts. In all probability there is a greater loss occasioned by the depredations of coyotes in the two states mentioned than is caused by wolves and moun- tain lions combined. Farther south, however, it is the wolf that does the most mischief. Where timber wolves are plentiful and very little stock is raised, as in the northern parts of Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota, sheep are not safe from the attacks of wolves, and for that reason few sheep are raised in those parts. It is prob- abl3^ the fact that the western range is very open and the slieep always carefully guarded by herd- ers that they suffer so little from timber wolves in the Western States. In the swamps of the Southern States, and especially in tlie lowlands of Texas, Louisiana and Arkansas, hogs are sometimes killed by wolves. In New ^Mexico, Texa*s, Colorado and Mexico where large numbers of goats are raised, these aninmls are frequently killed. That an immense amount of game is killed in the wilder and less thickly settled portions of the United States and Canada goes without saying. In the West the Avild game does not suffer as much as does the domestic animals, but in the heavily timbered portions of the country where little stock is raised as in the states bordering on Lake Superior and in the greater 44 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. part of Canada large numbers of deer and other game animals fall victims to these fierce crea- tures. Regarding the killing of game on the western cattle range, Mr. Bailey has the follow- ing to say: "At Big Piney, Wyoming, I examined wolf dung in probably fifty places around dens and along wolf trails. In about nine-tenths of the cases it Avas comi30sed mainly or entirely of cat- tle or horse hair; in all other cases but one, of rabbit fur and bones, and in this one case mainly of antelope hair. A herd of 20 or 30 antelope wintered about 5 or 6 miles from this den, and the old wolves frequently visited the herd, but I could find no other evidence that they de- stroyed antelope, though I followed wolf tracks for many miles among the antelope tracks on the snow. Jack rabbits were killed and eaten along the trails or brought to the den and eaten near it almost every night, and a half eaten cottontail was found in the den with the little pups. While wolves are usually found around antelope herds, they are probably able to kill only the sick, crippled and young. The following note from Wyoming appeared in the Pinedale Roundup of July 4, 1906: While riding on the outside circle with the late round-up, Nelse Jorgensen chanced to see a wolf making away with a fawn antelope. He KILLING OF STOCK AND GAME 45 gave chase to the animal, but it succeeded in setting away, never letting loose on its catch. About a den near Cora, the numerous depos- its of wolf dung on the crest of the ridge not far awav were found to be composed of horse and cattle hair, though fresh elk tracks were abun- dant over the side hills on all sides of the den, while cattle and horses were then to be found only in the valley, 8 miles distant. Several jack rabbits had been brought in and eaten ind the old wolf on her way to the den had laid down her load, evidently a jack rabbit, gone aside some 20 feet and caught a ruffed grouse eaten it on the spot, and then resumed her load and her journev to the waiting pups. One small carpal bone in this den may have been from a deer or small elk, but no other trace of game was found. , „ , Talking with hunters and trappers who spend much time in the mountains when the snow is on the ground brought little positive information on tiie destruction of elk or deer by wolves Mr George Glover, a forest ranger long familiar with the Wind River Mountains in both winter and summer, said that he had foivnd a large blacktail buck which the wolves had eaten, but he suspected that it had been previously shot bv hunters. In many winters of trapping where eik were abundant, Mr. Glover has never found 46 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. any evidence that elk had been killed by wolves. Coyotes constantly follow the elk herds, espe- cially in spring when the calves are being born, and probably destroy many of the young, but wolves apparently do not share this habit. It seems probably, however, that in summer the young of both elk and deer suffer to some extent while the wolves are among them in the moun- tains.'' In the Northern Peninsula of Michigan, wolves are very plentiful and large numbers of deer are killed during the winter months, the remains being found later by hunters, trappers, and lumbermen. The same conditions exist in Northern IM'innesota and Wisconsin, also in] parts of Ontario, Canada. In the Rainy River District, wolves have always been abundant and much game has been killed by them. Farther east, they are just making their appearance of late* years having followed the deer which are coming into the country from some other sec- tion. Farther east, in the eastern portions of New Ontario and in some parts of Quebec wolves are also numerous. One of our friends from Northern Wisconsin writes as follows : "I have trapped and caught five old female wolves since I came to Iron County, Wisconsin, six years ago. Two of them I got in Michigan, Gogebic County, as I live almost on the line. KILLING OF STOCK AND GAME. 47 There are times wlien jou can see six or eight wolf tracks all going down the river or coming up at the same time. You can go again for a week and never see a track. I have followed them for a week, in deep snow on snow shoes, and never left their track, and in one w(^ek I set Remains of Deer Killed by Wolves. traps at 50 different deer that wolves had killed. I might have gotten a few more wolves but the fox, mink, cats, skunk, owls and ^'porkys" (por- cupines) were bound to butt in. At one set I got a wolf, 3 foxes, 1 skunk, 1 mink and 10 porky s till June. Two wolves caught a buck that would weigh 150 pounds, within 10 rods of my camp one 48 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. night. The next morning there was not one pound of meat left on the bones. I had a tent and one shanty in Gogebic County last winter, and I know the wolves killed 500 deer on the snow. How many fawns and does did they kill in summer time wh^n you cannot see their tracks? The wild cats are not so bad, a fawn, rabbit or partridge makes a meal for them." In the far north Avhere the barren ground caribou is the principal game animal, and where wolves are plentiful, there can be no doubt that they kill large numbers of tliose animals. Musk oxen are also killed, and farther south the moose is killed by wolves, but it is our belief that the number is comparatively small. The moose is/ such a large and powerful animal that even a band of half starved wolves Avill, as a rule, pass it by, but there can be no doubt of the fact that they do kill them on rare occasions. The elk is a great enemy of the wolf and it appears that they are seldom molested. Beyond all doubt the deer is the principal prey of the timber wolf CHAPTER IV. BOUNTIES. OR many years the state govern- ments of the wolf infested coun- try have been paying bounties on wolves and coyotes, to encourage the hunting and trapping of these animals. It is doubtful, however, whether the bounties offered are sufiflcient to en- courage any, other than the regular trappers, to hunt wolves, and if they are, it has certainly had no definite results, for the wolves and coy- otes, taken over the whole country, are prac- tically as plentiful as ever. Realizing that the state bounties were not a sufiflcient inducement to trappers, certain of the counties of those states where wolves are most abundant, offer additional bounty. This has the effect of thinning the wolves out of that county alone, but they immediately become more plen- tiful in the adjoining portions of the country. In some of the Western States, the stockmen pay a bounty, in addition to that offered by the state. Some of them even offer special induce- ments, in addition to the bounties paid on the captured animals, and among them may be men- 4 49 50 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. tioned, board and lodging for the trapper, bait for the traps and the use of saddle and pack horses. Such special offers to trappers have the effect of stimulating the hunting and trapping of noxious animals in that immediate vicinity and the result is, a thinning out of the animals for the time being. Usually the trappers drift into those sections where the animals are most plentiful and the bounty is highest. One of the Government bulletins has the following to say regarding the bounty question : ^'Bounties, even when excessively high, have proved ineffective in keeping down the wolves, and the more intelligent ranchmen are question- ing whether the bounty system pays. In the past ten years Wyoming has paid out in State boun- ties over 165,000 on wolves alone, and |160,156 on wolves, coyotes and mountain lions together, and to this must be added still larger sums in local and county bounties on the same animals.'' ^^In many cases three bounties are paid on each wolf. In the upper Green River Valley the local stockmen's association pays a bounty of flO on each wolf pup, |20 on each grown dog wolf, and |40 on each bitch with pup. Fremont County adds |3 to each of these, and the State of Wyoming |3 more. Many of the large ranch- ers pay a private bounty of $10 to |20 in addition BOUNTIES. 51 to the county and state bounty. Gov. Bryant B. Brooks, of Wyoming, paid six years ago, on his ranch in Natrona County, f 10 each on 50 wolves in one year, and considered it a good investment, since it practically cleared his range of wolves for the time. It invariably happens, however, that when cleared out of one section the wolves are left undisturbed to breed in neighboring sections, and the depleted country is soon re- stocked.'' "A floating class of hunters and trappers re- ceive most of the bounty money and drift to the sections where the bounty is highest. If ex- termination is left to these men, it will be a long process. Even some of the small ranch owners support themselves in part from the wolf harvest, and it is not uncommon to hear men boast that they know the location of dens, but are leaving the young to grow up for higlier bounty. The frauds, which have frequently wasted the funds appropriated for the destruc- tion of noxious animals almost vitiate the wolf records of some of the States: If bounties re- sulted in the extermination of the wolves or in an important reduction in their number, the bounty system should be encouraged, but if it merely begets fraud and yields a perpetual har- vest for the support of a floating class of citizens, other means should be adopted/' o 62 BOUNTIES. 53 The failure of bounties to accomplish their proposed object was clearly shown by Dr. T. S. Palmer in 1896. Under the heading, "What have bounties accomplished/' he says: "Advocates of the bounty system seem to think that almost any species can be extermi- nated in a short time if the premiums are only high enough. Extermination, however, is not a question of months, but of years, and it is a mis- take to suppose that it can be accomplished rap- idly except under extraordinary circumstances, as in the case of the buffalo and the fur seal. Theoretically, a bounty should be high enough to insure the destruction of at least a majority of the individuals during the first season, but it has already been shown that scarcely a single State has been able to maintain a high rate for more than a few months, and it is evident that the higher the rate, the greater the danger of fraud. Although Virginia has encouraged the killing of wolves almost from the first settle- ment of the colony, and has sometimes paid as high as |25 apiece for their scalps, wolves were not exterminated until about the middle of this (the past) century, or until the rewards had been in force for more than two hundred years. Nor did they become extinct in England until the beginning of the sixteenth century, although efforts toward their extermination had been be- 54 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. gun in the reign of King Edgar (959-975). France, which has maintained bounties on these animals for more than a centur^^, found it neces- sary to increase the rewards to |30 and |40 in 1882, and in twelve years expended no less than $115,000 for nearly 8,000 wolves.'' "The larger animals are gradually becoming rare, particularly in the East, but it can not be said that bounties have brought about the ex- termination of a single species in any State." "New Hampshire has been pajdng for bears about as long as Maine, but in 1894 the State treasurer called attention to the large numbv^.r reported by four or five of the towns, and added that should the other 231 towns ^be equally suc- cessful in breeding wild animals for the State market, in proportion to their tax levy, it would require a State tax levy of nearly |2,000,000 to pay the bounty claims.' Even New York with- drew the rewards on bears in 1895, not because they had become unnecessary, but because the number of animals killed increased steadily each year." ^^Wolf skins are often ruined by the require- ments of bounty laAvs, especially when the head, feet, or ears are cut off. The importance of preserving the skins in condition to bring the highest market price is as great as that of mak- BOUNTIES. 55 ing it impossible to collect bounties twice. A slit in the skin can be sewed up so that it will never show on the fur side, but can not be con- cealed on the inside. A single longitudinal or vertical slit, or double or cross slits 4 inches long, in the center where the fur is longest, would serve every purpose of the law without seriously impairing the miarket value of the skin.'' One thing that is detrimental to the success of the bounty system, is the invariable "red tape" connected with such laws. In some states the bounty regulations are so complicated and so exacting, that trapi^ers do not care to follow "wolfing" because of the trouble in securing the bounty money. It would be impossible, in a work of this kind, to .give the bounty laws of the different states, also as they are repealed so frequently, detailed information on that subject would be of little value to the prospective hunter or trap- per. We give, however, an outline of the regu- lations in some of the principal wolf states. The State of Wyoming pays a bounty of five dollars each on timber wolves and mountain lions, and one dollar and twenty-five cents for each coyote. In addition to this, there are both county and stockmen's bounties in certain parts 56 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. of the state. Some ranchmen offer as much as forty-five dollars each, for grey wolves caught on their ranches. In order to secure the state bounty, one must present the entire skin to the County Clerk, or Notary Public, of the county in which the ani- mal was killed, and accompanied by affidavit to the effect that the animal was killed in that county, by the person presenting the skin, on or after March 1st, 1909. The skin must have the feet and upper jaw or head, with both upper and lower lips attached. The head will then be cut off and destroyed by the county official. Applicants for bounty must be identified. With regard to private bounties, one should consult the county officials, but these, and in that case, the state bounty also, are as a rule, paid by the treasurer of the association offer- ing the bounty. Wisconsin pays twenty dollars on old wolves and eight dollars each on pups. Half of this bounty money is paid by the state and the other half by the county. In order to secure it, the trapper must take the carcass of the animal to the Town Chairman and remove the scalp in his presence. He gives a certificate to that ef- fect and the bounty claimant presents the scalp and certificate to the County Clerk, who destroys the scalp and gives an order to the County Treas- BOUNTIES. 57 urer for one-half of the bounty. The County Clerk also sends an affidavit to the State Treas- urer, stating that you have presented the scalp and it has been destroyed and the claimant then receives the balance of the bounty money from the state. In the State of Washington the bounty is fif- teen dollars on timber wolves and one dollar on coyotes. The method of procuring the bounty as given here is coi^ied direct from the game law pamphlet : ^'Upon the production to the county auditor of any county of the entire hide or pelt and right fore leg to the knee joint intact of any cou- gar, lynx, wild cat, coyote or timber wolf, killed in such county, each of which hides or pelts shall show two ears, eye holes, skin to tip of nose, and right fore leg to the knee join intact, the county auditor shall require satisfactory proof tlmt such animal was killed in such county. When the county auditor is satisfied that such animal was killed in his county, he shall cut from such hide or pelt the bone of the right fore leg to the knee as aforesaid which shall be burned in the presence of such auditor and one other county official, who shall certify to the date and place of such burning." Utah pays a bounty of ten dollars on grey wolves and two dollars and fifty cents on coyotes. "58 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. The entire skin, with tail, feet and the bones of the leg, to the knee, must be presented to the County Clerk within sixty days of the date on which said animal was killed. The County Clerk must then remove and destroy the bones of the legs and the applicant Avill sign an affidavit stating that the animal was killed by himself, in that county and within sixty days prior to that date. The county official will then send a certified statement to the State Auditor, along with the other papers, who, after same have been exam- ined, will transmit the bounty money to the claimant. No bounty will be paid on the skin of a grey wolf until it^ has been seen and passed upon hj the board of county commissioners at their first regular meeting. Bounty claimants must be identified by a reputable citizen and tax payer of the county. In Minnesota the bounty on grown wolves is seven dollars and fifty cents and one dollai^ for wolf pups. The bounty regulations are prac- tically the same as in the other states ; the entire skin with head and ears intact must be presented to the Town Clerk within thirty days and the applicant must take affidavit as to the date and place of the killing. In other states, if our information is cor- BOUNTIES. 59 rect, the bounties ait present (1909) are as follows : ADULT WOLVES. YOUNG WOLVES. Arizona $10 00 Arkansas 5 00 Colorado 5 00 Idaho 10 00? Kansas 5 00 Michigan 25 00 $10 00 Montana 10 00 Nebraska 4 00 New Mexico 20 00 North Dakota 4 50 Oregon 10 00 South Dakota 5 00 THE CANADIAN PROVINCES. Alberta 10 00 1 00 British Columbia 15 00 Ontario 15 00 Quebec 15 00 Saskatchewan 3 00 1 00 The fraud so often practiced by unscrupu- lous parties has always been detrimental to the efficacy of the bounty system. The Bureau of Biological Survey, have issued a special circu- lar on this subject and being of general in- terest, it is reprinted here. COYOTES. $2 00 1 00 1 OO? 1 00 3 00 1 25 2 00 2 50 7 00 1 50 1 00 2 00 60 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. WASTE IN BOUNTY PAYMENTS. "The bounty s^^stem has everywhere proved an incentive to fraud, and thousands of dollars are wasted annually in paying bounties on coy- ote scalps offered in place of wolves, and on the scalps of dogs, foxes, coons, badgers, and even cats, Avhich are palmed off for wolves and coy- otes. If in all states having the bounty system whole skins, including nose, ears, feet, and tail of both adult and young animals, were required as valid evidence for bounty payments, the pos-^ sibility of deception would be reduced to a mini- mum. The common practice of paying bounty on scalps alone, or in some cases merely the ears, is dangerous, as even an expert can not always positively identify such fragments. A satisfac- tory way of marking skins on which the bounty has been paid is by a slit 4 to 6 inches long between the ears. This does not injure the skins for subsequent use. If all bounty-paying states would adopt such a system, the possibility of collecting more than one bounty on the same skin in different states would be avoided.'' "The following directions have been prepared as an aid to county and state officers in identi- fying scalps, skins, and skulls of wolves and coyotes, the pups of Avolves, coyotes, red, grey, and kit foxes, and young bob-cats, coons and badgers.^' ' BOUNTIES. ^1 "The variation in dogs is so great that no one set of characters will always distinguish thein from wolves or coyotes, but when there is reason to suspect that dogs are being presented for bounties, their skins and skulls should be sent to the Biological Survey for positive identifi- cation. It goes without saying that anyone de- tected in such fraud should be prosecuted with a view to the suppression of these dishonest practices." KEY TO ADULT WOLVES AND COYOTES. WOLF. COYOTE. Width Of nose pad U to U inches f to 1 inch Width of heel pad of front foot U to 2 inches 1 mch Upper canine tooth — , /m • u greatest diameter at base 5/10 to 6/10 inch 3/10 to 4/10 mch These characters will not always hold in Oklahoma and Texas east and south of the Staked Plains, where there is a small wolf in size between the Coyote and Lobo or Plains wolf. KEY TO WOLF, COYOTE AND FOX PUPS. Wolf Pups. Muzzle blackish at birth, fading in a month or 6 weeks to greyish. Head greyish in decided contrast to black of back, nose and ears. COYOTE WOLF Difference in Sizes of Noses, Heel Pads and Canine Teeth of Wolves and Coyotes. BOUNTIES. 63 Ears black at tips, fading to greyish in a month or 6 weeks. Tail black, fading to grey with black tip. Coyote- Pups. Muzzle tawny, or yellowish brown, becoming more yellowish with age. Head yellowish grey, not strongly contrasted with rest of body. Ears dark brown at tips and back, soon fading to yellowish brown Tail black, fading to grey with black tip. Red Fox Pups. Muzzle blackish. Head dusky with side of face light yellowish. Ears large, nearly the whole back of ears bright black at all ages. Eyes and ears relatively larger and nose pad smaller than in coyote or wolf. Tail dusky, tip white at all ages. Grey Fox Pups. Muzzle blackish. Head greyish, face back or eyes sharply pepper and salt grey. Ears large, back of ears dusky at tip, fulvous at base. Eyes and nose pad small. Tail with tip black at all ages. Kit Fox Pups. Muzzle with blackish patch on each side. Head and face tawny or yellowish brown. Ears tawny without black backs or tips. Eyes larger and nose pad smaller than in young coyote. Tail with tip black at all ages, 64 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. KEY TO YOUNG CATS, COONS AND BADGERS. Young bobcats are much striped and spotted. Young cats of any kind can be distinguished by the short nose and round head. Young coons have a broad black band across the face and eyes bordered above by a Hght band. Young badgers have a white stripe between the eyes. The bounty laws have always been a good thing for the trapper as they have helped much towards making his occupation a lucrative one, but, as before explained, it is doubtful if it has ever, in any marked degree, tended to decrease the numbers of predatory animals. It is true that continued trapping will cause the numbers of wolves and coyotes to diminish, but would not the trapping be prosecuted prac- tically the same, even if there were no bounties? We believe that it would, for if the bounty offered were any great incentive, there would be more trapping done during the summer when the furs were of no account. Neither do we believe that it ever induces others, not trappers, to kill these animals, for they will kill them on every opportunity, bounty or no bounty. It is man's nature to kill, for he is the enemy of all animal life. CHAPTER Y. HUNTING YOUNG WOLVES AND COYOTES. — P THE many methods of hunting I and otherwise capturing wolves and coyotes, employed by the profession- al "wolfers" of the west, none is more remunerative than the hunt- ing of the young animals during the spring season. While the fur of the adult animals is of little value at "^'-^' that time and that of the young is not worth saving, the bounty which is usually paid for wolf and coyote pups will fully compen- sate for all loss from that source. At that time of year (March, April and May) there is very little fur of any value, to be had but the wolf hunter can combine wolf trapping and the hunt- ing of the parent animals with, the killing of the young, and the large bounties paid by many of the states and the various provinces of Can- ada, will alone enable one to do a profitable business. In those parts of our country where the ex- termination of the wolves and coyotes is neces- sary for the protection of stock and game and the authorities and stockmen co-operate for the 6 65 66 68 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. destruction of predatory animals, the hunting of the young animals during the breeding season should be especially encouraged. In no other way can the number of wolves be so surely reduced. To those who are well acquainted with the habits of the wolf, their time of breeding and the most favored breeding grounds, this mode of hunting is very simple. Wolves breed much earlier than is commonly supposed, even by stockmen who have resided for a considerable length of time in the wolf country. The majority of young wolves are born in March in the Western States and the young of the coyote make their appearance main- ly in April, but occasional litters of both will appear in Ma}-, and grey wolves may be born at any time during the summer. On the western cattle range, the dens of the wolf and coyote are located mainly in the val- leys among the foothills of the mountain ranges and among the low mountains, but seldom at any great elevation. The steep side of a hill or canyon facing the south is the most favored lo- cation, and the rougher and more broken and brushy the ground, the better it suits the wolves for denning purposes. They especially like knolls, strewn with large boulders, from which the male parent can watch for the approach of enennies. HUNTING YOUNG WOLVES AND COYOTES. 69 As before mentioned, the mode of hunting is very simple. All that is necessary is to look carefully over the breeding grounds until tracks are found and these should be followed to the den. It is safe to say that at that time of year, nine out of every ten tracks will lead to a den. On the northern portions of the range, there is almost certain to be good tracking snow during the early part of the breeding season, but even if the ground is bare it is not generally a dif- ficult matter to trail the animals to the den. A track that has been made in the evening should be followed backAvards and one made in the morning should be followed forwards, as the wolves do most of their hunting at night and return to the den in the early morning. When the track can not be followed, if one can get the general course of it, the lay of the land will en- able one, on many occasions, to locate the den. Whenever the hunter hears of wolves, or their signs having been seen frequently, he should make a diligent search for the den. As the old mother wolf always goes to the nearest water to drink, the number of tracks at a watering place will often be a dead give-away and a careful search of the locality Avill usually result in the discovery of the den. As the den is approached, the tracks will become more numerous, and near bv there will be well beaten trails. Where tracks 70 WOLr AND COYOTE TRAPPING. are numerous one should keep watch for the male, sentinel wolf, as he will alwa^^s be on the lookout somewhere near the den and his position will enable one to locate it more readily. As one approaches, the male animal will howl and endeavor to draw the hunter off in pursuit and thus prevent the finding of the den. Their tricks on such occasions show considerable intelligence. When looking for dens on bare ground, a dog, if he understands the work is very useful. A fox hound that is well trained on fox is good, but if trained for this style of hunting especially, will be found to be better. Unless on the trail of a bachelor wolf, which by the way are occasion- ally found during the breeding season, the dog will readily trail the wolf to the den. It is best to go earl}^ in the morning as the trail will be fresher at that time and the dog is more apt to follow a fresh trail, therefore, more certain of locating the den. In all probability, one of the old wolves will attempt to draw the dog off for a mile or two, but in that case the mother will endeavor to return to her young. Sometimes they find it necessary to fight the dogs and try to keep them from approaching too near the den. Anyway the actions of the animals will show when they are in the vicinity of the den, which may then be readily located. One hunter who uses a dog for this style n 72 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. of hunting says : ^'The kind of a dog needed is a good ranger, extra good cold trailer and an everlasting stayer. Then if he will only run a short distance after starting the wolf and come back and hunt the pups and then bark at them when found, you have a good dog that is worth a large price. There are plenty of dogs that will hunt and trail wolves all right, but very few that will hunt the pups." The den is usually a natural one ; a hole worn in the rocks by the elements, or in washed out cavities in the hard ground of the bad lands. Dow^n in the valleys they sometimles den in the ground, enlarging the burrow of a badger or other animal. The opening is, as a rule, large enough to allow one to enter and secure the pups, but sometimes it will be necessary to dig the den open. For dens in the rocks, which are too small to allow one to enter, the hunter should provide a hook, something on the order of a gaff hook such as is used by fishermen. The hook should be of fair size, very sharp, and should be attached to a handle about three or four feet in length. A famous western wolf hunter in speaking of his outfit says : ^^I will say to the boys wlio intend to liunt pups, get two or three strong fish hooks and a strong cord and carry them in your pocket. You can usually find a small stick or pole of some HUNTING YOUNG WOLVES AND COYOTES. 73 kind. When you find a den, tie your hooks on end of stick, wrapping cord very tight. If you use two hooks, put one on each side of stick. Shove your stick i-. the den among the pups and turn or twist it and you will soon have a pup hooked. This works the best of anything I have ever tried; where pups are small. I have gotten many a bunch or pups this way, when my pick or shovel would oe &\e or six miles away. The Hunter's Outfit. When the pups get too large and strong to pull out alive, I put a candle on the stick, shove it into the den and lay on my stomach. With a 22 riflle I shoot the pups in the head and then they are easily pulled out with the fish hooks. I mean this for dens that cannot be dug out, as there are many of them in rock ledges and in holes in the solid rock. Instead of the candles mentioned by this hunter, some prefer to use a lantern and one "wolfer" uses a hunting lamp, 74 HUNTING YOUNG WOLVES AND COYOTES. 75 attached to his hat. Some sort of firearm should be carried always. A revolver is good for use in the den, but a rifle is best outside. It is not often that the mother wolf Avill be found in the den, as she usually makes her es- cape before one comes near, but should she be found at home she should be disposed of first. There is no danger, whatever, from the adult wolves. One of our western friends in speaking of this says : ^'I never hesitate in entering a wolf den, even when I know the mother wolf is with her j^oung, and have never known one to act vicious, but always sneaking and cowardly. A few years ago at the Cypress llills in Canada I entered a den and took ten pups. The mother crawled as far from me as she could and never raised her head. I set my 30-30 Savage and pulled it off with a rope, shooting her through the heart. It was forty feet from the entrance of the hole to where she lay, and it was midnight when I got her out. I had to move some dirt and rocks and it was a big job. ^^I have killed other grown wolves in the den and have never known one to show fight. Of course, I ahvays use a lantern to see what I am doing, and would not enter a den without one." The young wolves should be killed im^nediately and live pups should never be handled with bare hands, as blood poisoning is likely to result from a bite. CHAPTER VI. HUNTING WOLVES WITH DOGS. EYOND all doubt wolf chasing as it is practiced in some parts of the country is one of the most fascinating of sports and in a place where the an- imals are fairly plentiful and the surface of the country is not too rough, is also profitable. In parts of the states of Minnesota, Wisconsin and Mich- igan, some of the professional wolfers use this method of securing their game and in the states lying west of the Mississippi River and east of the Rocky Mountains, also in Western Canada, wolf hunting is a very popular sport among the ranchmen. Among the dogs that are most approved of by the wolf and coyote hunters, may be men- tioned the fox hound, the greyhounds, and stag hounds of various varieties, the bloodhound and crosses of these dogs. The grey hounds are the swiftest of dogs and a pair of them are inva- riably to be found in a pack, the balance being some heavier and fiercer breed of dog, such as the blood hound, fox hound or a cross of the two. It is the grey hounds that run the game down 70 HUNTING WOLVES WITH DOGS. 77 and hold it until the arrival of the balance of the pack, the lieavier dogs doing the actual fighting. One who has followed wolf hunting extensively gives the following short but interesting descrip- tion of the sport : ''On the open plains of the west, wolves are often hunted with large swift running dogs, grey hounds, stag or wolf hounds or their crosses. The hunters go on horseback and the wolves are usually roused out of some coulee or draw. Sometimes trail hounds are used to start the game, on breaking from cover and be- ing sighted by the running dogs the race is on. Wolf, dogs and horsemen, race across the often rough and dangerous ground at breakneck speed. The^wolf, manoeuvering to gain the coulee or cover of some sort and get out of sight of the dogs (the running dogs have only slight scent- ing powers and depend entirely on their sight). I'he' lighter and swifter grey hounds, as a rule, are the first to overtake the wolf and by coming up alongside and snapping at his flanks, force him to turn and face them, thus giving the heavier and fiercer wolf hounds a chance to close in and grapple with and kill the wolf. Unless the dogs are well trained and very courageous, a large timber wolf often proves more than a match for the bunch of four or five dogs.'' No matter what kind of dogs are used, they must be good tonguers and good fighters, and 78 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. must have an abundance of strength and endur- ance. It is needless to say that the dog must be trained and this must be done at an early age. The young dog should never be run alone, for the wolf is likely to fight it off and once the young dog is driven back it will be spoiled for hunting purposes. One of our Kansas friends in speaking of wolf dogs says: ^'We have plenty of wolves (coyotes) and have had for the twenty years we have kept dogs. As to breeding, we used an Eng- lish greyhound bitch with courage, speed and a special hatred for a wolf, crossed with an Eng- lish fox hound with all the qualities necessary, except the speed. We then picked the bitch with the most good qualities and crossed her with an- other fox hound whose ancestry is perfect. Here we get the dog we are using now and with which we have made the most satisfactory of catches. We seldom have a run lasting more than three hours and catch many, when vegetation is not too high, in from one to one and a half hours. Where this dog has the advantage over the fox hound is in speed and the fact that it is ever on the watch ahead for the game." Evidently the party who used this breed of dog has endeavored to instil into the one type, all of the good qualities of the several breeds that go to make up the regulation pack of wolf dogs. It HUNTING WOLVES WITH DOGS. 79 is surmised, also, that the one breed of dog is used alone, when chasing wolves. In Western Canada, wolf hunting is a favorite sport and one of the hunters from that section in speaking on this subject gives the following method of hunting : "First, we put a box on the sleigh big enough to hold our dogs and then hook up a livel}^ team, and strike across the country, leaving the dogs run along side. When a wolf is sighted, we get tlie dogs into the box and drive as close to the wolf as we can — that's usually from three to five hundred 3^ards^ — then turn the dogs loose and cheer them to victory. The dogs usually run down the Avolf Avithin a mile, and we follow as fast as horse flesh can take us. When the lead- ing dog gets alongside, tlie wolf stops, and in a second the dogs form a circle around him and he is a goner. Some hunters just turn the dogs loose, not knowing when they are ever going to see them again. That plan would not work with me. Good hounds are too exi^ensive to monkey with that way. I have found that letting one or two dogs on a wolf trail spoils them, because one wolf will give two dogs all they can handle, and sometimes a little bit more, especially if thej are young dogs. It takes two old dogs at least, to handle one wolf, and I have seen them get the hard end of it. The wolf perhaps would 80 ■^ HUNTING WOLVES WITH DOGS. 81 take to running into the serub and then it wouldn't be long until a pair of wolves would be slashing your dogs or ^fleecing' the stuffing out of them.'' Those who make a business of wolf hunting, or in other words, those who hunt for profit, do not always allow the dogs to fight and kill the wolf, but carry a gun with them, on all occa- sions and if they have an opportunity to shorten the chase by means of a well directed bullet, do not hesitate to do so. A high powered rifle should be used and one should learn to handle it in a business-like way. In the Western States where the large ranches are rapidly disappearing and the farm, with the barbed wire fence is taking its place, wolf hunting will soon be a thing of the past. Mr. Jack Kinsey, one of the most noted wolfers of the West, gives a descrip- tion of an exciting wolf chase, in which he illustrates this point, and we give the story in his own words : "While I was in Dakota last winter I had tAVO exciting wolf chases. I was stopping with Mr. Wm. Clanton, a cowman, living seven miles south of Harding, S. D. One day I w^as in his shop putting a coyote hide on a stretcher, when one of his neighbors drove up and asked Mr. Clanton if he had a rifle. He said, *Yes, there 6 82 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. is a wolfer here who has one.' ^Why,' his friend said, ^there are two big grey wolves just back over that hill.'' "I waited for no more but ran for my horse and gun. Clanton saw me going to the barn and told me to bring his horse. Now I was not long in getting those horses and we were soon on their trail. We followed their tracks about one and one-half miles when we sighted them. Picking out the largest of the two we both rode after him. The wolf started west towards some bad lands, but Mr. Clanton was riding a good young horse and he soon turned the wolf south, but now he was headed straight for a wire fence. "Mr. Clanton Avould have succeeded in turn- ing him again, but he struck a ditch full of snow, so the wolf got inside the pasture but I was fixed for wire fences. I had my trapping axe on my saddle and soon made a gate that we did not stop to fix up. We had run the wolf five or six miles by this time, and our horses were prejtty well winded. So we pulled them' up and let them take a slower gait until we got through the other side of the pasture. "As I said before, Mr. Clanton was riding the best horse, so he kept the outside while I took advantage of the cuts. Mr. Clanton was just far enough ahead of me to make one throw at the wolf with his rope, but he missed him. The w^olf HUNTING WOLVES WITH DOGS. 83 cut in behind his horse, when I rode in front of him and put a 30-40 soft point in his head. He was a very large grey wolf. His hide stretched 6^ feet long. On the way back we saw three more wolves and two coyotes." We give the following spirited account of a wolf hunt which occurred in South Dakota: ^'Will teW about one of my hunts behind a pair of wolf hounds that are certainly right when it comes to coyotes. I left my home here in Illinois on the 12th of December and arrived at Presho, S. D., early the 14th, where my friends met me, and we started for the ranch, which is about midway between Presho and Pierre. ^^When we got to the reservation fence ( Brule Reservation), we kept a lookout for coyote signs, and located a place that we thought would be all right, and planned a hunt for the following Saturday. ''The day proved all that could be desired, so we started out at noon. Earl, Claude, Mort, Chas., Sheldon and myself, with the two hounds, Ike and Lucy. A ride of about two miles brought us to the reservation, and the hunt was on. "Our outfit consisted of our saddled ponies and team and buggy, and by standing up in the buggy seat we located two coyotes on the side hill playing in the high grass. A circle around the hill and Lucv discovered them and was off 84 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. .with Ike a second, as he was not as fast as Lucy. "Away we all go across the prairie with the team and buggy following the reservation fence to keep the coyote away from the fence. It was a short chase, as Lucy soon had Mr. Coyote by the hind leg and turned him on his' back quicker than it can be told, and Ike being close at hand soon had liim by the throat, so by the time we could get out horses stopped and turned Mr. Coyote was no more. "After skinning, we started for the buggy and Sheldon reported coyote No. 2 headed south down the draw, and Earl went after him around the hill and drove him back our way. "A shout from that direction and the dogs have discovered No. 2 and we are away with Lucy in the lead, and this time we are not far be- hind, so that when the dogs got him we w^ere right there, and the coyote not much hurt, so he gets a rope halter and is stowed away alive under the buggy seat. "The dogs are panting hard and are very thirst}^, Avith no water closer than five miles, so we head for home, but not far away on the hillside another one is seen and the buggy starts toward the left to head him toward the ranch, so the dogs will be running tow^ard home when they jump him'. HUNTING WOLVES WITH DOGS. 85 "This time Ike catches sight and is off, and Lucy cuts across to head him off. It is a short chase, for old Ike soon has his favorite hold and all is over. "After skinning we started for home and as I hadn't ridden much for over a year you can gamble I was feeling pretty sore, for the pace a pack of hounds set isn't slow by a long shot. On driving into the yard the dogs were not slow about getting into the house and lying down. "The live coyote we tied to the buggy wheel, and while I was gone after a strap and chain he bit the rope off and ^cut the mustard' for parts unknown Avith about a foot of ro^^e still hang- ing to him. "We have good hunting here in the spring and fall, plenty of chickens and, some ducks and geese, with lots of jack rabbits and ( Flicker Tails), prairie dogs, and their side partners, owls and rattlers. "Our outfit is the bar circle outfit, O and I think our Holstein cattle are among the first herds in the state. Have since this hunt disposed of my interest in the O but still have a bunch of cattle at Presho, which supply the town with milk." CHAPTER VII. STILL HUNTING WOLVES A-ND COYOTES. UNTING wolves with dogs, as de- scribed in the preceding chapter is certainly exciting sport but it is doubtful if it is as remunerative as still-hunting, especially in the rough sections where hunting with dogs is almost impracticable. In parts of the country where wolves and coyotes are plentiful, as they are in many of the thinly settled por- tions of the West, they may be st^ill hunted at all times of the year. In the heavily timbered parts of the North, this method is practical only in winter. The outfit that is needed for still-hunting in tlie West is one or more good saddle horses and the necessary equipment and a good, high pow-* ered rifle. A pair of field glasses Avill also be useful, but some hunters equip their rifles with telescope sights and the fleld glass is unneces- sary. Hunters differ in their views, and with regard to rifles especially, there is a great dif- ference of opinion. What one believes to be perfect, and Avliich answers his purpose admir- ably, another has no use for whatever, 86 STILL HUNTING WOLVES AND COYOTES. 87 The arm selected sliould, however, have con- siderable power, and the flight of the bullet should be rapid, with a low trajectory.. On the Western Plains the atmosphere is so light and transparent, and there is such a sameness to the surface of the country that one may easily be deceived in distances and Avith the high pow- ered long-ranged rifle, there is less liability of errors, as the accurate estimating of distances is not necessary. A gun of rapid action is also to be recom- mended and bej^ond all doubt the automatic acting arms are superior for shooting at running game. Personally, if the writer were selecting an arm for this kind of hunting, a high jdow- ered automatic rifle would be chosen, and it would be fitted with a small bead front sight and hunting peep rear sight. For use on horse back the shorter barrels are to be preferred. In speaking of the outfit it is presumed that the wolf hunter would be a resident of the west- ern country and would be hunting from home or anyway, making his headquarters at some ranch and hunting from there. If, however, he wants to go out into virgin territory, or if a stranger, he might find it necessary to camp out and in that case he would require a complete camping outfit. Some of the western wolfers use covered wagons for camps and this style of camp is very STILL HUNTING WOLVES AND COYOTES. 89 convenient as it may be moved easily, but if the surface of the country is very rough, this plan is not practical. In that case a tent would be needed and the hunter would use a pack horse in moving camp. Speaking of saddle horses, in the more arid parts of the wolf country, the vegetation is scanty and horses require considerable time in which to rustle food. For that reason the sanie horse can not be used each day and one should have several so that each would have plenty of time to recuperate, after use. If one can obtain horses that will allow one to shoot from the saddle, so much the better. No special knowl- edge of hunting is required, but one should be expert in the use of the rifle, and should also be a good rider. All that is necessary 'is to ride over the rougher parts of the country, where wolves are most likely to be seen, and keep a sharp lookout for the game. It is always best to hunt to windward as one can approach closer to the game. Where the bounty is sufficient to make sum- mer hunting profitable, we would recommend this style of hunting at that time of year. In summer, hunting with dogs is not as simple a matter as in winter and trapping is not as good as during the colder part of the year. For coy- otes, still hunting is a very successful method 90 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. in parts of the country where the animals are plentiful and there is probabl}^ no place in Avhich the method could be used to better advantage than in the sheep-raising district of Montana and Wyoming. There coyotes may be sighted every day and if the hunter would make a prac- tice of following up the large herds of sheep to the summer range, he would alwaj^s be sure of an abundance of game. One is most likely to sight coyotes by rid- ing along the coulees and over the rougher ground. About prairie dog towns are excellent places, as there they will frequently be found looking for the little inhabitants of the burrows. Other good places are the ragged, craggy parts of the Bad Lands and in the sage brush along the watercourses. In winter one may follow the tracks in the snow and will stand a better chance of securing the game. While still hunting alone might not prove a very profitable method of hunting if one were hunting for bounty, it should always be used in connection with trapping and den hunt- ing. As mentioned in a previous chapter one will often get shots at the adult animals near the dens and if one knows of the location of a den, he may often get a shot by watching it. Any- way the rifle should always be carried, and it STILL HUNTING WOLVES AND COYOTES. 91 should be used whenever a wolf or coyote is seen within range. We *will conclude this chapter by giving an account of a coyote still-hunt, as recorded by one of our western friends. ''It was one of those bright balmy Septem- ber mornings, so characteristic of AVyoming, that I drove my horses down to water and no- ticed some coyote tracks in the mud at the edge of the water hole, and I decided then and there to have a coyote hunt that day. I was at the time in charge of a relay station, midway be- tween two small towns and it was my business to look after the spare stage horses, for the stage driver changed teams here, leaving the tired horses in my care and taking on fresh ones. The northbound stage passed about 8.30 A. M., and the southbound outfit was due at about 6.30 P. M., which left me with practically the entire day at my disposal, to do with as I liked, and having my full quota of the spirit of our savage ancestors, I naturally turned to hunting the coyotes which abounded in that section. "For some time past I had been doing prac- tically no hunting. I say ^practically none' for- I had not been out on a real hunt for several weeks, but I did have a short line* of traps set and had been looking at them every second morn- 92 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. ing. On these trips over the trap line I always carried my 30-30 carbine on the saddle and had surprised and shot three coyotes, besides shoot- Killed by the Still Hunt. ing at several more, one of which was wounded but escaped by crawling into a deep hole in a bad-land butte. Besides the three animals men- STILL HUNTING WOLVES AND COYOTES. 93 tioned, I had caught in my traps up to that time, some twenty more. "On this particular morning the ^Spirit of the Wild' called loudly, for as every hunter knows, there is something in the air of autumn which gets into one's blood at times, and there is no remedy except to go on a hunt. My trap line had been looked at the day before, so I was free for the day. Returning to the little sod house which I called my home, I got my rifle and six shooter, prepared a lunch and as soon as the stage had arrived, changed horses and de- parted, I mounted my horse and hit the trail for the hills to the westward. "The section of the country to the west of the station was of the bad-land type, groups of buttes and ridges, radiating in every direction, seamed and honey-combed by the rains of cen- turies. While the country is very dry, the rains are veritable deluges when they do come, and the ordinarily dry water courses become raging tor- rents. Along these creek beds, sage and grease wood brush was abundant ; in the hills, no vege- tation was to be found. It was at all times a paradise for coyotes and occasionally a band of grey wolves strayed through those parts. How- ever, the wolves had been rarely met with since the stockmen had abandoned the cattle industry 94 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. and gone to sheep raising, but the coyotes had increased in numbers. ^'At this time of the year, the sheep were be- ing driven down from the mountains into their winter range and in addition to the coyotes which remained, throughout the summer, in the bad-lands, the still larger number which make a practice of following up the great bands of sheep were also appearing on the scene, and the day promised good sport. ^^Kiding westward about two and a half miles, I struck the bed of a stream and followed it up towards the hills. Here, I knew there were several prairie dog villages and about such places one is almost certain to find coyotes, so I turned my horse that way in the hope of get- ting a shot at one of the wary animals. My fond hopes were realized, for on rounding the hill at the edge of the first village I saw a large coyote slinking guiltily over the crest of the nearest ridge, but giving me no chance to draw the gun before he passed out of sight. Hastily riding to the top of the ridge, I saw the animal making his get-away down the draw at the other side and throwing my carbine to my shoulder, I caught a quick aim and fired just as he was rounding a spur of the ridge about a hundred and fifty yards away. Snap-shooting from horseback is uncertain at all times and on this STILL HUNTING WOLVES AND COYOTES. 95 occasion I had barely time to catch a half- hearted aim, so was not very hopeful regarding the results of my shot. "Riding up to the spot, I dismounted and on looking the ground over, was elated to find a splotch of blood, but farther search revealed no other traces of the game. Naturally, I supposed that the animal had gone on down the draw and mounting my horse I rode slowly down the hol- low, keeping a sharp lookout for the coyote. x4fter looking the ground over for a quarter of a mile or more, and finding no signs of the game, i decided that this animal, anywa}^, was lost and returned to the scene of the shooting. Dis- mounting once more, I took the rifle and climbed to the top of the ridge to see what lay beyond. Imagine my surprise and delight when on reach- ing the top, Avhich was low at this point, I saw the wounded coyote, vainly endeavoring to es- cape at the bottom of the depression on the other side. ''The first glance showed that the animal was badly wounded and could not last long, but fear- ing that it would fall into a hole, I took a hasty shot and had the satisfaction of seeing it crum- ple down, apparently lifeless. On approaching, however, I found that it still retained enough life to make a vicious snap at my hand, missing that member by only a few inches. As I 9G WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. watched it, undecided whether to shoot it again or leave it bide its own time, it breathed its last. ^'It was a fine, large specimen and after skin- ning it, which required some twenty minutes of my time, I looked it over and found that my first bullet had struck it in the right hip, breaking the bone and passing through the body diag- onally, emerging at the left shoulder. It was certainly a good shot and had I been using soft point bullet cartridges instead of full metal patched, the animal would have been killed in- stantly. It is surprising, however, how tenaci- ous of life these animals are. The second shot had passed through the shoulders. "I returned to the prairie dog villages bTit saw no more coyotes. I did see a badger and fired at it just as it was about to enter the bur- row, but missed the animal entirely. Going back to the creek bed I followed on up into the hills to a small alkali spring where I halted to eat my lunch. The water from this spring en- tirely disappears within two hundred yards of the place where it rises. The sun was shining fiercely hot by this time, and after eating my lunch I made a cigarette and crawled into the grateful shadow of the bank where I rested for a full hour. I had intended to make a large circle but found now that I would not have the STILL HUNTING WOLVES AND COYOTES. 97 time that such a trip would necessitate and ^o decided to go on northward through this range of hills and return home over the trap line. "At the edge of the hills I found the traces of a sheep outfit and on rounding a spur so as to obtain a gpod view of the little valley beyond, I saw the white topped wagon of the herder at the far-side/ but the sheep Avere farther down the hollow. Here I expected to find coyotes and I was not disappointed, for on riding through a patch of sage which covered several acres, a coyote broke cover on the opposite side. Three shots followed each other in rapid succession, throwing dirt and gravel over the fleeing animal but without harming him, and having no other effect than to increase his speed. I followed for some distance but failed to get another shot at the coyote and soon lost sight of it. Signs of coyotes were numerous here and about a mile farther I found the remains of two sheep which had been killed and eaten by the animals. "As I rode over a small sag of a ridge and entered the head of a long narrow hollow, I saw a coyote trotting along down the draw about two hundred yards below me. The animal started to run before I could catch aim and I emptied the magazine in short order the last shot dropping the coyote, but it was not badly hurt and leaping to its feet it made off down the holloAv. How- 7 98 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. ever, it enabled me to get quite close and putting spurs to the horse, I followed the animal, firing with my reyolver. The third shot rolled it over and a fourth finished it, making two coyotes out of three shot at tlmt day. ^^Skinning the animal I mounted and hur- ried on to look at the traps. There were sixteen traps in the line and all but tAvo of them had been undisturbed. Of tliese two, the bait was taken from one but the wary animal had ap- parently known just where the trap lay and had avoided it, the other held a young, female coyote. After looking at the traps, I returned home and dressed and stretched the skins of the captured animals. 'The skin of the coyote is of no value as fur, at that time of the year, but the combined state and stockmen's bounties aggregated |4 on each animal, so that I had |12 for my day's hunt. During the fall and early winter I captured by means of traps and gun, a hundred and thirty- three coyotes and four wolves. All of the un- prime skins taken that fall were tanned by my- self and made into robes.'' CHAPTER VIII. POISONING WOLVES. Pk OISONING noxious animals is a J common practice and is much used Avhere tlie only object is to destroy mmmg^^^m the animals, and the finding of |BB|||M the carcass is of little moment, \^"0j — ^ but the real hunters and trappers '^^T^^"-^'"* seldom resort to this method be- \-j^£r-'-' " cause of the large numbers of ani- "^ nials that are killed and lost. It is, indeed, a wasteful method of hunting as in all probability^, three-fourths of the animals killed by the poisoned baits are not found until they have lain so long that they have become tainted, or ruined by mice and birds, so that both the bounty and the fur are lost. Anyway that is the conclusion of many of those who have practiced poisoning. In many places where wolves and coyotes could be poisoned readily in early days the method is not a success at present as the ani- mals have learned by experience to avoid the poisoned food. Strychnine is usually employed and this very bitter drug has a way of spreading through the bait, so that the wolf can sometimes . . 99 100 \ WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. detect it as soon as the bait touches the tongue. In such cases, the drug is never swallowed, but may be dropped on the spot or as is more often the case, it may be carried a considerable dis- tance away before it is dropped. Again if the animal swallows the poisoned bait, it may be some time before it dissolves in the Avolfs stom- ach and the poison begins to act, and if the wolf begins to feel the effects of the drug, it may start off on a run. In either case it is not likeh^ to be found even if there is snow on the ground as the wind will soon obliterate the tracks. In the government pamphlet before mem- tioned, ]Mr. Bailey has tlie following to say about poisoning : ^'Many wolves are killed by poisoning, and more would be so killed if the methods followed w^ere less crude. Strychnine is generally used with nothing to disguise its intense bitterness, the powder being either inserted in bits of meat or fat or merely spread on a fresh carcass. In most cases the Avolf gets a taste of the bitter drug and rejects it, and if the dose is swallowed it may be too small to be fatal or so large as to act as an emetic. An old and experienced wolf will rarely touch bait poisoned in the ordi- nary way, but sometimes a whole family of young may be killed at a carcass. Usually when POISONING WOLVES. 101 wolves are poisoned, they go so far before they die that if found at all it is not until their skins are spoiled. To encourage poisoning, it must be possible to secure the skins in good condition, or at least, to find the animals after they are killed, so that the ranchman may have the satisfaction of knowing that he has accomp- lished something toward the protection of his stock." ^^In the use of poison it is of first importance to determine the amount that will kill with cer- tainty in the shortest possible time. According to German and French authorities on toxicology, the smallest dose of strychnine that will kill a 25 pound dog is approximately one-fourth of a grain. Quadruple this for a 100 pound wolf and we have 2 grains. Mr. B. E. Ross, of the Hud- son's Bay Company, found that this quantity would kill a wolf quickly. Experiments by Prof. David E. Lantz, of the Biological Survey, would indicate the best results from a still larger dose. One grain killed a 21 pound dog in sev- enty-five minutes, while 2 grains killed a 40 pound dog in twenty-seven minutds, without acting as an emetic. For a wolf, therefore, 4 grains of pure sulphate of strychnine would seem to be a proper dose." "Tests on 40 pound dogs with 1 and 2 grains of cyanide of potassium in capsules caused the 102 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. dogs to vomit in about fourteen minutes, after Avliich they fully recovered. Other more deadly poisons can not be safely handled, and strych- nine is the only practicable poison that can be recommended.'' ^'For wolves, place 4 grains of pulverized sulphate of strychnine in a 3 grain gelatin cap- sule, cap securely, and wipe off every trace of the bitter drug. Tlie capsules should be in- serted in a piece of beef suet the size of a wal- nut, and the cavity securely closed to keep out moisture. The juice of fresh meat will dissolve the gelatin capsule, hence only fat should be used. The necessary number of these poisoned baits may be prepared and carried in a tin can or pail, but they should not be touched with naked hands. Old gloves or forceps should be used to handle them. The baits may be dropped from horseback along a scented drag line made by dragging an old bone or piece of hide, or may be placed on, around, or ]oartly under any carcass on which the wolves are feeding, or along trails followed by the wolves. Partial concealment of the bait usually lessens the wolfs suspicion, while some kind of scent near by or along the trail insures its attention." "The gelatin capsule will dissolve in about a minute in the juices of the mouth or stomach. When the strychnine is taken on an empty POISONING WOLVES. 103 stomacli it will sometimes kill in a very few minutes after the first symptoms of poison, and dies five or six minutes later.'' Although this is the method recommended by the U. S. Department of Agriculture, it is our opinion that it would not be successful, for it takes too long for the gelatin capsule to dis- solve in the animal's stomach, anyway that is the verdict of those who have tried tlie method. Those who have followed poisoning of foxes and wolves, prefer to place the poison in a small ball of tallow by making the tallow cup-shaped when cold, putting the strychnine inside and closing th3 opening by pressing the edges over it. None of the poison must be alloAved to touch the out- side of the bait. The most common method of using the poison is to have out a large bait (the carcass of some animal that the wolves have killed is to be pre- ferred), and after the animals are visiting it the poisoned baits are thrown about nearby. Any indications of the presence of man will make the animals suspicious and they will hesi- tate to approach the large bait but are very apt to pick up and swallow the small ones. We believe that this is the most successful method of using poison, but there are other methods recommended by woodsmen. Some place the poison in the large bait but we think this is 104 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. entirely Avrong as the wolf will taste the poison before it gets enough of the drug to cause its death. One part}^ in speaking of the conditions in Northern Ontario, says: ''I think the wolf-poisoning business is being overdone. How would your readers like to find poisoned wolf bait within one hundred yards of their door, and some all round their houses within a radius of 300 yards? This bait con- Method of Preparing Poison Baits. sists in man^^ cases of, say, half a deer. I think it is very wrong to allow strong, able-bodied men to pollute the country, noAV in the spring of the year, with large pieces, or in many cases, whole carcasses of deer. The wolf poisoner never stops to think what the result will be to his neighbor's dogs or poultry and cattle from their leaving large pieces of meat in an exposed po- sition when the snow goes off. In fact, the thing is being carried in this part so far that neither P0I80NIX(J WOLVES. 105 fur-bearin<»' auimals nor fish will be procurable at any cost in a short time." ''As it is, the farmer's dogs have been suf- fering, and are nearly extinct here. For the last few seasons it has been quite common to see large quantities of dead fish round the lake after this poisoned meat goes into the water. I un- derstood that parties laying out poison had to observe certain regulations, so that no person's property would be endangered thereby, and if 1 am rightly informed, it must be some person's duty to stop the nuisance. No doubt it is a good thing to get rid of the wolves, but the poisoning ought to be prosecuted far enough from settlements and from public roads that stock and poultry will not be endangered by the bait." It is advisable when using poison to leave no human odors on the bait and to preveYit so doing, some people prepare the baits . without touching them with the bare hands. A simpler method is to make up the baits several days in advance and place them in a clean vessel, out of reach of all animals, and where they will be exposed to the open air. In this way, the human oacjr will pass away, and when they are i^laced out for the wolves they should not be touched with the hands. The poison should not be placed in a capsule 106 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. as that is too uncertain. There is very little danger of giving an overdose. The writer has seen strychnine used in large doses, consider- ably more than four grains, and the results were far better than when using smaller doses. Strychnine is to be had in crystals or in crushed or powdered form. Both forms are equally deadly, but some poisoners claim that it will act more rapidl^^ when crushed. The fol- lowing article on poisoning is given by a Wy- oming trapper : ^'I have used strychnine and it is a poor idea for a trapper to use it as it destroys more fur than anything and also makes animals very shy about taking bait. The best way is to put the strychnine in lard which has no salt in it. I take some lard and put on my gloves or mitts and go in the shade or early in the morning where it is almost at the freezing- point, so the lard will stay hard. I pinch it off in one inch chunks, take it between my hands and roll it in round balls, take a pocket knife or stick and drill a hole in it. Then fill it with strych- nine and close the opening up by mashing the lard over the hole. Be careful not to get any strychnine on the outside as it has a bitter taste and if he tastes it he is almost sure to spit it out." "('are must be taken not to touch the outside POISONING WOLVES. 107 with the bare hands as the first thing a coyote will do is to smell it and if there is much human scent on it, he will not take it. I dip it in blood to kill some of the human scent. I have known a coyote to travel half a mile with a piece of strychnined meat in his mouth and then feeling it woiiv on him, drop it and trot on." "Now to show that4t wastes furs and makes them wild, suppose it had snowed, blowed or \ covered his track in some way ; a skunk in pass- ing by and finding it, would get poisoned, which would be a loss of one fur, or suppose it were a miuk or something else, it would have been the same. The chances are that the trapper would not have found it until it was spoiled." "A coyote will travel a few hundred yards after taking the strychnine, even if it is put in lard or tallow. If he has eaten a large meal of frozen meat and then the poison, he will go far enough so he will be hard to find, and never found if you have any amount of bait to look after and it bloAvs and covers his tracks up and maybe his carcass too. The result is that it makes otlier animals of his tribe leary about taking baits." "Birds such as magpies, ravens, and crows will eat poison and fly off and die and be de- voured by coyotes, foxes, mink, skunk, etc. The result is that many of them die, and what don't, 108 ' WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. get SO sick that the}- are very careful about toucbiug the next bait the^^ see, generall}^ giving it a wide berth. Then there are lots of birds, such as camprobbers and magpies that carry it off and store it awa^^ for martens or something else to eat and get poisoned by. There was a veiy large amount of skunk, but owing to the fact that many people poison whole carcasses for coyotes and wolves, they are rapidly disappear- ing." "Some people claim that the dog destroys more furs than an^^thing, but I believe that strychnine is a greater evil than a dog or at least in this county, so you see I have a good reason for advising a trapper not to use strych- nine. It is the easiest way and the quickest way to get a few furs, if in the hands of an experienced man, but the fure are always a lower grade because the poison acts on the fur and there is always a hide now and then that the hunter will not find at once." "The trapper will have the most furs and in (he best condition at the end of the season and generally a place to trap more at the next season. The strychnine hunter will have to hunt a dif- ferent place as what animals he failed to kill, will leave the country or become so wary that they will not touch bait. An animal which has re- covered from a dose of poison, carries a pelt that is oft times worthless." CHAPTER IX. TRAPPING WOLVES. ^W FTER all of the various methods of l IlV Imnting have been given a fair and i5fB!\ impartial trial it will usually be found that trapping is the best means of capturing the wolf and coyote. Large numbers of traps may be set and attended to and the chances of making a good catch are greatly increased by so doing. If one has a liking for the work, makes a study of the animals and sets the traps carefully, good results are sure to follow. In all probability, four fifths of the coyotes and wolves captured in the United States are taken in this way. It is quite common for the professional trapper to take one hundred or more coyotes and wolves in a season. The trap that is recommended for the timber wolf and the only one that was ever designed for capturing that animal is the '"Newhouse" No. 4^. It is a large and powerful trap, having a spread of jaws of 8 inches with the other parts properly proportioned. It is furnished with a two pronged drag and a heavy steel chain, guaranteed to stand a strain of 2000 109 110 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. pounds. The trap complete with chain and drag weighs about 8 pounds. A simpler and stronger chain fastening than that shown in the cut, is now used for attaching the chain to the trap. Although the No. 4^ is the trap recomjnended for timber wolves, the No. 4 Newhouse is prob- 4^ Newhouse Wolf Trap. ably preferred by the average trapper, because of its lighter weight and its adaptability to catching coyotes, which are found in greater abundance than wolves. The trap has a spread of jaws of 6^ inches, and its strength is sufia- cient for holding almost any wolf, providing the captured animal is not allowed to struggle too long, and that the trap is not staked, or other- TRAPPING WOLVES. Hi wise securely fastened. Even when securely rtaked the /o. 4 Newhouse will hold almost any one of 'the younger grey wolves, and it is mostly the young animals that are captured. The standard trap is furnished with a short chain and ring, but when so ordered, the manu- facturers wiU gladly furnish the traps with longer chains and the two pronged drag shown The Two-Pronged Drag. in the cut, or if desired the drags alone may be purchased and attached to any trap chain. The two pronged drag has an advantage over the four pronged kind, as it will occupy less space and may be more easily secreted. It will be noted that the chain of the Ivo. 4^ trap has a double end. This is so that it may be looped around a small log or block of ^ood if it is desired to do so. Some trappers prefer 112 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. the chain without the iron drag, and for such the drag will be omitted. Others prefer to use the No. 4 trap with a 5 foot chain and a stone Avired securely to the end. This maks a very good combination, but for some sections is not practicable as stones are ''few and far between.^' Method of Attaching an Oblong Stone. On^tlie subject of fastening traps, Mr. Vernon Bailey of the Biological Survey gives the fol- lowing : ''The best anchor for a wolf trap is a stone drag of 30 or 40 pounds weight, to which the trap is securely wired. A long oval stone is the best, but a triangular or square stone can be TRAPPING WOLVES. 113 .securely wired. Ordinary galvanized fence wire or telegraph wire should be fastened around the ends of the stone and connected by a double loop of the Avire, then the trap chain fastened to the middle of this loop. A jerk on the trap tends Method of Attaching a Triangular Stone. to draw tlie bands together, and the spring of the connecting wire loop prevents a sudden jar that might break trap or chain. Twisted or barbed fence wire may be used if sufficiently strong, but it is not so easily handled. If no 8 114 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. stones are available, or if the trap must be im- movably fixed, it should be fastened with a twisted iron stake that can be driven below the surface of the ground. These stakes should be at least 18 inches long and of good iron straps three quarters of an inch wide and three- sixteenths of an inch thick. In light soil they should be still longer. See figures 1 and 2. If a picket pin sufficiently strong, provided with a fig-s Iron Stakes for Traps. swivel that will turn in all directions, can be purchased at the local hardware store, it may not be necessary to have a pin made to order." It is our opinion that the twisted pin would not be as satisfactory as the plain one shown in Fig. 3. If the swivel should lock, and fail to work, the stake might be twisted out of the ground by the struggles of the animal. With the hea^^, square pin shown in Fig. 3, this could TRAPPING WOLVES. 115 not occur. The pin should be made of wrought iron, about f or f inch in diameter at the top, and tapering to a point. The length should be the same as those described above. The majority of the trappers who prefer to stake the traps \ise hardwood stakes and attach the chains by means of hay baling wire, twisting it with a pair of pliers. In many parts of the wolf country, hardwood is not to be had and manv of the trappers use the spokes of old wagon wheels for trap stakes. We believe, however, that iron stakes are to be preferred to wooden ones. The traps to use for coyotes are the Isos. 6 and 4 and the most suitable style of chain would depend entirely on the method of setting and fastening the traps. In some of the sets de- scribed, for both wolf and coyote, the traps, some three or four in number, are all fastened to one stake and for such a set the chains should be short, as also in the bank set. Where it is desired to use a drag of any kind, the chain should be 4 or 5 feet in length. This should be remembered when purchasing the traps and the method of setting that will be used should be kept in mind. As before mentioned, most of the wolves caught are young animals less than a year old. After a wolf has reached its third year, it has 116 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. attained a high degree of intelligence, and com- paratively few of that age are caught in traps. In some sections Avolves are mijire wary than in others and are more difficult of capture. This depends much on the abundance or scarcity of food and the amount of hunting and trapping that has already been done in that section. Where wolves and coyotes have not been trapped much, they are less shy but they are always suf- ficiently wary to make extreme care in setting the traps necessary for success. No matter what method of trapping may be employed, there is on\j one satisfactory way of setting the trap, on bare ground. In a smooth, sand}^ spot, dig out a hollow the same shape as the set trap and of such a depth that when the trap is in place and covered with about J inch of dirt, the covering will be flush with the sur- rounding surface of the ground. A narrow trench m^ij then be made, to accommodate the chain, and a hole in which to bury the drag. If a stake is used it may be driven under the trap and the trench will not be needed, or it may be driven at the side according to the method of setting but the stake must be neatly covered in all cases. The trap is then placed in position, the chain, drag and springs are covered and the portion outside of the jaws is filled with dirt, leaving only the jaws and pan uncovered. Now TRAPPING WOLVES. 117 a sheet of clean paper sliould be placed over the jaws and pan and the whole covered with about i or I inch of fine dirt, covering the edges first and finishing with the center. A piece of canvas or hide should be provided, on which to place the dirt while setting the traps, and with which to carry away what is not needed for covering. When the ^setting is finished every- thing should look as 'smooth and undisturbed as it did before the trap was set. Trap Set and Ready for Covering. In case the paper sags between the trap jaws and the pan, a few lumps of ground may be so placed as to support it, but care must be used so that no dirt gets under the pan. In freezing weather, make the nest for the trap somewhat deeper and line it well with sage leaves or some other light material, also fill in around jaAvs and springs with same, before cov- ering. This will prevent the trap from freezing down. Do not put cotton under the pan as some advise doing, for if it gets wet it will freeze and interfere with the working of the trap. If the traps spring too easily, they may be remedied 118 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. bj drilling a small hole through the edge of the pan and inserting a tooth pick or small twig in such a way that it will support the pan. This will prevent birds and small animals from springing the traps. The same result may be ob- tained by bending the point of the ^'dog" or trigger of the trap upward and thereby causing the trap to spring harder. Always before placing the trap in position, turn the springs towards the jaw that is held down by the trigger. This will allow the loose jaw to drop down to a level and let the trap rest more solidly in its nest. When adjusting the pan, always work from under the loose jaw, to avoid accidents. Many trappers advise wearing gloves when setting or otherwise handling the traps, to pre- vent leaving human scent. It is our opinion that this is not only unnecessary but also use- less, as the human odor will pass through a leather glove readily, and even through the sole of a heavy shoe. While there is no doubt that the scent of man will put any wary animal on its guard, there is no way to avoid leaving this same scent about the setting. This, however, will pass away after three or four days and it is after the traps have been set for some time that most of the wolves and coyotes are captured. Although the traps may be handled with TRAPPING WOLVES. 119 bare hands, we would advise that it is wise to uot leave any more lasting odors than that from handling the traps, also do not leave any foot- prints or other signs of human presence. If, in summer, a line of traps can be set just before a rain, so much the better, as all odors and signs of disturbance will be removed by it. In winter a light fall of suoav will have a tendency to improve the catch, as it will cover all human signs and to a great extent, smother the human and other odors that may have been left about the setting. It is important that no lasting, foreign odors be allowed to remain on the traps or any of the implements used in making the set. The trap- per should make it a point at all times to keep the traps clean and free from scenes Avhich might enable the animals to locate and avoid the trap. For the same reason strong smelling grease and oils, such as kerosene should never be used as preservatives, in fact, we think it best that the traps have no preparation Avhatever. Some trappers dip the traps in blood but unless the entire setting is saturated with same, it is not wise to do so as the wolf would be sure to locate it. When setting close to a large bait, it is Avell to rub the trap and chain with a piece of the bait, so that everything about the setting will have the same odor, Wyoming Wolf Trapper Driving the Trap Stake. TRAPPING WOLVES. 121 The same result may be obtained by covering the traps with hair from the animal used for bait, or with the contents of the paunch. When nesting the traps in sage leaves, as advised else- where, the odor of the trap will be greatly neutralized by the leaves, as they have a power- ful odor. In trail sets on the cattle and sheep range, the traps may be covered with the drop- pings of tlie animals. All of these methods have the same result, namely, that of smothering the odor of the trap and allaying the animials' sus- picions. Just what will be needed for trapping wolves and coyotes will depend entirely on circum- stances, but mainly on just how much of a busi- ness one wishes to make of it. The abundance or scarcity of the game, the nature of the country, the proximity to civilization and many other matters must also be considered. For the aver- age professional trapper of the western cattle range, we believe the folloAving will be about right : In the country lying just east of the Rocky Mountain Kange, vegetation is rather scanty and as horses must pick their own living, they must have plenty of time for doing so, therefore, several saddle horses will be needed. In that way the trapper can change horses daily and give them a chance to rest and rustle food. For transporting the outfit and string- 122 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. ing out the traps, pack horses must be employed. Old, worn out horses will answer for packing and after the traps are once strung out, they may be killed for bait or otherwise disposd of, as one of the saddle horses may be used for what little packing is needed. The equipment should con- sist of a good easy saddle, bridle, pack-saddles, pack sacks, saddle blankets, hobbles, picket ropes, etc. If one is camping a good camping out- fit will be necessary. Such an outfit would consist of a tent, blankets, cooking utensils, axe and some toilet articles. The average trapper would easily handle 100 traps, some trappers have many more, and the proper sizes and number of each size w^ould depend on the iDroportionate number of wolves and coyotes found in that locality. The trapper must also have wire for fastening traps, stakes, paper for covering, a file for sharpening the axe and repairing traps, a whetstone, a pair of cutting pliers, a high pow- ered rifle and plenty of ammunition, saddle scabbard, gun oil, hunting knife, axe sheath, etc. Such an outfit is costly, and is only useful to the professional trapper, but if game is plen- tiful, it will soon pay for itself. For the ranchman, sheep herder or average western trapper, all that need be purchased is an outfit of traps of a number which may be conveniently handled, and a rifle with ammuni- TRAPPING AVOLVES. 128 tion for same. All of the outfit that will be needed is to be found on any western ranch and as the trapper will not be camping out, the camp outfit would be omitted. CHAPTER X. SCENTS AND BAITS. CENTS for attracting animals to traps liaA^e been employed for many years, but trappers differ greatly in their views regarding its value. Some use scent only, to attract the animals, and make good catches; others use bait alone and condemn anything in the line of scent. Some use neither scent nor bait but depend entirely on ''blind sets". The value of scent for tr&i^ping wolves and coyotes depends on the kind that is used and the method employed, the time of year, the sex of the animal, whether trapping is prosecuted extensively, etc. We have no doubt that if the right scent is employed and used in the proper way that it will be productive of good results. In all probability those who are so ready to condemn scents have never used the right kind, or having tried the proper kind, have not used it in the right way. If one will stop to consider just what scent is, and the object in using it, he must readily perceive its value, if the right kind is used. Scents are of various kinds and are expected to m SCENTS AND BAITS. 125 appeal to the animal in different ^^•ays. When 'nfn es bait, it is the och.i- of san.e that attracrs the animal from a distance, - why then will not a scent which suggests their favorite food also prove attractive? All animals of the dog fam^ Uv are verv susceptible to food odors and the sJme scents will attract both the wolf and coy- o"e Then there are other scents which appeal t; 'the animal-s passions. The^e t^ill be de- Sribed in the following pages. They are e - peciallv attractive to the wolf during the mat- S season, but are also good at other times, ,and should be used without bait. The habit of depositing urine on the same spot used by another for that purpose is char- acteristic of all animals of the dog family. This L sometimes taken advantage of by the trapper, and the wolf urine is used in that way. In some parts of the country it is probable that one would be more successful by usmgj^ait alone; in other places blind sets would be better. For manv localities it is best to use a good scent, and especially so at certain seasons For trap- piu.. grev wolves in summer, it is especially valuable as at that time meat baits soon become lainted and are not attractive to the animals. The United- States Biological Survey have made exhaustive tests with scents and the re- sult is given in the following: 126 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. ^'Success in trapping depends mainly on the use of scents that will attract the wolves to the neighborhood of a trap and keep them tramping and pawing until caught. Meat bait alone .is of little use, for as a rule the wolves kill an ample supply for themselves. Many tests of scents, both prepared baits and various animal musks, have been made with wolves in the field and in the National Zoological Park. While some have given a fair degree of success, others have proved worthless, and no one odor has proved entirely satisfactory. Experiments are being continued, however, and new odors tried.,'' ^^Beaver musk (castoreum) and the commer- cial perfumery sold as musk have proved effec- tive in many cases by causing the wolf to turn aside to follow the scented cross line and so walk into the trap. Siberian musk (from the Siberian musk deer ) is very attractive to Avolves in the Zoo. Oil of anise and oil of rhodium seem to have no attraction for wild wolves, and are scarcely noticed by those in confinement. Assafoetida is mildly attractive to wolves and coyotes at the Zoo, but used alone is very slightly, if at all^ attractive to those on the range.'' ^'Wolf urine taken from the bladder is used by some trappers, and is said to be very success- ful. It is bottled and kept until rancid and SCENTS AND BAITS. 127 then sprinkled over the trap. The sexual organs of the female wolf immersed in the urine are said to add efficac}^ to this bait. The urine of the female in the rutting season is said to be especially attractive to males; it should be used in January or February." ^' Fetid bait. — The bait that has proved most effective may be called, for lack of a better name, fetid bait, because of its offensive odor. It has been long in use in variously modified forms by the most successful wolf trappers, and its prep- aration is usually guarded as a profound secret. It cannot be credited to any one trapper, since no two prepare it in just the same way, but in most cases its fundamental odors are the same. It may be prepared as follows : ^Tlace half a pound of raw beef or venison in a wide-mouthed bottle and let it stand in a warm place (but never in the sun) from two to six weeks or longer or until it is thoroughl}^ decayed and the odor has become as offensive as possible. If the weather is not very warm this may re- quire several months. When decomposition has reached the proper stage, add a quart of sperm oil or some liquid animal oil. Lard oil may be used, but prairie dog oil is better. Add half an. ounce of assafoetida, dissolved in alcohol and one ounce of tincture of Siberian musk, or, if this cannot be procured, one ounce of pulver- 128 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. ized beaver castor or one ounce of the common musk sold for perfumery. Mix thoroughly and bottle securely until used." The government has introduced this scent into Northern Michigan where it has been used successfully. Other very similar decoys are used extensively by Western trappers. A scent which is highly recommended, and is used successfully by some Wyoming wolf and coyote trajDpers is made by chopping fine, equal portions of raw beef and fish and allowing same to decay in a covered vessel. Aft^r it is thor- oughly decomposed, add an ounce of assafoetida dissolved in alcohol to each pound of the decoy. Animal matter of any kind should never be allowed to decay in a tightly closed vessel, as the gases may cause it to burst, but it must be covered so as to exclude the flies. The above scent is claimed to be very attractive to both wolves and coyotes and we know that the trap- pers who used it made large catches, one of them having captured over 200 coyotes in a single sea- son. This trapper states that if the perfume of the skunk is added to the decoy, its attrac- tive properties are greatly increased. This scent may be used in connection with bait, or with- out, as preferred. One of the northern trappers recommends a scent made by chopping fine, equal parts of rab- SCENTS AND BAITS. 129 bit, skunk and muskrat flesh, with a couple of wild mice added, and allow to decay in a jar. The jar should be about f full and after it is decomposed a half ounce oil of anise and a quan- tity of skunk scent is added, and the jar filled with goose oil. This is the recipe as given but we can not guarantee it to be attractive. Many of the old time trappers claim to have scents which will draw a wolf or coj^ote a half mile, or more, to the trap. Those who make such statements should always be regarded with distrust for the chances are that they only wish to sell the scent or the formula. In nine cases out of ten it will be found that the scents are worthless. One of our old time friends w^rote as follows: *^I have tried several so-called patent decoys with very indifferent results. The only scent I care to use is the urine from a female wolf or coyote killed in runong season ; sprinkle a drop or two on bush, stone or ground near traps, but not on bait. After catching one coyote at a setting I never trouble to bait again as the urine and droppings will serve to attract other coyotes better than any bait. Have caught 6 at one set- ting, 5 of them with no other bait than the smell of the ground defiled by previous coyotes. They will come a long way to scratch and urinate on 9 130 WOLF AND QOYOTE TRAPPING. same spot, and seem to lose som^ of their caution." Another successful trapper makes practically the same statements and his views are appended. *'After catching one wolf or coyote do not use more bait as the scent is strong enough to draw all that comes near. I do not use any patent decoy or scents, as I consider them useless for any game. The only scent I use is what I make myself and then only from February to April. In the summer I gather up four or five bitch d(.gs and as fast as they come in heat I kill them and take the organs of generation and pickle them in wide mouth bottles with alcohol enough to cover. I sprinkle a few drops on a stone or bush, stick in center between traps but use no other bait. This is also good for fox. ^^The above method is the same as I learned it from an old Hudson's Bay trapper, Peirre Dev- erany, who was born in 1817, and had trapped all thru the British possessions and the Rocky Mountains and Avith whom I trapped for several years.'' We find that many of the professional trap- pers condemn all scents except those which they, themselves, use, but as there are a number of successful ones using different scents it proves that there are numbers of good decoys. *^I use scent a good deal^ but make it my- SCENTS AND BAITS. 131 self/' writes one man who follows trapping con- tinually. ^^The mating time is the best time to use it and the matrix from a female wolf in alcohol is very good to use. Put a few drops on a bone or stick of wood near the trap, say ten or twenty inches from it. If you have two traps set near each other, put the scent between them.'' With regard to bait the grey wolf prefers horse flesh to beef. Colts are also preferred to old horses. It is the same as regards cattle; the calves and yearlings are invariably chosen. In the timbered sections where there is very lit- tle stock for the wolves to i^rey on, venison is perhaps the best bait. Antelope, jack rabbit, and in fact, almost any kind of flesh is good if the wolf is hungry, but the bait in all cases must be strictly fresh. Unless food is scarce, wolves seldom return to the carcass of a victim, but they do so occasionally and some are caught by setting traps in such j)laces, especially in the North, during winter when the animals are hungry. If possible they prefer to kill their own game and it is that Avhich makes the trap- ping so difficult. The same baits that are recommended for wolves are also good for coyotes, but the coyote is not so particular regarding the condition of its food and will eat tainted flesh, greedily. 132 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. They are very fond of mutton, prairie dogs, badgers and sage liens. As Avith the wolf, horse flesh is a favorite food. One of the southwest- ern trai^pers claims that they like fresh pork, in his section, better than any other food. It will be an easy matter in almost any part » of the country to keep the traps baited as the ranchmen and sheepmen are, as a rule, willing to furnish animals for bait. As a general rule, we advise the use of scent sets and blind sets in spring and summer and bait sets in fall and winter. CHAPTER XI. SCENT METHODS. N sections where the wolves and coy- otes can obtain an abundance of food, they do not care for meat bait and scent sets are recommended, especially for grey wolves. Such sets are also snccessfnl in^ summer when meat baits soon be- come tainted and lose all power of attraction. There are many ways of using scent, depend- ino- much on the kind that is used, and also on^'other things. One of the simplest as well as one of the best is the following: Having found the route of travel of a band of wolves, one may be certain that he has found the proper place to set a number of traps, for the wolves are sure to comfe around that way again. A pass throuoh the hills is an excellent place and as cattle, slieep and game animals are almost certain to be traveling that way at certain sea- sons, one is sure to find a trail of some sort traversing- the pass. Having located such a trail find a spot where same is well defined and select a place for the trap, several feet to one side of the trail, where it may be placed between bunches of brush, cactus, rocks or any other ob- 133 134 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. struction that will guide the wolf over the trap. The bbstructio'Q must be a natural one as the wolf is certain to detect any artificial arrange- ment, and avoid it. The trap should be fastened to a drag of some kind, wliich should be buried and the trap must be set and covered as explained in another chap- ter. In setting, the chain should be stretched out to its full length so that the drag may be buried as far as possible from the trap, and the disturbance of the soil is less likely to be no- ticed. The scent should be applied to the grass, weeds or ground at the back of the set, and so placed that in trying to reach it, the wolf or coy- ote must walk over the trap. It should not be placed too near tlie trap as the first impulse of the animal is to roll over the scent. Mr. Vernon Bailey in his instructions for trapping describes this set as follows : "The trap, chain and stone drag should be buried out of sight close to a runway, where the wolves follow a trail or road, cross a narrow pass, or visit a carcass, with the trap nearest the runway and flush with the surface of the ground; to keep th^ eartli from clogging under the pan, the pan and jaws should be covered with an oval piece of paper and over this should be sprinkled fine earth until the surface is smooth and all traces of paper and trap are concealed. SCENT METHODS. 135, The surface of the ground and the surroundings should appear as nearly as possible undisturbed. The dust may be made to look natural again, by sprinkling water on it. Touching the ground or other objects with the hands, spitting near the trap or in any way leaving a trace of human odors near by, should be avoided. Old, well- scented gloves should be worn while setting traps, and a little of the scent used for the traps should be rubbed on the shoe soles. A piece of old cowhide may be used on which to stand and to place the loose earth in burying drag and trap. "A narrow trail may be made by dragging the stone or scraping the foot from across the runway to the trap. A slender line of scent should l)e scattered along this drag mark or cross trail and more of the scent placed around the trap and 6 inches beyond it, so that the wolf Avill follow the line directly across the trap, stop- ping with its front feet u^^on it. With old, experienced and suspicious wolves, however, it is better not to make the drag mark, but to set the trap with great care, close to the side of the trail and put the scent just beyond it. If pos- sible, place the trap between two tufts of grass or weeds, so that it can be readily approached from one side only." Traps may also be set with bait and some Caught in a Scent Set. SCENT METHODS. 137 scent used to advantage, in fact many of the deco3'S are to be used in that way. Two brothers who trap in partnership give the following meth- od of trapping with scent and bait : "This is one way of catcliing coyotes : We find all the horse meat we can, Ave even ask people if they know of any dead horses, or sheep or cattle. But the horse flesh is the best bait for them, then comes the sheep, that the^^ like almost as well. Rabbits are also excellent bait for them, by putting a little pucky for scent along the side of the rabbit bait. We also tell how to make this ^puck3^' ^^Secure all the small fish you can from three to four inches long. Trout is tlie best if you can secure them, but other varieties of fish will do; clean but leave the heads on, because you will find more oil in the head than in any other part. Cut them up so they will go into a bottle ; stuff them in very tight, up to the neck of the bottle; then put a thin cheese cloth over the top of the bottle and let it stay there for about two weeks. It will begin to Avork good about that time, then cork it up tight, and in a few days it is ready for use. "Now, taking the horse meat, sheep or rab- bits, you have for bait, find a good place to lay the bait so the coyotes cannot get to it from all sides. Never make your trap stationary 138 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. but wire the chain to a small log, a stick of wood about four feet long and three inches thick, leave a few knots sticking out on the log, and they will help tire the coyote out, by digging in the ground; wire the chain about in the middle, as it will drag harder for the coyote. "Now dig a hole the same shape of your trap, where you want it to set, also bury the clog. Put Traps Set with Bait and Scent. your trap in its place and have it so it will be about one-fourth of an inch below the surface of the ground, not au}^ lower. Put a piece of wool under the pan so birds and rabbits won't spring- it ; then take a piece of paper big enough to cover the jaws of fhe trap, take some dirt and put over the paper until level with the surrounding place, if anything a little sunken, just so you SCENT METHODS. 139 can notice it. Now set your trap about the length of the coyote from the bait and one more a little farther out, both in the same way as I said. Be sure and put your bait in such a place as to make them come around in front. '^If you have to set traps at a dead horse out in tiie open, put one just behind the hips, and one in between his feet where he lays. Set them as I have told you and you will get them. If you find a dead animal, that is, bait, I mean, also set your traps in triangle around him. Put your traps about one foot and a half from bait. htudj them carefully and you will soon learn to set right. Try it. "Some trappers say, tlon't let the traps touch your clothes, smoke and bury your gloves; and even say bury your shoes after each trip. We think all of this unnecessary for we tie our traps around us, wear warm German socks and over- shoes, just as everybody else should do in winter. Set our traps with our gloves on or off, . don't matter; when through, brush over with a small brush and leave it. Don't make any more tracks around your traps than possible. We made one freak of a catch, two coyotes at one setting in one night. One had a stub foot having been caught before." A very good method is to tind a large clump of cactus (prickly pear) with even, well defined 140 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. edges, and set several traps near the edge and at varying distances. Use all possible care in set- ting, folloAving the instructions given elsewhere. It is best to leave the setting some three or four days before placing the scent; that will give plenty of time for the human and other scents, that have been left there, to pass away and the ground Avhich has been disturbed, will have taken on a smoother appearance by that time. Then go on horseback and saturating a lump of earth with the decoy, drop it in the center of the cactus bed. Do not dismount from the horse when placing the decoy. This is an exceptionally good set for coyotes. While they can not reach the scent, they will walk all around the cactus bed and are almost certain to step- in' one of the traps. Another successful mode of setting is to place the trap in a trail where it leads through a clump of sage or greasewood and put some decoy by the side of the trail a rod or two away. The bank set which is described in another chapter may also be used without bait by placing some scent on the edge of the bank. One of the Montana trappers uses this meth- od : ''Take your traps and boil them in lye water. Do not handle them with your bare hands but be sure and use clean buckskin gloves, and handle them as little as possible. Find a SCENT METHODS. 141 place where they run pretty regular, like an old road that is not used or a cow path or trail. Find a place that is sandy if you can, and set your traps lengthwise with the trail. Of course, you must dig out where you put your traps. ^'Now cover your traps with a piece of de- odorized paper and about one-half inch of sand. Get some water and sprinkle along the trail and over your traps to make it all look alike. You must not leave a lot of loose and lumpy dirt lying near your traps. Leave as little sign as possible. Wait two days before you go there again, and then go with a saddle horse and drop six or eight drops of good scent bait between your traps, and await results. Do not get off your horse when you go to put out the scent bait, for I know of no animal that is any more sly than the old grey wolf. "Now I don't claim that this will work m all localities, but I have had fairly good luck with this set. I always use two traps at a setting for wolf or coyote.'^ CHAPTER XII. BAIT METHODS FOR WOLVES ^^.^ ANY of the sets used for coyotes are equally good for grej wolves, providing that one uses a trap suf- ficiently strong to hold them and almost any set that Avill catch the wolf is good also for the coyote, but there are some which are espe- cially good for the grey wolf and we give here some of these methods. One of the most successful is the following: Somewhere on the wolf's route of travel find an unused trail and selecting a well defined portion, set two traps close together as shoAvn in the diagram. Have the jaws of the traps parallel with the trail so that there will be no possibility of the wolf's foot being thrown out by the rising jaws, and so arrange them that the pans Avill be about tAvelve or fourteen inches apart. The traps must be attached to drags of som,e sort, stones or iron drags, Avhich must be buried, along with the traps. Great care should be used in setting so as to leave cA^erything as nearly like it was before as possible. No loose dirt should be left lying about, and no 142 BAIT METHODS FOR WOLVES. 143 tracks or signs of human presence should remain about the setting. . Two more traps should be set m a similar manner, somewhere on the trail, and from fifty to one hundred yards from the first two. The traps should be left setting some four or fiVe days before placing the bait. This will allow all foreign odors to pass away from the setting. Trail Bait Set. A large bait should then be placed midway be- tween the two settings, and close beside the trail. 1 -^ 4-1 On approaching or leaving the bait tne wolves are almost certain to walk on the trail, and while they view all signs of disturbance near the bait with suspicion, they will be less cautious some distance away. In other words they will not be expecting danger so far away from the bait. 144 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. When looking at the traps, one sliould go on horseback and avoid dismounting near tlie traps or bait. In placing the bait one shonkl, if pos- sible, go on a ^\ agon, or if more convenient, on a horse, and should drop the bait in place without stepping down on to the ground. If desired a single trap may be used at each setting but as the length of step of the timber wolf is from eighteen to twenty-four inches, it is better to use two traps, for the wolf is likely to miss a single traj^. The method will be found to work well in all localities and is as good for coyotes as for wolves. Another ver^^ popular mode of trapping the grey wolf is with what is knoAvn as the square setting. This set requires four traps and they are arranged in the form of a square. On a smooth sandy spot of ground, dig a hole about six inches deep and having attached the chains of all four traps to the stake, drive it in the hole until the top is below the surface of the ground. The traps should have the regu- lar short chains and they should be arranged in the form of a square each about twenty inches from the stake. The traps must be bedded down, or in other words, they should be set in holes dug for the purpose as iDreviousl}^ described and should be neatly covered. A narrow trench should be made for each chain and they must be BAIT METHODS FOR WOLVES. 145 i. A ^. vvV •i'S^i ^:^ covered also, so as to leave no sign. The bait should be fastened «itli ^vil•e to the top of the trap stake and the hollow beneath it may be filled with sand. The wire must not be visible and if a bird, rabbit or any small creature is used for bait, it must not be skinned or muti- lated. When baiting with a piece of beef mutton horse-nesli or tne flesh of any large animal, it is best also to leave the skin on, as a skin- ned bait is likely to make the ani- mals suspicions. If the animal's suspicions are not aroused, it will approach the set u n s u s p ectingly and attempt to raise the bait, but when it finds it fast, it will step around some and is almost certain to step into a trap. It will be very likely also to land in another trap after it commences to struggle, and there will be very little danger of it es- ""^^Many of the trappers who use this method use only three traps at a setting and arrange 10 Wh The Square Setting. 146 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAt»PING}. them in the form of a triangle. This is good but we believe that the use of four traps will give better results. One trapper fastened his traps to iron pins, about' 10 inches in length, and used this pin as a stake. The captured animal could easily pull up the stake but the entire bunch of traps would act as a drag, and it could not go far through the sage brush without getting fastened up. One of the best methods for both the timber wolf and the coyote is what is known to trap- pers as the ^'cut bank set." All over the western country, along the water courses and wash-outs, will be found straight cut banks, sometimes overhanging. Select such a bank from 5 to 7 feet high, and if you can find two bunches of cactus, about 16 or 18 inches apart, on the top of the bank, this is the place to set the trap. If the cactus can not be found growing this way, place some there, being very careful to give it a natural appearance, so that it will look as if it had grown there. The trap should be staked the length of the chain from the edge of the bank, and the stake driven out of sight. Set the trap about 20 inches from the .bank, if for coyotes, and about 26 inches, if wolves are expected, and directly be- tween the two bunches of cactus. Cover the trap nicely as per instructions on a preceding page, '^1 Coyote Caught at a Bank Set. 147 148 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. and fasten the bait between the cactus, on the very edge of the bank. When properly set, the aminal can not reach the bait without stepping on tlie trap. When caught it immediately leaps over the bank, and as it can not get back, will be unable to make use of its strength in struggling, and will seldom escape. Another thing that speaks Avell for this method is the fact that the fur of the captured animal is always clean, which is more than can be said of those which are caught in traps set and staked on level ground, where they can struggle and roll in the dirt for hours, and sometimes days. Mr. Ira W. Bull, official hunter for the U. S. Department of Agriculture, and now located on one of the Colorado forest reserves, writes as folloAvs : ^'It would be hard to make an estimate of the number of coyotes and wolves in this section, especially coyotes, as there are so many of them and they seem to be getting more numerous every 3^ear. There are not so many grey wolves, but still, enough to do a lot of mischief, as they kill stock and move on, hardly ever coming back to the carcass for the second meal. "My method of trapping varies according to conditions and time of year. When I set with small baits, I first select a smooth open place, and cut a hole in the soil the size and shape of BAIT METHODS FOR WOLVES. ' 149 the trap. I set the trap in the hole and cover carefully, fastening to a stake or toggle, conceal- ing by covering with dirt. I cut the bait in small pieces, probably 40 or 50 in number, and scatter around the trap, leaving everything look- ing as natural as possible. With a large bait, say the whole or half the carcass of a horse or other large animal, I set the trap in the same way, but use 2 or 3 or even 4 traps at the one bait.'' An old time trapper writes as follows : "Water- sets are the best for wolves if the animals are cunning. The proper way to make them is to take a boat — don't walk along the bank but simply load your boat with lots of bait, such as beef head, shanks, entrails, or sheep that have died or have been killed by wolves. Start down the stream, looking for small sand or gravel bars lying just above the water and a few feet long. ^ When one of these is fonnd, run your boat up to it and leave a beef head, a quarter of mutton or such like, and then proceed on down to the next bar and bait it in the same way, keeping on in that way until the bait is gone. "The wolf is very bait shy. It will take bait that it finds along streams more readily than on land. In a few nights after placing your bait, you will find that the wolves are working on it and have made trails down the bank of the 150 WOLF AND COYOTE TRAPPING. stream to the edge of the water. You will ob- serve that they all take the water at the same place. "Now load your boat witli plenty of bait as before, but this time take also a good supply of traps, the proper size for wolves, and a sup- ply of clogs similar to fence posts. When you come to the bar, supply it again with bait. TfiA/L -^ ^^ efiusH ==" COA/CCA L INC ^r CLOC