,wolf and ,coyote ,trapping  ,an        
,up-to-,date ,wolf ,hunter's ,guide1    
,giving the ,most ,successful ,methods  
of ,experienced ,wolfers for ,hunting   
and ,trapping ,these ,animals1 ,also    
,gives ,their ,habits in ,detail4  ,,by 
,a4 ,r4 ,,harding  ,published by ,a4 ,r4
 ,,harding ,,pub4 ,,co4 ,,columbus1     
,,ohio  ,copyright #aiji ,by ,a4 ,r4    
,,harding ,,pub4 ,,co4    ,,table ,,of  
,,contents4    ,i4 ,the ,timber ,wolf   
,,ii4 ,the ,coyote   ,,iii4 ,killing of 
,stock and ,game by ,wolves   ,,iv4     
,bounties   ,v4 ,hunting ,young ,wolves 
and ,coyotes   ,,vi4 ,hunting ,wolves   
with ,dogs   ,,vii4 ,still ,hunting     
,wolves and ,coyotes   ,,viii4          
,poisoning ,wolves   ,,ix4 ,trapping    
,wolves   ,x4 ,scents and ,baits   ,,xi4
 ,scent ,methods   ,,xii4 ,bait ,methods
 for ,wolves   ,,xiii4 ,southern ,bait  
,methods for ,coyotes   ,,xiv4 ,northern
 ,bait ,methods for ,coyotes   ,,xv4    
,blind ,set ,methods   ,,xvi4 ,snow ,set
 ,methods   ,,xvii4 ,some ,rules and    

,things to ,remember   ,,xviii4 ,the    
,treacherous ,grey ,wolf   ,,xix4 ,wolf 
,catching   ,,xx4 ,with the ,coyotes    
,,xxi4 ,wolf ,trapping an ,art          
,,list ,,of ,,illustrations4    ,map    
,showing the ,range of the ,timber ,wolf
   ,western ,grey ,wolf in a ,trap      
,track of the ,grey ,wolf   ,coyote and 
,badger ,killed in ,texas   ,a ,trapped 
,coyote   ,track of the ,coyote         
,wolves ,killing a ,deer   ,remains of  
,deer ,killed by ,wolves   ,grey ,wolf  
,diagrams showing ,difference in ,size  
of ,wolves and ,coyotes   ,a ,wyoming   
,wolf ,den   ,a ,near ,view of the ,den 
,young ,wolves at ,entrance of ,den     
,the ,hunter's ,outfit   ,an ,oklahoma  
,hunter with ,young ,coyotes   ,catch of
 a ,canadian ,hunter   ,a ,still ,hunter
 and ,his ,outfit   ,killed by the      
,still ,hunt   ,method of ,preparing    
,poison ,baits   ,the ,newhouse ,wolf   
,trap   ,the ,two-,pronged ,drag        
,method of ,attaching an ,oblong ,stone 
,method of ,attaching a ,triangular     

,stone   ,iron ,stakes for ,traps       
,trap ,set and ,ready for ,covering     
,wyoming ,wolf ,trapper   ,caught in a  
,scent ,set   ,trail ,bait ,set   ,the  
,square ,setting   ,coyote ,caught at a 
,bank ,set   ,wolf ,water ,set   ,a     
,trapped ,wolf   ,a ,trapped ,texas     
,coyote   ,a ,northern ,coyote   ,an    
,idaho ,coyote   ,a ,trail ,set   ,traps
 ,set at ,badger ,den   ,a ,good ,catch 
,a ,snow ,set   ,a ,large ,wisconsin    
,wolf   ,mr4 ,davis with the ,big ,wolf 
,skins   ,a ,texas ,specimen   ,caught  
at ,last   ,a ,northern ,wolf           
,illustration3 ,a4 ,r4 ,harding4        
,,introduction4  ,there are certain wild
 animals which when hard pressed by     
severe cold and hunger1 will raid the   
farmers and ranchmen's yards1 killing   
fowls and stock4 ,there however1 are no 
animals that destroy so much stock as   
wolves and coyotes as they largely live 
upon the property of farmers1 settlers  
and ranchmen to which they add game as  
they can get it4  ,while these animals  

are trapped1 shot1 poisoned1 hunted with
 dogs1 etc41 their numbers1 in some     
states1 seem to be on the increase      
rather than the decrease in face of the 
fact that heavy bounties are offered4   
,the fact that wolf and coyote scalps   
command a bounty1 in many states1 and in
 addition their pelts are valuable1     
makes the hunting and trapping of these 
animals of no little importance4  ,one  
thing that has helped to keep the       
members of these howlers so numerous is 
the fact that they are among the        
shrewdest animal in ,america4 ,the day  
of their extermination is1 no doubt1 far
 in the distance4  ,this book contains  
much of value to those who expect to    
follow the business of catching wolves  
and coyotes4 ,a great deal of the habits
 and many of the methods were written by
 ,mr4 ,e4 ,kreps1 who has had experience
 with these animals upon the ,western   
,plains1 in ,canada1 and the ,south4    
,additional information has been secured
 from ,government ,bulletins and        

experienced wolfers from various parts  
of ,america4    ,a4 ,r4 ,harding4       
,,wolf ,,and ,,coyote ,,trapping        
,,chapter ,i4  ,,the ,,timber ,,wolf4   
,wolves of all species belong to that   
class of animals known as the dog       
family1 the members of which are        
considered to be the most intelligent of
 brute animals4 ,they are found1 in one 
species or another1 in almost every part
 of the world4 ,they are strictly       
carnivorous and are beyond all doubt the
 most destructive of all wild animals4  
,in general appearance the wolf         
resembles a large dog having erect ears1
 elongated muzzle1 long heavy fur and   
bushy tail4 ,the size and color varies  
considerably as there are many          
varieties4  ,the wolves of ,north       
,america may be divided into two        
distinct groups1 namely1 the large      
timber wolves1 and the prairie wolves or
 coyotes 7ki'-yote74 ,of the timber     
wolves there are a number of varieties1 
perhaps species1 for there is           

considerable difference in size and     
color4 ,for instance there is the small 
black wolf which is still found in      
,florida1 and the large ,arctic wolf    
which is found in far ,northern ,canada 
and ,alaska1 the color of which is a    
pure white with a black tip to the tail4
 ,then there is that intermediate       
variety known as the ,grey ,wolf1 also  
called ,timber ,wolf1 ,lobo and ,wolf1  
the latter indefinite name being used   
throughout the ,west to distinguish the 
animal from the prairie species4 ,it is 
the most common of the ,american wolves1
 the numbers of this variety being in   
excess of all of the others combined4   
,in addition to those mentioned1 there  
are others such as the ,red ,wolf of    
,texas and the ,brindled ,wolf of       
,mexico4 ,all of these1 however1 belong 
to the group known to naturalists as the
 ,timber ,wolves4 ,just how many species
 and how many distinct varieties there  
are is not known4  ,as a rule1 the      
largest wolves are found in the ,north2 

the ,gray ,wolves of the western plains 
being slightly smaller than the white   
and ,dusky ,wolves of ,northern ,canada 
and ,alaska1 specimens of which1 it is  
said1 sometimes weigh as much as one    
hundred and fifty pounds4 ,again the    
wolves of the southern part of the      
,united ,states and of ,mexico are      
smaller than the gray variety4          
,illustration3 ,the ,range of the       
,timber ,wolf4  ,the average full grown 
wolf will measure about five feet in    
length1 from the end of the nose to the 
tip of the tail1 and will weigh from    
eighty to one hundred pounds1 but       
specimens have been killed which far    
exceeded these figures4 ,the prevailing 
color is gray1 being darkest on the back
 and dusky on the shoulders and hips4   
,the tail is very bushy and the fur of  
the body is long and shaggy4 ,the ears  
are erect and pointed1 the muzzle long  
and heavy1 the eyes brown and           
considering the fierce1 bloodthirsty    
nature of the animal1 have a very gentle

 expression4  ,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         
accompanying map4 ,as will be noted they
 are found in only a small portion of   
,nevada and none are found in           
,california1 but they are to be met with
 in all other states west of the        
,missouri and the lower ,mississippi1   
also all of the most southern tier of   
states1 as well as those parts bordering
 on ,lake ,superior4 ,a few are yet     
found in the ,smokey ,mountains of      
,north ,carolina and ,tennessee4 ,they  
are probably most abundant in ,northern 
,michigan and ,northern ,minnesota1     
,western ,wyoming1 ,montana and ,new    
,mexico4  ,wyoming is the center of the 
wolf infested country and they are found
 in greatest numbers in that state1 on  
the headwaters of the ,green ,river4 ,as
 to the numbers still found the report  

of the ,biological ,survey for the years
 #ahie to #aijf1 inclusive1 but not     
including the year #ahih1 shows that    
bounties were paid on #bj1hai wolves in 
that state4  ,in ,northern ,michigan    
they are also abundant4 ,in the year    
#aijg1 thirty-four wolves were killed in
 ,ontonagon ,county2 in ,luce ,county   
fifty-four were killed up to ,november  
#ajth1 '#jg1 and in ,schoolcraft ,co41  
thirty were killed from ,october #ast1  
'#jg to ,april #bith1 '#jh4 ,this gives 
a total of one hundred and eighteen     
wolves killed in three out of the       
sixteen counties of the ,upper          
,peninsula4 ,these statistics are from a
 pamphlet issued by the ,department of  
,agriculture4  ,the breeding season of  
the timber wolves is not as definite as 
that of many of the furbearing animals1 
for the young make their appearance from
 early in ,march until in ,may1 and an  
occasional litter will be born during   
the summer1 even as late as ,august4    
,the mating season of course varies1 but

 is mainly in ,january and ,february1   
the period of gestation being nine      
weeks4 ,the number in a litter varies   
from five to thirteen1 the usual number 
being eight or ten4  ,in early days the 
wolves of the western plains followed   
the great buffalo herds and preyed on   
the young animals1 also the old and     
feeble4 ,after the extermination of that
 animal they turned their attention to  
the herds of cattle which soon covered  
the great western range and their       
depredations have become a positive     
nuisance4 ,in the ,northern ,states and 
throughout ,canada they subsist almost  
entirely on wild game4    ,illustration3
 ,western ,grey ,wolf in a ,trap4       
,wolves den in the ground or rocks in   
natural dens if such can be found1 but  
in case natural excavations are rare as 
in northern portions of the country1    
they appropriate and enlarge the homes  
of other animals4 ,in the heavily       
timbered country they sometimes den in  
hollow logs4  ,the wolf is both cowardly

 and courageous1 depending on           
circumstances4 ,when found singly1 and  
especially in daylight the animal is as 
much of a coward as any creature could  
possibly be1 and especially does it fear
 man4 ,but when suffering from the pangs
 of hunger and when traveling in bands  
as they usually do1 they are bold1      
fierce and bloodthirsty creatures4 ,in  
such cases they have been known to      
attack man4  ,when hunting large game1  
wolves always go in bands1 usually of   
three to five but often a larger number4
 ,they invariably kill animals by       
springing on from behind and            
hamstringing the victim4 ,small game is 
hunted by lone animals4  ,the great     
losses suffered by stockmen in the ,west
 led the ,biological ,survey1 in        
connection with the ,forest ,service of 
the ,department of ,agriculture1 to make
 a special investigation1 and later a   
general campaign against the wolves of  
the ,national ,forests began4 ,during   
the year #aijg a large number of wolves 

and coyotes were captured in and near   
the forest reserves3 the number from the
 various states being as follows3       
,,state4        ,,wolves4     ,,coyotes4
    ,wyoming        #a1jji        #a1ihc
   ,montana          #bfa        #b4fbi 
,idaho             #ad        #c1hha    
,washington        #aj          #fge    
,colorado          #fe        #b1cfb    
,oklahoma           #c           #ae    
,new ,mexico       #bcb          #edd   
,arizona          #abg        #a1dbd    
,utah                        #e1jja     
,nevada                        #ejj     
,california                    #bbd     
,oregon             #b        #c1bij    
------       ------   ,total            
#a1gbc       #bb1ebh  ,many of these    
animals were captured by the forest     
guards but in addition the government   
employed a number of expert trappers4   
,on the ,gila ,national ,forest #cf     
wolves and #cj coyotes were killed by   
one forest guard1 who sent the skulls to
 the ,biological ,survey for            

identification1 as well as the skulls of
 #i bears1 #g mountain lions1 #ag       
bobcats1 and #df grey foxes4 ,one den of
 #h very young wolf pups was taken      
,march #ac4 ,these statistics are from  
,circular #fc1 issued by the ,u4 ,s4    
,department of ,agriculture4  ,wolves   
are great ramblers1 traveling over a    
large section of country4 ,like almost  
all other animals of rambling habits1   
they have their regular routes of       
travel4 ,by this1 we mean they follow   
the same valleys1 passes1 water courses1
 etc41 but when in pursuit of game they 
sometimes stray quite a long distance   
out of their course4    ,illustration3  
,track of the ,grey ,wolf1 ,compared    
,with ,that of a ,dog4  ,the track of   
the wolf resembles that of a dog1 but is
 a trifle narrower in proportion to its 
length4 ,the difference is in the two   
middle toes1 which are somewhat longer  
on the wolf1 however1 the difference is 
so slight that it could easily pass     
unnoticed4 ,when the wolf is running    

these toes are spread well apart4 ,the  
length of step when the animal is       
walking will be from #ah to #bd inches1 
and the average footprint will measure  
about #b #c_/d or #c inches in width by 
about #c #a_/b or #d inches in length4  
,ernest ,thompson ,seton1 the naturalist
 claims that he can judge with fair     
accuracy1 the weight of a wolf by the   
size of the track4 ,he allows twenty    
pounds for each inch in length1 of the  
foot print4    ,,chapter ,,ii4  ,,the   
,,coyote4  ,in the western parts of the 
,united ,states1 the coyote is far more 
abundant than the grey1 or timber wolf1 
but its range is more limited as it is  
found only in those parts lying west of 
the ,mississippi ,river and in the      
western portion of the ,dominion of     
,canada4 ,as there are a number of      
varieties of the timber wolf1 so it is  
with the coyote1 but naturalists have   
never yet been able to agree on the     
number of types and their distribution4 
,in the ,southwest1 it appears there are

 several distinct varieties1 showing    
considerable difference in size and     
color4 ,mr4 ,vasma ,brown1 a noted      
coyote trapper of ,texas has the        
following to say on the subject3  ,i    
have lived in ,texas nineteen years and 
have had some years of experience with  
the coyotes1 coons and cats4 ,some      
coyotes are of a silver-grey color1     
others are dark brown4 ,the ends of     
their hair are jet black and it makes   
them look brown4 ,some have black tips  
on the tail and some white4 ,the dark   
variety are the most vicious of the two4
  ,with the exception of the            
southwestern section1 it is probable    
that the coyotes of all portions of the 
,great ,plains and the country to the   
westward are of the same variety1 and a 
description of this1 the most common    
type will answer for the species4 ,in   
size1 the coyote or prairie wolf is     
considerably smaller than the timber    
wolf1 the largest specimens of the      
former being about equal in size to the 

smallest adult wolves4 ,the average     
coyote will measure about thirty-six or 
thirty-eight inches from the end of the 
nose to the base of the tail1 which is  
about sixteen inches additional length4 
,the fur is of about the same texture as
 that of the grey fox and the general   
color is fulvous1 black and white hairs 
being mingled in parts1 giving a        
grizzled appearance4 ,the ears are      
larger1 comparatively than those of the 
grey wolf1 and the muzzle is more       
pointed4 ,all through the animal appears
 to be of more delicate build4 ,a larger
 form of the coyote is found in         
,minnesota and the adjoining territory  
and is commonly known as the brush wolf4
 ,whether this is a distinct variety is 
not known4  ,coyotes are intelligent and
 cunning animals and their habits and   
general appearance suggest the fox      
rather than the wolf4 ,while they are   
greedy1 bloodthirsty creatures1 they are
 sneaking and cowardly and never kill   
animals larger than deer1 in fact they  

rarely attack such large game4 ,an      
,arizona trapper writes3  ,the coyote   
bears the same relation to the wolf     
family that the ,apache ,indian does to 
the human race4 ,it is a belief among   
some of the ,apaches that they turn into
 coyotes when they depart this life1 and
 nothing will induce one of them to kill
 a coyote4 ,like the ,indian he is      
sneaky and treacherous1 and full of the 
devil4  ,while there is no doubt that   
the animal enjoys its wild1 free life1  
it always has a miserable1 distressed   
expression4 ,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 conscience4  ,the high  
piercing cry of the animal1 which is so 
different from the deep bass note of the
 timber wolf1 is mournful in the        
extreme4 ,in the morning before the     
coyotes retire for the day1 they stop on
 the top of some elevation and sound    
their reveille1 which once heard will   
never be forgotten4 ,it is a shrill1    

piercing note1 combining a howl with a  
bark and although in all probability    
there will be only a pair of the        
animals1 one who does not know would be 
inclined to think that the number is    
larger1 the notes are so commingled4    
,illustration3 ,coyote and ,badger      
,killed in ,texas4  ,coyotes live in    
natural dens in the rocks1 also in dens 
of badgers1 in the prairie country4 ,in 
the ,bad ,lands of the ,west and the    
foot hills of the mountain ranges1 wind 
worn holes in the rim-rock and buttes   
are quite common and the animals have no
 trouble in securing a good den4        
,naturally1 they select the most        
secluded and inaccessible places for    
their dens4 ,the food of the coyote     
consists of small game1 such as hares   
and grouse1 prairie dogs and any other  
small animals that they can capture4 ,in
 the sheep raising districts of the     
,western ,states they are very          
destructive to sheep and in those parts 
it is probable that their food consists 

mostly of mutton4 ,they feed on carrion 
and have a particular liking for horse  
flesh4 ,they also kill badgers and when 
conditions are very favorable may kill  
an occasional deer or antelope4 ,they   
also sometimes kill calves and hogs4    
,speaking of conditions in ,oregon and  
other parts of the ,northwest1 one of   
our friends writes3  ,the prairie wolf  
or coyote in the ,western states are    
becoming so numerous that it looks as   
though the sheep industry in ,idaho and 
,eastern ,oregon would soon be a thing  
of the past1 if something it not done to
 lesson the number of the destructive   
coyotes4  ,twenty years ago there were a
 great many coyotes in ,oregon1 but the 
black tail rabbits were so numerous then
 that the coyote contented himself with 
them and did not molest the sheep to any
 great extent4 ,idaho and ,oregon both  
put a bounty on rabbits1 which soon     
caused them to become scarce1 then the  
coyotes began their depredations among  
the sheep4 ,the wool growers supplied   

themselves with plenty of strychnine and
 kept the coyote reduced to quite an    
extent4 ,of late years it seems that    
poison will not kill a coyote4 ,as soon 
as he feels the effect of the poison he 
throws up the bait he has just eaten1   
and in a few minutes he is all right4   
,the only way to kill coyotes these days
 is with the gun1 the trap or with dogs4
 ,they are so thick here now that hounds
 would not be much good1 as the coyotes 
would change at any time and run them   
down4 ,i don't think there was a band of
 sheep anywhere in this country but what
 suffered more or less from coyotes last
 winter4 ,i trapped some last winter for
 the ,munz ,brothers1 and ,i saw where  
#dh sheep had been killed at one camp4  
,they had been camped there about ten   
days4 ,this is about an average killing 
if the weather is stormy4  ,in          
,southeastern ,oregon there is a desert 
about one hundred miles square1 and     
thirty or forty bands of sheep feed     
there every winter4 ,they run from two  

to three thousand sheep in a band4 ,the 
sheep men on this desert last winter1   
#aijd-'je1 paid #dj4jj per month and    
board for trappers to trap coyotes1 and 
the trappers were allowed to keep the   
furs they caught4 ,some of them made    
very large wages4  ,it is said that when
 hunting rabbits1 two coyotes will join 
forces and in this way one animal will  
drive the game to within reach of the   
other1 thus avoiding the fatigue caused 
by running down game4 ,naturalists also 
claim that the adult animals will       
sometimes drive the game close to the   
den1 so that the young coyotes may have 
the opportunity of killing it4 ,they    
frequently pick up scraps about the     
camps1 and if undisturbed1 will in a    
short time1 lose much of their timidity4
 ,old camping places are always         
inspected in the hopes of finding some  
morsel of food1 and one can always find 
coyote tracks in the ashes of the       
campfire4  ,though the coyote belongs to
 the flesh-eating class of animals1 it  

is not strictly carnivorous4 ,in late   
summer when the wild rose tips are red  
and sweet and berries are plentiful1 its
 flesh eating propensities forsake it in
 part and it adds fruit to its bill of  
fare4 ,whether this is caused by hunger 
or a change of appetite1 or whether the 
fruit acts as a tonic and the animal1   
instinctively1 realizes that it must    
tone up its system in preparation for   
the long winter1 is not known4          
,illustration3 ,a ,trapped ,coyote4     
,coyotes have a more regular breeding   
season than the timber wolves1 for      
practically all of the young make their 
appearance in the months of ,april and  
,may4 ,the number of young varies from  
five to twelve4 ,the young animals are  
of a yellowish grey color with brown    
ears and black tail1 muzzle tawny or    
yellowish brown4 ,as they become older  
they take on a lighter shade and the    
tail changes to greyish with a black    
tip4 ,both wolves and coyotes pair for  
the breeding season and the males stay  

with the females during the summer and  
help take care of the young4 ,it is     
probable that they do not breed until   
two years of age4 ,as soon as the young 
are strong enough1 and their eyes are   
open they commence to play about the    
mouth of the den and later on the mother
 leads them to the nearest water and    
finally allows them to accompany her on 
hunting excursions4 ,in late summer they
 start out to shift for themselves4  ,as
 before mentioned1 the coyote is a wary 
and cunning animal1 especially in the   
more settled portions of its range2     
where man is not too much in evidence1  
they are far less wary4 ,again the fact 
that there are several varieties may    
account for the difference in the nature
 of the animals of the various sections1
 anyway those of the southern part of   
the range are less wary than those of   
the ,north4 ,the trappers of ,texas1    
,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      
intelligent4 ,not only does the animal  
appear to know when you are armed but it
 also seems to know something of the    
range of the weapon and will sneak along
 provokingly close1 but just out of     
reach4 ,when one is unarmed they appear 
to be more bold and will loaf around in 
the most unconcerned manner imaginable4 
,in intelligence and cunning1 we        
consider the northern coyote the equal  
of the eastern red fox4 ,while the      
western trappers make very large catches
 of coyotes1 we believe that if foxes   
were found in equal numbers the catches 
of those animals would be fully as      
large4 ,the number of coyotes found in  
some parts of the ,west is almost       
incredible1 and in most parts one will  
find a hundred coyotes to one grey wolf4
    ,illustration3 ,track of the        
,coyote4  ,the coyote makes a track     
similar to that of the timber wolf1 but 
considerably smaller4 ,the length of    
step1 when walking1 is about sixteen    

inches and the footprints will measure  
about two or two and a fourth inches in 
length by one and a half in width4      
,,chapter ,,iii4  ,,killing ,,of ,,stock
 ,,and ,,game ,,by ,,wolves4            
,undoubtedly the wolves and coyotes of  
the ,united ,states and ,canada destroy 
more stock and game than all other      
predatory animals combined4 ,in the     
,western part of our country where stock
 raising is one of the principal        
industries1 the ranchmen suffer great   
losses from the depredation of these    
animals1 and in other sections the      
wolves destroy large quantities of game4
 ,the reason that wolves are more       
destructive than others of the carnivora
 is that when they have the opportunity1
 they kill far more than they can       
consume for food4 ,often they only tear 
a mouthful of flesh from the body of    
their victim2 sometimes they do not even
 kill the animal but leave it to suffer 
a slow and painful death4 ,the animals  
that are only slightly bitten are sure  

to die from blood poisoning1 according  
to the western ranchmen4                
,illustration3 ,wolves ,killing a ,deer4
  ,the wolf's method of attack is from  
the rear1 springing on its victim and   
hamstringing it and literally eating it 
alive4 ,the bite of the wolf is a       
succession of quick1 savage snaps and   
there is no salvation for the creature  
that has no means of defense from a rear
 attack4 ,this peculiar method of       
killing prey can not be practiced       
successfully on horses1 owing to the    
fact that they can defend themselves by 
kicking1 but for all of that1 a         
considerable number of colts and a few  
full grown horses are killed4 ,for this 
reason cattle suffer more than horses1  
but while the horse is1 to a certain    
extent1 exempt from attack by wolves1   
they are frequently killed by mountain  
lions1 because their method of attack1 a
 spring at the head and throat is more  
successful with these animals than with 
cattle4 ,as food1 however1 horse flesh  

is preferred to beef by both of these   
animals4  ,one of the western trappers  
writes3  ,many times in the past thirty 
years ,i have watched wolves catch cows4
 ,the wolf is by nature a coward and    
will not1 singly1 attack a grown cow1   
though he will by himself kill a pig1   
chicken1 calf1 goat or sheep4  ,on the  
ranges1 where the stockmen and          
settlements are far apart1 wolves go in 
bunches1 from three to ten or even more1
 and when very hungry a bunch of them   
will attack a grown bull4 ,they frighten
 him by snapping and playing around him 
till they get him on the run1 when the  
bunch give full chase and stay close at 
his heels4 ,while he is running in this 
way1 one or more of them will grab him  
by the ham strings just above the hock  
joint4 ,the bull makes1 of course1 a    
vigorous effort to free himself from the
 wolf1 but before he can do so1 the     
sharp teeth of the latter have cut or   
partially cut the ham string4 ,they keep
 him on the run till they finally cut   

him down in both ham strings and then he
 cannot go further or fight the hungry  
wolves off4  ,the whole bunch then eat  
his hams out while the bull is still    
alive1 and after they get their full    
they let him rest4 ,when they want to   
fill up again1 they return and eat him  
till he dies1 finishing the carcass as  
they require food4  ,i have seen horses 
and cattle killed by wolves in this way 
live for several days with their hams   
eaten out1 and have never seen the wolf 
make his attack or give chase in any    
other way4 ,being cowardly1 he always   
follows behind and keeps out of all     
danger from the bull's hoofs4  ,of      
cattle1 calves and yearlings are        
generally selected1 partly because the  
flesh of the younger animals is more to 
the wolf's liking and partly because    
they cannot defend themselves as readily
 as full grown animals1 but full grown  
steers are also killed at times4 ,far   
more cattle are killed than are eaten4  
,the wolf prefers fresh food always and 

in summer when their resources are      
unlimited they seldom return to the     
carcass for a second meal4  ,in         
,bulletin #gb1 issued by the ,united    
,states ,department of ,agriculture1 the
 author1 ,mr4 ,vernon ,bailey1 has the  
following to say on the subject3  ,the  
actual number of cattle killed by wolves
 can not be determined4 ,comparatively  
few animals are found by cattlemen and  
hunters1 when freshly killed1 with wolf 
tracks around them and with wolf marks  
on them4 ,not all of the adult cattle   
missing from a herd can surely be       
charged the depredations of wolves1     
while missing calves may have been taken
 by wolves1 by mountain lions1 or by    
'rustlers4'  ,nevertheless there are    
data enough from which to draw fairly   
reliable conclusions4 ,in the ,green    
,river ,basin1 ,wyoming1 on ,april #b1  
#aijf1 ,mr4 ,charles ,budd had #h       
yearling calves and #d colts killed in  
his pasture by wolves within six weeks4 
,at ,big ,piney a number of cattle and a

 few horses had been killed around the  
settlement during the previous fall and 
winter4 ,at ,pinedale1 members of the   
local stockmen's association counted #cj
 head of cattle killed in the valley    
around ,cora and ,pinedale in #aije1    
between ,april1 when the cattle were    
turned out on the range1 and ,june #cj1 
when they were driven to the mountains4 
,in #aijf1 wolves were said to have come
 into the pastures near ,cora and       
,pinedale and begun killing cattle in   
,january on the feed grounds1 and ,mr4  
,george ,glover counted up #bb head of  
cattle killed by them up to ,april #aj4 
,just north of ,cora1 ,mr4 ,alexander1 a
 well known ranchman1 told me that the  
wolves killed near his place in ,june1  
#aijd1 a large three year old steer1 a  
cow1 #c yearlings and a horse4 ,on the  
,g ,o ,s ,ranch1 in the ,gila ,forest   
,reserve in ,new ,mexico1 ,may #aa to   
#cj1 #aijf1 the cowboys on the round-up 
reported finding calves or yearlings    
killed by wolves almost daily1 and ,mr4 

,victor ,culberson1 president of the    
company1 estimated the loss by wolves on
 the ranch at #aj per cent4 of the      
cattle4  ,in a letter to the ,biological
 ,survey1 under date of ,april #c1      
#ahif1 ,mr4 ,r4 ,m4 ,allen1 general     
manager of the ,standard ,cattle        
,company1 with headquarters at ,ames1   
,neb41 and ranches in both ,wyoming and 
,montana1 states that in #ahid his      
company paid a #e4jj bounty at their    
,wyoming ranch on almost exactly #ejj   
wolves4 ,the total loss to ,wyoming     
through the depredations of wolves ,mr4 
,allen estimated at a million dollars a 
year4  ,in an address before the        
,national ,live ,stock ,association at  
,denver1 ,col41 ,january #be1 #ahii1    
,mr4 ,a4 ,j4 ,bothwell said3 ,in central
 ,wyoming my experience has been that   
these wolves kill from #aj to #bj per   
cent4 of the annual increase of the     
herds4  ,lieut4 ,e4 ,l4 ,munson1 of     
,chouteau ,county1 ,mont41 writing in   
,recreation1 says3 ,it is said that in  

this country the loss from wolves and   
coyotes is about #ae per cent4 99 99 99 
,wolves in this vicinity seldom kill    
sheep1 as the latter are too carefully  
herded4 ,they get a good many young     
colts1 but prey especially on young     
cattle4  ,mr4 ,j4 ,b4 ,jennett1 of      
,stanford1 ,montana1 says in            
,recreation3 ,a family of wolves will   
destroy about #c1jjj worth of stock per 
annum4  ,the loss caused by wolves and  
coyotes in ,big ,horn ,county1 ,wyo41 is
 estimated at three hundred thousand    
dollars per year4 ,it has been variously
 estimated that each grey wolf costs the
 stockmen from two hundred and fifty to 
one thousand dollars annually4  ,sheep1 
for some reason1 are seldom troubled by 
timber wolves in the ,west1 but suffer  
considerably from the attacks of        
coyotes2 in fact1 the loss occasioned   
the sheep men of ,wyoming and ,montana  
in this way is enormous4 ,in summer when
 the sheep are driven up into the       
mountains1 the coyotes migrate to those 

sections and kill sheep whenever the    
opportunity is presented4 ,in the fall  
when the sheep are brought down into the
 foothills1 the coyotes are also to be  
found in great numbers in those parts4  
,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 mountain lions 
combined4 ,farther south1 however1 it is
 the wolf that does the most mischief4  
,where timber wolves are plentiful and  
very little stock is raised1 as in the  
northern parts of ,michigan1 ,wisconsin 
and ,minnesota1 sheep are not safe from 
the attacks of wolves1 and for that     
reason few sheep are raised in those    
parts4 ,it is probably the fact that the
 western range is very open and the     
sheep always carefully guarded by       
herders that they suffer so little from 
timber wolves in the ,western ,states4  
,in the swamps of the ,southern ,states1
 and especially in the lowlands of      
,texas1 ,louisiana and ,arkansas1 hogs  

are sometimes killed by wolves4 ,in ,new
 ,mexico1 ,texas1 ,colorado and ,mexico 
where large numbers of goats are raised1
 these animals are frequently killed4   
,that an immense amount of game is      
killed in the wilder and less thickly   
settled portions of the ,united ,states 
and ,canada goes without saying4 ,in the
 ,west the wild game does not suffer as 
much as does the domestic animals1 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 part of    
,canada large numbers of deer and other 
game animals fall victims to these      
fierce creatures4 ,regarding the killing
 of game on the western cattle range1   
,mr4 ,bailey has the following to say3  
,at ,big ,piney1 ,wyoming1 ,i examined  
wolf dung in probably fifty places      
around dens and along wolf trails4 ,in  
about nine-tenths of the cases it was   
composed mainly or entirely of cattle or
 horse hair2 in all other cases but one1

 of rabbit fur and bones1 and in this   
one case mainly of antelope hair4 ,a    
herd of #bj or #cj antelope wintered    
about #e or #f miles from this den1 and 
the old wolves frequently visited the   
herd1 but ,i could find no other        
evidence that they destroyed antelope1  
though ,i followed wolf tracks for many 
miles among the antelope tracks on the  
snow4 ,jack rabbits were killed and     
eaten along the trails or brought to the
 den and eaten near it almost every     
night1 and a half eaten cottontail was  
found in the den with the little pups4  
,while wolves are usually found around  
antelope herds1 they are probably able  
to kill only the sick1 crippled and     
young4 ,the following note from ,wyoming
 appeared in the ,pinedale ,roundup of  
,july #d1 #aijf3  ,while riding on the  
outside circle with the late round-up1  
,nelse ,jorgensen chanced to see a wolf 
making away with a fawn antelope4 ,he   
gave chase to the animal1 but it        
succeeded in getting away1 never letting

 loose on its catch4  ,about a den near 
,cora1 the numerous deposits of wolf    
dung on the crest of the ridge not far  
away were found to be composed of horse 
and cattle hair1 though fresh elk tracks
 were abundant over the side hills on   
all sides of the den1 while cattle and  
horses were then to be found only in the
 valley1 #h miles distant4 ,several jack
 rabbits had been brought in and eaten  
and the old wolf on her way to the den  
had laid down her load1 evidently a jack
 rabbit1 gone aside some #bj feet and   
caught a ruffed grouse eaten it on the  
spot1 and then resumed her load and her 
journey to the waiting pups4 ,one small 
carpal bone in this den may have been   
from a deer or small elk1 but no other  
trace of game was found4  ,talking with 
hunters and trappers who spend much time
 in the mountains when the snow is on   
the ground brought little positive      
information on the destruction of elk or
 deer by wolves4 ,mr4 ,george ,glover1 a
 forest ranger long familiar with the   

,wind ,river ,mountains in both winter  
and summer1 said that he had found a    
large blacktail buck which the wolves   
had eaten1 but he suspected that it had 
been previously shot by hunters4 ,in    
many winters of trapping where elk were 
abundant1 ,mr4 ,glover has never found  
any evidence that elk had been killed by
 wolves4 ,coyotes constantly follow the 
elk herds1 especially in spring when the
 calves are being born1 and probably    
destroy many of the young1 but wolves   
apparently do not share this habit4 ,it 
seems probably1 however1 that in summer 
the young of both elk and deer suffer to
 some extent while the wolves are among 
them in the mountains4  ,in the         
,northern ,peninsula of ,michigan1      
wolves are very plentiful and large     
numbers of deer are killed during the   
winter months1 the remains being found  
later by hunters1 trappers1 and         
lumbermen4 ,the same conditions exist in
 ,northern ,minnesota and ,wisconsin1   
also in parts of ,ontario1 ,canada4 ,in 

the ,rainy ,river ,district1 wolves have
 always been abundant and much game has 
been killed by them4 ,farther east1 they
 are just making their appearance of    
late years having followed the deer     
which are coming into the country from  
some other section4 ,farther east1 in   
the eastern portions of ,new ,ontario   
and in some parts of ,quebec wolves are 
also numerous4 ,one of our friends from 
,northern ,wisconsin writes as follows3 
,illustration3 ,remains of ,deer ,killed
 by ,wolves4  ,i have trapped and caught
 five old female wolves since ,i came to
 ,iron ,county1 ,wisconsin1 six years   
ago4 ,two of them ,i got in ,michigan1  
,gogebic ,county1 as ,i live almost on  
the line4 ,there are times when you can 
see six or eight wolf tracks all going  
down the river or coming up at the same 
time4 ,you can go again for a week and  
never see a track4 ,i have followed them
 for a week1 in deep snow on snow shoes1
 and never left their track1 and in one 
week ,i set traps at #ej different deer 

that wolves had killed4 ,i might have   
gotten a few more wolves but the fox1   
mink1 cats1 skunk1 owls and porkys      
7porcupines7 were bound to butt in4 ,at 
one set ,i got a wolf1 #c foxes1 #a     
skunk1 #a mink and #aj porkys till      
,june4  ,two wolves caught a buck that  
would weigh #aej pounds1 within #aj rods
 of my camp one night4 ,the next morning
 there was not one pound of meat left on
 the bones4  ,i had a tent and one      
shanty in ,gogebic ,county last winter1 
and ,i know the wolves killed #ejj deer 
on the snow4 ,how many fawns and does   
did they kill in summer time when you   
cannot see their tracks8 ,the wild cats 
are not so bad1 a fawn1 rabbit or       
partridge makes a meal for them4  ,in   
the far north where the barren ground   
caribou is the principal game animal1   
and where wolves are plentiful1 there   
can be no doubt that they kill large    
numbers of those animals4 ,musk oxen are
 also killed1 and farther south the     
moose is killed by wolves1 but it is our

 belief that the number is comparatively
 small4 ,the moose is such a large and  
powerful animal that even a band of half
 starved wolves will1 as a rule1 pass it
 by1 but there can be no doubt of the   
fact that they do kill them on rare     
occasions4  ,the elk is a great enemy of
 the wolf and it appears that they are  
seldom molested4 ,beyond all doubt the  
deer is the principal prey of the timber
 wolf4    ,,chapter ,,iv4  ,,bounties4  
,for many years the state governments of
 the wolf infested country have been    
paying bounties on wolves and coyotes1  
to encourage the hunting and trapping of
 these animals4 ,it is doubtful1        
however1 whether the bounties offered   
are sufficient to encourage any1 other  
than the regular trappers1 to hunt      
wolves1 and if they are1 it has         
certainly had no definite results1 for  
the wolves and coyotes1 taken over the  
whole country1 are practically as       
plentiful as ever4  ,realizing that the 
state bounties were not a sufficient    

inducement to trappers1 certain of the  
counties of those states where wolves   
are most abundant1 offer additional     
bounty4 ,this has the effect of thinning
 the wolves out of that county alone1   
but they immediately become more        
plentiful in the adjoining portions of  
the country4  ,in some of the ,western  
,states1 the stockmen pay a bounty1 in  
addition to that offered by the state4  
,some of them even offer special        
inducements1 in addition to the bounties
 paid on the captured animals1 and among
 them may be mentioned1 board and       
lodging for the trapper1 bait for the   
traps and the use of saddle and pack    
horses4  ,such special offers to        
trappers have the effect of stimulating 
the hunting and trapping of noxious     
animals in that immediate vicinity and  
the result is1 a thinning out of the    
animals for the time being4 ,usually the
 trappers drift into those sections     
where the animals are most plentiful and
 the bounty is highest4  ,one of the    

,government bulletins has the following 
to say regarding the bounty question3   
,bounties1 even when excessively high1  
have proved ineffective in keeping down 
the wolves1 and the more intelligent    
ranchmen are questioning whether the    
bounty system pays4 ,in the past ten    
years ,wyoming has paid out in ,state   
bounties over #fe1jjj on wolves alone1  
and #afj1aef on wolves1 coyotes and     
mountain lions together1 and to this    
must be added still larger sums in local
 and county bounties on the same        
animals4  ,in many cases three bounties 
are paid on each wolf4 ,in the upper    
,green ,river ,valley the local         
stockmen's association pays a bounty of 
#aj on each wolf pup1 #bj on each grown 
dog wolf1 and #dj on each bitch with    
pup4 ,fremont ,county adds #c to each of
 these1 and the ,state of ,wyoming #c   
more4 ,many of the large ranchers pay a 
private bounty of #aj to #bj in addition
 to the county and state bounty4 ,gov4  
,bryant ,b4 ,brooks1 of ,wyoming1 paid  

six years ago1 on his ranch in ,natrona 
,county1 #aj each on #ej wolves in one  
year1 and considered it a good          
investment1 since it practically cleared
 his range of wolves for the time4 ,it  
invariably happens1 however1 that when  
cleared out of one section the wolves   
are left undisturbed to breed in        
neighboring sections1 and the depleted  
country is soon restocked4  ,a floating 
class of hunters and trappers receive   
most of the bounty money and drift to   
the sections where the bounty is        
highest4 ,if extermination is left to   
these men1 it will be a long process4   
,even some of the small ranch owners    
support themselves in part from the wolf
 harvest1 and it is not uncommon to hear
 men boast that they know the location  
of dens1 but are leaving the young to   
grow up for higher bounty4 ,the frauds1 
which have frequently wasted the funds  
appropriated for the destruction of     
noxious animals almost vitiate the wolf 
records of some of the ,states3 ,if     

bounties resulted in the extermination  
of the wolves or in an important        
reduction in their number1 the bounty   
system should be encouraged1 but if it  
merely begets fraud and yields a        
perpetual harvest for the support of a  
floating class of citizens1 other means 
should be adopted4    ,illustration3    
,grey ,wolf1 the ,kind on ,which ,bounty
 is ,paid4  ,the failure of bounties to 
accomplish their proposed object was    
clearly shown by ,dr4 ,t4 ,s4 ,palmer in
 #ahif4 ,under the heading1 ,what have  
bounties accomplished1 he says3         
,advocates of the bounty system seem to 
think that almost any species can be    
exterminated in a short time if the     
premiums are only high enough4          
,extermination1 however1 is not a       
question of months1 but of years1 and it
 is a mistake to suppose that it can be 
accomplished rapidly except under       
extraordinary circumstances1 as in the  
case of the buffalo and the fur seal4   
,theoretically1 a bounty should be high 

enough to insure the destruction of at  
least a majority of the individuals     
during the first season1 but it has     
already been shown that scarcely a      
single ,state has been able to maintain 
a high rate for more than a few months1 
and it is evident that the higher the   
rate1 the greater the danger of fraud4  
,although ,virginia has encouraged the  
killing of wolves almost from the first 
settlement of the colony1 and has       
sometimes paid as high as #be apiece for
 their scalps1 wolves were not          
exterminated until about the middle of  
this 7the past7 century1 or until the   
rewards had been in force for more than 
two hundred years4 ,nor did they become 
extinct in ,england until the beginning 
of the sixteenth century1 although      
efforts toward their extermination had  
been begun in the reign of ,king ,edgar 
7#iei-ige74 ,france1 which has          
maintained bounties on these animals for
 more than a century1 found it necessary
 to increase the rewards to #cj and #dj 

in #ahhb1 and in twelve years expended  
no less than #aae1jjj for nearly #h1jjj 
wolves4  ,the larger animals are        
gradually becoming rare1 particularly in
 the ,east1 but it can not be said that 
bounties have brought about the         
extermination of a single species in any
 ,state4  ,new ,hampshire has been      
paying for bears about as long as       
,maine1 but in #ahid the ,state         
treasurer called attention to the large 
number reported by four or five of the  
towns1 and added that should the other  
#bca towns 'be equally successful in    
breeding wild animals for the ,state    
market1 in proportion to their tax levy1
 it would require a ,state tax levy of  
nearly #b1jjj1jjj to pay the bounty     
claims' ,even ,new ,york withdrew the   
rewards on bears in #ahie1 not because  
they had become unnecessary1 but because
 the number of animals killed increased 
steadily each year4  ,wolf skins are    
often ruined by the requirements of     
bounty laws1 especially when the head1  

feet1 or ears are cut off4 ,the         
importance of preserving the skins in   
condition to bring the highest market   
price is as great as that of making it  
impossible to collect bounties twice4 ,a
 slit in the skin can be sewed up so    
that it will never show on the fur side1
 but can not be concealed on the inside4
 ,a single longitudinal or vertical     
slit1 or double or cross slits #d inches
 long1 in the center where the fur is   
longest1 would serve every purpose of   
the law without seriously impairing the 
market value of the skin4  ,one thing   
that is detrimental to the success of   
the bounty system1 is the invariable red
 tape connected with such laws4 ,in some
 states the bounty regulations are so   
complicated and so exacting1 that       
trappers do not care to follow wolfing  
because of the trouble in securing the  
bounty money4  ,it would be impossible1 
in a work of this kind1 to give the     
bounty laws of the different states1    
also as they are repealed so frequently1

 detailed information on that subject   
would be of little value to the         
prospective hunter or trapper4 ,we give1
 however1 an outline of the regulations 
in some of the principal wolf states4   
,the ,state of ,wyoming pays a bounty of
 five dollars each on timber wolves and 
mountain lions1 and one dollar and      
twenty-five cents for each coyote4 ,in  
addition to this1 there are both county 
and stockmen's bounties in certain parts
 of the state4 ,some ranchmen offer as  
much as forty-five dollars each1 for    
grey wolves caught on their ranches4    
,in order to secure the state bounty1   
one must present the entire skin to the 
,county ,clerk1 or ,notary ,public1 of  
the county in which the animal was      
killed1 and accompanied by affidavit to 
the effect that the animal was killed in
 that county1 by the person presenting  
the skin1 on or after ,march #ast1      
#aiji4 ,the skin must have the feet and 
upper jaw or head1 with both upper and  
lower lips attached4 ,the head will then

 be cut off and destroyed by the county 
official4 ,applicants for bounty must be
 identified4  ,with regard to private   
bounties1 one should consult the county 
officials1 but these1 and in that case1 
the state bounty also1 are as a rule1   
paid by the treasurer of the association
 offering the bounty4  ,wisconsin pays  
twenty dollars on old wolves and eight  
dollars each on pups4 ,half of this     
bounty money is paid by the state and   
the other half by the county4 ,in order 
to secure it1 the trapper must take the 
carcass of the animal to the ,town      
,chairman and remove the scalp in his   
presence4 ,he gives a certificate to    
that effect and the bounty claimant     
presents the scalp and certificate to   
the ,county ,clerk1 who destroys the    
scalp and gives an order to the ,county 
,treasurer for one-half of the bounty4  
,the ,county ,clerk also sends an       
affidavit to the ,state ,treasurer1     
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 state4  ,in   
the ,state of ,washington the bounty is 
fifteen dollars on timber wolves and one
 dollar on coyotes4 ,the method of      
procuring the bounty as given here is   
copied direct from the game law         
pamphlet3  ,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 cougar1 
lynx1 wild cat1 coyote or timber wolf1  
killed in such county1 each of which    
hides or pelts shall show two ears1 eye 
holes1 skin to tip of nose1 and right   
fore leg to the knee join intact1 the   
county auditor shall require            
satisfactory proof that such animal was 
killed in such county4 ,when the county 
auditor is satisfied that such animal   
was killed in his county1 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      

official1 who shall certify to the date 
and place of such burning4  ,utah pays a
 bounty of ten dollars on grey wolves   
and two dollars and fifty cents on      
coyotes4 ,the entire skin1 with tail1   
feet and the bones of the leg1 to the   
knee1 must be presented to the ,county  
,clerk within sixty days of the date on 
which said animal was killed4 ,the      
,county ,clerk must then remove and     
destroy the bones of the legs and the   
applicant will sign an affidavit stating
 that the animal was killed by himself1 
in that county and within sixty days    
prior to that date4  ,the county        
official will then send a certified     
statement to the ,state ,auditor1 along 
with the other papers1 who1 after same  
have been examined1 will transmit the   
bounty money to the claimant4  ,no      
bounty will be paid on the skin of a    
grey wolf until it has been seen and    
passed upon by the board of county      
commissioners at their first regular    
meeting4 ,bounty claimants must be      

identified by a reputable citizen and   
tax payer of the county4  ,in ,minnesota
 the bounty on grown wolves is seven    
dollars and fifty cents and one dollar  
for wolf pups4 ,the bounty regulations  
are practically the same as in the other
 states2 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 killing4  ,in     
other states1 if our information is     
correct1 the bounties at present 7#aiji7
 are as follows3              ,,adult   
,,wolves4 ,,young ,,wolves4 ,,coyotes4  
,arizona         #aj #jj                
#b #jj   ,arkansas          #e #jj      
,colorado          #e #jj               
#a #jj   ,idaho            #aj #jj8     
#a #jj8   ,kansas            #e #jj     
#a #jj   ,michigan         #be #jj      
#aj #jj   ,montana          #aj #jj     
#c #jj   ,nebraska          #d #jj      
#a #be   ,new ,mexico       #bj #jj     
#b #jj   ,north ,dakota      #d #ej     

#b #ej   ,oregon           #aj #jj      
#g #jj   ,south ,dakota      #e #jj     
#a #ej  ,,the ,,canadian ,,provinces4   
,alberta          #aj #jj          #a   
#jj     #a #jj   ,british ,columbia #ae 
#jj                   #b4jj   ,ontario  
#ae #jj   ,quebec           #ae #jj     
,saskatchewan      #c #jj               
#a #jj  ,the fraud so often practiced by
 unscrupulous parties has always been   
detrimental to the efficacy of the      
bounty system4 ,the ,bureau of          
,biological ,survey1 have issued a      
special circular on this subject and    
being of general interest1 it is        
reprinted here4  ,,waste ,,in ,,bounty  
,,payments4  ,the bounty system has     
everywhere proved an incentive to fraud1
 and thousands of dollars are wasted    
annually in paying bounties on coyote   
scalps offered in place of wolves1 and  
on the scalps of dogs1 foxes1 coons1    
badgers1 and even cats1 which are palmed
 off for wolves and coyotes4 ,if in all 
states having the bounty system whole   

skins1 including nose1 ears1 feet1 and  
tail of both adult and young animals1   
were required as valid evidence for     
bounty payments1 the possibility of     
deception would be reduced to a minimum4
 ,the common practice of paying bounty  
on scalps alone1 or in some cases merely
 the ears1 is dangerous1 as even an     
expert can not always positively        
identify such fragments4 ,a satisfactory
 way of marking skins on which the      
bounty has been paid is by a slit #d to 
#f inches long between the ears4 ,this  
does not injure the skins for subsequent
 use4 ,if all bounty-paying states would
 adopt such a system1 the possibility of
 collecting more than one bounty on the 
same skin in different states would be  
avoided4  ,the following directions have
 been prepared as an aid to county and  
state officers in identifying scalps1   
skins1 and skulls of wolves and coyotes1
 the pups of wolves1 coyotes1 red1 grey1
 and kit foxes1 and young bob-cats1     
coons and badgers4  ,the variation in   

dogs is so great that no one set of     
characters will always distinguish them 
from wolves or coyotes1 but when there  
is reason to suspect that dogs are being
 presented for bounties1 their skins and
 skulls should be sent to the           
,biological ,survey for positive        
identification4 ,it goes without saying 
that anyone detected in such fraud      
should be prosecuted with a view to the 
suppression of these dishonest          
practices4  ,,key ,,to ,,adult ,,wolves 
,,and ,,coyotes4    ,width of nose pad  
,,wolf4 #a #a_/d to #a #a_/b inches     
,,coyote4 #c_/d to #a inch    ,width of 
heel pad of front foot     ,,wolf4 #a   
#a_/b to #b inches     ,,coyote4 #a inch
    ,upper canine tooth--greatest       
diameter at base     ,,wolf4 #e_/aj to  
#f_/aj inch     ,,coyote4 #c_/aj to     
#d_/aj inch  ,these characters will not 
always hold in ,oklahoma and ,texas east
 and south of the ,staked ,plains1 where
 there is a small wolf in size between  
the ,coyote and ,lobo or ,plains wolf4  

,illustration3 ,difference in ,sizes of 
,noes1 ,heel ,pads and ,canine ,teeth of
 ,wolves and ,coyotes4  ,,key ,,to      
,,wolf1 ,,coyote ,,and ,,fox ,,pups4    
,wolf ,pups4     ,muzzle blackish at    
birth1 fading in a month or #f weeks to 
greyish4     ,head greyish in decided   
contrast to black of back1 nose and     
ears4     ,ears black at tips1 fading to
 greyish in a month or #f weeks4        
,tail black1 fading to grey with black  
tip4    ,coyote ,pups4     ,muzzle      
tawny1 or yellowish brown1 becoming more
 yellowish with       age4     ,head    
yellowish grey1 not strongly contrasted 
with rest of body4     ,ears dark brown 
at tips and back1 soon fading to        
yellowish brown4     ,tail black1 fading
 to grey with black tip4    ,red ,fox   
,pups4     ,muzzle blackish4     ,head  
dusky with side of face light yellowish4
     ,ears large1 nearly the whole back 
of ears bright black at all       ages4 
,eyes and ears relatively larger and    
nose pad smaller than in       coyote or

 wolf4     ,tail dusky1 tip white at all
 ages4    ,grey ,fox ,pups4     ,muzzle 
blackish4     ,head greyish1 face back  
or eyes sharply pepper and salt grey4   
,ears large1 back of ears dusky at tip1 
fulvous at base4     ,eyes and nose pad 
small4     ,tail with tip black at all  
ages4    ,kit ,fox ,pups4     ,muzzle   
with blackish patch on each side4       
,head and face tawny or yellowish brown4
     ,ears tawny without black backs or 
tips4     ,eyes larger and nose pad     
smaller than in young coyote4     ,tail 
with tip black at all ages4  ,,key ,,to 
,,young ,,cats1 ,,coons ,,and ,,badgers4
    ,young bobcats are much striped and 
spotted4 ,young cats of any kind     can
 be distinguished by the short nose and 
round head4   ,young coons have a broad 
black band across the face and eyes     
bordered above by a light band4   ,young
 badgers have a white stripe between the
 eyes4  ,the bounty laws have always    
been a good thing for the trapper as    
they have helped much towards making his

 occupation a lucrative one1 but1 as    
before explained1 it is doubtful if it  
has ever1 in any marked degree1 tended  
to decrease the numbers of predatory    
animals4  ,it is true that continued    
trapping will cause the numbers of      
wolves and coyotes to diminish1 but     
would not the trapping be prosecuted    
practically the same1 even if there were
 no bounties8 ,we believe that it would1
 for if the bounty offered were any     
great incentive1 there would be more    
trapping done during the summer when the
 furs were of no account4  ,neither do  
we believe that it ever induces others1 
not trappers1 to kill these animals1 for
 they will kill them on every           
opportunity1 bounty or no bounty4 ,it is
 man's nature to kill1 for he is the    
enemy of all animal life4    ,,chapter  
,v4  ,,hunting ,,young ,,wolves ,,and   
,,coyotes4  ,of the many methods of     
hunting and otherwise capturing wolves  
and coyotes1 employed by the            
professional wolfers of the west1 none  

is more remunerative than the hunting of
 the young animals during the spring    
season4 ,while the fur of the adult     
animals is of little value at that time 
and that of the young is not worth      
saving1 the bounty which is usually paid
 for wolf and coyote pups will fully    
compensate for all loss from that       
source4 ,at that time of year 7,march1  
,april and ,may7 there is very little   
fur of any value1 to be had but the wolf
 hunter can combine wolf trapping and   
the hunting of the parent animals with  
the killing of the young1 and the large 
bounties paid by many of the states and 
the various provinces of ,canada1 will  
alone enable one to do a profitable     
business4  ,in those parts of our       
country where the extermination of the  
wolves and coyotes is necessary for the 
protection of stock and game and the    
authorities and stockmen co-operate for 
the destruction of predatory animals1   
the hunting of the young animals during 
the breeding season should be especially

 encouraged4 ,in no other way can the   
number of wolves be so surely reduced4  
,to those who are well acquainted with  
the habits of the wolf1 their time of   
breeding and the most favored breeding  
grounds1 this mode of hunting is very   
simple4    ,illustration3 ,a ,wyoming   
,wolf ,den4    ,illustration3 ,a ,near  
,view of the ,den4  ,wolves breed much  
earlier than is commonly supposed1 even 
by stockmen who have resided for a      
considerable length of time in the wolf 
country4 ,the majority of young wolves  
are born in ,march in the ,western      
,states and the young of the coyote make
 their appearance mainly in ,april1 but 
occasional litters of both will appear  
in ,may1 and grey wolves may be born at 
any time during the summer4  ,on the    
western cattle range1 the dens of the   
wolf and coyote are located mainly in   
the valleys among the foothills of the  
mountain ranges and among the low       
mountains1 but seldom at any great      
elevation4 ,the steep side of a hill or 

canyon facing the south is the most     
favored location1 and the rougher and   
more broken and brushy the ground1 the  
better it suits the wolves for denning  
purposes4 ,they especially like knolls1 
strewn with large boulders1 from which  
the male parent can watch for the       
approach of enemies4  ,as before        
mentioned1 the mode of hunting is very  
simple4 ,all that is necessary is to    
look carefully over the breeding grounds
 until tracks are found and these should
 be followed to the den4 ,it is safe to 
say that at that time of year1 nine out 
of every ten tracks will lead to a den4 
,on the northern portions of the range1 
there is almost certain to be good      
tracking snow during the early part of  
the breeding season1 but even if the    
ground is bare it is not generally a    
difficult matter to trail the animals to
 the den4 ,a track that has been made in
 the evening should be followed         
backwards and one made in the morning   
should be followed forwards1 as the     

wolves do most of their hunting at night
 and return to the den in the early     
morning4 ,when the track can not be     
followed1 if one can get the general    
course of it1 the lay of the land will  
enable one1 on many occasions1 to locate
 the den4  ,whenever the hunter hears of
 wolves1 or their signs having been seen
 frequently1 he should make a diligent  
search for the den4 ,as the old mother  
wolf always goes to the nearest water to
 drink1 the number of tracks at a       
watering place will often be a dead     
give-away and a careful search of the   
locality will usually result in the     
discovery of the den4 ,as the den is    
approached1 the tracks will become more 
numerous1 and near by there will be well
 beaten trails4 ,where tracks are       
numerous one should keep watch for the  
male1 sentinel wolf1 as he will always  
be on the lookout somewhere near the den
 and his position will enable one to    
locate it more readily4 ,as one         
approaches1 the male animal will howl   

and endeavor to draw the hunter off in  
pursuit and thus prevent the finding of 
the den4 ,their tricks on such occasions
 show considerable intelligence4  ,when 
looking for dens on bare ground1 a dog1 
if he understands the work is very      
useful4 ,a fox hound that is well       
trained on fox is good1 but if trained  
for this style of hunting especially1   
will be found to be better4 ,unless on  
the trail of a bachelor wolf1 which by  
the way are occasionally found during   
the breeding season1 the dog will       
readily trail the wolf to the den4 ,it  
is best to go early in the morning as   
the trail will be fresher at that time  
and the dog is more apt to follow a     
fresh trail1 therefore1 more certain of 
locating the den4 ,in all probability1  
one of the old wolves will attempt to   
draw the dog off for a mile or two1 but 
in that case the mother will endeavor to
 return to her young4 ,sometimes they   
find it necessary to fight the dogs and 
try to keep them from approaching too   

near the den4 ,anyway the actions of the
 animals will show when they are in the 
vicinity of the den1 which may then be  
readily located4    ,illustration3      
,young ,wolf ,pups at the ,entrance of a
 ,den4  ,one hunter who uses a dog for  
this style of hunting says3 ,the kind of
 a dog needed is a good ranger1 extra   
good cold trailer and an everlasting    
stayer4 ,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 found1 you have a    
good dog that is worth a large price4   
,there are plenty of dogs that will hunt
 and trail wolves all right1 but very   
few that will hunt the pups4  ,the den  
is usually a natural one2 a hole worn in
 the rocks by the elements1 or in washed
 out cavities in the hard ground of the 
bad lands4 ,down in the valleys they    
sometimes den in the ground1 enlarging  
the burrow of a badger or other animal4 
,the opening is1 as a rule1 large enough
 to allow one to enter and secure the   

pups1 but sometimes it will be necessary
 to dig the den open4 ,for dens in the  
rocks1 which are too small to allow one 
to enter1 the hunter should provide a   
hook1 something on the order of a gaff  
hook such as is used by fishermen4 ,the 
hook should be of fair size1 very sharp1
 and should be attached to a handle     
about three or four feet in length4 ,a  
famous western wolf hunter in speaking  
of his outfit says3  ,i will say to the 
boys who intend to hunt pups1 get two or
 three strong fish hooks and a strong   
cord and carry them in your pocket4 ,you
 can usually find a small stick or pole 
of some kind4 ,when you find a den1 tie 
your hooks on end of stick1 wrapping    
cord very tight4 ,if you use two hooks1 
put one on each side of stick4 ,shove   
your stick in the den among the pups and
 turn or twist it and you will soon have
 a pup hooked4 ,this works the best of  
anything ,i have ever tried2 where pups 
are small4 ,i have gotten many a bunch  
or pups this way1 when my pick or shovel

 would be five or six miles away4       
,illustration3 ,the ,hunter's ,outfit4  
,when the pups get too large and strong 
to pull out alive1 ,i put a candle on   
the stick1 shove it into the den and lay
 on my stomach4 ,with a #bb rifle ,i    
shoot the pups in the head and then they
 are easily pulled out with the fish    
hooks4 ,i mean this for dens that cannot
 be dug out1 as there are many of them  
in rock ledges and in holes in the solid
 rock4 ,instead of the candles mentioned
 by this hunter1 some prefer to use a   
lantern and one wolfer uses a hunting   
lamp1 attached to his hat4 ,some sort of
 firearm should be carried always4 ,a   
revolver is good for use in the den1 but
 a rifle is best outside4    #jgd ,an   
,oklahoma ,hunter with ,young ,coyotes  
,taken from ,den4  ,it is not often that
 the mother wolf will be found in the   
den1 as she usually makes her escape    
before one comes near1 but should she be
 found at home she should be disposed of
 first4 ,there is no danger1 whatever1  

from the adult wolves4 ,one of our      
western friends in speaking of this     
says3 ,i never hesitate in entering a   
wolf den1 even when ,i know the mother  
wolf is with her young1 and have never  
known one to act vicious1 but always    
sneaking and cowardly4 ,a few years ago 
at the ,cypress ,hills in ,canada ,i    
entered a den and took ten pups4 ,the   
mother crawled as far from me as she    
could and never raised her head4 ,i set 
my #cj-cj ,savage and pulled it off with
 a rope1 shooting her through the heart4
 ,it was forty feet from the entrance of
 the hole to where she lay1 and it was  
midnight when ,i got her out4 ,i had to 
move some dirt and rocks and it was a   
big job4  ,i have killed other grown    
wolves in the den and have never known  
one to show fight4 ,of course1 ,i always
 use a lantern to see what ,i am doing1 
and would not enter a den without one4  
,the young wolves should be killed      
immediately and live pups should never  
be handled with bare hands1 as blood    

poisoning is likely to result from a    
bite4    ,,chapter ,,vi4  ,,hunting     
,,wolves ,,with ,,dogs4  ,beyond 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 animals are fairly      
plentiful and the surface of the country
 is not too rough1 is also profitable4  
,in parts of the states of ,minnesota1  
,wisconsin and ,michigan1 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 ,mountains1 also 
in ,western ,canada1 wolf hunting is a  
very popular sport among the ranchmen4  
,among the dogs that are most approved  
of by the wolf and coyote hunters1 may  
be mentioned the fox hound1 the         
greyhounds1 and stag hounds of various  
varieties1 the bloodhound and crosses of
 these dogs4 ,the grey hounds are the   
swiftest of dogs and a pair of them are 
invariably to be found in a pack1 the   

balance being some heavier and fiercer  
breed of dog1 such as the blood hound1  
fox hound or a cross of the two4 ,it is 
the grey hounds that run the game down  
and hold it until the arrival of the    
balance of the pack1 the heavier dogs   
doing the actual fighting4  ,one who has
 followed wolf hunting extensively gives
 the following short but interesting    
description of the sport3 ,on the open  
plains of the west1 wolves are often    
hunted with large swift running dogs1   
grey hounds1 stag or wolf hounds or     
their crosses4 ,the hunters go on       
horseback and the wolves are usually    
roused out of some coulee or draw4      
,sometimes trail hounds are used to     
start the game1 on breaking from cover  
and being sighted by the running dogs   
the race is on4 ,wolf1 dogs and         
horsemen1 race across the often rough   
and dangerous ground at breakneck speed4
 ,the wolf1 maneuvering to gain the     
coulee or cover of some sort and get out
 of sight of the dogs 7the running dogs 

have only slight scenting powers and    
depend entirely on their sight74 ,the   
lighter and swifter grey hounds1 as a   
rule1 are the first to overtake the wolf
 and by coming up alongside and snapping
 at his flanks1 force him to turn and   
face them1 thus giving the heavier and  
fiercer wolf hounds a chance to close in
 and grapple with and kill the wolf4    
,unless the dogs are well trained and   
very courageous1 a large timber wolf    
often proves more than a match for the  
bunch of four or five dogs4  ,no matter 
what kind of dogs are used1 they must be
 good tonguers and good fighters1 and   
must have an abundance of strength and  
endurance4 ,it is needless to say that  
the dog must be trained and this must be
 done at an early age4 ,the young dog   
should never be run alone1 for the wolf 
is likely to fight it off and once the  
young dog is driven back it will be     
spoiled for hunting purposes4  ,one of  
our ,kansas friends in speaking of wolf 
dogs says3 ,we have plenty of wolves    

7coyotes7 and have had for the twenty   
years we have kept dogs4 ,as to         
breeding1 we used an ,english greyhound 
bitch with courage1 speed and a special 
hatred for a wolf1 crossed with an      
,english fox hound with all the         
qualities necessary1 except the speed4  
,we then picked the bitch with the most 
good qualities and crossed her with     
another fox hound whose ancestry is     
perfect4 ,here we get the dog we are    
using now and with which we have made   
the most satisfactory of catches4 ,we   
seldom have a run lasting more than     
three hours and catch many1 when        
vegetation is not too high1 in from one 
to one and a half hours4 ,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 game4        
,evidently the party who used this breed
 of dog has endeavored to instill into  
the one type1 all of the good qualities 
of the several breeds that go to make up
 the regulation pack of wolf dogs4 ,it  

is surmised1 also1 that the one breed of
 dog is used alone1 when chasing wolves4
 ,in ,western ,canada1 wolf hunting is a
 favorite sport and one of the hunters  
from that section in speaking on this   
subject gives the following method of   
hunting3  ,first1 we put a box on the   
sleigh big enough to hold our dogs and  
then hook up a lively team1 and strike  
across the country1 leaving the dogs run
 along side4 ,when a wolf is sighted1 we
 get the dogs into the box and drive as 
close to the wolf as we can--that's     
usually from three to five hundred      
yards--then turn the dogs loose and     
cheer them to victory4 ,the dogs usually
 run down the wolf within a mile1 and we
 follow as fast as horse flesh can take 
us4 ,when the leading dog gets          
alongside1 the wolf stops1 and in a     
second the dogs form a circle around him
 and he is a goner4 ,some hunters just  
turn the dogs loose1 not knowing when   
they are ever going to see them again4  
,that plan would not work with me4 ,good

 hounds are too expensive to monkey with
 that way4 ,i have found that letting   
one or two dogs on a wolf trail spoils  
them1 because one wolf will give two    
dogs all they can handle1 and sometimes 
a little bit more1 especially if they   
are young dogs4 ,it takes two old dogs  
at least1 to handle one wolf1 and ,i    
have seen them get the hard end of it4  
,the wolf perhaps would take to running 
into the scrub and then it wouldn't be  
long until a pair of wolves would be    
slashing your dogs or 'fleecing' the    
stuffing out of them4    ,illustration3 
,catch of a ,canadian ,hunter ,who ,uses
 ,dogs4  ,those who make a business of  
wolf hunting1 or in other words1 those  
who hunt for profit1 do not always allow
 the dogs to fight and kill the wolf1   
but carry a gun with them1 on all       
occasions and if they have an           
opportunity to shorten the chase by     
means of a well directed bullet1 do not 
hesitate to do so4 ,a high powered rifle
 should be used and one should learn to 

handle it in a business-like way4 ,in   
the ,western ,states where the large    
ranches are rapidly disappearing and the
 farm1 with the barbed wire fence is    
taking its place1 wolf hunting will soon
 be a thing of the past4 ,mr4 ,jack     
,kinsey1 one of the most noted wolfers  
of the ,west1 gives a description of an 
exciting wolf chase1 in which he        
illustrates this point1 and we give the 
story in his own words3  ,while ,i was  
in ,dakota last winter ,i had two       
exciting wolf chases4 ,i was stopping   
with ,mr4 ,wm4 ,clanton1 a cowman1      
living seven miles south of ,harding1   
,s4 ,d4 ,one day ,i was in his shop     
putting a coyote hide on a stretcher1   
when one of his neighbors drove up and  
asked ,mr4 ,clanton if he had a rifle4  
,he said1 ',yes1 there is a wolfer here 
who has one4' ',why1' his friend said1  
'there are two big grey wolves just back
 over that hill4'  ,i waited for no more
 but ran for my horse and gun4 ,clanton 
saw me going to the barn and told me to 

bring his horse4 ,now ,i was not long in
 getting those horses and we were soon  
on their trail4 ,we followed their      
tracks about one and one-half miles when
 we sighted them4 ,picking out the      
largest of the two we both rode after   
him4 ,the wolf started west towards some
 bad lands1 but ,mr4 ,clanton was riding
 a good young horse and he soon turned  
the wolf south1 but now he was headed   
straight for a wire fence4  ,mr4        
,clanton would have succeeded in turning
 him again1 but he struck a ditch full  
of snow1 so the wolf got inside the     
pasture but ,i was fixed for wire       
fences4 ,i had my trapping axe on my    
saddle and soon made a gate that we did 
not stop to fix up4 ,we had run the wolf
 five or six miles by this time1 and our
 horses were pretty well winded4 ,so we 
pulled them up and let them take a      
slower gait until we got through the    
other side of the pasture4  ,as ,i said 
before1 ,mr4 ,clanton was riding the    
best horse1 so he kept the outside while

 ,i took advantage of the cuts4 ,mr4    
,clanton was just far enough ahead of me
 to make one throw at the wolf with his 
rope1 but he missed him4 ,the wolf cut  
in behind his horse1 when ,i rode in    
front of him and put a #cj-dj soft point
 in his head4 ,he was a very large grey 
wolf4 ,his hide stretched #f #a_/b feet 
long4 ,on the way back we saw three more
 wolves and two coyotes4  ,we give the  
following spirited account of a wolf    
hunt which occurred in ,south ,dakota3  
,will tell about one of my hunts behind 
a pair of wolf hounds that are certainly
 right when it comes to coyotes4 ,i left
 my home here in ,illinois on the #abth 
of ,december and arrived at ,presho1 ,s4
 ,d41 early the #adth1 where my friends 
met me1 and we started for the ranch1   
which is about midway between ,presho   
and ,pierre4  ,when we got to the       
reservation fence 7,brule ,reservation71
 we kept a lookout for coyote signs1 and
 located a place that we thought would  
be all right1 and planned a hunt for the

 following ,saturday4  ,the day proved  
all that could be desired1 so we started
 out at noon4 ,earl1 ,claude1 ,mort1    
,chas41 ,sheldon and myself1 with the   
two hounds1 ,ike and ,lucy4 ,a ride of  
about two miles brought us to the       
reservation1 and the hunt was on4  ,our 
outfit consisted of our saddled ponies  
and team and buggy1 and by standing up  
in the buggy seat we located two coyotes
 on the side hill playing in the high   
grass4 ,a circle around the hill and    
,lucy discovered them and was off with  
,ike a second1 as he was not as fast as 
,lucy4  ,away we all go across the      
prairie with the team and buggy         
following the reservation fence to keep 
the coyote away from the fence4 ,it was 
a short chase1 as ,lucy soon had ,mr4   
,coyote by the hind leg and turned him  
on his back quicker than it can be told1
 and ,ike being close at hand soon had  
him by the throat1 so by the time we    
could get out horses stopped and turned 
,mr4 ,coyote was no more4  ,after       

skinning1 we started for the buggy and  
,sheldon reported coyote ,no4 #b headed 
south down the draw1 and ,earl went     
after him around the hill and drove him 
back our way4  ,a shout from that       
direction and the dogs have discovered  
,no4 #b and we are away with ,lucy in   
the lead1 and this time we are not far  
behind1 so that when the dogs got him we
 were right there1 and the coyote not   
much hurt1 so he gets a rope halter and 
is stowed away alive under the buggy    
seat4  ,the dogs are panting hard and   
are very thirsty1 with no water closer  
than five miles1 so we head for home1   
but not far away on the hillside another
 one is seen and the buggy starts toward
 the left to head him toward the ranch1 
so the dogs will be running toward home 
when they jump him4  ,this time ,ike    
catches sight and is off1 and ,lucy cuts
 across to head him off4 ,it is a short 
chase1 for old ,ike soon has his        
favorite hold and all is over4  ,after  
skinning we started for home and as ,i  

hadn't ridden much for over a year you  
can gamble ,i was feeling pretty sore1  
for the pace a pack of hounds set isn't 
slow by a long shot4 ,on driving into   
the yard the dogs were not slow about   
getting into the house and lying down4  
,the live coyote we tied to the buggy   
wheel1 and while ,i was gone after a    
strap and chain he bit the rope off and 
'cut the mustard' for parts unknown with
 about a foot of rope still hanging to  
him4  ,we have good hunting here in the 
spring and fall1 plenty of chickens and1
 some ducks and geese1 with lots of jack
 rabbits and 7,flicker ,tails71 prairie 
dogs1 and their side partners1 owls and 
rattlers4  ,our outfit is the bar circle
 outfit1 ,o and ,i think our ,holstein  
cattle are among the first herds in the 
state4 ,have since this hunt disposed of
 my interest in the ,o but still have a 
bunch of cattle at ,presho1 which supply
 the town with milk4    ,,chapter ,,vii4
  ,,still ,,hunting ,,wolves ,,and      
,,coyotes4  ,hunting wolves with dogs1  

as described in the preceding chapter is
 certainly exciting sport but it is     
doubtful if it is as remunerative as    
still-hunting1 especially in the rough  
sections where hunting with dogs is     
almost impracticable4 ,in parts of the  
country where wolves and coyotes are    
plentiful1 as they are in many of the   
thinly settled portions of the ,west1   
they may be still hunted at all times of
 the year4 ,in the heavily timbered     
parts of the ,north1 this method is     
practical only in winter4  ,the outfit  
that is needed for still-hunting in the 
,west is one or more good saddle horses 
and the necessary equipment and a good1 
high powered rifle4 ,a pair of field    
glasses will also be useful1 but some   
hunters equip their rifles with         
telescope sights and the field glass is 
unnecessary4 ,hunters differ in their   
views1 and with regard to rifles        
especially1 there is a great difference 
of opinion4 ,what one believes to be    
perfect1 and which answers his purpose  

admirably1 another has no use for       
whatever4  ,the arm selected should1    
however1 have considerable power1 and   
the flight of the bullet should be      
rapid1 with a low trajectory4 ,on the   
,western ,plains the atmosphere is so   
light and transparent1 and there is such
 a sameness to the surface of the       
country that one may easily be deceived 
in distances and with the high powered  
long-ranged rifle1 there is less        
liability of errors1 as the accurate    
estimating of distances is not          
necessary4  ,a gun of rapid action is   
also to be recommended and beyond all   
doubt the automatic acting arms are     
superior for shooting at running game4  
,personally1 if the writer were         
selecting an arm for this kind of       
hunting1 a high powered automatic rifle 
would be chosen1 and it would be fitted 
with a small bead front sight and       
hunting peep rear sight4 ,for use on    
horse back the shorter barrels are to be
 preferred4  ,in speaking of the outfit 

it is presumed that the wolf hunter     
would be a resident of the western      
country and would be hunting from home  
or anyway1 making his headquarters at   
some ranch and hunting from there4 ,if1 
however1 he wants to go out into virgin 
territory1 or if a stranger1 he might   
find it necessary to camp out and in    
that case he would require a complete   
camping outfit4 ,some of the western    
wolfers use covered wagons for camps and
 this style of camp is very convenient  
as it may be moved easily1 but if the   
surface of the country is very rough1   
this plan is not practical4 ,in that    
case a tent would be needed and the     
hunter would use a pack horse in moving 
camp4    ,illustration3 ,a ,still       
,hunter and ,his ,outfit4  ,speaking of 
saddle horses1 in the more arid parts of
 the wolf country1 the vegetation is    
scanty and horses require considerable  
time in which to rustle food4 ,for that 
reason the same horse can not be used   
each day and one should have several so 

that each would have plenty of time to  
recuperate1 after use4 ,if one can      
obtain horses that will allow one to    
shoot from the saddle1 so much the      
better4 ,no special knowledge of hunting
 is required1 but one should be expert  
in the use of the rifle1 and should also
 be a good rider4 ,all that is necessary
 is to ride over the rougher parts of   
the country1 where wolves are most      
likely to be seen1 and keep a sharp     
lookout for the game4 ,it is always best
 to hunt to windward as one can approach
 closer to the game4  ,where the bounty 
is sufficient to make summer hunting    
profitable1 we would recommend this     
style of hunting at that time of year4  
,in summer1 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 year4 ,for coyotes1  
still hunting is a very successful      
method in parts of the country where the
 animals are plentiful and there is     
probably no place in which the method   

could be used to better advantage than  
in the sheep-raising district of        
,montana and ,wyoming4 ,there coyotes   
may be sighted every day and if the     
hunter would make a practice of         
following up the large herds of sheep to
 the summer range1 he would always be   
sure of an abundance of game4  ,one is  
most likely to sight coyotes by riding  
along the coulees and over the rougher  
ground4 ,about prairie dog towns are    
excellent places1 as there they will    
frequently be found looking for the     
little inhabitants of the burrows4      
,other good places are the ragged1      
craggy parts of the ,bad ,lands and in  
the sage brush along the watercourses4  
,in winter one may follow the tracks in 
the snow and will stand a better chance 
of securing the game4 ,while still      
hunting alone might not prove a very    
profitable method of hunting if one were
 hunting for bounty1 it should always be
 used in connection with trapping and   
den hunting4 ,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 den1 he may  
often get a shot by watching it4 ,anyway
 the rifle should always be carried1 and
 it should be used whenever a wolf or   
coyote is seen within range4  ,we will  
conclude this chapter by giving an      
account of a coyote still-hunt1 as      
recorded by one of our western friends4 
,it was one of those bright balmy       
,september mornings1 so characteristic  
of ,wyoming1 that ,i drove my horses    
down to water and noticed some coyote   
tracks in the mud at the edge of the    
water hole1 and ,i decided then and     
there to have a coyote hunt that day4 ,i
 was at the time in charge of a relay   
station1 midway between two small towns 
and it was my business to look after the
 spare stage horses1 for the stage      
driver changed teams here1 leaving the  
tired horses in my care and taking on   
fresh ones4 ,the northbound stage passed
 about #h3cj ,a4 ,m41 and the southbound

 outfit was due at about #f3cj ,p4 ,m41 
which left me with practically the      
entire day at my disposal1 to do with as
 ,i liked1 and having my full quota of  
the spirit of our savage ancestors1 ,i  
naturally turned to hunting the coyotes 
which abounded in that section4  ,for   
some time past ,i had been doing        
practically no hunting4 ,i say          
'practically none' for ,i had not been  
out on a real hunt for several weeks1   
but ,i did have a short line of traps   
set and had been looking at them every  
second morning4 ,on these trips over the
 trap line ,i always carried my #cj-cj  
carbine on the saddle and had surprised 
and shot three coyotes1 besides shooting
 at several more1 one of which was      
wounded but escaped by crawling into a  
deep hole in a bad-land butte4 ,besides 
the three animals mentioned1 ,i had     
caught in my traps up to that time1 some
 twenty more4    ,illustration3 ,killed 
by the ,still ,hunt4  ,on this          
particular morning the ',spirit of the  

,wild' called loudly1 for as every      
hunter knows1 there is something in the 
air of autumn which gets into one's     
blood at times1 and there is no remedy  
except to go on a hunt4 ,my trap line   
had been looked at the day before1 so ,i
 was free for the day4 ,returning to the
 little sod house which ,i called my    
home1 ,i got my rifle and six shooter1  
prepared a lunch and as soon as the     
stage had arrived1 changed horses and   
departed1 ,i mounted my horse and hit   
the trail for the hills to the westward4
  ,the section of the country to the    
west of the station was of the bad-land 
type1 groups of buttes and ridges1      
radiating in every direction1 seamed and
 honey-combed by the rains of centuries4
 ,while the country is very dry1 the    
rains are veritable deluges when they do
 come1 and the ordinarily dry water     
courses become raging torrents4 ,along  
these creek beds1 sage and grease wood  
brush was abundant2 in the hills1 no    
vegetation was to be found4 ,it was at  

all times a paradise for coyotes and    
occasionally a band of grey wolves      
strayed through those parts4 ,however1  
the wolves had been rarely met with     
since the stockmen had abandoned the    
cattle industry and gone to sheep       
raising1 but the coyotes had increased  
in numbers4  ,at this time of the year1 
the sheep were being driven down from   
the mountains into their winter range   
and in addition to the coyotes which    
remained1 throughout the summer1 in the 
bad-lands1 the still larger number which
 make a practice of following up the    
great bands of sheep were also appearing
 on the scene1 and the day promised good
 sport4  ,riding westward about two and 
a half miles1 ,i struck the bed of a    
stream and followed it up towards the   
hills4 ,here1 ,i knew there were several
 prairie dog villages and about such    
places one is almost certain to find    
coyotes1 so ,i turned my horse that way 
in the hope of getting a shot at one of 
the wary animals4 ,my fond hopes were   

realized1 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 ridge1 but giving  
me no chance to draw the gun before he  
passed out of sight4 ,hastily riding to 
the top of the ridge1 ,i saw the animal 
making his get-away down the draw at the
 other side and throwing my carbine to  
my shoulder1 ,i caught a quick aim and  
fired just as he was rounding a spur of 
the ridge about a hundred and fifty     
yards away4 ,snap-shooting from         
horseback is uncertain at all times and 
on this occasion ,i had barely time to  
catch a half-hearted aim1 so was not    
very hopeful regarding the results of my
 shot4  ,riding up to the spot1 ,i      
dismounted and on looking the ground    
over1 was elated to find a splotch of   
blood1 but farther search revealed no   
other traces of the game4 ,naturally1 ,i
 supposed that the animal had gone on   
down the draw and mounting my horse ,i  
rode slowly down the hollow1 keeping a  

sharp lookout for the coyote4 ,after    
looking the ground over for a quarter of
 a mile or more1 and finding no signs of
 the game1 ,i decided that this animal1 
anyway1 was lost and returned to the    
scene of the shooting4 ,dismounting once
 more1 ,i took the rifle and climbed to 
the top of the ridge to see what lay    
beyond4 ,imagine my surprise and delight
 when on reaching the top1 which was low
 at this point1 ,i saw the wounded      
coyote1 vainly endeavoring to escape at 
the bottom of the depression on the     
other side4  ,the first glance showed   
that the animal was badly wounded and   
could not last long1 but fearing that it
 would fall into a hole1 ,i took a hasty
 shot and had the satisfaction of seeing
 it crumple down1 apparently lifeless4  
,on approaching1 however1 ,i found that 
it still retained enough life to make a 
vicious snap at my hand1 missing that   
member by only a few inches4 ,as ,i     
watched it1 undecided whether to shoot  
it again or leave it bide its own time1 

it breathed its last4  ,it was a fine1  
large specimen and after skinning it1   
which required some twenty minutes of my
 time1 ,i looked it over and found that 
my first bullet had struck it in the    
right hip1 breaking the bone and passing
 through the body diagonally1 emerging  
at the left shoulder4 ,it was certainly 
a good shot and had ,i been using soft  
point bullet cartridges instead of full 
metal patched1 the animal would have    
been killed instantly4 ,it is           
surprising1 however1 how tenacious of   
life these animals are4 ,the second shot
 had passed through the shoulders4  ,i  
returned to the prairie dog villages but
 saw no more coyotes4 ,i did see a      
badger and fired at it just as it was   
about to enter the burrow1 but missed   
the animal entirely4 ,going back to the 
creek bed ,i followed on up into the    
hills to a small alkali spring where ,i 
halted to eat my lunch4 ,the water from 
this spring entirely disappears within  
two hundred yards of the place where it 

rises4 ,the sun was shining fiercely hot
 by this time1 and after eating my lunch
 ,i made a cigarette and crawled into   
the grateful shadow of the bank where ,i
 rested for a full hour4 ,i had intended
 to make a large circle but found now   
that ,i would not have the time that    
such a trip would necessitate and so    
decided to go on northward through this 
range of hills and return home over the 
trap line4  ,at the edge of the hills ,i
 found the traces of a sheep outfit and 
on rounding a spur so as to obtain a    
good view of the little valley beyond1  
,i saw the white topped wagon of the    
herder at the far-side1 but the sheep   
were farther down the hollow4 ,here ,i  
expected to find coyotes and ,i was not 
disappointed1 for on riding through a   
patch of sage which covered several     
acres1 a coyote broke cover on the      
opposite side4 ,three shots followed    
each other in rapid succession1 throwing
 dirt and gravel over the fleeing animal
 but without harming him1 and having no 

other effect than to increase his speed4
 ,i followed for some distance but      
failed to get another shot at the coyote
 and soon lost sight of it4 ,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 animals4  ,as ,i rode over a     
small sag of a ridge and entered the    
head of a long narrow hollow1 ,i saw a  
coyote trotting along down the draw     
about two hundred yards below me4 ,the  
animal started to run before ,i could   
catch aim and ,i emptied the magazine in
 short order the last shot dropping the 
coyote1 but it was not badly hurt and   
leaping to its feet it made off down the
 hollow4 ,however1 it enabled me to get 
quite close and putting spurs to the    
horse1 ,i followed the animal1 firing   
with my revolver4 ,the third shot rolled
 it over and a fourth finished it1      
making two coyotes out of three shot at 
that day4  ,skinning the animal ,i      
mounted and hurried on to look at the   

traps4 ,there were sixteen traps in the 
line and all but two of them had been   
undisturbed4 ,of these two1 the bait was
 taken from one but the wary animal had 
apparently known just where the trap lay
 and had avoided it1 the other held a   
young1 female coyote4 ,after looking at 
the traps1 ,i returned home and dressed 
and stretched the skins of the captured 
animals4  ,the skin of the coyote is of 
no value as fur1 at that time of the    
year1 but the combined state and        
stockmen's bounties aggregated #d on    
each animal1 so that ,i had #ab for my  
day's hunt4 ,during the fall and early  
winter ,i captured by means of traps and
 gun1 a hundred and thirty-three coyotes
 and four wolves4 ,all of the unprime   
skins taken that fall were tanned by    
myself and made into robes4    ,,chapter
 ,,viii4  ,,poisoning ,,wolves4         
,poisoning noxious animals is a common  
practice and is much used where the only
 object is to destroy the animals1 and  
the finding of the carcass is of little 

moment1 but the real hunters and        
trappers seldom resort to this method   
because of the large numbers of animals 
that are killed and lost4 ,it is1       
indeed1 a wasteful method of hunting as 
in all probability1 three-fourths of the
 animals killed by the poisoned baits   
are not found until they have lain so   
long that they have become tainted1 or  
ruined by mice and birds1 so that both  
the bounty and the fur are lost4 ,anyway
 that is the conclusion of many of those
 who have practiced poisoning4  ,in many
 places where wolves and coyotes could  
be poisoned readily in early days the   
method is not a success at present as   
the animals have learned by experience  
to avoid the poisoned food4 ,strychnine 
is usually employed and this very bitter
 drug has a way of spreading through the
 bait1 so that the wolf can sometimes   
detect it as soon as the bait touches   
the tongue4 ,in such cases1 the drug is 
never swallowed1 but may be dropped on  
the spot or as is more often the case1  

it may be carried a considerable        
distance away before it is dropped4     
,again if the animal swallows the       
poisoned bait1 it may be some time      
before it dissolves in the wolfs stomach
 and the poison begins to act1 and if   
the wolf begins to feel the effects of  
the drug1 it may start off on a run4 ,in
 either case it is not likely to be     
found even if there is snow on the      
ground as the wind will soon obliterate 
the tracks4  ,in the government pamphlet
 before mentioned1 ,mr4 ,bailey has the 
following to say about poisoning3  ,many
 wolves are killed by poisoning1 and    
more would be so killed if the methods  
followed were less crude4 ,strychnine is
 generally used with nothing to disguise
 its intense bitterness1 the powder     
being either inserted in bits of meat or
 fat or merely spread on a fresh        
carcass4 ,in most cases the wolf gets a 
taste of the bitter drug and rejects it1
 and if the dose is swallowed it may be 
too small to be fatal or so large as to 

act as an emetic4 ,an old and           
experienced wolf will rarely touch bait 
poisoned in the ordinary way1 but       
sometimes a whole family of young may be
 killed at a carcass4 ,usually when     
wolves are poisoned1 they go so far     
before they die that if found at all it 
is not until their skins are spoiled4   
,to encourage poisoning1 it must be     
possible to secure the skins in good    
condition1 or at least1 to find the     
animals after they are killed1 so that  
the ranchman may have the satisfaction  
of knowing that he has accomplished     
something toward the protection of his  
stock4  ,in the use of poison it is of  
first importance to determine the amount
 that will kill with certainty in the   
shortest possible time4 ,according to   
,german and ,french authorities on      
toxicology1 the smallest dose of        
strychnine that will kill a #be pound   
dog is approximately one-fourth of a    
grain4 ,quadruple this for a #ajj pound 
wolf and we have #b grains4 ,mr4 ,b4 ,r4

 ,ross1 of the ,hudson's ,bay ,company1 
found that this quantity would kill a   
wolf quickly4 ,experiments by ,prof4    
,david ,e4 ,lantz1 of the ,biological   
,survey1 would indicate the best results
 from a still larger dose4 ,one grain   
killed a #ba pound dog in seventy-five  
minutes1 while #b grains killed a #dj   
pound dog in twenty-seven minutes1      
without acting as an emetic4 ,for a     
wolf1 therefore1 #d grains of pure      
sulphate of strychnine would seem to be 
a proper dose4  ,tests on #dj pound dogs
 with #a and #b grains of cyanide of    
potassium in capsules caused the dogs to
 vomit in about fourteen minutes1 after 
which they fully recovered4 ,other more 
deadly poisons can not be safely        
handled1 and strychnine is the only     
practicable poison that can be          
recommended4  ,for wolves1 place #d     
grains of pulverized sulphate of        
strychnine in a #c grain gelatin        
capsule1 cap securely1 and wipe off     
every trace of the bitter drug4 ,the    

capsules should be inserted in a piece  
of beef suet the size of a walnut1 and  
the cavity securely closed to keep out  
moisture4 ,the juice of fresh meat will 
dissolve the gelatin capsule1 hence only
 fat should be used4 ,the necessary     
number of these poisoned baits may be   
prepared and carried in a tin can or    
pail1 but they should not be touched    
with naked hands4 ,old gloves or forceps
 should be used to handle them4 ,the    
baits may be dropped from horseback     
along a scented drag line made by       
dragging an old bone or piece of hide1  
or may be placed on1 around1 or partly  
under any carcass on which the wolves   
are feeding1 or along trails followed by
 the wolves4 ,partial concealment of the
 bait usually lessens the wolfs         
suspicion1 while some kind of scent near
 by or along the trail insures its      
attention4  ,the gelatin capsule will   
dissolve in about a minute in the juices
 of the mouth or stomach4 ,when the     
strychnine is taken on an empty stomach 

it will sometimes kill in a very few    
minutes after the first symptoms of     
poison1 and dies five or six minutes    
later4  ,although this is the method    
recommended by the ,u4 ,s4 ,department  
of ,agriculture1 it is our opinion that 
it would not be successful1 for it takes
 too long for the gelatin capsule to    
dissolve in the animal's stomach1 anyway
 that is the verdict of those who have  
tried the method4 ,those who have       
followed poisoning of foxes and wolves1 
prefer to place the poison in a small   
ball of tallow by making the tallow     
cup-shaped when cold1 putting the       
strychnine inside and closing the       
opening by pressing the edges over it4  
,none of the poison must be allowed to  
touch the outside of the bait4  ,the    
most common method of using the poison  
is to have out a large bait 7the carcass
 of some animal that the wolves have    
killed is to be preferred71 and after   
the animals are visiting it the poisoned
 baits are thrown about nearby4 ,any    

indications of the presence of man will 
make the animals suspicious and they    
will hesitate to approach the large bait
 but are very apt to pick up and swallow
 the small ones4 ,we believe that this  
is the most successful method of using  
poison1 but there are other methods     
recommended by woodsmen4 ,some place the
 poison in the large bait but we think  
this is entirely wrong as the wolf will 
taste the poison before it gets enough  
of the drug to cause its death4 ,one    
party in speaking of the conditions in  
,northern ,ontario1 says3  ,i think the 
wolf-poisoning business is being        
overdone4 ,how would your readers like  
to find poisoned wolf bait within one   
hundred yards of their door1 and some   
all round their houses within a radius  
of #cjj yards8 ,this bait consists in   
many cases of1 say1 half a deer4 ,i     
think it is very wrong to allow strong1 
able-bodied men to pollute the country1 
now in the spring of the year1 with     
large pieces1 or in many cases1 whole   

carcasses of deer4 ,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      
position when the snow goes off4 ,in    
fact1 the thing is being carried in this
 part so far that neither fur-bearing   
animals nor fish will be procurable at  
any cost in a short time4               
,illustration3 ,method of ,preparing    
,poison ,baits4  ,as it is1 the farmer's
 dogs have been suffering1 and are      
nearly extinct here4 ,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 water4 ,i understood that parties   
laying out poison had to observe certain
 regulations1 so that no person's       
property would be endangered thereby1   
and if ,i am rightly informed1 it must  
be some person's duty to stop the       
nuisance4 ,no doubt it is a good thing  
to get rid of the wolves1 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 bait4  ,it is        
advisable when using poison to leave no 
human odors on the bait and to prevent  
so doing1 some people prepare the baits 
without touching them with the bare     
hands4 ,a simpler method is to make up  
the baits several days in advance and   
place them in a clean vessel1 out of    
reach of all animals1 and where they    
will be exposed to the open air4 ,in    
this way1 the human odor will pass away1
 and when they are placed out for the   
wolves they should not be touched with  
the hands4  ,the poison should not be   
placed in a capsule as that is too      
uncertain4 ,there is very little danger 
of giving an overdose4 ,the writer has  
seen strychnine used in large doses1    
considerably more than four grains1 and 
the results were far better than when   
using smaller doses4  ,strychnine is to 
be had in crystals or in crushed or     

powdered form4 ,both forms are equally  
deadly1 but some poisoners claim that it
 will act more rapidly when crushed4    
,the following article on poisoning is  
given by a ,wyoming trapper3  ,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 bait4 ,the
 best way is to put the strychnine in   
lard which has no salt in it4 ,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 point1 so the lard will stay   
hard4 ,i pinch it off in one inch       
chunks1 take it between my hands and    
roll it in round balls1 take a pocket   
knife or stick and drill a hole in it4  
,then fill it with strychnine and close 
the opening up by mashing the lard over 
the hole4 ,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 out4  ,care must 

be taken not to touch the outside with  
the bare hands as the first thing a     
coyote will do is to smell it and if    
there is much human scent on it1 he will
 not take it4 ,i dip it in blood to kill
 some of the human scent4 ,i have known 
a coyote to travel half a mile with a   
piece of strychnined meat in his mouth  
and then feeling it work on him1 drop it
 and trot on4  ,now to show that it     
wastes furs and makes them wild1 suppose
 it had snowed1 blowed or covered his   
track in some way2 a skunk in passing by
 and finding it1 would get poisoned1    
which would be a loss of one fur1 or    
suppose it were a mink or something     
else1 it would have been the same4 ,the 
chances are that the trapper would not  
have found it until it was spoiled4  ,a 
coyote will travel a few hundred yards  
after taking the strychnine1 even if it 
is put in lard or tallow4 ,if he has    
eaten a large meal of frozen meat and   
then the poison1 he will go far enough  
so he will be hard to find1 and never   

found if you have any amount of bait to 
look after and it blows and covers his  
tracks up and maybe his carcass too4    
,the result is that it makes other      
animals of his tribe leery about taking 
baits4  ,birds such as magpies1 ravens1 
and crows will eat poison and fly off   
and die and be devoured by coyotes1     
foxes1 mink1 skunk1 etc4 ,the result is 
that many of them die1 and what don't1  
get so sick that they are very careful  
about touching the next bait they see1  
generally giving it a wide berth4 ,then 
there are lots of birds1 such as camp   
robbers and magpies that carry it off   
and store it away for martens or        
something else to eat and get poisoned  
by4 ,there was a very large amount of   
skunk1 but owing to the fact that many  
people poison whole carcasses for       
coyotes and wolves1 they are rapidly    
disappearing4  ,some people claim that  
the dog destroys more furs than         
anything1 but ,i believe that strychnine
 is a greater evil than a dog or at     

least in this county1 so you see ,i have
 a good reason for advising a trapper   
not to use strychnine4 ,it is the       
easiest way and the quickest way to get 
a few furs1 if in the hands of an       
experienced man1 but the furs 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 once4  ,the trapper will have   
the most furs and in the best condition 
at the end of the season and generally a
 place to trap more at the next season4 
,the strychnine hunter will have to hunt
 a different place as what animals he   
failed to kill1 will leave the country  
or become so wary that they will not    
touch bait4 ,an animal which has        
recovered from a dose of poison1 carries
 a pelt that is oft times worthless4    
,,chapter ,,ix4  ,,trapping ,,wolves4   
,after all of the various methods of    
hunting have been given a fair and      
impartial trial it will usually be found
 that trapping is the best means of     

capturing the wolf and coyote4 ,large   
numbers of traps may be set and attended
 to and the chances of making a good    
catch are greatly increased by so doing4
 ,if one has a liking for the work1     
makes a study of the animals and sets   
the traps carefully1 good results are   
sure to follow4 ,in all probability1    
four fifths of the coyotes and wolves   
captured in the ,united ,states are     
taken in this way4 ,it is quite common  
for the professional trapper to take one
 hundred or more coyotes and wolves in a
 season4  ,the trap that is recommended 
for the timber wolf and the only one    
that was ever designed for capturing    
that animal is the ,newhouse ,no4 #d    
#a_/b4 ,it is a large and powerful trap1
 having a spread of jaws of #h inches   
with the other parts properly           
proportioned4 ,it is furnished with a   
two pronged drag and a heavy steel      
chain1 guaranteed to stand a strain of  
#bjjj pounds4 ,the trap complete with   
chain and drag weighs about #h pounds4  

,a simpler and stronger chain fastening 
than that shown in the cut1 is now used 
for attaching the chain to the trap4    
,illustration3 ,no4 #d #a_/b ,newhouse  
,wolf ,trap4  ,although the ,no4 #d     
#a_/b is the trap recommended for timber
 wolves1 the ,no4 #d ,newhouse is       
probably preferred by the average       
trapper1 because of its lighter weight  
and its adaptability to catching        
coyotes1 which are found in greater     
abundance than wolves4 ,the trap has a  
spread of jaws of #f #a_/b inches1 and  
its strength is sufficient for holding  
almost any wolf1 providing the captured 
animal is not allowed to struggle too   
long1 and that the trap is not staked1  
or otherwise securely fastened4 ,even   
when securely staked the ,no4 #d        
,newhouse will hold almost any one of   
the younger grey wolves1 and it is      
mostly the young animals that are       
captured4    ,illustration3 ,the        
,two-,pronged ,drag4  ,the standard trap
 is furnished with a short chain and    

ring1 but when so ordered1 the          
manufacturers will gladly furnish the   
traps with longer chains and the two    
pronged drag shown in the cut1 or if    
desired the drags alone may be purchased
 and attached to any trap chain4 ,the   
two pronged drag has an advantage over  
the four pronged kind1 as it will occupy
 less space and may be more easily      
secreted4  ,it will be noted that the   
chain of the ,no4 #d #a_/b trap has a   
double end4 ,this is so that it may be  
looped around a small log or block of   
wood1 if it is desired to do so4 ,some  
trappers prefer the chain without the   
iron drag1 and for such the drag will be
 omitted4 ,others prefer to use the ,no4
 #d trap with a #e foot chain and a     
stone wired securely to the end4 ,this  
makes a very good combination1 but for  
some sections is not practicable as     
stones are few and far between4         
,illustration3 ,method of ,attaching an 
,oblong ,stone4    ,illustration3       
,method of ,attaching a ,triangular     

,stone4  ,on the subject of fastening   
traps1 ,mr4 ,vernon ,bailey of the      
,biological ,survey gives the following3
  ,the best anchor for a wolf trap is a 
stone drag of #cj or #dj pounds weight1 
to which the trap is securely wired4 ,a 
long oval stone is the best1 but a      
triangular or square stone can be       
securely wired4 ,ordinary galvanized    
fence wire or telegraph wire should be  
fastened around the ends of the stone   
and connected by a double loop of the   
wire1 then the trap chain fastened to   
the middle of this loop4 ,a jerk on the 
trap tends to draw the bands together1  
and the spring of the connecting wire   
loop prevents a sudden jar that might   
break trap or chain4 ,twisted or barbed 
fence wire may be used if sufficiently  
strong1 but it is not so easily handled4
 ,if no stones are available1 or if the 
trap must be immovably fixed1 it should 
be fastened with a twisted iron stake   
that can be driven below the surface of 
the ground4 ,these stakes should be at  

least #ah inches long and of good iron  
straps three quarters of an inch wide   
and three-sixteenths of an inch thick4  
,in light soil they should be still     
longer4 ,see figures #a and #b4 ,if a   
picket pin sufficiently strong1 provided
 with a swivel that will turn in all    
directions1 can be purchased at the     
local hardware store1 it may not be     
necessary to have a pin made to order4  
,illustration3 ,iron ,stakes for ,traps4
  ,it is our opinion that the twisted   
pin would not be as satisfactory as the 
plain one shown in ,fig4 #c4 ,if the    
swivel should lock1 and fail to work1   
the stake might be twisted out of the   
ground by the struggles of the animal4  
,with the heavy1 square pin shown in    
,fig4 #c1 this could not occur4 ,the pin
 should be made of wrought iron1 about  
#e_/h or #c_/d inch in diameter at the  
top1 and tapering to a point4 ,the      
length should be the same as those      
described above4  ,the majority of the  
trappers who prefer to stake the traps  

use hardwood stakes and attach the      
chains by means of hay baling wire1     
twisting it with a pair of pliers4 ,in  
many parts of the wolf country1 hardwood
 is not to be had and many of the       
trappers use the spokes of old wagon    
wheels for trap stakes4 ,we believe1    
however1 that iron stakes are to be     
preferred to wooden ones4  ,the traps to
 use for coyotes are the ,nos4 #c and #d
 and the most suitable style of chain   
would depend entirely on the method of  
setting and fastening the traps4 ,in    
some of the sets described1 for both    
wolf and coyote1 the traps1 some three  
or four in number1 are all fastened to  
one stake and for such a set the chains 
should be short1 as also in the bank    
set4 ,where it is desired to use a drag 
of any kind1 the chain should be #d or  
#e feet in length4 ,this should be      
remembered when purchasing the traps and
 the method of setting that will be used
 should be kept in mind4  ,as before    
mentioned1 most of the wolves caught are

 young animals less than a year old4    
,after a wolf has reached its third     
year1 it has attained a high degree of  
intelligence1 and comparatively few of  
that age are caught in traps4 ,in some  
sections wolves are more wary than in   
others and are more difficult of        
capture4 ,this depends much on the      
abundance or scarcity of food and the   
amount of hunting and trapping that has 
already been done in that section4      
,where wolves and coyotes have not been 
trapped much1 they are less shy but they
 are always sufficiently wary to make   
extreme care in setting the traps       
necessary for success4  ,no matter what 
method of trapping may be employed1     
there is only one satisfactory way of   
setting the trap1 on bare ground4 ,in a 
smooth1 sandy spot1 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 #a_/d inch of    
dirt1 the covering will be flush with   
the surrounding surface of the ground4  

,a narrow trench may then be made1 to   
accommodate the chain1 and a hole in    
which to bury the drag4 ,if a stake is  
used it may be driven under the trap and
 the trench will not be needed1 or it   
may be driven at the side according to  
the method of setting but the stake must
 be neatly covered in all cases4 ,the   
trap is then placed in position1 the    
chain1 drag and springs are covered and 
the portion outside of the jaws is      
filled with dirt1 leaving only the jaws 
and pan uncovered4 ,now a sheet of clean
 paper should be placed over the jaws   
and pan and the whole covered with about
 #a_/d or #c_/h inch of fine dirt1      
covering the edges first and finishing  
with the center4 ,a piece of canvas or  
hide should be provided1 on which to    
place the dirt while setting the traps1 
and with which to carry away what is not
 needed for covering4 ,when the setting 
is finished everything should look as   
smooth and undisturbed as it did before 
the trap was set4    ,illustration3     

,trap ,set and ,ready for ,covering4    
,in case the paper sags between the trap
 jaws and the pan1 a few lumps of ground
 may be so placed as to support it1 but 
care must be used so that no dirt gets  
under the pan4 ,in freezing weather1    
make the nest for the trap somewhat     
deeper and line it well with sage leaves
 or some other light material1 also fill
 in around jaws and springs with same1  
before covering4 ,this will prevent the 
trap from freezing down4 ,do not put    
cotton under the pan as some advise     
doing1 for if it gets wet it will freeze
 and interfere with the working of the  
trap4 ,if the traps spring too easily1  
they may be remedied by 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 pan4
 ,this will prevent birds and small     
animals from springing the traps4 ,the  
same result may be obtained by bending  
the point of the dog or trigger of the  
trap upward and thereby causing the trap

 to spring harder4  ,always before      
placing the trap in position1 turn the  
springs towards the jaw that is held    
down by the trigger4 ,this will allow   
the loose jaw to drop down to a level   
and let the trap rest more solidly in   
its nest4 ,when adjusting the pan1      
always work from under the loose jaw1 to
 avoid accidents4  ,many trappers advise
 wearing gloves when setting or         
otherwise handling the traps1 to prevent
 leaving human scent4 ,it is our opinion
 that this is not only unnecessary but  
also useless1 as the human odor will    
pass through a leather glove readily1   
and even through the sole of a heavy    
shoe4 ,while there is no doubt that the 
scent of man will put any wary animal on
 its guard1 there is no way to avoid    
leaving this same scent about the       
setting4 ,this1 however1 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 
captured4  ,although the traps may be   

handled with bare hands1 we would advise
 that it is wise to not leave any more  
lasting odors than that from handling   
the traps1 also do not leave any        
footprints or other signs of human      
presence4 ,if1 in summer1 a line of     
traps can be set just before a rain1 so 
much the better1 as all odors and signs 
of disturbance will be removed by it4   
,in winter a light fall of snow will    
have a tendency to improve the catch1 as
 it will cover all human signs and to a 
great extent1 smother the human and     
other odors that may have been left     
about the setting4  ,it is important    
that no lasting1 foreign odors be       
allowed to remain on the traps or any of
 the implements used in making the set4 
,the trapper should make it a point at  
all times to keep the traps clean and   
free from scents which might enable the 
animals to locate and avoid the trap4   
,for the same reason strong smelling    
grease and oils1 such as kerosene should
 never be used as preservatives1 in     

fact1 we think it best that the traps   
have no preparation whatever4 ,some     
trappers dip the traps in blood but     
unless the entire setting is saturated  
with same1 it is not wise to do so as   
the wolf would be sure to locate it4    
,when setting close to a large bait1 it 
is well to rub the trap and chain with a
 piece of the bait1 so that everything  
about the setting will have the same    
odor4    ,illustration3 ,wyoming ,wolf  
,trapper ,driving the ,trap ,stake4     
,the same result may be obtained by     
covering the traps with hair from the   
animal used for bait1 or with the       
contents of the paunch4 ,when nesting   
the traps in sage leaves1 as advised    
elsewhere1 the odor of the trap will be 
greatly neutralized by the leaves1 as   
they have a powerful odor4 ,in trail    
sets on the cattle and sheep range1 the 
traps may be covered with the droppings 
of the animals4 ,all of these methods   
have the same result1 namely1 that of   
smothering the odor of the trap and     

allaying the animals' suspicions4  ,just
 what will be needed for trapping wolves
 and coyotes will depend entirely on    
circumstances1 but mainly on just how   
much of a business one wishes to make of
 it4 ,the abundance or scarcity of the  
game1 the nature of the country1 the    
proximity to civilization and many other
 matters must also be considered4 ,for  
the average professional trapper of the 
western cattle range1 we believe the    
following will be about right3 ,in the  
country lying just east of the ,rocky   
,mountain ,range1 vegetation is rather  
scanty and as horses must pick their own
 living1 they must have plenty of time  
for doing so1 therefore1 several saddle 
horses will be needed4 ,in that way the 
trapper can change horses daily and give
 them a chance to rest and rustle food4 
,for transporting the outfit and        
stringing out the traps1 pack horses    
must be employed4 ,old1 worn out horses 
will answer for packing and after the   
traps are once strung out1 they may be  

killed for bait or otherwise disposed   
of1 as one of the saddle horses may be  
used for what little packing is needed4 
,the equipment should consist of a good 
easy saddle1 bridle1 pack-saddles1 pack 
sacks1 saddle blankets1 hobbles1 picket 
ropes1 etc4 ,if one is camping a good   
camping outfit will be necessary4 ,such 
an outfit would consist of a tent1      
blankets1 cooking utensils1 axe and some
 toilet articles4 ,the average trapper  
would easily handle #ajj traps1 some    
trappers have many more1 and the proper 
sizes and number of each size would     
depend on the proportionate number of   
wolves and coyotes found in that        
locality4 ,the trapper must also have   
wire for fastening traps1 stakes1 paper 
for covering1 a file for sharpening the 
axe and repairing traps1 a whetstone1 a 
pair of cutting pliers1 a high powered  
rifle and plenty of ammunition1 saddle  
scabbard1 gun oil1 hunting knife1 axe   
sheath1 etc4 ,such an outfit is costly1 
and is only useful to the professional  

trapper1 but if game is plentiful1 it   
will soon pay for itself4  ,for the     
ranchman1 sheep herder or average       
western trapper1 all that need be       
purchased is an outfit of traps of a    
number which may be conveniently        
handled1 and a rifle with ammunition for
 same4 ,all of the outfit that will be  
needed is to be found on any western    
ranch and as the trapper will not be    
camping out1 the camp outfit would be   
omitted4    ,,chapter ,x4  ,,scents     
,,and ,,baits4  ,scents for attracting  
animals to traps have been employed for 
many years1 but trappers differ greatly 
in their views regarding its value4     
,some use scent only1 to attract the    
animals1 and make good catches2 others  
use bait alone and condemn anything in  
the line of scent4 ,some use neither    
scent nor bait but depend entirely on   
blind sets4  ,the value of scent for    
trapping wolves and coyotes depends on  
the kind that is used and the method    
employed1 the time of year1 the sex of  

the animal1 whether trapping is         
prosecuted extensively1 etc4 ,we have no
 doubt that if the right scent is       
employed and used in the proper way that
 it will be productive of good results4 
,in all probability those who are so    
ready to condemn scents have never used 
the right kind1 or having tried the     
proper kind1 have not used it in the    
right way4  ,if one will stop to        
consider just what scent is1 and the    
object in using it1 he must readily     
perceive its value1 if the right kind is
 used4 ,scents are of various kinds and 
are expected to appeal to the animal in 
different ways4 ,when one uses bait1 it 
is the odor of same that attracts the   
animal from a distance1--why then will  
not a scent which suggests their        
favorite food also prove attractive8    
,all animals of the dog family are very 
susceptible to food odors and the same  
scents will attract both the wolf and   
coyote4 ,then there are other scents    
which appeal to the animal's passions4  

,these will be described in the         
following pages4 ,they are especially   
attractive to the wolf during the mating
 season1 but are also good at other     
times1 and should be used without bait4 
,the habit of depositing urine on the   
same spot used by another for that      
purpose is characteristic of all animals
 of the dog family4 ,this is sometimes  
taken advantage of by the trapper1 and  
the wolf urine is used in that way4  ,in
 some parts of the country it is        
probable that one would be more         
successful by using bait alone2 in other
 places blind sets would be better4 ,for
 many localities it is best to use a    
good scent1 and especially so at certain
 seasons4 ,for trapping grey wolves in  
summer1 it is especially valuable as at 
that time meat baits soon become tainted
 and are not attractive to the animals4 
,the ,united ,states ,biological ,survey
 have made exhaustive tests with scents 
and the result is given in the          
following3  ,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 caught4 ,meat bait alone is
 of little use1 for as a rule the wolves
 kill an ample supply for themselves4   
,many tests of scents1 both prepared    
baits and various animal musks1 have    
been made with wolves in the field and  
in the ,national ,zoological ,park4     
,while some have given a fair degree of 
success1 others have proved worthless1  
and no one odor has proved entirely     
satisfactory4 ,experiments are being    
continued1 however1 and new odors tried4
  ,beaver musk 7castoreum7 and the      
commercial perfumery sold as musk have  
proved effective in many cases by       
causing the wolf to turn aside to follow
 the scented cross line and so walk into
 the trap4 ,siberian musk 7from the     
,siberian musk deer 7 is very attractive
 to wolves in the ,zoo4 ,oil of anise   
and oil of rhodium seem to have no      
attraction for wild wolves1 and are     

scarcely noticed by those in            
confinement4 ,assafoetida is mildly     
attractive to wolves and coyotes at the 
,zoo1 but used alone is very slightly1  
if at all1 attractive to those on the   
range4  ,wolf urine taken from the      
bladder is used by some trappers1 and is
 said to be very successful4 ,it is     
bottled and kept until rancid and then  
sprinkled over the trap4 ,the sexual    
organs of the female wolf immersed in   
the urine are said to add efficacy to   
this bait4 ,the urine of the female in  
the rutting season is said to be        
especially attractive to males2 it      
should be used in ,january or ,february4
  ,fetid bait4--,the bait that has      
proved most effective may be called1 for
 lack of a better name1 fetid bait1     
because of its offensive odor4 ,it has  
been long in use in variously modified  
forms by the most successful wolf       
trappers1 and its preparation is usually
 guarded as a profound secret4 ,it      
cannot be credited to any one trapper1  

since no two prepare it in just the same
 way1 but in most cases its fundamental 
odors are the same4 ,it may be prepared 
as follows3  ,place half a pound of raw 
beef or venison in a wide-mouthed bottle
 and let it stand in a warm place 7but  
never in the sun7 from two to six weeks 
or longer or until it is thoroughly     
decayed and the odor has become as      
offensive as possible4 ,if the weather  
is not very warm this may require       
several months4 ,when decomposition has 
reached the proper stage1 add a quart of
 sperm oil or some liquid animal oil4   
,lard oil may be used1 but prairie dog  
oil is better4 ,add half an ounce of    
assafoetida1 dissolved in alcohol and   
one ounce of tincture of ,siberian musk1
 or1 if this cannot be procured1 one    
ounce of pulverized beaver castor or one
 ounce of the common musk sold for      
perfumery4 ,mix thoroughly and bottle   
securely until used4  ,the government   
has introduced this scent into ,northern
 ,michigan where it has been used       

successfully4 ,other very similar decoys
 are used extensively by ,western       
trappers4  ,a scent which is highly     
recommended1 and is used successfully by
 some ,wyoming wolf and coyote trappers 
is made by chopping fine1 equal portions
 of raw beef and fish and allowing same 
to decay in a covered vessel4 ,after it 
is thoroughly decomposed1 add an ounce  
of assafoetida dissolved in alcohol to  
each pound of the decoy4 ,animal matter 
of any kind should never be allowed to  
decay in a tightly closed vessel1 as the
 gases may cause it to burst1 but it    
must be covered so as to exclude the    
flies4 ,the above scent is claimed to be
 very attractive to both wolves and     
coyotes and we know that the trappers   
who used it made large catches1 one of  
them having captured over #bjj coyotes  
in a single season4 ,this trapper states
 that if the perfume of the skunk is    
added to the decoy1 its attractive      
properties are greatly increased4 ,this 
scent may be used in connection with    

bait1 or without1 as preferred4  ,one of
 the northern trappers recommends a     
scent made by chopping fine1 equal parts
 of rabbit1 skunk and muskrat flesh1    
with a couple of wild mice added1 and   
allow to decay in a jar4 ,the jar should
 be about #b_/c full and after it is    
decomposed a half ounce oil of anise and
 a quantity of skunk scent is added1 and
 the jar filled with goose oil4 ,this is
 the recipe as given but we can not     
guarantee it to be attractive4  ,many of
 the old time trappers claim to have    
scents which will draw a wolf or coyote 
a half mile1 or more1 to the trap4      
,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 formula4 ,in nine     
cases out of ten it will be found that  
the scents are worthless4 ,one of our   
old time friends wrote as follows3  ,i  
have tried several so-called patent     
decoys with very indifferent results4   
,the only scent ,i care to use is the   

urine from a female wolf or coyote      
killed in running season2 sprinkle a    
drop or two on bush1 stone or ground    
near traps1 but not on bait4 ,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 bait4     
,have caught #f at one setting1 #e of   
them with no other bait than the smell  
of the ground defiled by previous       
coyotes4 ,they will come a long way to  
scratch and urinate on same spot1 and   
seem to lose some of their caution4     
,another successful trapper makes       
practically the same statements and his 
views are appended4  ,after catching one
 wolf or coyote do not use more bait as 
the scent is strong enough to draw all  
that comes near4 ,i do not use any      
patent decoy or scents1 as ,i consider  
them useless for any game4 ,the only    
scent ,i use is what ,i make myself and 
then only from ,february to ,april4 ,in 
the summer ,i gather up four or five    

bitch dogs 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    
cover4 ,i sprinkle a few drops on a     
stone or bush1 stick in center between  
traps but use no other bait4 ,this is   
also good for fox4  ,the above method is
 the same as ,i learned it from an old  
,hudson's ,bay trapper1 ,peirre         
,deverany1 who was born in #ahag1 and   
had trapped all thru the ,british       
possessions and the ,rocky ,mountains   
and with whom ,i trapped for several    
years4  ,we find that many of the       
professional trappers condemn all scents
 except those which they1 themselves1   
use1 but as there are a number of       
successful ones using different scents  
it proves that there are numbers of good
 decoys4  ,i use scent a good deal1 but 
make it myself1 writes one man who      
follows trapping continually4 ,the      
mating time is the best time to use it  
and the matrix from a female wolf in    

alcohol is very good to use4 ,put a few 
drops on a bone or stick of wood near   
the trap1 say ten or twenty inches from 
it4 ,if you have two traps set near each
 other1 put the scent between them4     
,with regard to bait the grey wolf      
prefers horse flesh to beef4 ,colts are 
also preferred to old horses4 ,it is the
 same as regards cattle2 the calves and 
yearlings are invariably chosen4 ,in the
 timbered sections where there is very  
little stock for the wolves to prey on1 
venison is perhaps the best bait4       
,antelope1 jack rabbit1 and in fact1    
almost any kind of flesh is good if the 
wolf is hungry1 but the bait in all     
cases must be strictly fresh4 ,unless   
food is scarce1 wolves seldom return to 
the carcass of a victim1 but they do so 
occasionally and some are caught by     
setting traps in such places1 especially
 in the ,north1 during winter when the  
animals are hungry4 ,if possible they   
prefer to kill their own game and it is 
that which makes the trapping so        

difficult4  ,the same baits that are    
recommended for wolves are also good for
 coyotes1 but the coyote is not so      
particular regarding the condition of   
its food and will eat tainted flesh1    
greedily4 ,they are very fond of mutton1
 prairie dogs1 badgers and sage hens4   
,as with the wolf1 horse flesh is a     
favorite food4 ,one of the southwestern 
trappers claims that they like fresh    
pork1 in his section1 better than any   
other food4  ,it will be an easy matter 
in almost any part of the country to    
keep the traps baited as the ranchmen   
and sheepmen are1 as a rule1 willing to 
furnish animals for bait4 ,as a general 
rule1 we advise the use of scent sets   
and blind sets in spring and summer and 
bait sets in fall and winter4           
,,chapter ,,xi4  ,,scent ,,methods4  ,in
 sections where the wolves and coyotes  
can obtain an abundance of food1 they do
 not care for meat bait and scent sets  
are recommended1 especially for grey    
wolves4 ,such sets are also successful  

in summer when meat baits soon become   
tainted and lose all power of           
attraction4 ,there are many ways of     
using scent1 depending much on the kind 
that is used1 and also on other things4 
,one of the simplest as well as one of  
the best is the following3  ,having     
found the route of travel of a band of  
wolves1 one may be certain that he has  
found the proper place to set a number  
of traps1 for the wolves are sure to    
come around that way again4 ,a pass     
through the hills is an excellent place 
and as cattle1 sheep and game animals   
are almost certain to be traveling that 
way at certain seasons1 one is sure to  
find a trail of some sort traversing the
 pass4 ,having located such a trail find
 a spot where same is well defined and  
select a place for the trap1 several    
feet to one side of the trail1 where it 
may be placed between bunches of brush1 
cactus1 rocks or any other obstruction  
that will guide the wolf over the trap4 
,the obstruction must be a natural one  

as the wolf is certain to detect any    
artificial arrangement1 and avoid it4   
,the trap should be fastened to a drag  
of some kind1 which should be buried and
 the trap must be set and covered as    
explained in another chapter4 ,in       
setting1 the chain should be stretched  
out to its full length so that the drag 
may be buried as far as possible from   
the trap1 and the disturbance of the    
soil is less likely to be noticed4 ,the 
scent should be applied to the grass1   
weeds or ground at the back of the set1 
and so placed that in trying to reach   
it1 the wolf or coyote must walk over   
the trap4 ,it should not be placed too  
near the trap as the first impulse of   
the animal is to roll over the scent4   
,mr4 ,vernon ,bailey in his instructions
 for trapping describes this set as     
follows3  ,the trap1 chain and stone    
drag should be buried out of sight close
 to a runway1 where the wolves follow a 
trail or road1 cross a narrow pass1 or  
visit a carcass1 with the trap nearest  

the runway and flush with the surface of
 the ground2 to keep the earth from     
clogging under the pan1 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    
concealed4 ,the surface of the ground   
and the surroundings should appear as   
nearly as possible undisturbed4 ,the    
dust may be made to look natural again1 
by sprinkling water on it4 ,touching the
 ground or other objects with the hands1
 spitting near the trap or in any way   
leaving a trace of human odors near by1 
should be avoided4 ,old1 well-scented   
gloves should be worn while setting     
traps1 and a little of the scent used   
for the traps should be rubbed on the   
shoe soles4 ,a piece of old cowhide may 
be used on which to stand and to place  
the loose earth in burying drag and     
trap4  ,a narrow trail may be made by   
dragging the stone or scraping the foot 
from across the runway to the trap4 ,a  

slender line of scent should be         
scattered along this drag mark or cross 
trail and more of the scent placed      
around the trap and #f inches beyond it1
 so that the wolf will follow the line  
directly across the trap1 stopping with 
its front feet upon it4 ,with old1      
experienced and suspicious wolves1      
however1 it is better not to make the   
drag mark1 but to set the trap with     
great care1 close to the side of the    
trail and put the scent just beyond it4 
,if possible1 place the trap between two
 tufts of grass or weeds1 so that it can
 be readily approached from one side    
only4    ,illustration3 ,caught in a    
,scent ,set4  ,traps may also be set    
with bait and some scent used to        
advantage1 in fact many of the decoys   
are to be used in that way4 ,two        
brothers who trap in partnership give   
the following method of trapping with   
scent and bait3  ,this is one way of    
catching coyotes3 ,we find all the horse
 meat we can1 we even ask people if they

 know of any dead horses1 or sheep or   
cattle4 ,but the horse flesh is the best
 bait for them1 then comes the sheep1   
that they like almost as well4 ,rabbits 
are also excellent bait for them1 by    
putting a little pucky for scent along  
the side of the rabbit bait4 ,we also   
tell how to make this 'pucky4'  ,secure 
all the small fish you can from three to
 four inches long4 ,trout is the best if
 you can secure them1 but other         
varieties of fish will do2 clean but    
leave the heads on1 because you will    
find more oil in the head than in any   
other part4 ,cut them up so they will go
 into a bottle2 stuff them in very      
tight1 up to the neck of the bottle2    
then put a thin cheese cloth over the   
top of the bottle and let it stay there 
for about two weeks4 ,it will begin to  
work good about that time1 then cork it 
up tight1 and in a few days it is ready 
for use4  ,now1 taking the horse meat1  
sheep or rabbits1 you have for bait1    
find a good place to lay the bait so the

 coyotes cannot get to it from all      
sides4 ,never make your trap stationary 
but wire the chain to a small log1 a    
stick of wood about four feet long and  
three inches thick1 leave a few knots   
sticking out on the log1 and they will  
help tire the coyote out1 by digging in 
the ground2 wire the chain about in the 
middle1 as it will drag harder for the  
coyote4    ,illustration3 ,traps ,set   
with ,bait and ,scent4  ,now dig a hole 
the same shape of your trap1 where you  
want it to set1 also bury the clog4 ,put
 your trap in its place and have it so  
it will be about one-fourth of an inch  
below the surface of the ground1 not any
 lower4 ,put a piece of wool under the  
pan so birds and rabbits won't spring   
it2 then take a piece of paper big      
enough to cover the jaws of the trap1   
take some dirt and put over the paper   
until level with the surrounding place1 
if anything a little sunken1 just so you
 can notice it4 ,now set your trap about
 the length of the coyote from the bait 

and one more a little farther out1 both 
in the same way as ,i said4 ,be sure and
 put your bait in such a place as to    
make them come around in front4  ,if you
 have to set traps at a dead horse out  
in the open1 put one just behind the    
hips1 and one in between his feet where 
he lays4 ,set them as ,i have told you  
and you will get them4 ,if you find a   
dead animal1 that is1 bait1 ,i mean1    
also set your traps in triangle around  
him4 ,put your traps about one foot and 
a half from bait4 ,study them carefully 
and you will soon learn to set right4   
,try it4  ,some trappers say1 don't let 
the traps touch your clothes1 smoke and 
bury your gloves2 and even say bury your
 shoes after each trip4 ,we think all of
 this unnecessary for we tie our traps  
around us1 wear warm ,german socks and  
overshoes1 just as everybody else should
 do in winter4 ,set our traps with our  
gloves on or off1 don't matter2 when    
through1 brush over with a small brush  
and leave it4 ,don't make any more      

tracks around your traps than possible4 
,we made one freak of a catch1 two      
coyotes at one setting in one night4    
,one had a stub foot having been caught 
before4  ,a very good method is to find 
a large clump of cactus 7prickly pear7  
with even1 well defined edges1 and set  
several traps near the edge and at      
varying distances4 ,use all possible    
care in setting1 following the          
instructions given elsewhere4 ,it is    
best to leave the setting some three or 
four days before placing the scent2 that
 will give plenty of time for the human 
and other scents1 that have been left   
there1 to pass away and the ground which
 has been disturbed1 will have taken on 
a smoother appearance by that time4     
,then go on horseback and saturating a  
lump of earth with the decoy1 drop it in
 the center of the cactus bed4 ,do not  
dismount from the horse when placing the
 decoy4 ,this is an exceptionally good  
set for coyotes4 ,while they can not    
reach the scent1 they will walk all     

around the cactus bed and are almost    
certain to step in one of the traps4    
,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 away4    
,the bank set which is described in     
another chapter may also be used without
 bait by placing some scent on the edge 
of the bank4  ,one of the ,montana      
trappers uses this method3 ,take your   
traps and boil them in lye water4 ,do   
not handle them with your bare hands but
 be sure and use clean buckskin gloves1 
and handle them as little as possible4  
,find a place where they run pretty     
regular1 like an old road that is not   
used or a cow path or trail4 ,find a    
place that is sandy if you can1 and set 
your traps lengthwise with the trail4   
,of course1 you must dig out where you  
put your traps4  ,now cover your traps  
with a piece of deodorized paper and    
about one-half inch of sand4 ,get some  

water and sprinkle along the trail and  
over your traps to make it all look     
alike4 ,you must not leave a lot of     
loose and lumpy dirt lying near your    
traps4 ,leave as little sign as         
possible4 ,wait two days before you go  
there again1 and then go with a saddle  
horse and drop six or eight drops of    
good scent bait between your traps1 and 
await results4 ,do not get off your     
horse when you go to put out the scent  
bait1 for ,i know of no animal that is  
any more sly than the old grey wolf4    
,now ,i don't claim that this will work 
in all localities1 but ,i have had      
fairly good luck with this set4 ,i      
always use two traps at a setting for   
wolf or coyote4    ,,chapter ,,xii4     
,,bait ,,methods ,,for ,,wolves4  ,many 
of the sets used for coyotes are equally
 good for grey wolves1 providing that   
one uses a trap sufficiently strong to  
hold them and almost any set that will  
catch the wolf is good also for the     
coyote1 but there are some which are    

especially good for the grey wolf and we
 give here some of these methods4  ,one 
of the most successful is the following3
 ,somewhere on the wolf's route of      
travel find an unused trail and         
selecting a well defined portion1 set   
two traps close together as shown in the
 diagram4 ,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     
jaws1 and so arrange them that the pans 
will be about twelve or fourteen inches 
apart4 ,the traps must be attached to   
drags of some sort1 stones or iron      
drags1 which must be buried1 along with 
the traps4 ,great care should be used in
 setting so as to leave everything as   
nearly like it was before as possible4  
,no loose dirt should be left lying     
about1 and no tracks or signs of human  
presence should remain about the        
setting4  ,two more traps should be set 
in a similar manner1 somewhere on the   
trail1 and from fifty to one hundred    

yards from the first two4 ,the traps    
should be left setting some four or five
 days before placing the bait4 ,this    
will allow all foreign odors to pass    
away from the setting4 ,a large bait    
should then be placed midway between the
 two settings1 and close beside the     
trail4    ,illustration3 ,trail ,bait   
,set4  ,on approaching or leaving the   
bait the wolves are almost certain to   
walk on the trail1 and while they view  
all signs of disturbance near the bait  
with suspicion1 they will be less       
cautious some distance away4 ,in other  
words they will not be expecting danger 
so far away from the bait4  ,when       
looking at the traps1 one should go on  
horseback and avoid dismounting near the
 traps or bait4 ,in placing the bait one
 should1 if possible1 go on a wagon1 or 
if more convenient1 on a horse1 and     
should drop the bait in place without   
stepping down on to the ground4  ,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 inches1 it is better to use 
two traps1 for the wolf is likely to    
miss a single trap4 ,the method will be 
found to work well in all localities and
 is as good for coyotes as for wolves4  
,another very popular mode of trapping  
the grey wolf is with what is known as  
the square setting4 ,this set requires  
four traps and they are arranged in the 
form of a square4  ,on a smooth sandy   
spot of ground1 dig a hole about six    
inches deep and having attached the     
chains of all four traps to the stake1  
drive it in the hole until the top is   
below the surface of the ground4 ,the   
traps should have the regular short     
chains and they should be arranged in   
the form of a square each about twenty  
inches from the stake4 ,the traps must  
be bedded down1 or in other words1 they 
should be set in holes dug for the      
purpose as previously described and     
should be neatly covered4 ,a narrow     
trench should be made for each chain and

 they must be covered also1 so as to    
leave no sign4 ,the bait should be      
fastened with wire to the top of the    
trap stake and the hollow beneath it may
 be filled with sand4 ,the wire must not
 be visible and if a bird1 rabbit or any
 small creature is used for bait1 it    
must not be skinned or mutilated4 ,when 
baiting with a piece of beef mutton1    
horse-flesh or the flesh of any large   
animal1 it is best also to leave the    
skin on1 as a skinned bait is likely to 
make the animals suspicious4            
,illustration3 ,the ,square ,setting4   
,if the animal's suspicions are not     
aroused1 it will approach the set       
unsuspectingly and attempt to raise the 
bait1 but when it finds it fast1 it will
 step around some and is almost certain 
to step into a trap4 ,it will be very   
likely also to land in another trap     
after it commences to struggle1 and     
there will be very little danger of it  
escaping4  ,many of the trappers who use
 this method use only three traps at a  

setting and arrange them in the form of 
a triangle4 ,this is good but we believe
 that the use of four traps will give   
better results4  ,one trapper fastened  
his traps to iron pins1 about #aj inches
 in length1 and used this pin as a      
stake4 ,the captured animal could easily
 pull up the stake but the entire bunch 
of traps would act as a drag1 and it    
could not go far through the sage brush 
without getting fastened up4  ,one of   
the best methods for both the timber    
wolf and the coyote is what is known to 
trappers as the cut bank set4 ,all over 
the western country1 along the water    
courses and wash-outs1 will be found    
straight cut banks1 sometimes           
overhanging4 ,select such a bank from #e
 to #g feet high1 and if you can find   
two bunches of cactus1 about #af or #ah 
inches apart1 on the top of the bank1   
this is the place to set the trap4 ,if  
the cactus can not be found growing this
 way1 place some there1 being very      
careful to give it a natural appearance1

 so that it will look as if it had grown
 there4  ,the trap should be staked the 
length of the chain from the edge of the
 bank1 and the stake driven out of      
sight4 ,set the trap about #bj inches   
from the bank1 if for coyotes1 and about
 #bf inches1 if wolves are expected1 and
 directly between the two bunches of    
cactus4 ,cover the trap nicely as per   
instructions on a preceding page1 and   
fasten the bait between the cactus1 on  
the very edge of the bank4 ,when        
properly set1 the animal can not reach  
the bait without stepping on the trap4  
,when caught it immediately leaps over  
the bank1 and as it can not get back1   
will be unable to make use of its       
strength in struggling1 and will seldom 
escape4 ,another thing that speaks well 
for this method is the fact that the fur
 of the captured animal is always clean1
 which is more than can be said of those
 which are caught in traps set and      
staked on level ground1 where they can  
struggle and roll in the dirt for hours1

 and sometimes days4    ,illustration3  
,coyote ,caught at a ,bank ,set4  ,mr4  
,ira ,w4 ,bull1 official hunter for the 
,u4 ,s4 ,department of ,agriculture1 and
 now located on one of the ,colorado    
forest reserves1 writes as follows3  ,it
 would be hard to make an estimate of   
the number of coyotes and wolves in this
 section1 especially coyotes1 as there  
are so many of them and they seem to be 
getting more numerous every year4 ,there
 are not so many grey wolves1 but still1
 enough to do a lot of mischief1 as they
 kill stock and move on1 hardly ever    
coming back to the carcass for the      
second meal4  ,my method of trapping    
varies according to conditions and time 
of year4 ,when ,i set with small baits1 
,i first select a smooth open place1 and
 cut a hole in the soil the size and    
shape of the trap4 ,i set the trap in   
the hole and cover carefully1 fastening 
to a stake or toggle1 concealing by     
covering with dirt4 ,i cut the bait in  
small pieces1 probably #dj or #ej in    

number1 and scatter around the trap1    
leaving everything looking as natural as
 possible4 ,with a large bait1 say the  
whole or half the carcass of a horse or 
other large animal1 ,i set the trap in  
the same way1 but use #b or #c or even  
#d traps at the one bait4  ,an old time 
trapper writes as follows3 ,water-sets  
are the best for wolves if the animals  
are cunning4 ,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 bait1 such as beef head1       
shanks1 entrails1 or sheep that have    
died or have been killed by wolves4     
,start down the stream1 looking for     
small sand or gravel bars lying just    
above the water and a few feet long4    
,when one of these is found1 run your   
boat up to it and leave a beef head1 a  
quarter of mutton or such like1 and then
 proceed on down to the next bar and    
bait it in the same way1 keeping on in  
that way until the bait is gone4  ,the  
wolf is very bait shy4 ,it will take    

bait that it finds along streams more   
readily than on land4 ,in a few nights  
after placing your bait1 you will find  
that the wolves are working on it and   
have made trails down the bank of the   
stream to the edge of the water4 ,you   
will observe that they all take the     
water at the same place4                
,illustration3 ,wolf ,water ,set4  ,now 
load your boat with plenty of bait as   
before1 but this time take also a good  
supply of traps1 the proper size for    
wolves1 and a supply of clogs similar to
 fence posts4 ,when you come to the bar1
 supply it again with bait4 ,fasten your
 trap to a clog1 set the trap at the    
edge of the water in the trail and allow
 the clog to lie the full length of the 
chain1 downstream in the brush4 ,splash 
water on the clog to wash it1 and also  
on any brush you touch4 ,continue thus  
at the baited places1 and you will be   
surprised at your catch1 if you have    
never trapped that way4  ,as for wolves 
getting scarce in the ,west1 there are  

some places where the large wolves are  
decreasing4 ,the coyote is becoming more
 plentiful every year4 ,they are the    
worst of the two among sheep and small  
calves and colts4 ,the sheep men on the 
desert are paying #dj4jj per month to   
the trappers in eastern ,oregon for     
wolves1 besides boarding them and       
allowing them to keep the pelts4 ,some  
trappers are making as much as #aej4jj  
per month4 ,it is almost impossible to  
poison wolves in this country1 but ,i   
can trap them successfully several ways4
  ,one of the ,minnesota trappers gives 
the following experience3 ,in the fall a
 man brought an old horse to give us for
 chicken feed1 and after butchering it1 
we hauled the insides1 head and feet out
 into the field along with some manure4 
,after a few days we found that wolves  
were eating it1 so when we butchered the
 next one1 we dragged the insides around
 and put them in a little gulley and    
spread manure around2 then set two      
traps1 ,no4 #c ,newhouse on both sides  

of the gulley and three traps down in   
the gulley near the bait4  ,we set these
 traps on ,monday1 and on next ,thursday
 father saw a fox running away from the 
traps1 and found it had sprung one      
without getting caught4 ,i think #d or  
#e wolves came around on ,friday night1 
but they didn't get caught either4 ,i   
moved one of the ,no4 #c's nearer the   
bait1 and on ,friday father bought two  
,no4 #b #a_/b ,newhouse otter traps4    
,one of these we set where the ,no4 #c  
had been1 and the other about six rods  
west of the gulley4 ,we set the two ,no4
 #b #a_/b on ,saturday morning4 ,on     
,sunday morning on our way to church1 we
 drove by the traps and found a wolf in 
the new ,no4 #b #a_/b and a red fox in  
the ,no4 #c that ,i had moved up near   
the bait4 ,these two traps were not over
 ten feet apart4 ,on skinning the fox we
 found marks as if he had been bitten4  
,it weighed #h #a_/b pounds and the wolf
 weighed #cd pounds4  ,the wolves kept  
coming every other day4 ,the next       

,friday we found another wolf in the    
same trap that the fox was caught in4   
,on ,friday of the next week we had     
another wolf in the ,no4 #b trap4 ,on   
the next ,thursday there was a wolf     
caught in the other ,no4 #b #a_/b otter 
trap which was set six rods from the    
gulley1 and that was the last one we    
caught up to ,february #aeth4 ,they     
don't seem to come around here now4  ,a 
,wyoming trapper submits the following3 
,i send you herewith a photo of a female
 grey wolf which ,i trapped in the      
spring of #aijh2 this wolf weighed #fb  
pounds4 ,i caught her in a ,no4 #d trap1
 and when ,i got to within thirty yards 
of her ,i shot her with my #cc ,special 
,winchester4  ,the grey wolf is a       
powerful animal1 and if a person goes   
too near them when they are in a trap   
they are apt to escape1 and another     
thing1 their feet are so large that a   
trap generally catches them by the toes4
 ,it is nothing uncommon for a single   
grey wolf to destroy #a1jjj worth of    

stock in a year4 ,this one that ,i      
trapped would have in a few weeks       
produced #ab cubs2 just think of the    
damage which these thirteen wolves could
 have done4  ,the grey wolf is hard to  
trap on account of being so powerful2   
they can kill a large steer or other    
ranch stock1 in the shape of horses or  
cattle1 and they like their meat fresh4 
,i had fifty traps out and trapped #ag  
or #ah coyotes and several skunk while  
,i was trying to catch this wolf4  ,here
 is the set ,i use3 ,find where the     
wolves have killed something or an old  
carcass1 or find a trail that they are  
in the habit of using1 for it is the    
habit of wolves to smell around anything
 they may find dead1 and scratch around 
the same4 ,dig holes to fit the jaws and
 springs of your traps1 put a wad of    
paper or wool under the pan of trap1 and
 cover the entire jaws of traps with a  
piece of paper2 then cover over the trap
 and chain with fine dry horse or cow   
manure1 so that the covering will be    

level with the top of the ground1 and   
make everything look as natural as      
possible4    ,illustration3 ,a ,trapped 
,wolf4  ,the accompanying photograph    
shows a wolf that ,i caught a few years 
ago and this is the way ,i caught it1   
writes one of the ,wisconsin trappers4  
,first1 ,i took the insides and stuff   
from a hog and placed it in a clover    
field and set three ,no4 #d ,hawley     
,norton traps around it1 covering nicely
 with clover leaves1 chaff1 etc41 but ,i
 guess ,i must have been a little       
careless1 as a hungry wolf came along1  
ate what he wanted and scattered the    
rest of it around without springing the 
traps2 so ,i thought ,i would teach him 
how to do that trick over again1 and ,i 
took #d more traps1 making #g in all1   
fastened one trap chain to the next     
trap1 and in this way strung them out   
around the bait1 fastening the whole to 
a logging chain that ,i had concealed   
under some clover seed hay4  ,then ,i   
covered everything very carefully with  

clover leaves1 chaff1 etc41 and also    
some of the food out of the hog's       
stomach1 as this food was smelling very 
sour by this time4 ,i will also add that
 some of these traps were brand new1    
while some of them were very rusty1 so  
,i took first a new trap and then a     
rusty one1 and set them alternately     
around the bait1 thinking that this     
arrangement1 together with the sour     
smell of the food1 would confuse his    
nose a little1 and ,i think it did1 at  
any rate1 in about a week he came back  
and got tangled up4 ,he was caught only 
in one trap as his first jump would1 of 
course1 pull all the other traps out of 
position4  ,he was a sorry looking      
specimen of a wolf1 mixed up in all this
 hardware 7seven big ,no4 #d ,hawley    
,norton traps and one logging chain71   
but we will have to excuse him as he    
didn't know it was loaded4 ,the best way
 is to fasten every trap separately1 as 
in this way he may get caught in several
 traps1 or more than one might happen to

 get caught at the same time1 while if  
they hang together1 he will not be      
likely to get caught in more than one   
trap1 as in his first desperate struggle
 to escape he will pull the others out  
of position4  ,i suppose it will make   
some of the old 'war horses' laugh to   
see that it takes seven traps at one    
bait to catch a wolf4 ,this is the only 
time ,i have had as many as seven traps 
handy1 so ,i thought ,i would fix him   
plenty4 ,i generally use from one to    
three traps for each set1 depending on  
surrounding conditions4  ,in addition to
 the trapping methods given in the      
preceding pages1 there are many others  
used in the various sections of the     
country and all of them have some good  
points4  ,all trappers make it a point  
to set a number of traps about the      
carcass of any animal that has been     
killed by wolves1 also animals that have
 met death through other sources4 ,the  
trouble is that in open ground it       
requires so many traps to guard a large 

bait1 and also the wolves become very   
wary and refuse to approach a large bait
 after one or two have been caught      
there4  ,for these reasons some trappers
 set their traps some distance away from
 the carcass1 using small baits1 and so 
placing the trap among clumps of brush  
and other natural objects that the wolf 
can only reach the bait by walking over 
the trap4 ,others set their traps       
without bait on any trails that may be  
found in the vicinity of the carcass1   
trusting that the animals will follow   
these paths when visiting the bait4     
,some recommend dragging a large piece  
of bloody meat by tying to the horn of  
the saddle with a rope and setting traps
 without bait in the trail4 ,others set 
the traps in the same way and scatter   
small pieces of fresh bait all about4   
,another style of setting which is      
sometimes used is to bury a good sized  
bait in a trail and set a trap on each  
side of the buried bait4 ,all of these  
methods will give good results at times 

but one should never confine himself to 
any one method1 as the animal will soon 
learn his tricks and refuse to have his 
toes pinched4 ,it is wise also when     
using baits or scents to locate the set 
to the windward side of the animals     
probable course of travel as all animals
 can scent a bait at a much greater     
distance when passing to the leeward4   
,no matter what method is used1 one must
 be a hustler and persevering4 ,one can 
not possibly make a great success of    
wolf trapping unless he uses a large    
number of traps1 and keeps them in      
working order and well baited4          
,,chapter ,,xiii4  ,,southern ,,bait    
,,methods ,,for ,,coyotes4  ,if there   
are many methods of trapping the wolf1  
there are still more for catching the   
coyote1 for it is a far more common     
animal1 and while its range is over a   
smaller area of country1 it is found in 
far greater numbers than the grey or    
timber wolf4  ,if there is any          
difference between the two1 the coyote  

is more cunning and wary than the wolf1 
but the fact that wolves do not care for
 dead bait and the proportionately small
 number of the animals makes the capture
 of them more difficult and the catch   
very much lighter4 ,all of the methods  
given for the grey wolf are good for the
 coyote1 and in addition we give here   
the methods of various others1 from all 
parts of the ,southwest4 ,the first is  
from ,mr4 ,vasma ,brown a noted coyote  
trapper of ,texas4  ,in the season of   
#aijc-jd1 ,i commenced trapping about   
,november #beth1 and stopped about      
,march #ast4 ,i used seven ,no4 #b      
,victor traps1 but consider ,no4 #d a   
better size4 ,in the ninety-six nights  
that ,i trapped1 ,i caught #ahb coyotes1
 #d skunk1 #ab opossum1 #c coons and #ab
 cats4 ,i only trapped for coyotes1 but 
these other animals came along and got  
caught4 ,had ,i been trapping for skunk1
 opossum and wild cat1 ,i would have    
caught about #bjj of each1 but their    
pelts were not worth more than #aj cents

 each4    ,illustration3 ,a ,trapped    
,texas ,coyote4  ,i took a piece of     
fresh meat and dragged it along a trail 
for about a mile4 ,about every two      
hundred yards ,i set a trap4 ,i         
scratched a hole in the ground just the 
size of the trap1 put it in the hole and
 covered it up with a piece of paper and
 sprinkled dirt or sand upon it entirely
 concealing it4 ,for bait1 ,i cut some  
little pieces of meat and put about six 
or eight around the trap and then went  
on and set my other traps4 ,i never     
failed to find two or three coyotes in  
my traps4 ,my biggest catch in one night
 was six coyotes and one coon4 ,i never 
use any scent4 ,fresh pork is the best  
scent that a person can use4 ,i tie my  
traps to a log or a piece of brush4  ,in
 the spring of the year1 ,i have many   
calves and some hogs killed and eaten by
 coyotes4 ,a calf about six months old1 
is the finest kind of bait for a coyote4
 ,a few years ago ,i saw a coyote kill a
 calf and as soon as ,i could1 ,i put a 

#ch ,winchester bullet through him4 ,as 
many coyotes as ,i have caught in steel 
traps1 ,i have never had one dig up my  
trap4 ,they are very easily caught4  ,in
 the winter of #aijc and #aijd1 ,i raced
 with a friend of mine catching coyotes4
 ,our trapping places were about five   
miles apart1 and there were just as many
 coyotes on his place as mine4 ,i used  
seven ,no4 #b and he used nine ,no4 #c  
traps4 ,he also used scent and ,i used  
none4 ,when the day came to count and   
see who had the most hides1 ,i had the  
most by one hundred and three coyotes1  
besides twenty-one other hides4 ,he used
 scent and the animals were not very    
hungry4 ,the scent they found on a      
suspicious place1 made them shy1 because
 they could not see what it was4  ,if   
you will all think about it1 it is plain
 enough4 ,if an animal is hungry and    
sees a bait he is going to eat it       
whether it looks suspicious or not2 and 
if not hungry and he sees a trap with   
bait1 especially if he has ever been    

caught and gotten away1 he will not     
bother it4 ,the slyest of all animals   
have been caught in the most simple way 
a trap could be set1 because they were  
hungry4 ,my brother and ,i used to1 and 
do now1 catch coyotes at the carcass of 
a dead animal with our traps as         
unconcealed as you can set them4 ,we    
always have had good success4 ,we catch 
about one-third of what comes around4   
,in the fall of #ahie1 my brother found 
the carcass of a dead horse4 ,he set    
three ,no4 #c ,newhouse traps at the    
carcass1 and when it was all consumed1  
he had thirty-six coyote hides4 ,his    
traps were set on the ground4 ,a person 
could see them on the top of the ground 
at one hundred yards distance4 ,the     
coyotes were very hungry and they cared 
for nothing but the flesh of the dead   
horse4 ,they stepped everywhere1 and on 
and in everything4 ,hunger makes an     
animal easy to capture4  ,the ease with 
which the coyote of the ,southwest may  
be captured only goes to prove our      

statement in a previous chapter1 that   
there is a great difference in the      
nature of the animals found in widely   
removed localities4 ,it is certain that 
the coyotes of the ,northwest could not 
be captured in uncovered traps4 ,there  
is also1 as will be noted1 a great      
diversity of opinion regarding the value
 of scent4 ,in parts of the country     
where the animals take bait well1 scent 
is seldom used and would not be as      
successful as in other parts4  ,i trap  
on a small scale1 but enjoy it more than
 any other occupation1 writes a ,new    
,mexico trapper4 ,i intend trapping on a
 large scale next winter4 ,it is mostly 
skunks1 coyotes1 badger and occasionally
 a fox and coon4  ,some of the brother  
trappers complained of wolves being hard
 to catch4 ,there are very few here1 but
 ,i can catch a coyote almost as easy as
 a skunk4 ,i have caught lots of them4  
,the best place to set the traps is on  
loose plowed ground or a sand bed1 or   
anywhere you can conceal the trap so    

another person couldn't locate exactly  
where it is set4 ,a cow trail is good4  
,setting it in grass is no good4  ,i dig
 out a place in the ground just the size
 of the trap1 and so the pan will be    
one-fourth of an inch below level1 then 
set trap1 put in place1 take a piece of 
stiff paper 7not too stiff71 large      
enough to cover jaws1 and place over    
jaws2 then cover one-fourth inch with   
fine loose dirt4 ,brush the ground down 
smooth so it will all look alike4 ,it is
 best to have two or three traps set at 
one setting1 so you will catch him by   
more than one foot4 ,when caught by one 
foot1 they will soon sever their leg by 
jerking and twisting4  ,another pointer1
 when you catch a coyote at a setting1  
don't move your traps away1 but set back
 in the same place1 for the more you    
catch at a setting the better chances   
you have to catch more4 ,i've caught six
 coyotes in one setting within the last 
two weeks4 ,that isn't extra good but   
they are scarce here4  ,by all means1   

don't pile up brush1 stones1 etc41      
around your traps when trapping for     
coyote4 ,it doesn't make any difference 
how much the coyote scratches up the    
dirt1 others will come back to the same 
place4 ,i use most any kind of meat1    
such as rabbit1 chicken and sometimes a 
coyote carcass until ,i catch one2 then 
,i seldom use any bait1 for the scent   
left by the one caught attracts others4 
,another trapper from ,texas1 writes1   
,in trapping for coyotes1 there are     
three lines to be looked after with the 
eye of experience1 viz3 ,the where and  
the how of setting1 and the bait4 ,beds 
should always be located between either 
hiding or feeding districts4 ,in passing
 from one to another of these districts1
 coyotes follow in the main1 the same   
route1 and the experienced eye can soon 
locate a good place for a trap bed4     
,these spots may be far apart or they   
may be near each other4 ,the past season
 ,i had two not more than three yards   
apart4 ,failing to get such a location1 

the trapper traps by chance and catches 
by accident4 ,after a rain the trap bed 
should be torn up and sunned awhile4    
,fresh sign is suspicious4 ,four traps  
make a good bed1 but ,i seldom use more 
than two4 ,traps and chains must be well
 hidden and the ground left as level as 
would seem natural4  ,if the traps are  
so fastened as to hold the animal to the
 spot1 that bed is lost for that season4
 ,i prefer small pieces of worn out     
machinery1 rusty iron1 weighing ten or  
fifteen pounds for clogs4 ,then comes   
the most important matter of all--bait4 
,in this ,i have deviated from anything 
,i have ever noticed in guides4 ,i use  
unrendered beef fat4 ,leaf fat is good1 
but ,i prefer what is commonly called   
gut fat4 ,if taken off without too much 
care1 it is best4 ,hung up and dried it 
lasts indefinitely4 ,this dried article 
,i cut up in pieces from the size of a  
pea to the size of the end of my thumb1 
the smaller the better1 and scatter     
around over the trap bed1 say #aj feet  

square4 ,if the bed is in short grass1  
this baiting is better4 ,the bait must  
be carried in a bag for the purpose1 and
 must not be touched1 in any case1 until
 the traps are set4 ,with traps well    
disinfected this is the slickest cheat  
,i have ever seen worked on a coyote4   
,some of the northern trappers will     
probably smile when they read of the    
following set1 but the fact that it is  
used extensively in the ,south1 proves  
that it is a good one for that part4 ,it
 was contributed by one of the ,arizona 
trappers4 ,there is plenty of small     
timber here1 so the first thing ,i do   
when ,i find a good brush to wire the   
bait to1 is to cut a drag about three to
 four feet long and about three or four 
inches in diameter about the center of  
the drag4 ,cut a notch on one side and  
in the center of the drag4 ,wire the    
ring of the trap chain securely to the  
drag in the notched place with about two
 lengths of hay baling wire4 ,lay the   
drag on the ground on one side of the   

pen and cover with brush4 ,the pen would
 be brushed up all around about #ah     
inches high1 except the entrance4  ,i   
make a ',u' shaped enclosure about four 
feet long with bait wired to bush in the
 farther end4 ,the pen should be about a
 foot wide inside of the brush4 ,dig a  
hole just inside the entrance of the pen
 for the trap1 which set lengthwise1 and
 cover even with the surface4 ,also be  
sure and cover the trap chain4 ,instead 
of cotton under the pan1 ,i use a piece 
of canvas that just fits inside of jaws 
and put over the pan and cover all with 
sifted dirt from the hole until level   
with the surface4 ,place a stick across 
the entrance so that when the coyote    
goes up1 if he wants to get the meat1 he
 will have to go over the stick4 ,it    
should be about eight inches in front of
 the trap4 ,this keeps him from digging 
in the trap4  ,now fill in on both sides
 of the trap between it and the side of 
the pen with small brush or twigs so as 
to guide his foot into the trap4 ,do not

 put the twigs on the trap where you    
want him to step4 ,i guide his feet     
right into my traps that way4 ,always   
lay the bait on the ground in the pen1  
wired to the brush or stake in rear end1
 as coyotes will not enter pen if bait  
is hung up4 ,i use horse meat mostly1   
but sometimes rabbits and beef4 ,hawks  
and ravens are bad on rabbit baits1 and 
cattle paw the traps up if set with     
beef4  ,i set my traps from one-fourth  
to one-half mile apart1 and use a fresh 
rabbit or fresh piece of meat and drag  
from one trap to the other1 when making 
my rounds4 ,also spoiled fish scent is  
good for a trail4 ,i never use gloves to
 prevent human scent in setting traps1  
and ,i consider it nonsense4 ,after the 
first night a set has been out1 almost  
any coyote will go into the trap4 ,i use
 ,no4 #ad ,newhouse traps1 and when they
 catch they never let go4  ,i never set 
traps at a large carcass of a horse or  
other animal1 for when one does when the
 coyotes come there to feed and one of  

their number steps into a trap1 that    
generally settles it for the rest of    
them1 and they will not come back4 ,set 
traps from one-eighth to one-fourth of a
 mile all around the carcass and bait   
with meat from the carcass is a good    
plan4  ,i visit my coyote traps daily if
 possible1 as they should not be left in
 the traps to frighten others away that 
would get caught1 if the trap was set1  
and seeing that coyote in trouble1 they 
will be very shy about coming up to the 
place afterward4 ,i ride horse-back     
looking after my traps1 and am able to  
get over a good deal of ground in that  
way4  ,another coyote trapper from      
,texas gives the same method1 and adds3 
,for bait take cracklings from either   
lard or tallow4 ,heat them in a skillet 
and when hot1 cut up some garlic and    
drop in1 but don't let it cook too much4
 ,put the mixture in the pen the same as
 any other bait and see how it works4   
,it does fine here1 but it might be that
 there are so many coyotes here that    

they will eat any old thing4 ,the best  
thing about that kind of bait is the    
buzzards will not bother it4 ,i have    
tried it for coyotes1 skunk and badger1 
and it is good for all of them4  ,this  
is the mode of trapping employed by a   
party from ,southern ,california3 ,now a
 word about trapping those cute little  
coyotes4 ,as every one has his way of   
trapping for them so do ,i4 ,the best   
way to catch anything that walks on four
 legs is to make a fool of them4 ,some  
people may think that is 'hot air'1 but 
,i know better4 ,the way to fool an old 
coyote is to take a fresh sheep skin and
 drag it1 you riding1 on a horse1 for a 
mile or so in the hills near where your 
man is in the habit of going1 7now be   
sure you do not touch it with your      
hands71 until you find an open hill not 
too high4 ,have a stake there beforehand
 and have your traps set4 ,the traps    
should be left lying in the sheep pen   
for a week before setting4 ,when you get
 to the stake1 hang your pelt on it1 so 

when the wind blows the pelt will move4 
,mr4 ,coyote will be sure to find the   
trail you have made and will follow it  
until he sees the pelt1 and then he will
 walk around it for a night or so1 but  
he will not get too near the first night
 or for three or four nights1 but he    
will be sure to get there after a while 
and try to pull the skin down1 and he   
will forget about the traps and         
everything else1 and he will be taken in
 just like all the other suckers4       
,,chapter ,,xiv4  ,,northern ,,bait     
,,methods ,,for ,,coyotes4  ,mr4 ,c4 ,b4
 ,peyton1 who met such a tragic end1    
while attempting to arrest a party of   
game-law violating ,indians last fall1  
wrote the following article on coyote   
trapping1 several years ago4 ,i herewith
 submit my method for trapping the      
coyote1 hoping it will be of interest to
 the readers4 ,my outfit is as follows3 
,eighty steel traps1 various sizes #b to
 #d #a_/b1 two saddle horses1 one short 
handle spade1 one hunter's axe1 a piece 

of canvas1 some wool2 #c or #d pounds of
 sheep or coyote wool is enough for one 
day's setting1 one #cj-dj1 #ie ,model   
,winchester4  ,when there is a bounty ,i
 do not start trapping until the frost  
is about all out in the spring4 ,i start
 some morning with as many traps as ,i  
can set that day1 four to the setting1  
five settings is a fair day's work if   
done right4 ,i never bait until ,i have 
my entire line set4  ,i have used the   
following style of setting with fair    
success1 known as the square set4 ,i    
select a spot where there is sand or no 
sod1 cut a stake about #ad inches long1 
take four traps1 fasten chains to stake1
 drive stake down until about two inches
 below surface1 pull traps out about two
 feet from stake1 a ,no4 #b trap chain  
is about right length1 making a square  
set4 ,now dig out bed for each trap1    
placing dirt removed on canvas or       
blanket4 ,bed traps so there will be a  
half inch of dirt over them when        
covered2 place enough wool under pan of 

trap to keep dirt out and keep rabbits  
or birds from springing them2 leave a   
mark directly over stake to tell you    
where to place bait1 when making your   
rounds with bait sack4 ,carry what dirt 
is left on canvas some distance1 before 
dropping4  ,i prefer a fowl for bait1   
such as an old dead hen1 duck or grouse2
 place bait in center of setting on its 
side1 lift a wing and drive a slender   
stake thru into the ground to anchor it 
and drop the wing down on top of stake  
to conceal it4  ,now back away a few    
feet and throw a few handfuls of dry    
sand or dirt over your tracks4 ,if your 
work has been well done1 it will be     
difficult to tell exactly where your    
traps are hidden1 if your setting is    
properly located ,mr4 ,coyote will not  
be slow to see or smell bait1 as he is  
always on the lookout for handouts4 ,he 
will take careful note of surroundings1 
if he sees or smells nothing suspicious1
 he will attempt to remove bait to some 
less exposed place and eat it or hide it

 for a future repast4 ,he is very       
careful in approaching bait1 making     
numerous circles of setting2 if they    
succeed in reaching bait without        
stepping in one of the four traps1 they 
soon find one when they attempt to raise
 the anchored bait1 then begins a dance 
that lands him in two or more traps1    
there to await the coming of his friend1
 the trapper4  ,care should be used in  
killing captured animals1 so they will  
not bleed on ground as that will spoil  
setting4 ,i choke them with a small     
rope4 ,do not skin carcass nearer than  
#bjj yards of setting4 ,i use gloves    
always in handling bait or traps4 ,i    
never go nearer than is absolutely      
necessary to see that they are not      
sprung4 ,my line this spring1 #aijb1 was
 #cj miles long4 ,i went over it every  
other day1 catching #dc coyotes in #f   
weeks4 ,i have never lost any coyotes by
 twisting feet off4 ,when using square  
setting1 they most always have two or   
more feet caught4 ,i lose game and traps

 frequently by being lifted by human    
coyotes4 ,i pull my traps up about the  
middle of ,may1 then go to cruising     
after their dens4    ,illustration3 ,a  
,northern ,coyote4  ,the following      
method1 submitted by another            
northwestern trapper is practically the 
same3 ,my outfit consists of the        
following3 #fj ,no4 #c ,newhouse single 
spring otter traps 7,i find they will   
hold any wolf and are easier to set than
 double spring traps71 axe1 #fj stakes  
#af or #ah inches long1 #ab or #ae      
pounds of wool or cotton1 wool          
preferred1 #bj stakes #aj or #ab inches 
long4 ,a piece of oilcloth or canvas    
about #c feet square1 a light wagon and 
team1 a #cj-cj ,savage rifle and four   
stag hounds4 ,the hounds are trained to 
stay on the wagon until told to go1 and 
will nearly always get a coyote when    
sent after him4  ,in setting traps ,i   
choose a high knoll or a bare spot on   
the range and often the bed of a dry    
creek1 where ,i see plenty of signs and 

then proceed as follows3 ,stick one of  
the small stakes where ,i want the bait 
and from #bj to #bd inches from it1 ,i  
lay a trap and stretch the chain        
straight back1 drive stake through chain
 ring and drive down below the surface  
of the ground an inch or more1 then fix 
two more traps the same way at the      
opposite points of a triangle1 set your 
traps and place a good wad of wool under
 the pan so that rabbits and other small
 game will not spring it1 then proceed  
to bed the traps1 and chains1 placing   
all the dirt on the canvas4 ,now place  
your bait 7,i always use live bait if   
weather is not too cold but have had    
good success with dead bait74 ,lay an   
old dead hen or other fowl in the center
 and drive small stakes through it into 
the ground1 firmly1 cover the end of    
stake with wing or feathers of bait4    
,now step back and take dirt from the   
canvas and cover traps #a_/b to #e_/h   
inches deep1 also cover your own tracks 
and brush over well with a brush4 ,if   

traps are well set1 it will be hard to  
tell where they lay4 ,all dirt that is  
left on canvas should be taken away some
 distance and dropped4  ,in using live  
bait1 proceed the same way with traps1  
only bait should be tied by the feet    
with a good1 stout cord and place a can 
of corn and one of water within reach of
 fowl1 both cans to be set into the     
ground even with surface4 ,do not go    
nearer to traps than to see they are not
 sprung and do not shoot or club game in
 traps but choke to death with a copper 
wire on the end of a pole2 a good stout 
cord will answer the same purpose4 ,wipe
 all blood off traps before setting     
again and brush out your tracks as      
before1 and above all don't spit tobacco
 juice near your traps4  ,never set your
 trap by your bait2 the bait is there to
 attract the animal1 says a ,colorado   
trapper4 ,when setting traps at your    
bait you only catch two or three1 and by
 this time all the coyotes in the       
country have seen their comrades' doom  

at this particular place1 and will stay 
clear of the place in the future4  ,find
 where there is a dead horse or cow in a
 draw1 or some place where there are a  
number of trails leading toward it4     
,coyotes always travel on trails        
whenever they have the chance1 in order 
to save their feet4 ,find where the     
trail goes thru some brush or high      
grass4 ,here is the place to conceal    
your traps1 five in number1 in the      
trail4 ,set them so they will take in   
eight feet of the trail1 and there is no
 animal that can pass over these traps  
without stepping in one or more2 fasten 
each trap with a pin eight inches long  
if the ground is frozen1 and if not1 the
 pin should be longer4 ,if there is snow
 on the ground1 put a piece of cotton   
under the pan and brush snow over them2 
if there is no snow1 dig the trap down  
level with the ground1 put a piece of   
paper over them and cover lightly with  
fine dirt4 ,use ,no4 #c ,hawley  ,norton
 or ,newhouse traps4  ,use the same     

method for wolf2 you need no bait for   
him4 ,find where he travels in a trail4 
,he travels this trail every four or    
five days1 take note of this and see if 
,i am not right4 ,use ,no4 #d ,newhouse 
or ,hawley  ,norton trap1 with a heavy  
short chain and a good sized pin4 ,when 
setting traps1 take a piece of hide     
small enough to tie on the bottom of    
your shoes1 and when within a hundred   
yards of the place where the traps are  
to be set1 tie the hides on the soles of
 your shoes4 ,always use clean buckskin 
gloves when handling your traps4  ,when 
you catch anything1 move your traps a   
hundred yards or so1 and reset4 ,a      
coyote or wolf tears the ground up so   
that others get suspicious4 ,if you have
 the chance to set traps horseback1 take
 a hide and tie a rope on it1 take this 
along1 and when setting traps1 throw    
this on the ground and step off on to   
the hide to set traps4 ,when thru1 get  
on your horse and pull the hide up with 
the rope4 ,i learned this method from   

two of the best coyote and wolf trappers
 in ,wyoming4  ,the following is from   
,joseph ,casper1 an ,oregon trapper3 ,we
 have here1 the coyote1 wild cat1 lynx1 
mountain lion and bear1 but no grey     
wolves4 ,coyotes are plentiful1 and ,i  
have seen as many as #f or #h at one    
time4 ,a good way to trap them is by    
dragging the carcass of a sheep or pig  
through shallow ponds and set the traps 
in the water4 ,the coyotes will follow  
the trail and will wade around in the   
water1 looking for the bait4 ,traps may 
also be set by the side of some dead    
animal after the coyotes have been      
eating at it1 or small pieces of meat or
 lard cracklings may be scattered around
 the trap4 ,when setting traps on dry   
land1 ,i would advise using some good   
wolf scent1 to smother the human odor4  
,i use the ,no4 #c ,newhouse and ,no4 #d
 ,hawley  ,norton traps4  ,w4 ,l4       
,williamson1 a ,montana trapper1 in     
telling his experiences gives the       
following3  ,take some rabbits1 chickens

 or other bait and make a drag out of   
it2 dragging the bait from the horn of  
the saddle1 and about every half mile1  
set two ,no4 #d ,victor or ,no4 #c      
,newhouse traps in the trail and about  
#f inches apart4 ,have a sheep skin to  
stand on when setting the traps1 and do 
not step on the ground4 ,place all loose
 dirt on the sheepskin and after the    
traps are set and covered1 get on your  
horse and lift the skin by cords1       
attached to the corners4 ,carry the     
loose dirt away from the setting4       
,illustration3 ,an ,idaho ,coyote4      
,this set is good for both grey wolves  
and coyotes3  ,one day ,i went to the   
slaughter house1 got a fresh cow head   
and took it about three miles away1     
placing it in the center of a small     
flat4 ,i set several traps around it and
 the next morning ,i had a nice grey    
wolf1 caught by two feet4  ,when my     
father had his cattle down on our lower 
ranch1 the coyotes killed a young calf  
one morning1 so ,i took four ,victor    

traps and set around it1 and by #d      
o'clock1 ,i had two coyotes4 ,i reset   
the traps and the next morning ,i had   
another one4  ,the trapping methods     
given in the following pages are from   
expert trappers of all parts of the     
central and northern portions of the    
coyote range4  ,we have a #a4jj bounty  
on coyotes and #e4jj on wolves in this  
state 7,wyoming7 besides a stockmen's   
bounty in certain districts1 ranging    
from #a4jj to #b4ej on coyotes1 and     
#ae4jj to #ce4jj on wolves4 ,i find the 
best way to find coyotes here is to go  
out in the open country where the sheep 
men run their sheep in winter1 and when 
,i can find a camp that has just been   
vacated by a band of sheep1 ,i always   
figure on getting from one to five      
coyotes on that ground1 as there is most
 always some dead carcasses left behind1
 and a good1 dry place to set in4  ,my  
method of setting is this1 ,i have all  
my traps with the chains cut off to     
about six inches and a swivel on the    

end1 and use a long iron pin about #e_/h
 inches in diameter4 ,usually1 ,i take a
 part of a sheep with the hide on1 and  
so place it as to leave but one natural 
way into it1 where two traps put about  
ten inches apart will make it impossible
 for a coyote to get at it without being
 pinched4 ,one can always find natural  
runways thru the sage brush1 to make    
such sets4  ,i also use the trail set a 
good deal1 and always drag a piece of   
sheep pelt along from the pack horse4 ,i
 use a pack horse most all the time1    
besides a saddle horse1 and have two    
twenty-five mile circles out1 with about
 thirty-five traps to each circle4 ,in  
this way1 ,i get from #ge to #aej       
coyotes every winter4 ,the ground is too
 dry to freeze here1 so ,i bury traps1  
pins1 and use paper over and under jaws4
  ,a dead sure way to get a coyote every
 time is this1 ,i can kill sage hens    
most any time1 and always carry some on 
the pack horse4 ,when it comes time to  
eat1 first dig a hole to bury trap in   

and build a sage brush fire in it and   
singe a few of the feathers and some of 
the flesh in it1 and set in the ashes4  
,who ever saw a camp fire that didn't   
have coyote tracks around it8    99 99  
99  ,my way of trapping coyotes is to go
 to some prairie dog town and find an   
unused hole or one that has been filled 
up4 ,chop out a small hole two or three 
inches deep1 then dig three trenches for
 the chains1 then three holes for the   
traps1 which must not be too deep nor   
too shallow4 ,this requires practice and
 good judgment4 ,they must be deep      
enough to allow the trap to be covered  
half an inch with dirt or sand1 and     
still be even with the surrounding      
surface4 ,any deeper is too deep4  ,put 
a large piece of wool under the pan1 and
 cover jaws1 pan and all with a piece of
 heavy paper or light cloth1 to keep the
 dirt from getting under the trap pan4  
,drive the stake with three traps       
attached until the top is two inches or 
more below the top of the ground2 put   

the chains in their trenches and the    
trap in the holes dug for them4 ,cover  
all over with fine dirt the same as it  
was before being disturbed4 ,then take a
 brush made from stiff tough grass1 a   
small brush or the wing of a chicken or 
sage-hen and brush out all finger marks1
 etc41 then drop the last bait on top of
 stake and go away4  ,the coyote or wolf
 will not come close enough to get      
caught the first three or four nights1  
but don't get uneasy1 they will get bold
 after awhile1 if you don't go too close
 to your trap when looking at it4 ,when 
one gets caught in a trap set this way1 
he pulls to the end of the chain and    
swings around so as to step into another
 trap1 then there is not much danger of 
him breaking a chain or pulling up a    
stake4    99 99 99  ,in trapping the    
coyote or wolf1 ,i make a bed some three
 or four feet each way1 or nearly round4
 ,i set the traps after ,i swing the    
spring to the dog side4 ,then place the 
trap1 say1 about ten inches from the    

outside of the bed4 ,cover them with    
about three-fourths inch of soil4 ,i    
cover the pan with a piece of gunny sack
 so the sack will be inside of the jaws4
 ,i place the pin in the middle of the  
bed1--everything is covered4  ,i use    
bacon for my bait4 ,after ,i have the   
bed all smooth and fine1 ,i cut the     
bacon in very small pieces1 then scatter
 them all over the bed1 say some four   
inches apart4 ,coyotes like the bacon4  
,they commence to pick up the small     
pieces and the first thing they know    
they are in trouble4 ,i caught in two   
nights with the eight sets six coyotes4 
,i make my beds near the cow trails4 ,i 
have had better success making my beds  
near a dead carcass than to set the     
traps by the carcass4 ,last ,october we 
had an old coyote and five puppies that 
were killing sheep for one of our       
neighbors4 ,i set one trap where the    
herder generally saw them4 ,i caught the
 five young ones the first five nights4 
,the sixth morning ,i went to the traps 

and they were dug up and the bait gone4 
,i reset them and they were in the same 
shape the next morning4 ,i said to      
myself1 ,old girl1 ,i will fool you4 ,i 
made another bed some thirty feet from  
the old one4 ,i set four traps in the   
new bed and fixed up the old one just   
the same as ,i had it before1 only minus
 the traps4 ,the next morning she was   
caught and had three feet in the traps4 
,she ate all the bait on the old place  
and had pawed up the ground4  ,i do not 
use scent4 ,i have tried several kinds  
and consider them no good4 ,i have      
trailed coyotes where they have been    
trailing my tracks and found them caught
 in the traps4 ,i have set traps in the 
evening and found coyotes in them the   
next morning4 ,i have been trapping     
coyotes and wolves for some five years  
in my county 7,billings ,co47 ,i am     
located on the ,little ,missouri ,river 
a short distance south of the old ranch 
that ,president ,roosevelt used to own1 
what is called ,bad ,land ,country4     

99 99 99  ,first boil your traps1 and   
from the time you take them from the hot
 water1 use gloves till set1 gloves to  
be smeared with blood4 ,take a pair of  
old shoes and nail on some blocks of    
wood cut from #b x #d stuff1 the length 
of your shoes2 nail them on from the    
inside of shoes with small nails1 use   
gloves to do this4 ,now you are ready to
 start to where your coyotes are1 so    
take four ,no4 #c or #d traps and stake 
#c feet long1 with something to drive it
 with4 ,don't let traps touch your      
clothes while carrying them4  ,when you 
get to your place that you have in mind1
 put stake thru all four rings of traps 
and drive down to the level of the      
ground2 put your traps out each way so  
as to form a square1 and bury each trap1
 chain and all4 ,make everything look as
 natural as possible4 ,put a small piece
 of wool or cotton under pan of trap and
 cover all well with dirt2 take what    
dirt you have left from digging to set  
trap and carry away4 ,now leave your    

traps set till next evening1 and then   
take a piece of beef liver or fresh hog 
lungs1 put on your same shoes with      
blocks on and go put your bait in center
 of trap1 7keeping gloves on71 and don't
 expect to catch your coyote the first  
night1 as he will likely come up close  
and take a look at things and go away   
again1 but the third or fourth night1 he
 will try to sample your bait1 and when 
you catch your first one1 the next one  
will walk in a lot quicker4  ,i have    
caught as many as eight at one setting4 
,now mind you1 in going to trap and     
resetting them1 wear your shoes and     
gloves4 ,i always bury my gloves and    
shoes in dirt to keep off human scent4  
,i have caught lots of them this way1   
although1 ,i have other methods4 ,the   
main thing is to keep human scent off of
 trap and the ground where your traps   
are set4    99 99 99  ,i saw a coyote   
jump over a sage brush about #f rods    
from me one day1 and shot at him as he  
struck the ground with ,no4 #f fine shot

 and killed him4 ,as ,i went to pick him
 up1 ,i found his hind foot in a ,no4 #b
 ,newhouse trap4 ,i took him out of the 
trap1 took the trap1 and followed his   
track for about one-half mile toward the
 top of the ,butte1 and found a dead    
horse4 ,i left the trap1 went back and  
skinned the coyote1 took his hide over  
to ,mr4 ,muma4  ,about a week after     
killing the coyote1 ,i went over the    
,butte1 and found a man at the horse    
covering up some traps4 ,i told him of  
killing the coyote and where to find the
 hide4 ,he caught #aa coyotes at this   
horse up to ,february #ast4 ,they set   
their traps from #aj to #cj feet away   
from the horse1 between sage brush1     
where coyotes would be likely to walk in
 approaching the horse4 ,they had eight 
traps set at this place1 fastened each  
one to a limb about #c feet long4 ,i    
think they put some scent on the horse  
to keep the coyotes from eating him1 as 
,i did not see as they had eaten any of 
it during the time they had their traps 

set4    99 99 99  ,i will give some good
 coyote sets1 altho the season is about 
over now1 ,march #hth1 but some coyote  
trappers will trap most all summer in   
order to get bounty4 ,i find that this  
thing in handling your traps with gloves
 on is all foolishness4 ,well1 to begin 
with1 take some lard cracklings1 say a  
half dozen4 ,go to some brush where     
there is a trail going through1 take    
your cracklings to the trail and scatter
 cracklings along trail1 and set traps  
one at each end of brush in trail4 ,this
 is a set hard to beat1 boys4 ,another  
way is to find some old cow path1 and if
 you see coyote tracks in this set a few
 traps along in it1 cover traps1 first  
spreading some brown paper over trap    
then some dirt4 ,take an old coyote     
foot1 make tracks all around your trap1 
and you will have another good set4     
,illustration3 ,a ,trail ,set4  ,here we
 have the coyote in larger numbers than 
any of the furry tribe1 and he is here  
to stay1 for his cunning is a match for 

the best of trappers1 but many a one    
gets his toes pinched every season and  
his coat is worn the next4  ,the best   
method that ,i know of to fool the cute 
chap is to find a carcass1 and if they  
are feeding off it1 then take about six 
or eight ,no4 #c or #d ,newhouse traps  
and set well back from bait4 ,set in    
trails leading to and from the carcass1 
but be very careful and leave no signs1 
for ,mr4 ,coyote is very careful to look
 all around before partaking of his     
meal1 and while making this tour of     
inspection 7if you have your traps      
rightly and neatly set7 he will get his 
foot caught4  ,never fasten the trap    
solid but to a drag so that he can drag 
it off and not prevent all the others   
from coming to the bait1 and also he    
makes his hardest fight immediately     
after being caught1 and if your trap is 
staked solid and happens to have a weak 
place1 or your coyote is not securely   
caught1 you are very apt to lose him4   
,find an old badger hole with a large   

pile of dirt in front of it4 ,take your 
traps1 and everything needed to make the
 set with1 walk straight up to the place
 and don't move out of your tracks while
 you set the traps4 ,put the bait1 fresh
 meat of almost any kind1 in the hole1  
so that the coyote can just see it4 ,set
 one trap about six inches from the     
mouth of the hole1 a little to one side 
and another on top of the mound of dirt4
 ,bury the toggles carefully the length 
of the chains from the traps and dig a  
hollow for the traps to set in4 ,be sure
 they rest solidly in their beds1 so    
that they will not tip over if the      
coyote steps on the jaw4 ,cover neatly1 
with1 first a piece of paper1 and then  
fine dirt4 ,after the set is completed1 
use a skunk's tail for a brush and      
smooth out all signs except your tracks4
 ,have it appear that you have walked by
 there without stopping4 ,the ,no4 #d   
,newhouse trap is the one to use1 and   
the more coyotes you catch in one place1
 the better the set will be4    #ahg    

,traps ,set at ,badger ,den4  ,around   
most ranches are hollows1 ditches1 or   
strips of brush1 along which the coyote 
approaches the ranch to catch chickens4 
,along one of these places1 about a     
quarter of a mile from the house is the 
place to catch a coyote4  ,take the     
entrails of a hog or other animal and go
 up the gulch until you find a place    
where the ground is loose and there is  
no grass4 ,set two traps about four feet
 apart and place the bait between1 and  
about one foot from one of the traps4   
,if the animal tries to eat the bait1 it
 will be caught in this trap1 and if it 
is suspicious and walks around the bait1
 the other one will catch it4 ,take a   
piece of the bait and erase all signs   
that you have made in setting the traps1
 so that it will appear that you have   
only come there to dispose of the bait4 
,look at the traps every other day1 not 
oftener1 and never go close to a set if 
it can be avoided4 ,these may not be the
 best methods1 but they are good ones1  

and ,i have caught many coyotes with    
them4 ,when you get thirty or forty     
skins1 you will think that they are well
 worth the trouble necessary to secure  
them1 just to look at4    ,,chapter     
,,xv4  ,,blind ,,set ,,methods4  ,where 
wolves and coyotes are plentiful and    
natural conditions are favorable1 blind 
sets are very successful1 especially for
 the wary animals that refuse to take   
bait4 ,conditions must be favorable in  
order to make blind set trapping        
feasible4 ,there must be plenty of good 
clear trails traversing the country1 and
 a comparatively rough locality will be 
found to be the best as1 on rough       
ground1 the wolves are more certain to  
walk on the trails4  ,it is only1       
perhaps1 a small per cent4 of the       
trappers who are able to make a success 
of blind sets1 for it requires one who  
is very observing and a diligent worker4
 ,to make a fair catch requires that one
 runs a long line of traps1 for he must 
depend on putting his trap just where   

the wolf will step1 instead of decoying 
the animal into the trap by means of a  
bait1 and no matter how careful he is in
 this matter1 he is certain to set a lot
 of traps in bad places4  ,on the other 
hand1 if food is plentiful and the      
wolves do not take bait well1 or if they
 have become shy and wary because of    
persistent trapping1 one is more likely 
to make a showing if he uses blind sets1
 in part at least4 ,then1 too1 he may be
 more certain of pulling in the old     
veterans4  ,the reason that the blind   
set is more certain for the wary animals
 is that there is no bait to arouse the 
suspicions of the intended victim1 and  
it is taken when completely off its     
guard4 ,such animals as the wolf1 coyote
 and fox are always suspicious of a bait
 even though there is no trap there1 and
 will sometimes steer clear of it for   
several days1 simply because they think 
there may be something wrong there4     
,they approach a baited trap warily and 
if they detect any disturbance or sign  

of human presence1 they are off for     
good4 ,with the blind set1 that would   
not occur and if the trap is in the     
proper place1 the trapper may be pretty 
certain of the animal when it comes that
 way4  ,in all parts of the wolf and    
coyote country1 trails of some kind are 
to be found4 ,on the ,western ,plains   
the stock trails are numerous and offer 
great possibilities for blind trapping4 
,in the mountains1 game trails are to be
 found and as such trails invariably    
lead through passes and other natural   
passage-ways they make excellent places 
for wolf sets1 if on the animals' route4
 ,in the northern forests1 moose1       
caribou1 and deer trails are plentiful  
and good places for blind sets are to be
 found4  ,main trails are the best      
always1 unless one finds that the       
animals are traveling on the branches4  
,the trail leading to the crossing place
 of a deep washout is an excellent place
 in which to set a trap4 ,unless the    
trail traverses a natural pass or leads 

to the crossing of a ravine1 it is      
always best to be sure that the animals 
are traveling the trail before setting  
traps4    ,illustration3 ,a ,good       
,catch4  ,a narrow1 well defined portion
 of the trail should be selected1 and if
 there are bunches of brush1 cactus or  
weeds on either side1 so much better4 ,a
 single trap may be used but as the     
animal is likely to step over it without
 springing1 two traps are better4 ,they 
should be attached to drags of some     
sort2 either stones1 chunks of wood or  
the pronged1 iron drags4 ,if the traps  
are staked the captured animal will tear
 up the trail and the next one that     
passes that way will stop to investigate
 and may locate the trap4 ,with other   
sets1 it is sometimes better to let the 
captured coyote or wolf scratch up the  
setting but with the trail set1 it is   
best to use a drag4  ,a piece of canvas 
or cow or sheep hide should be spread on
 the ground and the trapper should stand
 on it while making the set1 and should 

also use it as a receptacle for the     
loose dirt4 ,a hole should be dug for   
each trap1 the same shape as the trap   
when set1 but a little larger1 and of   
such a depth that when the trap is      
covered1 the covering will be even with 
the surface of the ground4 ,a narrow    
trench should be made for the chain and 
a hole in which to place the drag4 ,the 
drag should be buried as far from the   
trap as the chain will allow4  ,the     
traps should be set with the jaws lying 
lengthwise of the trail4 ,after filling 
in neatly with dirt around the springs  
and the outside of the jaws1 a sheet of 
clean paper should be placed over the   
trap and covered with from one fourth to
 one half inch of fine dirt1 covering   
the edges of the paper first to prevent 
it from sagging4 ,when finished the     
whole should be brushed smooth and the  
surplus dirt carried away4  ,sometimes  
one can find a long1 deep ravine which  
is practically impassable to wolves and 
coyotes4 ,at such places one may find   

small branches running out to the side  
and wherever there is such a branch1    
there is sure to be a trail at the first
 crossing place4 ,such a trail is sure  
to be used by the animals when traveling
 along the canyon for when they strike  
the lateral branch1 they are certain to 
follow it to the first crossing place4  
,that is the place to set a trap for    
them4  ,one of the trappers who is      
located on the coyote range of the      
,northwest1 writes3 ,there are several  
ways of trapping for the coyote but none
 of them will hold good very long4 ,the 
coyote will soon get on to the way you  
trap1 and know as well where your trap  
is as you do4  ,the most successful way 
,i have found is to take two ,no4 #c and
 ,no4 #d ,newhouse traps and wire the   
rings together hard and fast4 ,set them 
in trails that are used by the coyotes4 
,dig a hole in the trails the right size
 for the traps4 ,double the chains up   
and put them under the traps1 cover the 
traps lightly with dust1 leaving        

everything as normal as possible4 ,two  
traps together make your chances double 
for a catch1 and the loose trap answers 
for a drag4 ,the coyote will not go far 
until he becomes entangled for keeps4 ,i
 never use bait only to draw the coyote 
to some place where there are lots of   
trails leading in all directions4 ,these
 trails ,i monopolize with traps as just
 described4 ,i set it in the most likely
 looking place1 then take a large sized 
bait1 fasten it in a thicket in the     
vicinity of the traps1 and your chances 
are good for a catch4  ,another trapper 
gives his method in the following3 ,in  
setting traps for wolves and coyotes1 ,i
 set them mostly on the trails made by  
stock4 ,i use steel pins made from rake 
teeth4 ,with a short handled axe ,i cut 
out a place in the trail so the trap    
will be level with the top of the ground
 when covered4 ,i use paper over the    
jaws and set two ,no4 #d traps at a     
setting1 putting them fourteen or twenty
 inches apart4 ,a wolfs foot is good for

 brushing the dirt over the traps so as 
to make everything look as natural as   
possible4 ,i use a pair of gloves in    
handling my traps and set them where the
 trail is narrow and on a little knoll1 
or where the trail goes around a bank or
 between two hills4  ,leave all wolf and
 coyote carcasses near the traps after  
skinning them1 as they make a good      
decoy4 ,a good plan is to throw your    
rope around a piece of meat and drag it 
from your saddle horn4 ,take a dozen    
,no4 #d traps and go up and down the    
dusty trail and set them on the drag    
mark4 ,if you hide them well1 you will  
get ,mr4 ,wolf or ,coyote4 ,i do not use
 bait in warm weather and not much in   
cold weather4 ,a grey wolf is hard to   
catch by bait1 unless very hungry and he
 is seldom troubled that way where there
 are cattle and horses on the range4    
,,chapter ,,xvi4  ,,snow ,,set          
,,methods4  ,when the ground is covered 
with snow1 trapping for wolves is       
exceedingly difficult and there are few1

 if any trappers who can make a success 
of it4 ,throughout ,northern ,minnesota1
 ,wisconsin and ,michigan1 as well as in
 ,canada1 a few are caught by the most  
persistent hunters1 but the winter catch
 never amounts to much4  ,it is         
difficult to make a set in the snow and 
leave no signs when the set is finished1
 and even if one can make a neat set it 
will seldom remain long in working      
order4 ,this is the rule1 but there is  
one exception1 a set which is           
successful1 but can only be used in     
places where the winter temperature is  
such that the snow will remain a long   
time in a loose1 powdery condition4 ,in 
other words it can only be used         
successfully in the ,north1 where the   
weather is very cold4 ,the method       
referred to is the one used by the      
northern ,indians for trapping both the 
fox and wolf4 ,it is made as follows3   
,having the trap attached to a heavy    
clog1 and well cleaned by boiling or    
washing1 go out onto the ice of some    

windswept lake and scrape up a pile of  
snow4 ,make it cone-shaped about three  
feet in height and six or seven feet in 
diameter at the base4 ,bury the clog1 or
 drag1 in the mound1 and stretch up the 
chain1 so as to bring the trap to the   
top4 ,make the mound hard by beating it 
with a snowshoe1 and in the top1 scoop a
 hole about five inches deep and        
somewhat larger than the trap4 ,line    
this hole well with dry moss or cat-tail
 down1 the down is best1 and place the  
trap in the nest4 ,fill inside of the   
jaws1 and under the pan with cat-tail   
down and after the trap has become cold1
 so that there is no danger of the snow 
sticking to it1 sift snow over it1 to   
the depth of an inch4 ,do not touch this
 snow with the hands or it will freeze  
hard and the trap will not spring4      
,illustration3 ,a ,snow ,set4  ,the bait
 should be cut into small pieces and    
tucked into the sides of the snow mound1
 where it will be out of sight of the   
birds4 ,brush out your tracks as you go 

away and the wind will soon erase every 
vestige of signs1 leaving the snow as   
smooth as it was before the trap was    
set1 but the mound will freeze hard and 
no amount of wind can drift it away4    
,such a set will remain in working order
 as long as the weather stays cold4 ,a  
fresh fall of snow will bury the set for
 a short time but the wind storm that   
always follows a snowfall will blow all 
loose snow off the mound1 leaving just a
 sufficient amount over the trap1 as    
that will be sunken somewhat below the  
level4 ,the human scent will also pass  
away in a short time4  ,this set is     
practically the same as setting a trap  
on the level and scattering the bait    
about1 the only reason for setting it on
 a mound being that it will not be      
buried by the falling snow4  ,while the 
set described does well where wolves are
 making an occasional trip across the   
country1 for places where the animals   
are plentiful1 some other methods must  
also be employed4  ,if one can find     

where the wolves have killed some       
animals and are feeding on the carcass1 
he will note that they have trails where
 they approach4 ,one may put out a large
 bait and they will beat a trail about  
it at times4 ,these trails make         
excellent places for snow sets4  ,the   
best way to make the set is to fasten   
the chain of the trap to the end of a   
long pole clog1 and having set the trap1
 split the end of the pole and pinch one
 of the springs in the split4 ,now slip 
a clean paper bag over the trap and     
stand the pole and trap against a tree  
somewhere in the neighborhood of the    
bait1 for a day or more1 to allow the   
foreign odors to pass away4 ,this is not
 always necessary1 but it is best4 ,then
 go and make the set by pushing the trap
 under the snow in the wolf's trail1    
standing as far away as possible and    
without touching the trap1 or the end of
 the pole that it is fastened to4 ,if   
the set can be made while it is snowing1
 or just before a light fall of snow1 so

 much the better4 ,after the trap is set
 walk back stepping in the same tracks  
and brushing the footprints away with a 
bunch of evergreen boughs tied to a     
stick4  ,this set is good if the wolves 
are visiting the carcass regularly but  
will not remain in good condition very  
long1 as a heavy snowfall will put the  
trap out of commission4  ,one of the    
professional wolf catchers of the       
western mountain regions1 gives the     
following set3 ,when there is snow1 ,i  
cut a piece of soft cloth1 white        
preferred1 the size of the jaws1 when   
open1 and lay it over the trap1 being   
careful not to let it get into the      
corners1 next to the springs2 then cover
 lightly with snow4 ,the cloth will     
prevent the snow from getting under the 
pan of the trap and thus prevent it from
 springing4 ,it is also a good plan to  
put a brace under the pan1 so that the  
birds cannot spring the trap4 ,a small  
forked willow will do1 but a better plan
 is to drill a hole through the pan1    

near the edge1 and place a match1 or a  
tooth pick slanting through the hole to 
the bed of the trap4  ,i use the ,no4 #d
 ,newhouse trap with long chain1 for    
coyotes and wolves4 ,the bait1 ,i cut in
 small pieces and scatter all around the
 trap4  ,one of the coyote trappers from
 ,saskatchewan1 ,canada1 says3 ,i will  
give a snow set for coyotes that an     
,indian showed us and we proved its     
merit4 ,select a good hard snow drift1  
set your trap and lay it on top of the  
drift1 then with a knife1 mark the snow 
around the trap1 remove trap and dig out
 the snow to a depth of three or four   
inches1 replace trap in hole so that the
 pan will be about two inches below the 
surface4 ,now go a little distance off  
and cut a cake of snow large enough to  
cover hole1 in which lies the trap and  
scrape it as thin as possible without   
breaking4 ,this requires care4 ,now     
place the cake over the trap and        
sprinkle some snow around the edges so  
as to leave all smooth4 ,the chain and  

clog of course1 should be well buried in
 the snow4  ,i have caught a coyote in a
 set like this after a big storm1 the   
snow having blown clear over the drift  
and not injuring the set in any way2 all
 ,i did for bait was to set my trap by a
 little bunch of grass4 ,of course1 it  
is evident a set like the above will    
only apply when it is cold and there is 
no chance of a thaw4 ,another important 
point to be remembered in setting traps 
is to give them a firm bed4 ,when a trap
 is sprung it kicks back the same as a  
gun but when on a firm bed it has the   
greatest chance of a high grip4  ,in    
portions of the ,north1 snow sets are   
used considerably4 ,the sets given here 
were sent by a ,minnesota trapper who   
claims to have used them successfully4  
,i have trapped wolves a good many      
winters in this part of the country1 but
 they are very scarce here now4 ,as to  
my way3 ,i use a ,no4 #d trap and set   
under the snow4 ,if ,i can find a place 
where their paths come together or      

cross1 ,i select it as a favorable place
 for catching them4 ,if there are a     
couple of bushes near together with the 
paths between1 ,i set my trap there1    
pushing it under the snow from a couple 
of feet back of the path1 taking care to
 make as few tracks myself as possible  
and to fill those up and brush with a   
bunch of twigs or weeds for a distance  
of twenty feet or more4 ,i sift snow    
over the trap also and leave everything 
as natural as possible4 ,this method ,i 
have found very successful in capturing 
these shadowy pests of the prairie4     
,when ponds1 lakes and rivers are frozen
 over and the snow is deep1 wolves are  
apt to travel on the ice2 any dark      
object out on the smooth expanse of snow
 on lake or river will at once attract  
their attention and they are apt to go  
and examine4 ,a crow1 rabbit or bait of 
any sort2 let it be up where it can be  
seen at a distance4 ,place two or three 
traps around the bait at a distance of  
three feet1 put pieces of white paper1  

one under and one over the trap1 then   
cover carefully with dry snow by sifting
 it with a piece of wire screen4  ,when 
traveling an old trail or timber road   
thru the woods1 reach out to one side as
 far as possible and place a piece of   
bait with some of the scent on it or    
near it1 and place two traps half way   
between bait and trail1 also one        
directly in the trail4 ,set and cover it
 as on the ice4 ,it is a good plan to   
scatter a few beef or lard 'cracklings' 
along your trail4 ,no4 #c traps are     
about right for wolves1 and the ,no4 #b 
#a_/b ,newhouse otter trap makes a good 
wolf trap if the attachment is taken    
from the pan4    ,illustration3 ,a      
,large ,wisconsin ,wolf4  ,to sum up1   
the trapper who makes a success of      
trapping wolves must make a study of it 
and must often contrive methods suitable
 to his particular trapping grounds4    
,the following extract from a letter    
received from a ,canadian trapper1 tells
 of a very successful coyote set4  ,one 

day ,i found a dead sheep in the        
pasture1 and dragging it down to the    
edge of the lake1 ,i set my traps around
 it1 covering them nicely with wool from
 the sheep4 ,i told the boys ,i would   
have a coyote in the morning1 and so ,i 
did4 ,on the second morning ,i had a red
 fox1 on the third morning a coyote1 on 
the fourth a fox and on the sixth       
morning another coyote4 ,then ,i did not
 get any more for a week from which     
time1 ,i caught one now and then until  
spring4 ,i think ,i caught #bc coyotes  
and #b foxes at that one bait4 ,when the
 snow got deep1 ,i set the trap on top  
of the bait4 ,when a coyote came along  
he would smell the bait and would dig   
down through the snow1 into the trap4 ,i
 wore skis when looking at the traps and
 never turned around near a setting4    
,my last winter's catch was as follows3 
#fi coyotes1 #e lynx1 #b red foxes1 #e  
badgers1 #ab weasels1 #ab muskrats and  
#b mink4  ,i want to tell you how ,i    
catch coyotes1 writes a ,north ,dakota  

trapper4 ,i set two or three ,no4 #c    
,victor traps around some dead horse or 
cow1 cover the trap with a piece of     
paper or cheese cloth1 then throw snow  
over that1 having it look as near like  
the surroundings as possible4 ,sometimes
 ,i use a fresh beef head1 but the      
coyotes are so shy they will not go     
close enough to get in your trap for    
sometimes a week1 unless they are       
starved to it4  ,i think the coyote is  
as shy as most any other animal4 ,i do  
not think they can smell the steel traps
 for the strong smell of the fresh meat 
or carrion but they are afraid of your  
tracks1 and naturally suspicious of     
everything4 ,when ,i first tried to trap
 coyotes1 ,i drove up within a few rods 
of where ,i wanted to set my traps1 went
 and set them1 and did not pay any      
attention to destroying my tracks4 ,i   
would never catch any until snow filled 
up my tracks4  ,now ,i set my traps off 
of skis or snow shoes or drive up close 
to where ,i want to set my trap1 and    

drag some fresh meat over my tracks2    
they are not afraid of a sled track for 
they will travel for miles in sled      
tracks when the snow is deep4  ,we will 
conclude this chapter with an article   
written by a ,canadian trapper1 telling 
how he caught his first coyote3  ,this  
is my second winter in ,alberta and ,i  
must say that we are having one of the  
good old fashioned kind4 ,the snow is   
over two feet deep on the level1 and the
 thermometer on one occasion1 went on a 
strike4 ,it was only #cf degrees below  
zero this morning4  ,last winter1 which 
was very mild1 was a poor year for      
catching the sly old coyote4 ,he was too
 well fed and could get around so easily
 that he never suffered the pangs of    
hunger1 so was constantly on the watch  
for danger4 ,we had a cow that committed
 suicide by falling into the manger1 and
 ,i thought she would make good bait4   
,so she did until ,i set some traps     
around her and from that time the       
coyotes would come and look at her1 but 

would not venture near4 ,however1 ,i    
succeeded in catching three large dogs4 
,on ,january #eth1 ,i changed my        
boarding place1 moved to within a half  
mile of ,battle ,river and ,lake4 ,the  
coyotes were quite numerous around the  
lake and river1 and made nightly        
excursions up around the buildings1     
feeding on a dead horse1 cow or calf4   
,the boys had a couple of traps set     
beside a cow1 but the cattle would      
spring the trap while feeding at the    
straw stack where the dead animal was4  
,then ,i took a hand and set the traps  
on runways used by coyotes4 ,i set them 
with great care1 but all ,i found was a 
footprint about two inches from the pan 
of a trap4 ,sometimes they would go as  
far as the trap and would turn around   
and retrace their steps4 ,one night they
 actually scratched the snow off of the 
trap1 as if to show me that ,i needn't  
try to fool them because they were on to
 my game4  ,however1 my turn came4      
,there was a little old straw pile that 

they seemed to like to run onto1 to see 
if the coast was clear4 ,there ,i set a 
trap1 covered it and the drag nicely    
with snow1 brushed out the tracks with a
 twig and made some nice tracks right   
over the trap with an old coyote's foot4
 ,i also threw a little piece of meat up
 on the stack4  ,friday morning ,i ran  
down to my trap and was surprised to see
 it gone4 ,i saw some blood on the snow 
but could not realize--no doubt on      
account of so many disappointments--that
 there was anything in the trap4        
,however1 ,i followed up the trail and  
you can imagine my delight in finding a 
big1 fine1 dog coyote in the brush4 ,the
 next thing was to kill him1 and ,i     
assure you that they are the hardest    
animal to kill with a stick an inch in  
diameter that ,i ever tackled4 ,i       
pounded him on the head until his skull 
was crushed and still he breathed4  ,on 
,sunday morning ,i took a walk down to a
 trap ,i had on another straw pile and  
when within a hundred yards of the stack

 ,i saw a coyote rise up1 take a look at
 me and then start to run4 ,i ran1 too1 
and when ,i arrived at the other end of 
the stack there he was fast in my trap4 
,i thought that was pretty good for ,i  
had actually chased him into my trap4   
,two coyotes in three nights was pretty 
good1 with only three traps1 and ,i was 
quite proud of myself1 but that was a   
week ago and number three only came last
 night4 ,i am in hopes of more before   
spring1 but never will ,i have the      
thrills of pleasure like those ,i had   
when ,i found my 'first' coyote4        
,,chapter ,,xvii4  ,,some ,,rules ,,and 
,,things ,,to ,,remember4  ,if you are  
using small animals for bait1 use the   
whole animal1 if your method will allow 
of it1 and do not skin the bait1 as that
 will make the coyote or wolf           
suspicious4 ,leave the bait1 if         
possible1 looking as though it had died 
a natural death and you will be more    
successful in your trapping4    99 99 99
  ,do not1 if timber wolves are         

expected1 stake a single trap on smooth 
ground1 for the captured animal will be 
almost certain to escape if you can not 
visit the trap soon after the animal is 
caught4 ,this is especially true when   
using the smaller sizes of traps4 ,when 
using the regular wolf trap1 it may     
sometimes be fixed solidly if desired   
but it is better to use a drag of some  
kind4     99 99 99  ,if you find some   
animal that the wolves have killed1 do  
not fail to set traps there at once4    
,while it is possible that the wolves   
will not return1 there is a chance1 and 
then one is almost certain to catch     
coyotes if there are any about4  ,wolves
 are sometimes suspicious of a large    
bait and will not venture near to it4   
,in such cases one may sometimes make a 
catch by setting a trap somewhere near  
by1 using a small scrap of bait only4   
,the trap may be placed in the open side
 of a natural half circle of brush1 and 
the bait placed behind it4 ,the tail of 
a skunk is said to be an unfailing lure 

in such sets4    99 99 99  ,sometimes a 
badger will be caught in a wolf or      
coyote trap4 ,if so1 do not skin it1 as 
they are worth but little2 kill it and  
let it lay on the spot1 setting the trap
 by the side of it4 ,the trap may be set
 in the loose dirt that the captured    
badger has dug up and there will be no  
signs of human interference4 ,it is     
almost certain that a wolf or coyote    
will be caught there1 within a few      
nights4    99 99 99  ,when you find     
where the animals are traveling on      
trails1 if there is not much stock      
about1 to interfere with the traps1 make
 a set on the trail1 without bait4 ,such
 a set is very good for the old1 wary   
animals4    99 99 99  ,as a general     
rule1 it is best to use blind and scent 
sets in summer1 when the weather is warm
 and bait soon becomes tainted4 ,the    
wolves are likely to pass tainted bait  
by with a sniff1 although the coyote is 
not so particular1 and at times prefers 
carrion4 ,in summer1 too1 food is more  

plentiful and the animals are not likely
 to be hungry4 ,in winter it is best to 
use bait1 as then it will remain fresh  
for a considerable length of time and   
the wolves are hungrier at that time4   
99 99 99  ,of meat baits1 horse flesh is
 perhaps the best1 and next in order    
comes antelope4 ,beef1 pork1 mutton1 and
 the flesh of all game animals is also  
good for bait and the young animals are 
always preferred and selected1 if the   
wolves do the killing4 ,they do not like
 the flesh of old or diseased animals4  
,jack rabbits1 cotton-tails1 prairie    
dogs1 badgers and sage hens make good   
bait for wolves and of these the jack   
rabbit is preferred1 perhaps because it 
contains so much blood4    99 99 99  ,it
 is a good idea to have some small      
traps1 ,no4 #a1 with which to catch     
prairie dogs for bait4 ,the animals are 
rather wary1 however1 and care must be  
used in setting and covering4 ,a #bb    
caliber rifle is also useful for        
procuring bait4    99 99 99  ,when      

tending the traps1 one should carry a   
long range rifle as he will get shots at
 coyote1 wolf or badger nearly every    
day4 ,the animals killed in that way add
 considerable to the income of some of  
the western wolfers4    99 99 99  ,there
 will be but little chance of making a  
catch as long as any human scent or     
signs remains about the setting4 ,the   
scent will pass away within a few days1 
but one should always guard against     
leaving signs4 ,a rain1 or a fresh fall 
of snow will sometimes help the trapper 
out1 as it removes or covers all signs  
of human presence4 ,some broken weeds or
 a freshly crushed lump of ground will  
alarm the animal1 and through such      
apparently trifling causes1 one may fail
 to make a catch4    99 99 99  ,when    
looking at the traps go on horseback and
 do not dismount unless it is absolutely
 necessary4 ,on horseback1 one may ride 
up quite close to the trap and the      
wolves will not be alarmed4 ,if1        
however1 it is necessary to go on foot1 

do not approach the traps nearer than   
necessary to see if you have made a     
catch1 also do not go oftener than need 
be4    99 99 99  ,sometimes a coyote    
will uncover a trap1 or dig it up from  
its bed4 ,there is no way to prevent    
this and the only hope of catching the  
animal1 is in having other different    
sets in the same locality4 ,some other  
method may catch him4 ,for the same     
reason we would advise the trapper to   
make use of different sets when putting 
out the traps1 for the method that will 
catch one would not be successful with  
another4    99 99 99  ,do not depend on 
a few traps alone4 ,have all that you   
can look after4 ,if one chance is good1 
two are better1 and those who make the  
largest catches are the diligent        
workers1 who run long lines4    99 99 99
  ,wolves1 like all other wandering     
animals1 have a regular route of travel4
 ,while they may vary somewhat from this
 course1 they are sure to continue in   
the same general line so that when you  

see tracks in any locality1 you may be  
certain that the animal will travel     
somewhere near there again4    99 99 99 
,when setting a trap1 never leave it    
until you are satisfied that it is as   
near a perfect set as can be made4 ,if  
you do that way1 you are sure to be     
successful4    99 99 99  ,whenever      
possible1 make the set on the windward  
side of the wolfs route1 that is1 on the
 side from which the prevailing winds   
blow4 ,in that way the animal is more   
certain to scent the bait1 and will     
easily follow it up wind to the trap4   
99 99 99  ,some wolfers make it a       
practice to burn bones and other animal 
matter near the camp at night1 believing
 that it will draw wolves into the      
vicinity4    99 99 99  ,all of the      
foregoing rules will help1 and should be
 kept in mind1 but what is more         
important than any of them is that one  
be industrious and observing1 always    
endeavoring to learn more of the habits 
and nature of the animals he seeks for4 

,such a one is bound to make a success  
of wolfing4    ,,chapter ,,xviii4  ,,the
 ,,treacherous ,,grey ,,wolf4  ,by      
,perry ,davis4  ,the accompanying photo 
shows the writer holding up the skins of
 two mighty greys2 either wolf would    
have weighed a hundred pounds1 and      
measured six feet from tip to tip4      
,little does the average person know of 
the great damage done by these          
destructive and blood thirsty           
desperadoes of the western stock range4 
,cowardly and evasive1 when coming in   
contact with men1 yet when these two    
blood thirsty companions were running at
 large1 were capable of torturing a full
 grown cow to death2 sometimes a bunch  
of them will destroy good sized horses4 
,the swift footed and aggressive range  
steer1 equipped with nature's weapons1  
his long sharp horns1 falls an easy     
victim to the powerful jaws1 sharp      
teeth1 and the wise generalship of these
 terrible brutes4    ,illustration3 ,mr4
 ,davis ,with the ,big ,wolf ,skins4    

,five wolves have been killed in this   
community last winter1 and there is but 
little sign of others1 and no complaints
 from the stockmen4 ,billy ,clanton     
claims to have lost about #dj head of   
cattle1 mostly calves and yearlings in  
the last eighteen months and he blames  
this small bunch of wolves for that     
loss4 ,the great state of ,south ,dakota
 pays the miserable sum of #e4jj bounty 
on grey wolves and #b4jj on coyotes4    
,last year the bounty claims were paid  
#hj cents on the dollar1 as the claims  
were in excess of the fund appropriated 
for bounty purposes4  ,i have heard of  
wolves attacking persons in the woods of
 the ,northeastern ,states2 ,i have no  
reason to doubt this--they may be a     
different wolf from our grey wolf1 or   
buffalo wolf1 as they are often called4 
,i have seen them in the ,panhandle     
country of ,northwest ,texas1 in        
,colorado1 ,wyoming1 the ,dakotas1      
,montana and ,canada and they are all   
the same1 as far as ,i could see1 in    

looks1 size and habits1 and ,i have     
never heard of them molesting anyone in 
the above mentioned places4 ,of course1 
there is the coyote1 he is everywhere ,i
 have ever been and some call him a     
wolf4 ,fur dealers call him prairie     
wolf2 frequently some fellow will tell  
me about a black wolf1 or a big white   
one1 but ,i just let him run it over me2
 ,i don't tell him he is a prevaricator1
 neither do ,i get angry and try to kill
 him4 ,i permit him to think he is      
telling me something and try to look    
unconcerned and solemn1 but ,i think he 
has looked down on the back of a grey   
wolf from high ground and he looked dark
 and the more he thought about it1 the  
darker it became1 until he became almost
 too black for anything4 ,the same wolf 
standing on a hill above you1 will show 
the white and yellow on his breast and  
belly and that always looks so much like
 that big white wolf4 ,i do not doubt   
but that there is an occasional black   
wolf1 but ,i have never seen one4  ,i   

want to see every wolf and coyote in the
 country with his hide nailed up to dry4
 ,i did not encourage others to trap    
when ,i was wolfing1 as ,i wanted to    
know how to work my range to the best   
advantage1 and beginners often make them
 hard to catch2 their work is too coarse
 and the wolves get wise4 ,to the boys  
who inquired in the ,july number about  
methods of setting and baiting for      
wolves1 ,i will say ,i will give you the
 best ,i've got4 ,while an experienced  
wolfer can give you some good pointers1 
he can do you no good1 unless you are an
 early riser and an energetic worker    
with lots of patience1 for successful   
wolfing is not a lazy man's job4 ,of    
course1 ,i do not know anything about   
trapping in the woods or in the country 
east of the ,missouri4 ,no4 #d ,newhouse
 traps are the best where you are       
trapping wolves and coyotes both4  ,a   
prairie dog town is a good place1       
especially if the country is rough      
around it1 as wolves come to catch the  

dogs4 ,make a blind set on some smooth  
mound1 set about three traps close      
together4 ,kinsey stakes all three to   
one pin1 probably to save time1 but ,i  
always stake them so that they can't    
quite pull them together but it takes   
more work4 ,the wind generally blows    
from the northwest and wolves generally 
come to a setting facing the wind1 and  
you will see the advantage in having    
your traps set on the windward side or  
set them in a triangle with bait in     
center--a prairie dog cut in several    
pieces and then put together to look    
natural4 ,in picking the pieces up1 he  
is liable to step around some4 ,if the  
dog is whole1 he may carry it away      
without being caught4 ,it is not always 
necessary to bait after you have caught 
one1 as he leaves scent that will       
attract others4 ,get traps in bare      
ground1 don't chop out places in the    
grass4 ,in trapping along trails and    
creeks always remember the wind2 this is
 important4 ,roll up a bunch of wool to 

put under the pan and cover the whole   
trap with dry dirt1 especially in       
winter4  ,if you have been covering your
 traps with paper1 cut it out--wool is  
more convenient and the mice do not     
uncover your trap and the wind does not 
uncover it so much4 ,if you are bothered
 by having cattle spring your traps at a
 carcass1 set your trap under the edge  
of the carcass where stock will miss    
them but when the coyote rears back to  
pull off a bite1 it is right where he   
will put his front feet4 ,i have often  
killed ,big ,jaws1 old horses and       
cripples and then set traps on the      
trails they follow to feed on the       
carcass1 but seldom set the trap at the 
carcass4 ,good strychnine is good if one
 knows how to use it4 ,if you want to   
make drop baits1 cut up small pieces of 
the paunch and roll the poison up in it4
 ,they like that part of an animal and  
if they swallow it while it is frozen1  
it will unroll in the stomach and give  
the poison a chance to act quickly4  ,i 

often use a light wagon in setting traps
 and sometimes carry dirt to cover with4
 ,i throw a wagon sheet out to stand on 
and do all the work without stepping on 
the ground1 as one should always leave  
as little scent as possible4 ,i think   
that most kinds of scent are good or    
anything that smells rotten enough1 but 
the old grey is certainly cunning and   
hard to trap1 especially if he has lost 
a few toes4 ,there are grey wolves that 
do not kill cattle2 when ,i commenced to
 hunt wolves1 ,i studied them very      
carefully4 ,i opened and examined the   
stomach of all ,i caught and instead of 
finding them loaded with fresh meat1 ,i 
found over half without anything in the 
stomach at all2 others had pieces of    
bones1 grass and old pieces of hide     
stripped from old dry carcasses and ,i  
found rabbits1 mice and gophers and this
 was in the lower ,musselshell ,country 
where there were thousands of cattle4   
,i have tried hounds1 and have had some 
of the best that ,i could get but they  

were never successful4 ,i never had     
hounds that would kill a grown wolf1 but
 they often stopped the wolf until ,i   
could shoot it and ,i never knew them to
 make a good fight more than once1      
besides dogs knock their toe nails off  
on rocks and get crippled up with cactus
 and often a whole pack will almost ruin
 themselves by killing porcupines1 the  
quills getting in the throat and        
sometimes will work through the head and
 into the eyes and blind them4 ,i can   
take traps and beat any bunch of dogs ,i
 ever tried for both wolves and coyotes4
  ,a wolf hound is often very stupid and
 does some very laughable things4 ,i had
 six good ones on a trip in ,canada4 ,i 
was going down the ,medicine ,lodge     
,valley1 had team and the hounds2 on    
each side of the road about three       
hundred yards ahead were a bunch of     
cattle1 near each bunch there was a     
coyote4 ,i tried to send the dogs after 
them but they could not see them1 as    
they were sitting still4 ,just then the 

dogs saw a badger about a quarter of a  
mile down the road1 and they were not   
long getting there4 ,as they passed the 
cattle1 both coyotes started after the  
dogs and followed them to within a few  
steps of the scene of battle1 where the 
six dogs were tearing at the tough skin 
of the badger4 ,the coyotes seemed to   
think it was heap fun and then one      
coyote jumped into the fight and out    
again and then the other and they       
repeated it several times1 when at last 
a young dog discovered one of the       
coyotes and started him over a hill and 
the other coyote following at the heels 
of the dog4  ,finally the hound found   
that he was out-numbered and went back2 
the other five never knew that there had
 been a coyote in the valley1 but were  
still tearing away at the dead badger as
 ,i drove up4 ,well1 ,i felt like saying
 something1 but ,i didn't4    ,,chapter 
,,xix4  ,,wolf ,,catching4  ,this       
article by ,r4 ,h4 ,winslow was         
originally contributed to the           

,,hunter-,,trader-,,trapper1 but being  
of special interest is reprinted here3  
,it was my misfortune sometime ago to   
contract a nervous disorder1 which quite
 incapacitated me4 ,after securing the  
medical advice of one of the world's    
best specialists1 it was apparent that  
,i would find health1 if at all1 only in
 a 'journey to nature4' ,accordingly ,i 
decided to leave ,new ,york and spend a 
year in the ,west1 there to hunt quail1 
prairie chicken1 wild turkey1 rabbits1  
bob cats1 wolves1 deer and bear4  ,at   
first ,i went to ,oklahoma and from     
there traveled by easy stages to the    
,mill ,iron ,ranch in ,northwest ,texas1
 which ,i have thus far made my         
headquarters4  ,the feathered tribe1    
rabbits1 prairie dogs and bob cats      
interested me for a while1 but soon my  
thoughts became centered on wolves4     
,indeed1 they are extremely interesting1
 and ,i was not long in discovering that
 it would be necessary to cope with     
animals of almost human intelligence4   

,too1 they were quite plentiful--could  
be seen any day while riding over the   
plains--and night they made hideous with
 their howls4 ,would ,i hunt them with  
horse an gun1 horse an dogs1 or attempt 
to trap them8 ,that was the question    
confronting me4    ,illustration3 ,a    
,texas ,specimen4  ,my first experience 
with horse and gun came about in this   
way3 ,two young cowboys1 ,ernest        
,edwards and ,robert ,russell1 were with
 me hunting prairie chicken2 we saw a   
wolf lying in the sage grass about five 
hundred yards away1 and decided that    
although we had shot guns1 we would     
endeavor to ride up sufficiently close  
to get a shot4 ,edwards and ,i were     
within about eighty yards of the wolf   
when he started2 both fired1 and        
,russell started immediately in pursuit4
 ,russell ran after him for about three 
miles1 when the chase was taken up by   
,edwards1 who1 upon his famous sorrel1  
',playmate1' was soon within a few yards
 of him and fired with his shot gun4    

,three shots brought him to the ground4 
,after this ,i saw cowboys try to rope  
wolves1 but seldom with success2 and    
frequently they would attempt to kill   
them from their mounts with carbine or  
revolver1 but were likewise seldom      
successful4 ,it was not long1           
accordingly1 before it was evident to me
 that very little success would attend  
my efforts with horse and gun4  ,the    
next plan was to try riding to the      
hounds4 ,there are on the ranch many    
imported wolf-hounds1 two grey hounds   
and two blood hounds4 ,it comprises     
about a million acres and these dogs are
 allowed to roam over it at will2       
sometimes they are at ,estellme2        
sometimes at ,shamrock2 sometimes at    
,aberdeen2 sometimes at other places4   
,there is no regular hunting with them  
by the foremen or cowboys1 and none of  
the owners live on the ranch4 ,these    
hounds are perfectly trained1 though1   
and understand quite well the ways of a 
wolf4 ,the following is my first        

experience with horse and dogs3 ,the day
 before my arrival at the ,beasley      
,camp1 which included a house of a dozen
 or so rooms1 barns and the like1 a beef
 had been killed and the waste left     
laying about a hundred yards from the   
house4 ,we had just gone in to luncheon 
when one of the boys noticed a large    
wolf going up to eat upon this waste4   
,within an incredibly short time we were
 out of our seats1 some yelling for the 
dogs which were lying around the porch1 
and others straddling the horses already
 saddled4 ,the chase was on4 ,it lasted1
 however1 for only about twenty minutes1
 for the wolf was soon 'picked up4'     
,after this we had several other chases4
  ,formerly1 hunting with hounds here   
was practicable and extremely           
interesting1 but now that there are wire
 fences everywhere it is quite          
impossible to follow the dogs1 and1     
moreover1 when after a wolf they        
frequently leave the ranch and go upon  
the premises of some 'nester' 7farmer7  

who has planted poison4  ,in a pack of a
 dozen dogs1 say1 there are generally   
two grey hounds used as 'tripping' dogs2
 that is1 they run ahead of the main    
body and trip or throw the wolf1        
sometimes twice--so the others have time
 to come up and jump on4 ,generally they
 do no fighting themselves4  ,the last  
plan was to try trapping1 and ,i have   
found that most successful4  ,i found   
that1 first1 it was necessary to boil   
the traps1 preferably in blood1 so as to
 kill the odor of steel2 secondly1 that 
my gloves and the soles of my boots     
should be dipped in blood1 so as to kill
 all human scent2 thirdly1 that ,i      
should prepare a large number of round  
logs1 about four feet long and weighing 
about forty pounds1 with a notch in the 
middle of each1 to receive the chain4   
,then came the consideration of bait4   
,at first ,i used no bait but depended  
solely upon trail setting and for the   
following reasons3 ,a trapper who was   
formerly in the employ of the ,hudson   

,bay ,company told me of a setting by   
which he attained the greatest success1 
and it is as follows3 ,take a forked    
stick the shape of a ,v1 the prongs     
being about two and a half feet long and
 with knots or projections on them2 fit 
this ,v around a mesquit bush so the    
bush will be pressed closely into the   
sharp part of the ,v2 place the bait1   
preferably a rabbit--close against the  
tree and in the sharp part of the ,v2   
then set the trap1 completely covered1  
with springs bent inward1 eighteen      
inches back from the bait and in the ,v1
 with the chain covered and fastened to 
the bush4 ,a wolf will go into a ,v but 
will never step over anything two inches
 high to get bait4 ,i tried this setting
 but without success4 ,the wolves would 
go nightly within about ten yards of my 
traps but no nearer4  ,then ,i tried    
staking out a cow's head with the stake 
driven down so it would not project at  
all above4 ,but before driving the stake
 in the ground ,i had the rings attached

 to my chains on it and under the head4 
,around this head ,i set ten traps in a 
circle4 ,as before1 the wolves would go 
within about ten yards1 but no nearer4  
,i decided1 therefore1 temporarily1 to  
use no bait1 but to try trail setting1  
for nightly two particular paths were   
literally covered with wolf tracks4  ,my
 traps1 logs1 gloves and boots having   
been prepared1 they were taken in a     
wagon to places for settings2 the traps 
were sunk into the ground so that when  
leveled there was about a quarter of an 
inch of dirt on top of the tredles2 then
 the chains were sunk2 and finally the  
logs4 ,about the setting3 ,the center of
 the tredle should be in the center of  
the trail2 place under the tredle a     
piece of cotton--over it1 a round piece 
of paper twice its size with a place cut
 out over the restraining lever2 cover  
very carefully and be quite sure there  
are no lumps to get caught between the  
jaws when thrown2 and1 lastly1 leave no 
loose soil visible so there will be no  

trace whatever of any disturbance of the
 earth4 ,three traps should be set in a 
row with the jaws1 when set1 six inches 
apart4 ,this plan was entirely          
successful1 and ,i caught wolves        
nightly4 ,in using a log such as has    
been described there should always be   
used with it the two-pronged drag such  
as is furnished with the ,no4 #d #a_/b  
,newhouse traps4 ,a wolf may get a few  
hundred yards away1 but he will never   
break loose1 and may be traced quite    
easily4 ,it is unnecessary but ,i use a 
bloodhound on the ranch1 ',red1' for    
this purpose4 ,with a stationary        
fastening something may break4  ,in time
 it became my good fortune to drift     
around to the bull pasture where ,curtis
 ,brown1 a nice young cowboy1 is feeding
 cotton seed to half a thousand bulls4  
,here ,i found trail trapping almost    
impracticable on account of the bulls   
following the trails and throwing the   
traps1 and because1 seemingly1 the      
wolves would go directly to the carcass 

of a dead bull without reference to any 
trail4 ,accordingly ,i would watch the  
carcass closely 7about twenty bulls have
 died7 and wherever a wolf had begun to 
eat on a carcass ,i would set my traps  
so as to catch him when he returned to  
his meal4 ,this plan has been all one   
could ask4  ,finally1 ,i tried luring   
wolves to my bait by setting four traps 
in a row as described in trail setting2 
but between the second and third ,i     
buried a bone or lump of meat which had 
been allowed to roast and smolder all   
the night before4 ,wolves could smell   
this miles away1 would come to it and   
get in the traps4 ,this1 indeed1 is the 
best scheme ,i know anything about4  ,i 
have noticed that ,mr4 ,ernest ,thompson
 ,seton and others say a she wolf or dog
 staked out in the mating season is an  
infallible lure2 and a captive wolf that
 will howl is good at any time4' ,we    
have a number of female wolves around   
the camp now and have had them for a    
long while1 one is quite gentle and they

 howl4 ,they have been staked out       
frequently with a circle of traps around
 each1 but no wolf has been near4       
,aside from the sport to be obtained in 
trapping wolves1 the pecuniary feature  
is of interest to the trappers4 ,in ,new
 ,mexico where they are much more       
plentiful than in ,texas1 there is a    
bounty of twenty dollars each on ,lobo  
wolves 7,canislupus7 and two and        
one-half dollars on coyotes4 ,moreover  
the trapper does not have to wait for   
his money for the large ranch owners pay
 cash for the scalps in order to have   
him trap on their range1 thus decreasing
 the number of wolves and thereby       
protecting their cattle and sheep4 ,too1
 the trapper is usually furnished a     
horse or two4    ,,chapter ,,xx4  ,,with
 ,,the ,,coyotes4  ,by ,louis ,wessel4  
,while the tourist speeds across the    
cheerless plains on his way westward1   
snugly seated in the upholstered berths 
of an overland limited1 the objects of  
attraction over the landscape are so    

rare that he will find little desire to 
spend or waste1 as he will say1 much    
time in viewing the scenery2 and        
instead1 will settle down to a book or  
something or other less monotonous than 
that almost boundless stretch of        
country1 through which he must pass1    
before he can expect to see the rugged  
peaks of the ,rockies loom up about the 
distant horizon4 ,swiftly the limited is
 carrying him toward his destination1   
yet slowly very slowly the time passes  
for him1 as hour after hour wears away  
without bringing a change of scene1     
until even the monotony of the situation
 begins to generate in him an interest  
for the surroundings4  ,he lends a      
closer scrutiny to the objects as they  
speed by4 ,why is yonder bluff so       
lifeless and dreary8 he mused4 ,what    
fantastic forms are those near it8 ,they
 are but spurs of the famous ,bad       
,lands4 ,and this large field of bushes1
 what is it1 he inquires4 ,some newly   
formed friend who is better acquainted  

with the nature of the ,great ,plains   
will inform him that this is but a patch
 of sage bush1 an aridity loving plant1 
characteristic of this region4 ,he will 
explain that yonder mounds are part of a
 prairie dog town1 and the little marmot
 like forms1 perched in their peculiar  
attitudes on the little round knolls1   
represent the inhabitants of this       
populous city4 ,the traveler has oft    
heard of prairie dogs1 and is surprised 
on a close acquaintance with them4 ,they
 appear so different from what his mind 
has pictured them4 ,he watches them     
scamper to their burrows1 sit up for a  
moment on their haunches and dive out of
 sight4  ,his interest1 however1 is not 
completely aroused until he catches     
sight of a dog like form1 half hidden   
among the sage bush4 ,he watches it as  
it disinterestedly trots along with     
drooping head and tail1 a picture of    
despair1 most perfectly suited to its   
environments4 ,once it stops all alert1 
looks back over its shoulder1 ears      

pointed and nose uplifted1 and the train
 leaves it behind in all its loneliness4
 ,this is our first acquaintance of the 
coyote or prairie wolf4 ,coyotes are of 
several varieties1 each differing from  
the rest through certain peculiarities  
in form1 size or color1 and each having 
a well defined geographical range4      
,collectively they range from the upper 
,mississippi ,valley westward through   
the ,great ,plains and ,rocky           
,mountains1 southward to northern       
,mexico and northward into ,british     
,columbia and the ,northwest            
,territories4  ,while the coyote is     
found in one or another of its forms1 in
 greater or lesser numbers throughout   
this region1 its most congenial home is 
among the ,bad ,lands and among the     
sandstone ridges1 steep sided buttes and
 deep narrow coulees and canyons in the 
,colorado and upper ,missouri ,valleys1 
and it is here that its greatest numbers
 are found4 ,being thoroughly fitted to 
these surroundings it has been enabled  

to hold its own through the advent of   
civilization1 while most of its larger  
co-inhabitants have been sadly reduced  
in numbers4  ,it is true that the       
combined actions of poisons1 traps and  
high power rifles have done much to     
reduce the numbers of the coyote in some
 of its favorite haunts1 yet1 in other  
localities1 its persistent numbers are  
deserving of considerable credit4 ,they 
prove but the survival of the fittest4  
,among the mountains the coyote is      
rarely found1 though since the coming of
 the white man with his flocks they have
 multiplied considerably in several     
localities even to such an alarming     
degree that ranches have found it       
unprofitable to further attempt to raise
 sheep4  ,the coyote of the plains is   
considerably smaller than the wolf1     
being intermediate in size between the  
red fox and the grey wolf4 ,it has the  
short body1 bushy tail1 rounded head and
 pointed nose of the fox and might      
easily be mistaken for one4 ,its general

 color is fulvous1 grizzled with black  
and white hairs and lighter underneath a
 color remarkable for its ability to    
blend with the brown and grey1 that the 
arid ,plains are clothed in the greater 
part of the year4  ,although well       
proportioned and being where food is    
usually plentiful1 it rarely fattens up1
 and almost invariably presents a       
hungry1 half fed appearance4 ,its food  
consists mainly of small rodents and    
birds1 such as it can dig up from the   
ground1 or waylay by cat-like maneuvers4
 ,preferring to live on a diet of such  
animals as it is enabled to capture and 
kill1 it resorts to many schemes and    
tricks to satisfy its desire for fresh  
meat4 ,field mice and gophers living in 
shallow burrows1 fall an easy prey to   
its diggings4 ,prairie dogs and cotton  
tails are waylaid at their place of     
refuge1 and grouse and small birds are  
pounced upon when they venture too near 
its place of ambush4  ,not always1      
however1 is the coyote enabled to       

capture its game by such easy means1 and
 when it chooses to dine on jack rabbit1
 it finds it requires all the power of  
perseverance and endurance it is capable
 of mustering up to overtake that fleet 
creature4 ,as it happens1 it is often   
obliged after a long chase to give up   
its quarry for a humbler meal4 ,probably
 it then decides it is not worth while  
to hunt the jack alone today1 for it    
knows that if it can persuade one of its
 comrades to join the chase1 ,mr4 ,jack 
is doomed4 ,when hunting in pairs1 they 
give chase in turns1 each stopping to   
rest in turn1 thereby having a double   
cinch on the poor jack rabbit which is  
compelled to run continually until      
exhausted4  ,in the winter when birds   
are scarce and the small mammals have   
hibernated or are huddled away under the
 snow and frozen ground1 the coyote is  
often sorely pressed for food1 and he is
 then forced to content himself with    
gnawing off an existence from the frozen
 carcass of a horse or cow that has died

 probably months before4 ,his ingenuity 
of last summer is replaced by a stubborn
 perseverance1 which keeps him traveling
 day and night in search of scraps of   
food4  ,in the spring after the young   
are born1 the bitch is kept busy from   
morn till night trying to satisfy the   
hunger of her growling litter of pups1  
and in her frantic efforts to do so1    
scruples little on running down and     
killing a stray sheep or an unprotected 
calf or colt4 ,when1 however1 this large
 prey fails and the smaller game proves 
insufficient1 she is again forced to the
 humbler larder of some carcass she has 
discovered on one of her many haunts4   
,coyotes are not adepts at burrowing1   
yet1 some credit must be accorded them  
for work in this line4 ,they often      
follow up mice and gophers for several  
feet under the sod1 though it remains   
for the female to exhibit the powers of 
burrowing possessed by her tribe4 ,in   
late winter in the southern part of her 
range1 and in the early spring in the   

northern part1 she selects a safe       
location1 usually under a boulder or a  
ledge of rock1 or on the face of a      
rounded point in a coulee or gulch1 from
 where she may keep a sharp lookout1 and
 sets to work to dig a home for her     
prospective family4 ,large quantities of
 dirt are deposited at the mouth of the 
burrow1 yet this amount is remarkably   
small when compared with the tunnel from
 which it is removed1 which is often    
twenty feet or more in length and wide  
enough to admit a boy1 or even in some  
cases a medium sized man4  ,at the end  
of the burrow1 which is usually         
elevated1 is an enlargement1 in which a 
litter of from three to eight are       
brought forth4 ,these are blind and     
helpless1 yet after the first day of    
their earthly career it seems to become 
necessary that they exercise both their 
lungs and limbs1 and except for the time
 that is spent in actual sleep1 they    
keep up a persistent scrambling1 one    
over another1 and at the same time a    

constant growling and whining4 ,the     
cries of the young and the shuffling    
about of awkward feet can often be      
distinctly heard at the mouth of the    
burrow4 ,this is one of the tests the   
wolfer relies on when he has made the   
find of a burrow with fresh signs4  ,as 
soon as the little ones' eyes are open  
and their legs grow stronger1 they begin
 to travel1 first up and down the       
burrow1 a little further each time1     
until the mouth is reached4 ,later on1  
during the warm sunny days they may be  
seen playing on the hillside near their 
home like so many kittens4 ,before they 
are half grown the fond mother leads her
 family out for its initial trip1       
usually to the nearest watering place1  
to which they subsequently make regular 
trips4  ,it is a pleasing sight to see  
the young coyotes in playful antics jump
 up the mother's side and play with her 
tail as they follow her or chase each   
other around the bushes4 ,as soon as the
 young are old enough they are taken out

 and taught the rules and regulations of
 the hunt1 and long before they are full
 grown they take an active part in the  
chase4    ,illustration3 ,caught at     
,last4  ,in late summer the young leave 
the maternal home in exchange for an    
independent life1 and it may truly be   
said that the coyote's childhood day's  
are over1 and it must face the stern    
realities of life with all its serious  
consequences4 ,it now prefers to live   
the life of a hermit1 with an occasional
 short interview with its neighbors4    
,contrary to the habits of its cousin   
and neighbor1 the wolf1 the coyote is   
not often seen except singly or in      
pairs1 though it is probable that they  
are more in the habit of congregating   
during the night1 when the eyes of the  
hunter and his dogs are closed in sleep1
 and they are at liberty to roam at     
will4 ,their stealthy maneuvers are not 
apt to disclose their presence1 and one 
usually is not aware of the fact that   
coyotes are near until he is suddenly   

reminded of it by one of those unearthly
 screeching1 yelping utterances given   
vent to by the coyote during the long   
still night4 ,immediately the call is   
taken up by some prowler in a different 
direction1 and in turn is repeated by   
others further away1 until the air      
fairly resounds with that weird cry4    
,whether uttered in pleasure or in pain1
 it is one of nature's most unpleasant  
calls1 and embodies all the hopelessness
 and despair so apparent on the wide    
plains of the west4  ,it is hard to     
describe the cry of the coyote1 though a
 fair idea may be had by imagining a    
series of sharp1 harsh yelps1           
terminating into a long drawn painfully 
entreating howl4 ,often repeated and    
echoed by several further away1 half a  
dozen are able to produce enough noise  
to lead a stranger to believe that he is
 in the midst of a hundred blood thirsty
 demons who are proclaiming vengeance on
 any one that might lack of proper      
protection4  ,the coyote is detrimental 

to but a small degree except to the     
sheep industry4 ,it is true that        
coyotes1 when hard pressed by hunger1   
have been known to rob the ranches of   
its poultry or even to kill a calf or   
colt1 but it is on the defenseless sheep
 and lambs that they commit their       
greatest ravages4  ,in some of the      
western states1 where stock raising is  
an important industry1 large bounties   
have been paid at different times for   
the destruction of the coyotes1 and     
these bounties1 together with those     
offered by stock associations and       
private parties1 have induced a number  
of men and sometimes women1 too1 to make
 a business of the extermination of the 
coyote4 ,where formerly little time or  
trouble was spared to destroy these     
pests1 now everybody who has an         
opportunity eagerly sets traps or       
poisonous baits for them1 shoots at them
 at long range1 runs them down with his 
bronco to ensnare them in the fatal     
noose of his lariat1 or digs them and   

their families out of the depths of     
their underground retreat4 ,the result  
is obvious4 ,but few localities remain  
where coyotes hold their own in their   
original numbers4  ,the coyote is a wary
 animal and hard to approach within     
reasonable pistol shot range1 and then  
only an experienced eye can draw a bead 
through the gun sights on its dull coat 
against the usual background of brown or
 grey4 ,they are fleet foot creatures1  
and anything short of a greyhound1 they 
are apt to leave behind struggling in   
the dust4 ,grey hounds and fox hounds   
are sometimes employed to run them down1
 and if one is caught out on the open   
plain by a pack of these hounds it is   
quickly dispatched4 ,frightened almost  
out of his wits1 it repeatedly takes a  
quick glance back over its shoulder at  
the furious mob pursuing it1 only to    
find that they are each time a little   
nearer1 until it feels the sharp clasp  
of the jaws of the leader in deathly    
embrace4 ,what sport this would be to   

some of our noblemen across the sea4    
,like the red fox1 the coyote will      
sometimes form the friendship of the    
farmer's dog1 and once arrived at a     
mutual understanding amicable           
relationship is not easily broken4  ,as 
has been said1 the coyote is swift      
afoot1 but its wind is easily exhausted1
 and many a one has fallen a prey1      
through this lack1 to the lariat of the 
hardy cowboy1 who desires nothing more  
exciting for recreation than a rough and
 tumble chase through a prairie dog town
 in pursuit of one of these nimble      
creatures4 ,imagine the roughly clad    
westerner with hair and kerchief flying 
in the breeze1 and the magic noose      
swinging round and round over his head1 
whooping at the top of his voice and    
urging his steed on to its best4        
,imagine him shooting forth that magic  
noose and see it settle over the        
coyote's head4 ,a jerk of the hand      
tightens the rope1 and a turn in the    
horse's course takes the coyote off his 

feet and drags him along bouncing from  
mound to mound into insensibility4      
,coyotes cannot be said to possess a    
vicious nature4 ,armed with a short     
club1 one may safely enter their        
burrows1 and when trapped the same      
weapon will complete the work1 as they  
are cowardly and rarely show fight4     
,though possessing considerable cunning1
 coyotes are easier trapped than foxes1 
though they are slow at taking bait4    
,large numbers1 however1 are annually   
poisoned by placing strychnine in the   
carcasses of animals that have fallen1  
through old age or otherwise1 of which  
the pangs of hunger are apt to force    
coyotes to make a meal4 ,the action of  
strychnine is exceedingly fast1 and it  
is no unusual occurrence to find a dead 
coyote a few feet from where it had been
 enjoying a dinner of poisoned meat4    
,of all methods resorted to1 however1   
none is highly responsible for the      
reduction of the coyote as that of      
digging up the young 7and this often    

gives up the mother too7 from the       
burrows4 ,by one who is versed in coyote
 habits1 the burrows are easily found1  
and the work of an hour or two with pick
 and shovel usually forces them to give 
up their treasures4  ,not always1       
however1 are the results so easily and  
quickly arrived at4 ,the writer well    
remembers the first litter of pups he   
was fortunate enough to capture4 ,after 
a three days' search among the deep     
coulees1 along the upper ,missouri1 a   
den was located4 ,but where8 ,in the    
crevice of a ledge of sand rock4 ,by    
placing my ear to the mouth of the      
burrow1 ,i could hear the pups whining4 
,the burrow was too small to admit me1  
and as it was too late in the day to    
commence operations1 ,i plugged up the  
opening lest the bitch should proceed to
 transfer her young to some other place 
of refuge during the night4 ,the greater
 part of the next day a friend and      
myself spent in enlarging the burrow    
with sledge and crowbar1 and it was not 

until late in the afternoon that ,i was 
able to crawl in far enough and with the
 aid of a short stick with some nails   
drawn through the end1 to rake out the  
six young1 one by one4    ,,chapter     
,,xxi4  ,,wolf ,,trapping ,,an ,,art4   
,by ,captain ,jack ,o',connell4  ,for   
more than #dj years ,old ,hank ,morrison
 has made his home in the lonely cabin  
on the shore of a small lake miles from 
any human habitation1 in ,alger ,county4
 ,i have often visited this strange old 
chap1 and although the frosts of #gj    
winters has bent his giant form and     
silvered his hair1 his heart is young4  
,his past life ,i have never been able  
to fathom1 but to judge from the choice 
books in several languages in his little
 cabin1 ,i am led to believe there is a 
romance in the long1 long ago4  ,the    
writer slowly recovering from a stroke  
of paralysis1 wishing to get outside the
 confines of civilization1 decided to   
drop in on ,old ,hank recently4 ,i made 
a trip despite the deep snow and the    

protest of my doctor4 ,when ,i pounded  
on his door it was rather late at night4
 ,who in ----1 and then pausing in      
astonishment1 threw the door wide open  
and held out his hand4 ,hello ,jack1 he 
fairly shouted1 shaking my hand in real 
pump handle fashion1 and with all the   
vigor of his mighty frame4 ,blest if ,i 
ever expected to see you again6 ,well6  
well6 well6 ,he helped me put the horse 
away in good shape1 and then got me a   
regular bang up supper despite the late 
hour4  ,next morning after pancakes and 
coffee1 the very first thing to attract 
my attention1 when ,i stepped outside   
was two huge wolf pelts nailed to the   
side of the shack doing duty as the     
barn4 ,i became interested at once owing
 to the unusual size and freshness of   
both4 ,fifty dollars in one night is    
like finding money1 eh1 remarked the old
 man4  ,i asked him how he managed to   
catch these cunning animals1 knowing    
that others had met with poor success   
elsewhere4 ,says he1 ,i didn't learn the

 art of wolf trapping by mail--,i have  
been afflicted with the fad of wolf     
trapping for #cj years1 and in pursuit  
of them1 ,i have learned a few things   
not observed by other hunters4 ,i may   
not know it all but ,i think ,i have the
 only successful trick of trapping these
 cunning animals and any man who will   
try my suggestions will meet with good  
success4  ,wolves are very suspicious   
animals1 and have a keen scent for human
 beings4 ,they will sometimes make a    
wide detour around a place where ,i have
 blazed a tree for the purpose of       
marking a spot ,i want to again visit4  
,they are very observing and while the  
scent of a man's trail through the      
forest is fresh they will not come      
within many feet of his path4 ,hunters  
find in the school of bitter experience 
that it is no easy matter to catch them 
in traps4 ,old trappers will tell you   
that it is easier to catch the cutest   
fox than it is to snare the dullest and 
most stupid wolf4 ,i have followed the  

same method all my life--,i learned the 
trick from a half breed trapper in the  
far ,canadian ,northwest4  ,i select an 
open place in the woods or on the edge  
of the forest4 ,it is necessary to have 
a knoll or mound near the center or edge
 of the clearing on which to place the  
trap1 and in plain view of your bait    
which you propose to place there for the
 benefit of ,mr4 ,wolf4 ,a piece of     
venison or ham is about the best bait to
 use4 ,i hang this on a sapling or tree 
and high enough from the ground so the  
wolf cannot get it by jumping4 ,make no 
mistake1 mind you1 regarding the height 
from the ground4 ,i put it at least     
eight feet1 for ,i can tell you a wolf  
is no slouch when it comes to jumping1  
especially when the reward is a good    
chunk of meat1 and he happens to be     
hungry4  ,why not plant a trap under the
 bait1 ,i suggested1 in an effort to    
appear wise4 ,not on your life1 says he4
 ,mr4 ,wolf is always looking out for   
just such a joke4    ,illustration3 ,a  

,northern ,wolf4  ,continuing1 he says1 
,i then cut a stake about six feet      
long--one with a crotch at one end4 ,i  
sharpen the other end for the purpose of
 driving it into the ground4 ,the ring  
on the end of the chain which is        
fastened to the trap1 ,i slip over the  
stake up to the crotch4 ,i then drive   
the stake into the ground so that no    
part of it is exposed4 ,i place the trap
 on the highest part of the knoll and   
then cover it with leaves4 ,i never take
 the leaves in my bare hands4 ,i use a  
piece of bark to carry the leaves in and
 always from some other place than in   
the immediate vicinity of the trap1 for1
 mind you1 the vagabond is quick to     
detect if the leaves have been          
disturbed1 and will also scent the      
presence of man if the leaves have been 
placed there with his hands4  ,and      
remember1 it is absolutely necessary    
that no part of trap1 chain or stake be 
left exposed to view4 ,you see1 if you  
leave the top of the stake sticking out1

 showing where it was cut off1 it is    
enough to make the vagabond of the woods
 suspicious that there is a nigger in   
the fence somewhere1 and he will lose no
 time in getting into the next          
township--instead of attacking the bait4
  ,the bait and trap should be from #cj 
to #dj feet apart--gauge the distance   
according to the lay of the ground where
 the trap is set4 ,when the wolf scents 
the bait1 he will approach it with great
 caution and endeavor to reach it by    
jumping4 ,after several unsuccessful    
attempts to reach it1 he will proceed to
 the highest ground in the immediate    
vicinity of the bait1 where he will set 
himself upon his haunches and set up a  
great howl1 calling every wolf within   
the hearing of his voice to the spot4   
,your trap1 you see1 is set upon the    
highest point of this mound or knoll1   
and a wolf is almost certain to get into
 the concealed trap4 ,i sometimes set as
 many as eight traps on a mound in the  
vicinity of the bait1 and ,i have caught

 from two to four wolves in a single    
night in this way4 ,this was in cases1  
of course1 where a pack arrived before  
the original finder of the bait was     
caught4 ,you see if they had found him  
in a trap when they arrived on the      
scene1 they would not come within yards 
of the place1 but would cut out for tall
 timber at once1 even if they did get a 
whiff of the bait on the sapling4       
,wolves are even more easily caught in  
the spring of the year than at any other
 time4 ,this is1 of course1 after the   
close of the hunting season4 ,they are  
hunters themselves and prefer to chase  
and kill their own game and this        
accounts for the fact that they will    
seldom ever touch a deer carcass left in
 the woods by hunters4 ,when the snow is
 deep they hunt deer by following their 
tracks for hours1 even days1 until they 
finally get their prey into a place     
where the animal can't run or defend    
itself4 ,the feast is then on in short  
order4  ,wolves kill more deer in this  

country than two legged hunters4 ,if the
 state is going to do the right thing to
 protect the deer1 just let them put a  
bounty of #ej4jj on the wolves in every 
county in the ,upper ,peninsula4 ,then  
the woods will be full of men with      
rifles1 and in a year or two there      
wouldn't be a wolf in ,northern         
,michigan4  ,if the state did this      
instead of getting out a lot of swell   
books on the game laws1 we would have   
the deer with us a few years yet ,but as
 it is now1 the wolves alone will pick  
the bones of the last deer in this whole
 ,northern ,michigan in less than three 
years from now4 ,mark you these words1  
the state now pays #be4jj for every     
pelt1 but it don't seem to induce       
hunters and trappers to make a business 
of wolf trapping4 ,even with plenty of  
wolves to catch1 following the business 
for a living is one of extreme hardship1
 but if they put the bounty in the      
#ej4jj notch1 then there would be       
something doing and the hardship would  

have no terrors to the men who took up  
the hunt in earnest4  ,i spent a week   
with this interesting man4 ,he has over 
#cjj ,newhouse traps of all sizes and   
quite a pile of mink and skunk skins4   
,he said he never trapped for muskrats  
as he didn't consider them worth while4 
,his forte being mink1 otter1 skunk1 fox
 and wild cat1 with wolves a side       
line--although it didn't appear as such 
to me4  ,he was greatly interested in my
 #ce caliber ,automatic ,winchester     
rifle and when ,i fired it a few shots  
for him1 as quick as ,i could1 his eyes 
stuck out like tea cups4 ,say1 ,hank1   
you ought to get one4 ,not if ,i know   
myself1 them pop guns is all right for  
dudes and those fellows with that tired 
feelin'4 ,old ,betsy is good enough for 
me4 ,so saying1 he took down ,betsy for 
my inspection4 ,it was a ,sharpe's rifle
 and a good one1 too4 ,it shoots a      
#de-ajj ,sharpe's special with a #eej   
grain ball set trigger1 open and peep   
sights1 and weighs #ab pounds4 ,and just

 to show me how she behaved1 he blew a  
two quart jug off a stump at an         
estimated distance of #ejj yards4 ,how  
many deer have you ever killed1 ,uncle8 
,i asked4 ,well1 ,i can't say1 ,jack1   
but give me a dead rest and ,i can plug 
a dollar every time at #ajj yards4      
,well1 for heaven's sake1 how many have 
you shot at8 ,well1 ,i can't tell1      
,jack1 but ,i must have shot at more    
than #a1jjj of 'em at not over #ej      
yards4  ,as a pledge of my friendship1  
,i gave him my ,marble pocket axe and   
knife4 ,it was with a heavy heart that  
,i grasped his honest hand to say good  
bye--perhaps for the last time on this  
earth4 ,if so1 ,i sincerely hope to meet
 him in the ,happy ,hunting ,grounds to 
part no more4    ,,end ,,of ,,wolf ,,and
 ,,coyote ,,trapping