Information for the Guidance of Field Men and Cooperators of the Bureau of Biological Survey Engaged in the Control of Injurious Rodents and Predatory Animals

A time capsule of American wildlife management from the depths of the Great Depression, this 1931 handbook served as the essential field guide for Bureau of Biological Survey agents tasked with one of the era's most contentious jobs: balancing agricultural survival against the perceived threat of predatory wildlife. Written under Paul G. Redington's direction, the manual walks its readers through the practical realities of controlling coyotes, prairie dogs, and other species deemed 'injurious' to crops and livestock. It details poison protocols, trapping techniques, and the bureaucratic art of coordinating with state officials and local farmers. What makes this document compelling beyond its practical instructions is what it reveals about an earlier America's relationship with the land: the assumption that nature was something to be managed, the earnest belief in conservation through controlled culling, and the practical desperation of farmers facing crop failures during the Dust Bowl years. For historians of environmental policy, vintage enthusiasts of American government documents, or anyone curious about how we once thought about wildlife, this manual offers an unvarnished glimpse into a vanished philosophy of human-wildlife coexistence.