Page:Popular Science Monthly Volume 89.djvu/718

 Patroling Eight Miles of Fence

How hunters and hounds protected a flock of sheep and how a new type of fence was built to keep out coyotes

��TO pre\ent wolves, coyotes, and other wild animals from entering a pasture where experiments in sheep-raising were being conductetl, hunters employed by the Forest Service were required to patrol eight miles of fence twice a day in the Wallowa National Forest, in Oregon.

Two thousand ftv'c hundred and sixty acres of choice land were enclosed to conduct experiments with a view to ascertaining wiicther it was more advan- tageous to care for sheep in pastures

���than to lierd them on the open range. A coyote-proof fence eight miles in length enclosed the pasture. It was made of woven wire about four feet high, with two strands of barbed wire across the top. The large flock of sheep within the enclosure attracted many wild animals and it was not long before they burrowed under the fence and set u[)on their prey. Accordingly, the Forest Service had expcrienccnl hunters accompanied by. hounds patrol the entire length of fence twice a day for four years. But the sheep were still preyed upon until hundreds of coyotes and wolves had been killed. The erection of the fence over rocky stretches of ground proved a trouble- some problem, because the Forest Service did not want to go to the expense of drilling post holes. riu' diftirulty was overcome by sup- porting the posts with "jacks" con- sisting of piles of rock holding in position props which were nailed to the posts. The "jacks" were set up on the inside of the pasture. The depth of the post holes that were dug before rock was encountenni governed the height of the pile.

Patroling eight miles of fence twice a day for four years to prevent wild animals from entering a pasture where experiments in sheep-raising were being conducted, was the tedi- ous task of the Forest Service hunters

��III, tc. 1(1 (il iliv',i'.iii|'. hull. 1 I -c tehes of rneky I'.iouiul, where the expense of

■ InllinK would hiive been i.r< itii ili.iu tin!• oresl Service was willinn to incur, large stones were piled up to hold in position props to which the posts supiwrliug the wire were nailed

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