9 2 0 ; ▁by ▁the ▁mid - 1 9 2 0 s , ▁liv est ock ▁losses ▁to ▁Mexican ▁wol ves ▁became ▁rare ▁in ▁areas ▁where ▁the ▁costs ▁once ▁r anged ▁in ▁the ▁millions ▁of ▁dollars . ▁Vern on ▁Ba iley , ▁writing ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9 3 0 s , ▁noted ▁that ▁the ▁highest ▁Mexican ▁w olf ▁dens ities ▁occurred ▁in ▁the ▁open ▁gra zing ▁areas ▁of ▁the ▁G ila ▁National ▁Forest , ▁and ▁that ▁wol ves ▁were ▁completely ▁absent ▁in ▁the ▁lower ▁Son ora . ▁He ▁estimated ▁that ▁there ▁were ▁ 1 0 3 ▁Mexican ▁wol ves ▁in ▁New ▁Mexico ▁in ▁ 1 9 1 7 , ▁though ▁the ▁number ▁had ▁been ▁reduced ▁to ▁ 4 5 ▁a ▁year ▁later . ▁By ▁ 1 9 2 7 , ▁it ▁had ▁apparently ▁become ▁ext inct ▁in ▁New ▁Mexico . ▁Sp or adic ▁enc oun ters ▁with ▁wol ves ▁entering ▁Texas , ▁New ▁Mexico ▁and ▁Arizona ▁via ▁Mexico ▁continued ▁through ▁to ▁the ▁ 1 9 5 0 s , ▁until ▁they ▁too ▁were ▁driven ▁away ▁through ▁tra ps , ▁poison ▁and ▁guns . ▁The ▁last ▁wild ▁wol ves ▁to ▁be ▁killed ▁in ▁Texas ▁were ▁a ▁male ▁shot ▁on ▁December ▁ 5 , ▁ 1 9 7 0 ▁on ▁C athedral ▁Mountain ▁R anch ▁and ▁another ▁caught ▁in ▁a ▁trap ▁on ▁the ▁Joe ▁Ne al ▁Brown ▁R anch ▁on ▁December ▁ 2 8 . ▁Wol ves ▁were ▁still ▁being ▁reported ▁in ▁small ▁numbers ▁in ▁Arizona ▁in ▁the ▁early ▁ 1 9