VOLUME! (JANUARY NUMBER 8 <•£% BIENNIAL REPORT. 1927 - 1928 Montana State and Oame Commission G -12 Fish. mru Our 'Birthright OW long since you stood, bareheaded to the morning breeze, barefooted to the dewy grass, and heard the Bob White whistle in the stubble? Or searched the scudding clouds above some inland lake, to see the "honkers" drive a mile-high wedge across the dawn? Or stopped, heart-still, beside a silver birch, as suddenly some dappled patch of sunlight sprang to life and leaped away — a fawn in the spotted coat! Or flattened yourself to drink deep of some liquid pool, and sate the brook trout dart all ways from the center of your cup? Or pitched your tent on the bright carpet of a mountain flower field and looked out and up across endless terraces of pine and fir and hemlock, unslashed of woodman's ax, unscarred of fire? The birds and streams, the lakes and iwoods, the heights and marshes, and all the lovely, harmless creatures that are native to them: these are Our Birthright. Ours to see, to hear, to breathe, to explore — to have and to hold for ourselves and our children and our children's children. Our Country. Is this only some fond rhapsody of fancy? Have these things nut gone forever — vanished with the Redskin, the Pilgrim, and the I'ioneer? Could tins America ever be reality again? It can be, and thousands of us are resolved it shall be. The ranks are open to all who would conserve all that is left of natural America, who would restore so much of what is gone. To every man toho enters, the pledge is given of a new vision of his country: Our Country, of the fair, free beauteous Open, of "Thy woods and templed hills." [4*^ His Excellency, I. E. Erickson, Governor of Montana, Helena: The State Fish and Game Commission, here- with submits the biennial report of its activities and achievements for 1927-1928. MONTANA STATE FISH AND GAME COMMISSION Thomas N. Marlowe, Chairman J. L. Kelly W. K. Moore E. A. Wilson G. T. Boyd Robert H. Hill, State Fish and Game Warden i When There Was No Bag Limit in Montana During the formative days of Montana before a State Fish and Game Commission existed, when bag limits were unknown and when wanton slaughter of wild life was the rule rather than the exception, such scenes as that shown above were the result. In this pile of meat are 35 deer, shot down in a small area in 1914 — only 15 years ago. Hunting parties such as these, made up of both men and women, killed ruthlessly yet thoughtlessly. Today rigid enforcement of law, constant conservation and protection, have been the necessary result. Here's another scene in a hunting camp of early Montana. There were no limits. Deer were shot by the wagon load. They threatened to go the way of the buffalo. Antlers for home or club adornment were often the sole prize taken. The coyotes got the rest. Montana's buck law is now being enforced in a gratifying attempt to replenish forests with deer that once roamed the state by thousands. MONTANA WILD LIFE The Official Publication of The State Fish and Game Commission VOL. I. HELENA, MONTANA, JANUARY, 1929 NO. 8 Throwiiinig a Lifeline to the Ba§§ By THOMAS N. MARLOWE, Missoula, Chairman, Montana State Fish and Game Commission T. N. Marlowe Chairman WHILE con- servationists throughout the nation are bend- ing every effort to conserve forest lands in order that timber resources may be assured to posterity, and con- ducting campaigns to guard against in- roads on various national and natu- ral resources, the Montana State Fish and Game Commis- sion, as a part of its vast program of protection and con- servation of wild life within the state, is operating a fish reclamation factory in the Flathead country of which but few sportsmen know the workings. Back in 1921 the Department realized the precarious condition of bass and sunfish that had become landlocked and perished following the annual overflow of the Flathead river before reaching Flathead Lake. Few Montana streams were stocked with these gamey fish. The old mill ponds of the middle west where chil- dren delighted to drop a pin hook baited with a bit of dough to lure a sunfish were missing in Montana. Hence steps were taken that have resulted in reclaiming and saving to fishermen and children of the state nearly half a million bass minnows and more than a million sunfish during the last eight years in which the factory has been operating. It's an interesting process — this busi- ness of rescuing fish lives. Each spring the waters of the Flat- head spread out over a large area near (he mouth near Big Fork, above Kalis- pell. The waters back up and fill pockets and marsh land potholes. During the spring the adult bass and sunfish go up the river from the lake and deposit I heir spawn in this backwater. In the warm waters of the little pools the spawn develops. Then the water re- cedes, leaving the bass and sunfish min- nows landlocked. When the summer sun causes these pockets to dry up, the little fish had been left to perish. Hence, the State Fish and Game De- partment devised ways and means of saving them. The adult bass remain in the ponds just long enough for the eggs to hatch, after which they return to the river. In these pockets is a heavy growth of moss and weeds. Fish experts in the employ of the Commission don hip boots and, armed with scythes, wade into the ponds and cut down the grass and weeds. The grass is then piled with forks. This step is taken to prevent young bass and sunfish from hiding when the reclamation process starts. Gasoline pumps with long extension pipes are used in the entire process. The pumps first reduce the water to enable cutting the weeds. Two ditches are then dug through each pond, cross- ing at angles with the cross at the lowest point. The pumping process con- tinues until all the minnows are in the ditches. The night before state fish experts prepare to take out the minnows the pond is pumped as low as possible and in the early morning the little fish have congregated in the deepest holes in the ditches. The neck of one of the ditches ex- tends to a trough about 30 feet long to the pump. A screen at the end is placed close to the pump to avoid pos- sibility of any minnows being drawn into it. About four feet back of the head screen is a V-shaped screen form- ing a trap. While the pump continues in action a current is created drawing BASS AND SUNFISH RECORD "TV URING th e last eight years con- u servation activities sponsored by the IV on ana State Fish and Game Dep artment have resulted in the reclairr inc of 406,800 bass min- nows and 1.133.628 sunfis i from the landlocked poo Is created by the over- flow of the Flathead river and transplants q them in streams and lakes throi qh out the sta te. Here's the record 01 achievemen Bass ts: Sunfish 1921 4,500 178 1922 56,000 8.000 1923 16.000 22,000 1924 48,000 5.200 1925 40,000 262,250 1926 1927 200 370,000 315,000 .... 53,000 1928 Totals 189,100 151,000 1,133,628 406,800 the little fish through the V-trap where the minnows are removed to cans with the aid of a dip net. The cans are then hurried to the hatcheries where the minnows are re- tained a short length of time and then transferred to streams and lakes throughout the Treasure State. Hence, thousands of fish that in for- mer years were allowed to perish in landlocked ponds are now being re- claimed and saved through activities of employees of the State Department. This work is now in charge of M. L. Matzick, foreman at the Somers hatch- ery. The bass and sunfish rescue work was started in 1921. The records of eight years ago show that 178 adult sunfish were rescued and 4,500 bass saved that year. In 1922 the total of 56,000 bass and 8,000 sunfish were planted in Lake Helena. In 1923 the fish experts rescued 16,000 bass and 22,000 sunfish. In 1924 a total of 5,200 sunfish and 48,000 bass minnows were rescued and distributed as follows Sunfish Rosebud county 2,000 Lincoln county 3,200 Bass Lake county 10,000 Fallon county 10,000 Pondera county 5,000 Flathead county 5,000 Lincoln county 18,000 1925 Sunfish Chouteau county 12,000 Lincoln county 153,250 Lewis and Clark county 4,000 Flathead county 60,000 Big Horn county 30,000 Lake county 3,000 262,250 Bass Lincoln county 17,000 Lewis and Clark county 3,000 Lake county 6,000 Flathead county 2,000 Pondera county 4.000 Glacier county 8,000 40,000 1926 Sunfish Blaine county 60,000 Hill county 60,000 Lewis and Clark county 60,000 MONTANA WILD LIKE Flathead county 90,000 Chouteau county . 60,000 Fallon county 30,000 Bass Fallon county 200 1927 Sunfish Teton count] 20,000 Lewis and Clark county 30,000 Lake county .. 75,000 Lincoln county 40,000 Blaine county - 30.000 Flathead county 120,000 315,000 Bass Teton county 10,000 Flathead county 6,200 Lake county ... 1,000 Lewis and Clark county 30,000 Toole county 3,000 1928 Sunfish Flathead county ... 150,000 Lincoln county 1,000 151,000 Bass Missoula county 135,000 Granite county .... 30,000 Jefferson county 2,500 Lake county 10,000 Lincoln county 5,000 Teton county 1.000 Lewis and Clark county 3,000 Flathead county 2,500 189,000 53,000 STRANGER THAN FICTION Jane: Do you mean to say that you flirted with your wife all evening at the masked ball and didn't know her? Paul: That's right. But she was so agreeable — how was I to know her? Four Hands Full of Nails Baby mountain lion snapped by a ven- turesome hunter in Lincoln county, Mon- tana. CLOSE QUARTERS Slim: I was shipwrecked once and lived for a week on a can of sardines. Jim: You didn't have much room to move about, did you? FISH AND GAME LAW VIOLATIONS -1927-1928 VIOLATIONS BY COUNTIES Alien in possession of firearms without a license... Catching over the limit of game fish Catching more than 5 fish under 7 inches in length Destroying evidence of sex of deer Dumping refuse in stream Destroying wild duck nests Fishing without a license Fishing through the ice Fishing in closed streams Fishing during closed season Fishing with more than 1 polo, line and hook and set line Having over the limit of grouse Hunting without a license Hunting on game preserve Illegal possession of beaver hides Hunting deer with dogs Killing a moose Killing elk out of season Killing deer out of season Killing grouse out of season, prairie chickens, etc. Killing Hungarian partridges Killing ducks out of season KilliriL' doe leer Killing deer with horns less than 4 inches in length Killing more than one deer Killing mountain goats and sheep Killing antelope Killing wild geese out of season Killing swan Killing Chinese pheasants Killing elk before legal hour in Park Co Killing grebe Killing golden plover Making false statement In application for a license rig muskrat houses slon of a seine without a license Seining fish without a license- Salmon eggs, fishing with same Snagging fish Selling grime fish Shipping furs from state without a permit . Shooting ducks ,-ifler sunset .... Shooting ducks out shooting ducks and gees.- before naif hoot before sunrise Selling elk tnes I Selling bear meat ng sea gulls Trapping fur-l. earing animals ..in of season Trapping fur-hearing animals without Trapping beaver without a permit Trapp Trapping marten Unlawfully shooting from li t'nlawfui possession of mountain sheep n< ad Unlawful possession and transportation of mi I'sing explosives to kill fish Refusing to show license on demand I'sing artificial light for hunting Total law violations 1927 14 3 23 2 7 n 4 8 It 25 2 345 1928 11 2 1 1 2 1 4S 68 5 24 20 !l 12 G 5 1 19 1G 2 3 11 11 1 4 8 4 19 20 6 11 7 1 6 G 2 2 1 I 3 6 2 1 3 3 10 IE 1 1 29 1 1 2 43 9 1 3 1 8 6 x ?.t; IG 28 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 1927 Beaverhead Big Horn Blaine Broadwater Carbon Carter Cascade Chouteau Custer Daniels Dawson Deer Lodge Fallon Fergus Flathead Gallatin Glacier Golden Valley Granite Hill Jefferson Judith Basin Lake Lewis and Clark Liberty Lincoln Madison Meagher Mineral Missoula Musselshell Park Phillips Pondera Powell Petroleum Ravalli Richland Rosebud Roosevelt Sanders Sheridan Silver Bow Stillwater Sweel Grass Teton Toole Valley Yellowstone ii'i:s 22 28 9 14 3 2 1 3 9 9 2 2 3 3 3 2 1 29 10 1 1 10 12 19 25 19 IS 4 3 7 2 3 5 2 4 5 1 10 6 13 27 16 8 1 20 33 S 16 1 3 5 5 19 27 5 1 22 12 6 2 5 s 1 D 8 m 1 2 2 1 5 3 17 1 12 6 13 r 10 1 4 1 • > - 27 20 345 407 .00 $12,422.70 304 407 Total Total amount of fines Imposed ..39,929.00 Total number fines assessed During P'JT, in i tie 345 violations of the fish and game laws were 304 fines assessed. 2 jail sentences were given. 6 were found not guilty. 24 wire dismissed. 2 were committed to the asylum ami 7 were dismissed because defendants were under age. During 1928. in the 407 violations of the fish and game laws Hiii. were 852 fines assessed. I jail sentences were given. 17 were found not guilty. 23 were dismissed. 10 cases arc pending and 1 case was dismissed because defendant was under age. MONTANA WILD LIFE SAVING THE EASS* U£'N\ T.KT. HARLOWE. AJvJn AV\K djr,, i. . HI . TRECELWLTH CA.TCH1 OF FLA.THEAD JS-L\.'E,E^- BA9S __s MONTANA WILD LIFE >aviei Mooteogi Fish and Gaoie B> ROUEKT H. HILL, state Fish and Game Warden ^P^ T^ »1 M* Ht™" * ¥"'•> ^k \ 'am -*■■■■ I R. H. Hill N THIS pro- gressive age of constructive en- deavor, when the nation is enjoying its greatest era of prosperity, when millions are being expended in the construction of bet- ter highways and when all about us we see the march of commercial prog- ress, it is well that we give a thought to the future. Mon- tana, the Treasure State of the nation, with its area of 90,000,000 acres, only half of which is classed as agri- cultural land, has gained recognition among sportsmen of the nation for its fish and game. Critics have been free to assert that the man who expounds the cause of conservation, whether of the wilderness or of the forest, is a reactionary. Short-sighted wielders of vitriolic pens have persisted in declaring conserva- tionists as stumbling blocks in the path of progress. Yet thinking men of the nation, with especial regard to sports- men who have devoted years to a study of game conditions of the future, realize all too well the looming destruction and devastation impending in the west. In referring to the wilderness, please do not understand that only the deserts and mountainous rockpiles are con- cerned. I mean to include all that portion of our commonwealth which has not yet been claimed by man, whether it be forest reserves, game preserves, the open plains where once the antelope and buffalo roamed by the thousands, and brooks and streams that have as yet to be divested of their original wildness. Montana and the entire west, has en- joyed its greatest season of motor tourists during the last summer. Thou- sands have driven through and camped in our playgrounds. Wherever a road winds its way along a babbling brook or a trout stream, there the tread- marks of automobile tires may be found. There the charred embers of camp- fires tell the story of vacation days well spent. We have opened our Ids pltable arms to these tourists. We have shared our best with them on the the- ory that they have all been spoilsmen al heart and that the creed that binds us together would be obeyed. It is tifying to note that the majority of these motorists have been true to the i 'iMiniandment8 of the sportsman. The iciest ranger and the game warden can beat report on those who have been derelict in their duty and unmind- ful of their trust. America recognizes the Northwest as the playground of the nation. If we wish to retain this identity we must lake steps to conserve the wilderness for future generations. Conservation under proper regulations is absolutely mandatory. Montana is in the midst of a federal aid highway construction program that means the expenditure of millions of dollars. We need the roads. Yet, sportsmen who are watching these high- ways cutting through formerly impene- trable areas, opening them up to in- discriminate hunting and fishing, are beginning to lean back in their chairs and wonder just how to cope with the problem. It does not particularly af- fect their own welfare as sportsmen, but it is a vital subject for the sons growing up in the coming generation. I have in mind our own Madison river, the stream that has gained fame throughout the nation as the fisher- man's paradise. It is one of the three streams, the Madison, Jefferson and Gallatin, that go to make up the mighty Missouri. Today it is reached by dyed- in-the-wool fishermen who are willing to pound their cars over roads that wrack machines, tire out drivers and make the going tough. The angler who calls it a good time to sit in the front seat of his limousine and cast into a brook, shuns the Madison be- cause of the rough roads. Yet, be- cause of the highway leading into the Madison country, farsighted sportsmen LICENSES HIT RECORD DEMANDS being made upon Mon- tana's fish and game resources are reflected in convincing man. ner \n the increased demand for hunting and fishing licenses among residents and particularly among tourists. Resident licenses for 1928 have established the new high mark of 75,063. the greatest number ever purchased by sportsmen of the state in any year since the department was created. Increased demands for licenses means that additional cour- ageous vigilance must be maintained in law enforcement and in restock- ing the streams and forests. Last year was likewise the heaviest tour- ist travel year, there being 4,335 non-resident fishing licenses sold. The total is not yet complete, many stubs being in the hands of dealers. Total figures gleaned from official reports follow: Resident Non-resident Licenses Fishing 1916 69,466 1.082 1917 72,113 1,012 1918 42,744 741 1919 70,429 252 1920 52,751 1,305 1921 59,348 1,879 1922 50,508 1,620 1923 64.202 2,193 1924 56,113 2,064 1925 73.042 3,369 1926 71,249 3,133 1927 67,083 3,320 1928 75,063 4,335 are beginning to realize the necessity of protecting that wonderful stream for future generations. It has been well said that the small cars have ruined fishing in the Northwest. Proper con- servation and faithful stocking can yel save it by stringent regulations. The same statement may be made of the Forest Service. Let me say right here that it has been my experience as head of the State Fish and Game Department of Montana that men who wear the insignia of the United States Forest Service are true friends of the men who are enforcing the fish and game laws. They are stalwart defend- ers of the cause and their cooperation is one of the finest elements entering into game law enforcement. Yet, de- spite the fact that I may be called a reactionary in making the statement, it is a fact that foresighted sportsmen of Montana and other Northwestern states wherein are forest reserves rightfully complain when virgin areas of timber which are the haunts of game are opened to indiscriminate hunting and fishing and grazing by cutting of new trails. It is a thought that should be paramount in our minds that these areas be kept untrammeled. It is a duty we owe to our sons and grandchildren. Big game quickly learn to recognize areas in which they are protected. One has only to watch proceedings around the border lines of our national parks at Yellowstone and Glacier. It is sel- dom that deer and elk stray from these sanctified areas except during the severe winter when the elk are forced out for feed. Sportsmen who view this problem through unselfish eyes agree that the creation of more of these preserves are a necessity. It has been comparatively few years since the forest reserve idea was a na- tional issue. Lumbermen declared the creation of these industrial reservoirs would destroy their business and their institutions. Yet the industry was mak- ing such inroads on national timber re- sources that consumption threatened to pass production. Today these same critics of a few years ago are earnest devotees of the cause of forest con- servation. And so it must be with the wilderness that is left. We must adopt methods that will preserve wild life that is left One of the first things impressed on the minds Of our sons when we teach them the elements of sportsman- ship is the conception of a forest as a community Of living things. The con- ception is not only that of living trees. shrubs, toadstools, mosses, flowers and vines, but birds and animals as well. There is something artificial and dead in a bit of woods or plain that does not have the sound of whirring wings. the movement, color and atmosphere of wild animal life. Yet critics tell us thai conservation movements are viewed through the window of the cash reg- MONTANA WILD LIFE ister. They may call us theorists or idealists if they like, yet it will re- quire only a few years more to find them heartily and enthusiastically aligned with our cause. Joseph Grinnel, professor of zoology of the University of California, one of the most eminent naturalists of the nation, has well said, in reference to the groups of factors necessary to the successful existence of game ani- mals: "Presence of safe breeding places, adapted to the special needs of animals, presence of places of tem- porary refuge during day and night or while foraging, when hard pressed by predatory enemies or correlated with the inherent powers of defense and con- cealment"— and these are the spots in the wilderness that demand conserva- tion. Wild animal life must have breeding places, shelter and food. The forest in many of its forms provides this. An overlooked opportunity in improv- ing these conditions through setting aside the wilderness is the appeal to the average man's love of sport and instinct. Private duck clubs are taking up so much of the shore lines in Montana that our State Fish and Game Com- mission has established a precedent in buying up areas wherever available to be later used for public shooting grounds. We owe it to future generations to take immediate steps to conserve the wilderness, the unsullied places, the fish and game havens, in order that one of our greatest state and national assets may not dwindle and perish through lack of concentrated endeavor. Bozemae Has Game Refund By H. B. FOOTK, Sanitary Engineer, State Board of Health D URING the fall I had occasion to make a two day inspection trip by horse over the watershed of Boze- m a n ( Sourdough ) creek, from which the city of Bozeman secures a part of its water supply. This catchment area is probably 35 square miles in ex- tent, of typical Mon- tana forest cover- ing, well watered. It is unique in Mon- tana in that it is "closed" to all vis- i itors, human habi- tations, and stock grazing for the pre- vention of pollution of the waters. I have been into this area on sev- eral occasions and for various reasons since 1915, and have observed conditions during the period before the closing and afterward, and am thus in position to compare them "before' 'and "after." While the road has never in my ex- perience been passable for autos, it has been for teams, but now all the bridges are gone and it would be a very ardu- ous and clever task to drive a team with wagon as far as Mystic Lake, H. B. Foote seven miles from the mouth of the canyon. The vegetation is heavy, wild fruits are abundant, and there is ample evi- dence of wild life along the stream and in the forest. We of the inspection party saw several deer, and in small lakes hidden away among the trees are countless fish. Beaver also are at work. While I am not an especial student of wild life, my observations lead me to suspect that this area, under the "closed" administration, is becoming a real refuge for wild game and in effect a reservoir for wild life, from which bordering areas may derive benefit as fish, deer and birds find their way out of it. There is a distinct benefit derived from the exclusion of people from Bozeman creek in that pollution of the waters is avoided and I believe that lovers of wild game and those inter- ested in their protection can be assured of a distinct benefit in that respect also. While there has been in the past, and may yet be, some feeling of injury on the part of a few residents of Bozeman because they are deprived of this area for recreation, it seems to be that the exclusion of all visitors and stock pro- duces conditions which far offset their loss. At the World's Largest Spawn-Taking Station MONTANA'S fish culturists are aid- ing nature in providing spawn for the restocking of depleted streams. This picture was taken at the Flint creek spawn-taking station on Georgetown Lake, near Anaconda, Mon- tana, which is recognized as the largest station of its kind in the world. Here millions of eggs are artificially taken from the thousands of trout that are caught in the traps at the mouth of the creek in their attempts to reach the headwaters to spawn. Fish experts in the water up to their waists are here shown transferring "green" trout to an adjoining pond to await the "ripening" period when the eggs are removed by artificial means, sorted, graded, placed carefully in cans, rushed to the hatch- ery at Anaconda at a cool temperature and then immediately distributed to the 14 hatcheries operated by the State Fish and Game Commission. The female trout, after the spawn is removed, are returned to the waters of the lake, free from injury, while the eggs are artificially hatched after being fertilized by like artificial means. MONTANA WILD LIFE The Beek Lgiw amdl Its Benefits B] WILLIAM K. MOORE of Billings, Member Montana State Fish and Oame Commission s W. K. Moore PORTS MEN throughout Montana W h 0 have watched the operation of the law that forbids killing ol female deer, with the exception of a few localities, and allows but one buck deer with horns more than four inches in length to to be killed by each hunter, generally fa- vor the continuance of its operation. Enforcement of the law has produced deer where they have been practi- cally exterminated. While many hunt- ers who failed to kill a buck during the last season when snow was scarce tell of seeing many does, they are quick to acknowledge the fact that men who hunt for sport's sake appreciate the cunning of the buck and the dif- ficulty of bagging him when natural conditions are in his favor. The buck law and activity of preda- tory animal hunters have been prin- cipally responsible for the increased number of deer in Moutana forests. In I i ties where deer are so plentiful that they may not have enough winter feed it might be advisable to open the season on the females, but this situa- tion is rare in Montana. Aside from its benefits to the deer herds, the buck law has been of value in educating hunters. When a man must stop to scrutinize the head of a deer for visible horns, he is not liable to pot shoot another hunter by mistake. Many sportsmen have asked that the season on deer be set at a later date in order to take advantage of the snow. They complain that many deer have been wounded and lost during the last season because of the inability to track them. Deer are growing so numerous in -■Hue of the forests that there is dan- ger of starvation, according to officials ui the Forest Service of the United states Department of Agriculture. The annual game census of the serv- Ice indicates that the number of deer on the forests is increasing in spite of the fact that except on certain areas aside as game refuges the only re- ictlona upon hunting are those im- posed by state game laws. The Forest Service holds that the logic,. i remedy is the development of management plans. The basic principle ol these plans is to establish and maintain a balance between the number of animals and their food sup- ply. In a state of nature such a balance is automatically maintained, say the forest officers, largely through the check imposed by wolves, mountain lions, lynx, and other animals that prey on the game. Man has great lv reduced the number of such killers. This leaves as the chief natural check the factors of famine and disease. A given land area under given con- ditions, it is pointed out, can grow only a certain quantity of game feed. The quantity available varies with the sea- son. Thus when an excessive number of animals are seeking sustenance a short forage crop or an extra hard winter results in undernutrition, in- creased susceptibility to disease, and a struggle for life under which the weaker animals often succumb in large numbers. The most acute situation on any na- tional forest is on the Kaibab, in north- ern Arizona. The deer herd on this forest, containing more than 2S,000 head, has outrun the food supply so far that fawns born the previous year have died, and many of the other animals as well. Under a game management plan the aim would be to prevent overcrowding by finding out how many deer or elk the available land will carry perma- nently, and varying the amount of hunt- ing permitted so that the herds of game will be kept at this number. Stable in place of fluctuating herds would mean a constant stock of breeding animals, would permit of utilizing the increase for food, and would prevent the decline in the productive capacity of the land which overgrazing — whether by domes- tic livestock or game herds — inevitably produces. Twenty years ago the deer in Penn- sylvania forests were so reduced in After the Morning Flight Innocence Abroad Bud Fischer, his dog pal and a beauti- ful limit bag of geese killed near Poison. Photo by Deputy Game Warden J. F. Goldsby. numbers that stock was imported from other states and planted in various sections where these animals had entirely disappeared. There were probably not over 1,000 deer in the entire state. Now they number many thousand and Penn- sylvania has not had a closed season on deer at any time during that period. This astonishing result has been brought about by protecting the brood stock. After much preaching, many discouragements and bitter opposition, John M. Phillips and his devoted associates secured the en- actment of a buck law in 1907, which has been on the statute hooks ever since. This protection has been supple- mented by the establishment of many of the famous Pennsylvania game sanc- tuaries surrounded by public shooting grounds. That the Pennsylvania Game Commis- sion should have found it necessary this year to make a regulation protect- ing bucks and permitting the killing of adult does only is a most astonish- ing fact but it appears to have been necessary for the reason that female deer have increased to such numbers that the food supply for them in their accustomed ranges has become ex- hausted and serious losses by starva- tion have occurred. The surplus stock of deer, it appears, does not occur in all parts of the state by any means but is apparent in sev- eral counties. It has been suggested that deer might he captured and dis- tributed more widely but any one fa- miliar with the difficulty of capturing wild deer will appreciate the imprac- ticability of such a remedy. It is also an unfortunate fact that deer do not range widely from their accustomed habitat and will not scatter enough to really relieve the congestion. Another troublesome factor is that as the does and young deer have become more abundant and their food scarcer they have invaded the orchards and fields of farmers and have become a menace to tlie agricultural interests of certain localities. Beginning in 1923 the (lame Commission of Pennsylvania, realizing that over-population of deer was threat eiiing, began to consider plans for con- trolling the supply. It is possible that had occasional killing of female deer in the more congested areas been per- mitted from that time on the present situation might not have developed. MONTANA WILD LIFE Test Net Brings Up a Million This unusua snapshot, taken by Deputy Game Warden J. F. Goldsby, shows the result of a single dip of a test net lowered in the Nine Pipes reservoir. The State Com- mission has been planting warm water fish in this reservoir. In an effort to ascertain the result of experiments the nets were used in various spots in the reservoir. In this lift were bass, sunfish. catfish, native trout, squawfish and suckers. The 75-foot net revealed gratifying results. against birds; they would try to pull us out of a hole and we would try to pull them in. The birds never won unless we were all in, with over-exer- tion. Worms like birds and often feed them. Early in life I took to drinking and when I got canned it seemed I always went fishing with some man, but for- tunately for me, the man usually got canned up, too, when fishing, and when he, nervously, tried to bait me on so he could throw his hooks into me, I fell from grace to the ground as he uttered a cuss word. Drink never went to my head, too far to go. Once I got caught with a hook that passed through my appendix, then I flew through the air, landed on the water, sank down to the bottom, came up in a sucker, felt like a Jonah and escaped when the man cleaned the fish. Some experience for an innocent young worm. I was not what you would call a good worm; spent too much time in the bright light districts where the glow worm maidens would dance the crawl with me. In my mature years I have followed but one course in life; not the straight and narrow path, only the narrow. I could never hold any position for any length of time, possibly because I al- ways laid down on the job. I never prospered, but was always in the hole. Seemed that whenever I could see day- light ahead, a bird would present its bill and I would go in the hole again. Could never get on my feet. 1AM of German descent. Worm his- tory records the migration of our race to these grounds in the year 1521, when men assembled for the Diet of Worms in Germany, writes H. P. Dowler of the angleworm in Outdoor America. My early education was not neglected; I was well grounded in many subjects for I always went to the root of things. I soon advanced to the position of cashier in a clay bank which adjoined a school of fish. One day I stuck my head out of the bank and each fish in the school wanted me to enter their anatomy course, saying I would pass through and come out into the world with a fertile mind, and body. They knew for they had digested similar subjects. I never took any worm medi- cine for it would not cure my ailment, which is curvature of the spine. I completed a course in vocal training and often sang my favorite so-low. "Massa's in the cold, cold ground." I am not in sympathy with the Rocke- feller method of abolishing the hook worm. They should begin at the source and abolish only the hook, it would be more to the point and could be straight- ened out. provided they could get a line on it. Just seems to go right through me when I see a fish hook. Waters of fish should catch them on the fly. We do not hold measuring worms in high esteem for they double up and give us short measure. We prefer to have our measuring done with a tape- worm. Had a deal on one time with another worm and I intended to pull his leg. but discovered it was a 100- legged worm and I didn't have enough pull. In my youth I was fond of the sport called "tug of war." We always played H UMANITY massed is a hateful thing. Despoiling the fair green earth; And God sends His rain to wash it clean And give it a fresh new birth. Beauties from the Boulder River This string of speckled Montana beauties was hooked on flies in the Boulder river, five miles south of Big Timber. Mont. The photograph was taken by P. W. Nelson, veteran deputy game warden of the staff of the State Fish and Game Department. 10 MONTANA WILD LIFE Have Yoo Hooked Yoer 370 Fish? 0 G. T. Boyd Commissioner iNE of the out- standing achievements of the Montana State Fish and Game Commission during the last five years has been the exten- s i v e program of hatchery operation which has made posible the libera- tion of a total of 207,800,843 game fish or approxi- mately 370 fish for every man and woman enumerated in the census of the State of Mon- tana. Figures of the Department of Agriculture show that Montana's popu- lation at the start of 1928 was esti- mated at 546,000. Have you hooked the 370 planted for your personal benefit in the campaign of restocking in which the Commission is engaged? During the last biennium alone the Department has made possible the planting of 85,834,026 game fish in lakes and streams of the Treasure State, with the assistance of cooperating hatcheries at McAllister, Columbia Gardens and Divide. Of this total plant, the 14 state hatcheries pro- duced 52,285,185 fingerlings. These figures have been compiled in no haphazard manner. They are taken from the actual count made daily by hatchery superintendents and compiled at headquarters at Helena where a constant check is made of the work of each fish factory operated in the state. The fingerlings, of course, are not counted separately. They are meas- ured so many to a container and then THE FIVE-TEAR RECORD DURING the last five-year fish- planting program, the 14 hatch- eries operated by the State Fish and Game Department, working with the three cooperating hatcheries, has liberated a total of 207,800,843 game fish for the maintenance of the sport for anglers of Montana and the nation. Here's the record: 1924 24,471,098 1925 38,985,517 1926 58,510,202 1927 46,823,070 i928 39.010,956 Total 207,800,843 Because of the unsatisfactory weather conditions, bringing about late spawning, the egg-take at the Flint creek station and other spawn- ing grounds was light in 1928. the containers counted. Experience has shown that fish may be counted in this manner with comparative accuracy. During the 1927 season a total of 22,678,418 native trout were planted in Montana streams, while in 1928 the total dropped to 1S,666,90S because of causes outside the control of man. The spring was cold and late and trout failed to start to spawn until after the opening of the fishing season. This, of course, necessitated a small egg- take. To enable attaches of the De- partment to secure sufficient eggs by artificial means to keep the 14 hatch- eries operating, the Commission closed Georgetown Lake for a period of 30 days after the start of the fishing season. The spawn-taking station at the mouth of Flint creek at Georgetown is conceded to be the largest plant of its kind in the nation. It is under the supervision of Dr. I. H. Treece and his hatchery staff. During the 1927 season the plant of rainbow trout eggs reached 5,617,477, while in 192S the total was 4,801,002. Eastern brook trout planted in 1927 totaled 2,S43,326 and in 1928 the plant was 1,734,500. Some Montana sports- men have declared war on this gamey trout because of his habits and the manner in which he lords it over all other trout in the neighborhood. Salmon planted in 1927 totaled 466,- 897 and in 1928 the figure reached 326,- 775. The Commission was able to se- cure a supply of these eggs from east- ern hatcheries in exchange for Mon- tana eggs. The plant of loch leven trout reached 1,533,200 in 1927 and in 1928 it was 2,167,191. The plant of grayling, the pride of Montana's game fish to many sports- men, was heavy during the last bien- nium. In 1927 a total of 12,495,000 was planted while in 1928 the plant reached 9,950,000. These eggs are hatched in a series of battery jars where a stream of flowing water keeps them constantly agitated. The plant of Lake Superior white- fish such as are making Flathead Lake popular for commercial fishing reached 2,791,400 in 1927 and in 192S totaled 1,022,480. The planting of bass and sunfish concluded the total. Modern equipment perfected by the State Department has made the plant- ing and transfer of fingerlings more efficient during the last biennium. Speedy motor trucks hurry the cans of fish to the headwaters of tiny streams and rivulets. The fingerlings are kept at a normal temperature while being Distribution Report of All Hatcheries for the Year 1927 Hatcheries Natives Rainbow Kastern Brook Salmon Lorn Leven L. Superior Grayling Whiteflsh Bass Sunfish Total Big Timber 3.626.424 Emicrant 2.035.650 Great Kails 1.198.750 Lewlstown 1.172.820 Red Lodge 942.000 470.315 209.539 191.000 80.000 275.000 288,026 175,100 Total Anaconda 2,560,000 n 1,799,650 Hamilton 1.920.000 Missoula 2.147.000 Llbby 788,800 Creek 795.220 Station Crer-k 888.868 Ovando 1.125.640 Ronan 1.142.596 206,801 811.260 228.500 689,220 .130.000 471,200 504.000 22.800 43.750 35.567 S3.S1HI 27.440 53.500 200,040 624.000 327.200 582.000 8,686.000 1,960,000 2,791,400 •McAllister •Columbia Gardens 535.000 2,000,000 Grand Totals 22,678.418 5.617,477 2.843.326 466.897 1.533.200 12.495.000 2.791.400 :,.01S.53!i 2.904,159 2.482.417 1.252.820 942,000 12.599,935 12.975.601 53,200 315,000 S. 229. 150 2. 477. 500 2.375.500 7S8.800 795.220 S88.86S 1.125.040 2.031.856 . 31.688,135 2,535.000 53,200 315,000 46.823,070 peratlve Hatrherlen. MONTANA WILD LIFE 11 carted over the road, they are planted in water of the same temperature after tests have been made by state experts and only a few in a million are lost between the hatcheries and the planting grounds. After entering the runways at the Georgetown spawning station, which provides the greatest number of eggs, the trout are seined carefully and placed in handling tiaps. The cool waters of Flint creek flow through these traps and the milling thousands of trout are kept in their natural con- diton. Two to four meu experienced in the work are stationed at each han- dling trap and thousands of visitors are annually attracted to the spot to watch the interesting operations. The workers don waders and slickers, wear a woolen glove on their left hand to hold the trout and walk right out among them. The trout are placed in a handling box with the big clip nets. The expert reaches into the box, grabs a female with the gloved hand, holds the fish by the head, swings the tail under his arm, gently bends the head backward toward the tail and, if the trout is in proper condition for spawn- ing, the eggs are brought forth by stripping and caught in a prepared pan. When a quart of eggs has been col- lected a male of the same species is caught and milt for fertilizing the eggs is stripped into the pan. Experts stir the eggs thoroughly with their fingers, Another Montana Beauty mixing them with the milt. The eggs are then washed and placed in cans. Dr. Treece estimates that under nat- ural spawning conditions only about 10 per cent of the eggs hatch, while under artificial or hatchery methods more than 80 per cent hatch and are later developed for planting in Montana streams. Immediately after each take is com- pleted and the traps are emptied, with the trout being returned to the lake and their native haunts, the eggs are placed in cooled, specially constructed trucks built for the State Commission and rushed to the hatcheries by express. Upon receiving eggs at a hatchery the first step taken after unpacking is to ascertain the temperature. Then follows the slow raising of the tem- The Montana Grayling perature. After the eggs are tempered they are put in baskets or stacks of trays to eye or hatch. There are two stages of eggs, green and eyed. Green eggs are those which have been fertilized, but in which the incubation period has not started. Eyed eggs are those which have been incu- bated to a point where the embryo is well defined and the eye spots are plainly visible. If the eggs are green and in water of an average tempera- ture of 50 degrees, it will take from 14 to 18 days for them to become eyed. They are then syphoned out of bas- kets into a tub or bucket for the pur- pose of giving them a shock. This shock is necessary to kill the blank or unfertile eggs. The blank or unfertile eggs are then picked out and the eyed eggs are put back in the baskets to hatch, which will take about 10 or 14 days. When the eggs hatch they are called fry; after they begin to take food they become advanced fry. They remain advanced fry until they become an inch long, when they reach the fingerling age, which is fingerling No. 1, meaning they are an inch long. They remain in the fingerling class until a year old, when they are called year- lings. The tables of official State Depart- ment figures accompanying this article tell the story of achievements of the Department in attempting to restock streams and guard against depletion. Distribution Report of All Hatcheries for the Year 1928 Hatcheries Natives Big Timber 2.125.370 Emigrant 1.701.850 Great Falls 1.197.815 Lewistown 958.569 Red Lodge 934.500 Total 6.91S.104 Anaconda 2.082.450 Somers 1,842.878 Hamilton 997.000 Missoula 854.500 Libby - 867.500 Rock Creek 953,776 Station Creek 874.500 Ovando 961.000 Ronan Total 9.433.604 •McAllister 603. 000 •Columbia Gardens 708.000 •Divide 1,004.200 Total 2,315,200 Grand Totals 18.666.908 •Cooperative Hatoberies. Rainbow Eastern Brook Salmon Loch Leven Perch Ij. Superior Grayling Whitefish Bass Sunfish Total S7S 800 289.000 730,000 396.300 1 1 155 000 342.236 585,000 144 400 61.675 012 191 1.950,436 775.000 179,960 393.000 1.415.300 185.000 134.200 61.675 69,400 146,700 49.000 2 167 191 569.000 284,500 '213.106 2.414.566 341.000 95.000 319.200 265.100 436.000 4.801.002 1,734.500 •- i 2.000 326,775 2.167.191 2.000 .200.000 .600.000 1.022.4SO 189.100 151.000 4.448.170 2.774.086 3.252.981 1.102.969 934.500 12.512.706 .311.S50 .266.31S ,439,000 .425.500 867.500 953.776 ,159.000 961,000 213.106 6.800.000 1.750.000 1.400, bob 3.150,000 9.950,000 1.022.480 189.100 151.000 20.597.050 2.353.000 1.049.000 2.499.200 1.022.480 189.100 5.901.200 151.000 39,010.956 12 MONTANA WILD LIFE MONTANA'S Stat.> Fish and Cam. Commission, meeting in joint ses- sion with the 15 members of the committee on fish and game from the house of representatives, of which Ben Nelson of Phillips county is chairman and Steve C. Arnold of Stillwater county is vice-chairman, conferred regarding proposed changes in game legislation at the regular meeting of the Com- mission January 11 and it was the sense of the meeting that all concerned are content with existing laws. The Commission will meet again Friday, January 25, while the meeting of the Montana State Sportsmen's Association will be held the following day. Glen A. Smith of Missoula is president of the association. Plans are being made for a banquet Saturday night, January 26, with committees on fish and game of the legislature as honor guests. Montana may establish and operate its own game farm at the state prison at Deer Lodge or the state hospital at Warm Springs, if an investigation now being conducted by the Commission de- velops facts that assure a saving in producing game birds rather than pur- chasing them from distant states. The Commission authorized Game Warden Robert H. Hill to continue the investigation, looking toward acceptance of the offer of heads of these state institutions, the cost of constructing pens and buildings and the expense in- curred in establishing the bird factory. It is planned that an expert on game birds be placed in charge, with inmates of the institution employed to aid in the work. The Commission has ex- pended funds for the importation of Hungarian partridges, Chinese pheas- ants and quail and it is believed these birds can be more profitably propagated at an enormous saving of funds of Montana sportsmen. Since the three-day open season was declared for the first time on Chinese pheasant cocks last November, requests for hundreds of these gamey birds have been reaching the Department from many clubs of sportsmen in the state. Plans were made to purchase a con- signment for spring planting. Sam Woodring, chief ranger of Yel- lowstone National Park, presented fig- ures on the elk kill in the Gallatin country near the park for 1923-1928 and asserted that if the open season on elk is extended the herd will be exterminated in three years. Wilsie M. Cramer, who has been a visitor at a series of legislative ses- sions attempting to get more state funds, again appeared before the Com- mission, asserting that he was not sat- isfied with the $1,000 paid him after inspection by the State Board of Ex- aminers for a hatchery site at Somers and that, in case the Commission de- clined to pay him more money, he would again appeal to the legislature. The Commission denied his request, assert- ing that it has nothing further to do in the matter in that a bill was passed by the state legislature submitting the matter to the State Board of Examiners, that examination by the state board had shown Cramer entitled to $1,000, that the board paid Cramer the amount and that the incident is closed. Thirty tons of carp and suckers have been removed from Lake Helena since last June through activities of the Commission, according to the report of Thomas Medanich, in charge. He re- ported that the traps were set in June and that since that time 60,000 pounds of these fish have been removed, sold, buried or sold for hog feed or fertilizer. He asserted that many of the carp are too small for marketing but that dur- ing Lent he expects to market many in the vicinity of Los Angeles. Trapping operations have disclosed the presence of a few trout and sunfish in the lake. The carp and suckers have, however, destroyed most of the plant and aquatic- life and the Commission instructed that the work proceed until next spring, when traps will be set in feeder streams during the spawning season. Game Warden Hill made a report on the work of the wild life legislative committee at the national conference at New York and Washington and asserted that action on the Norbeck bill is ex- pected at this session of congress. The petition of residents of Sweet Grass county for the closing of Sweet Grass creek and all its tributaries was denied after an investigation was made by John W. Schofield. field assistant in charge of hatcheries. The petition of Carter county resi- dents asking an open season the first 10 days in October on buck antelope was denied. The report of Jacob W. Forbes, as- Montana's State Fish and Game Commission Left to right— Robert H. Hill, state game warden; William K. Moore. Billings; G. T. Boyd, Great Falls; Thomas N. Marlowe, chair- man. Missoula: E. A. Wilson, Livingston; J. L. Kelly, Anaconda. MONTANA WILD LIFE 13 sistant in the sewage and water divi- sion of the Board of Health regarding the contamination of waters of Milk river by beet pulp from the sugar fac- tory at Chinook was read. Several claims for alleged damage to crops caused by elk and ducks were denied because the Commission has no legal right to recognize such documents. Ducks are said to be destroying grain near the Nine Pipes reservoir while feeding at night. The farmer who made complaint, according to the report to the Commission, has his land posted against hunting. McNeil Brothers, who have been sein- ing carp from Lake Bowdoin, were given permission to extend their opera- tions in Medicine Lake in Sheridan county and in the backwaters of Nelson reservoir, with expense to be paid by the fishermen. An order was issued that hereafter no seines shall be permitted in less than 30 feet of water in Flathead Lake where commercial fishing for whitefish is in progress. Senator Pearl I. Smith of Beaverhead county asked that the ling be seined out of Red Rock Lakes, and an investi- gation was ordered. The game department of Massachu- setts has requested that the Montana Commission ship them a consignment of western prairie chickens to be crossed with the pintailed grouse of that re- gion to strengthen the stock. Kenneth McDonald of Anaconda was appointed temporarily to take the place of Dr. I. H. Treece, field assistant in charge of hatcheries, while Dr. Treece is spending the winter at Osteen, Fla. Word was received that a shipment from federal hatcheries of 199 cans of black bass, sunfish and crappie has been received at the Miles City pond cultural station. People of Miles City ask that the territory surrounding the pond at old Fort Keogh be made a fish and game preserve. Frank Rose, superintendent of the federal bison range at Moiese, has of- fered the State Commission 300 head of elk for distribution. The first ship- ment will go to the Libby Rod and Gun Club with the understanding that the Libby club pay half the costs of load- ing and transporting a carload. The Commission is willing to make similar arrangements with other state clubs. The Commission ordered the purchase of 1,000 metal signs to designate boun- daries of game preserves, and another 1,000 metal signs to be placed on streams closed to fishing throughout the state. LESS DUCK MORTALITY DAVID H. MADSFN, superintendent of the Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge, reports that very few sick ducks were observed in that region last summer. The past season was one of the driest in recent years and the con- sequent recession of the water from much of the flat alkaline country ordi- narily resorted to by ducks limited waterfowl to comparatively small areas of fresh water and drove them also into the grain fields. The work of building dikes by means of which large alkali flats will be flooded with fresh water and thus remove the danger of duck poisoning hereafter is going for- ward rapidly. The Kid in the Crags D EPUTY State Game Warden William J. Dor- rington has positive proof that Mon- tana's mountain goats are not as wary as pictured by many naturalists. While on a hunt- ing expedition in the crags they came across the mountain goat kid pictured herewith. The lit- tle rambler was only a few days old. A short distance away the herd watched the sports- men and the cliff- dwelling youngster. Its horns were just poked through the skin and it was as playful as a domes- ticated lamb. The deputy writes that the little fellow attempted to follow them after they had caressed it and parked it alongside a perpendicular rock wall to take the accompanying photograph. The rams and ewes of the band kept watch from a careful dis- tance while all this monkey business was going on. After taking the picture the sportsmen went on their way, leav- ing the kid to join his elders. TROUBLES OF A TICKET AGENT GIVE me a Pullman berth," said the man. "Upper or lower?" asked the agent. "What's the differ- ence?" "A difference of 50 cents in this case," said the polite agent. "The lower is higher than the upper. The higher price is for the lower. If you want to go lower you will have to go higher. We sell the upper lower than the lower, although it is lower on ac- count of being higher. When you oc- cupy an upper you have to get up to go to bed and get down when you get up. You have the lower if you pay the higher. The upper is lower than the lower because it is higher. If you are willing to go higher, it will be lower. That is the only difference there is." The Kid s O MY gypsy camp will my temple be As well as a home to me — Where I mav learn of the ways of God From flower and bird and tree. "DON'TS" FOR HUNTERS Don't neglect the simple precaution of a red cap while hunting for upland game. Don't carry a loaded gun while hunt- ing so that the barrel points other than toward the sky or ground. Don't lay a loaded and cocked gun on the ground or lean it against fence or tree where it can be dislodged. Don't fail to remove the load the in- stant you stop hunting. Don't draw a gun toward you by the barrel-end. Don't use your gun for a leaning post. Don't pull the trigger until you posi- tively identify your game and have a clear vision of everything within range in the direction in which you aim. Don't shoot at moving brush, which may merely screen a fellow hunter. Don't carry a loaded gun in your automobile. When the Fightin' Fool Breaks Water Here's an unusual photograph, taken at a thrilling moment when a Montana scrapper makes his leap in the turbulent water below riffles in the Gallatin. It's another of those thrills that make things scamper up and down the spine of the angler. 14 MONTANA WILD LIFE M' M. A. Brannon Chancellor rJONTANA has ~^^ |W| the only bio- V XT-1- logical re- search station de- voted to the study of fish and game in the United States. This statement cov- ers considerable ter- ritory, yet is un- challenged. Through cooperation of the Montana State Fish and Game Depart- ment with enter- prising leaders of the greater Univer- sity of Montana, the biological station at Yellow Bay on Flathead Lake has been operated throughout the summer season. Its achievements have just been embodied in a series of exhaustive reports re- reived by the State Fish and Game Commission. They are interesting docu- ments of scientific fact. Trained sci- entists in research specialties have been detailed to make a thorough in- vestigation of water and fish life of the lake, to ascertain corrective meas- ures and to recommend steps to be taken to make the lake an angler's paradise. It is the plan of the Commission to have these gratifying, informative re- ports arranged and published in book- let form for the information of all true sportsmen interested in that scenic body of water. The scientists have given strict attention to each minute detail. They have made thousands of tests of water, of plant life, of the individual fish, examined their stomachs, their makeup, favorite foods, and have em- bodied their findings in their reports. These booklets will soon be ready for distribution. The State Fish and Game Commission has for some time realized that ade- quate and desirable plant life did not exist in many of Montana's lakes and streams for the best propagation of game fish. Hence these scientists as- sociated with the educational institu- tions of Montana, under the leadership of Chancellor Melvin A. Brannon, were secured to make a survey. They will continue their work in other lakes when the Flathead task has been completed. included In the sweeping reports made by each member of the staff of iallsta are the summary of the zoology of the lake by Prof. R. T. Young, the summary of the botany of the lake by the late Prof. J. E. Kirk- d, the physics of the lake as de- ■niri'il by Prof. O, D, Shallenberger, the chemistry of the lake by Prof. 3. W. Howard, the history of the lake and an exhaustive report on each of the fishes, the food of each aperies. and notes on their number and distri- bution by Prof. M. J. Elrod. In submitting the report of activities of the biological research station to the Commission, Professor Elrod writes in part: Following the announcement that the State Fish and Game Commission had made a grant for the purpose of mak- ing investigations relative to the ani- mal and vegetable life of Flathead Lake, especially with regard to the problem of developing more fish, a committee was appointed, to be called the Biological Station Research Com- mittee, to have general charge of the investigations. The committee consists of M. A. Brannon, chancellor of the University of Montana; C. H. Clapp, president of the State University; Thomas N. Marlowe, chairman of the Montana State Fish and Game Commis- sion; I. H. Treece, member of the State Commission especially interested in fish culture; R. T. Young, profes- sor of biology of the State University; and M. J. Elrod, head of the depart- ment of biology of the State University. M. J. Elrod was chosen as the re- sponsible head of the investigations. As he had previously agreed to serve Make a Pal of the Lad G. G. (Dode) Cottier, at left, and his big brother, Melvin, at right, of the Murphy McClay Hardware Company of Great Falls, casting a mean fly in the Gallatin. MODERN men equipped with the fundamentals of sportsmanship realize the joy that comes of making pals of their sons. Here's a snapshot that's a rich possession of the sons of John Cottier of Great Falls. long associated with the Murphy Mc- Clay Hardware Company. The snapshot was taken of his three sons while he was teaching them the rudiments of Izaak Walton's pastime. The lad in the center has passed beyond. Dode and .Melvin are now prominent business men of Great Falls. They cherish the memory of the Dad who was their one best pal. as park naturalist for Glacier National Park during the summer, he was un- able to take a direct part in the work that was undertaken. R. T. Young, professor of biology, was placed in charge of the investi- gations. His part of the study dealt with the animal plankton (microscopic animals), the number and distribution of the fish of the lake, and the gen- eral problem of the animal life of the lake. J. E. Kirkwood, professor of botany, was to undertake investigations rela- tive to the minute plant life, which is the ultimate source of fish food. J. W. Howard, professor of chemistry, was to make chemical analyses of the water and its absorbed gases, and all other studies dealing with chemistry. G. D. Shallenberger, professor of physics, was to make investigations dealing with light and other rays, their penetration and effect; and with the temperature of the water at different depths and to determine its relation to the plant and animal life of the lake. The primary question is the food supply and the breeding grounds for fish. The food supply is the plankton (microscopic plants and animals), which is dependent upon such physical and chemical factors as the flow of water, light penetration, temperature, and the gases dissolved in the water. Other factors likely to affect the fish life are: the chemical composition of the water, the depth, the character of the bottom, the turbidity, and the presence or absence of suitable feeding grounds. Intimately associated with the pre- ceding are detrimental factors such as water contamination, cannibalistic fish, fish parasites, birds which prey upon fish, and shallow areas either devoid of suitable food or too shallow for fish. The immediate problem seemed to be the determination of the number, kinds, distribution, migration, and habits of the fish, the interrelations of fish of different species, and the interrelations of the microscopic life in the lake with the fish living in the lake. Some phases of this study are recognized as exceedingly difficult. Following the adoption of the general plan the members of the working staff secured the necessary apparatus and material. Much of the apparatus was loaned by the state university. Some special pieces were borrowed from the United States Fish Commission. Most of the chemical analyses were made in the chemical laboratories of the uni- versity. The university placed the bio- logical station buildings in repair, and made suitable provision for living quar- ters for the staff. Chancellor Brannon and President clapp were greatly in- terested in the investigations, and gave as freely as funds were available to aid in their prosecution. The State Game and Fish Commission loaned their 30-foot boat for use during the summer, without which studies on MONTANA WILD LIFE 15 the lake Car from shore were impos- sible. The work was conducted from the biological station at Yellow Bay, about midway on the east side of the lake. The station is 25 miles from Poison and 40 miles from Kalispell. An auto- mobile road passes through the grounds, so access was easy. The studies were conducted during late June, July and August. Dr. Young's studies have been carried on regularly during the fall, and are still being conducted at this writing. During the period of study President Clapp visited the station frequently and assisted in discussion of the problem. Chancellor Brannon left his work at Helena to visit the station. Chairman Marlowe of the Commission traveled from Missoula to see how the work was conducted, and M. J. Elrod came from Glacier Park for a similar pur- pose. The staff entered upon their problems with eagerness and energy, accomplished a large amount of work and accumulated much data. This is only a report of progress. Much of the material collected is still to be counted and tabulated. Also, it will be necessary to conduct the ex- periments through more than one sea- son before definite conclusions may be drawn. Just at the close of the season's work the sudden death of Mr. Kirkwood oc- curred at the laboratory at the close of a day's work. Although he seemed rugged and looked healthy, organic bod- ily trouble, embolism, snapped the thread of life almost instantly. The eye, brain, hand, and pencil that so acurately and beautifully sketched al- most a hundred and fifty minute or- ganisms were suddenly stilled. His sudden and tragic passing was unex- pected, and is very unfortunate for the work undertaken. He had a fine grasp of the problem, and the large number of specimens he identified and made permanent in sketches, done in Moose in Montana Yearling Moose MONTANA'S game laws protect the moose. There is no open season. It's a sincere pleasure to spy these moun- tains of wild meat along Montana's mountain highwa: s, near the water holes, in spots where the moss grows green and in the nooks where the cows care for their moose calves. Along the Madison river, close to Yellow- stone Park, sportsmen many times catch an eyefull of moose. The same conditions prevail in other portions of the state on the range. The photo of this yearling moose was taken by Wil- liam Rush on Hellroaring creek in Park county during the winter when the big calf ventured down to the water hole in the snow. He paid little attention to the photographer except to lift his head and register silent con- tempt for the rude interruption. an extremely short time for such ex- acting work, is a fine testimonial of his ability. His generalizations would be of prime importance, but these he had not yet made. It will fall to others to draw conclusions from his work. Dr. Howard made the first chemical analyses on record of the water of Flathead Lake from different places, and at depths from the surface down to 300 feet. The report shows suffi- cient oxygen for the support of fish life to a depth of 300 feet, an absence of injurious gases, but also an absence of some of the elements of plant food. Dr. Shallenberger's report on light penetration, made with special appara- tus, is very interesting, and shows that, even at the depth of 140 feet, the light reaching that depth is 170 times that which the earth's surface receives on a clear night at full moon. At this depth, and even lower, to 200 feet, Dr. Kirkwood found three species of dia- toms, plants, and one of protozoa, ani- mals. At 300 feet he found seven spe- cies of micro-organisms. Dr. Shallenberger finds the bottom layer of the lake at about 300 feet to be of rather uniform temperature, 4.5° C. (40.1° F.) to 4.2° C. (39.6° F.). In determining the lake depth about 125 soundings were made, which are in- creased by some 25 soundings made by the writer. A map of the lake, with approximate locations of the soundings, is appended to the report, and will correct much misinformation relative to the lake's depth. IF YOU WANT GAME, CON- TROL VERMIN THE crow and the blackbird do more destruction than is gener- ally believed. They not only kill the young birds but the eggs of all birds are the natural food for crows and blackbirds. The toll of the blackbird and crow exceeds the num- ber of game birds killed by all the sportsmen combined. Campaigns for killing crows and blackbirds are en- couraged by the Montana Department at all times, and every effort should be made by sportsmen, and farmers as well, to rid the country of these greatest enemies of game, song and insectivorous birds. The ordinary house cat is also one of the great destroyers of bird life. When allowed to run, the house cat will meander over a territory of ten to fifteen miles during the night in search of young quail, pheasants and other young birds, and the loss of these birds by cats in every part of the state is enormous. Campaigns are on in many states to exterminate the meandering cat. Biological and Research Station on the shore of Flathead Lake operated by the State Fish and Game Commission in coopera- tion with leaders of the University of Montana in solving problems of disease and propagation of wild life. It is the only station of its kind in the United States. 16 M ONTANA WILD LIFE MONTANA STATE FISH AND GAME COMMISSION COMMISSIONERS. Thomas X Marlowe, Missoula. Chairman. G. T. Boyd. Great Falls. Joseph U Kelly, Anaconda. \V. K. Moore, Billings. E. A. Wilson, Livingston. ROBERT H. HILL, Helena State Fish and Game Warden Secretary. MONTANA WILD LIFE The Official Publication of the State Fish and Game Department. Published Monthly at Helena, Montana. FLOYD L. SMITH, Editor. Introductory Subscription Rates 15 Cents per Copy — 50 Cents per Year. Advertising Rates on Application. Copy for advertisements subject to approval of State Commission and must be in the hands of the editor at the State Capitol building, Helena, on the 15th of the month preceding publication date. VOLUME I JANUARY, 1929 NUMBER 8 THE BIENNIAL REPORT MONTANA'S State Fish and Game Department here- with presents the biennial report of its achievements and ambitions for the years 1927-1928. Conservation activities of the Commission are so widespread and numer- ous that but brief mention has been possible in this review. In this program of propagation and conservation of Mon- tana's wild life sportsmen of the state have taken an active part. They have provided the funds in the purchase of licenses which make the Department self-sustaining. The Commission can go no farther than permitted by its re- ceipts. Figures and statistics are herewith presented show- ing disposition of these funds. Figures in greater detail are available at headquarters at the state capitol for those who desire to go over them. Montana has taken the lead in the nation in this work of sane conservation. It main- tains the largest pond cultural station for warm water lisli in the United States at Fort Keogh. It has the great- est spawn-taking station in the nation at Georgetown Lake. The biological research station on Flathead Lake is the only one of its kind in the world. Fourteen fish hatcheries are being operated to keep pace with inroads being made on streams. The State Commission is making an honest, courageous effort to maintain this natural heritage for posterity and keep Montana in the forefront in the esti- mation of lovers of the out-of-doors. GAME EXHIBITS AT PAIRS EFFORTS of the Montana State Fish and Game Commis- sion to bring its program to the people of the state through its series of displays at larger Montana fairs has attained amazing results. It has been one of the out- standing features of the biennium. These displays of Mon- tana's game and fish have been taken to the larger expo- sitions in the state, concluding with the state fair at Hel- ena, and have constantly been surrounded by crowds that reflect popular interest. Live animals always create Interest. You never saw the window of a pet shop which did not have more or less of a crowd around it and the window may have contained only puppies or chickens— alive and therefore interesting. Much more interest Is taken in exhibits of live game and this natural tendency has' been made the most of in Some states. It should be employed still more than it is now and used to awaken the average sportsman to a lively cooperation with his own state game officials and a sympa- thetic understanding of their problems and aims. As an example we quote from the San Francisco Chronicle: "One of the outstanding exhibits at the Pacific South- west Exposition, which recently closed at Long Beach, was that of the devision of fish and game of the Department of Natural Resources. It is estimated that more than a million visitors took advantage of this display during its showing there. "The working of the state game farm at Yountville, where Chinese pheasants and Hungarian partridges and California quail are being raised by August Bade, superin- tendent of the farm, was graphically displayed. The fish exhibits, depicting the Shasta hatchery in miniature, at- tracted considerable attention and many words of praise for the work of the division in aiding the cause of the angler. "Fish and game division attendants carefully explained to the thousands of visitors the work of that department and drove home the message of conservation and protection. This work is one of the most valuable being undertaken by the fish and game body, and one which should receive the support of all sportsmen." HUNTERS' MONEY MAINTAINS GAME MANY STATES are going through the throes of re- cently awakened conservation. On one side is the hunter and fisherman; on the other, the sentimen- talist and the ordinary citizen who neither hunts nor fishes. Both sides want fish and game and insectivorous birds protected, propagated and distributed. The hunter and fisherman want to shoot and catch as many birds and fish as the supply will permit, paying for the privilege by- protecting the seed stock. There is an ever-present agi- tation coming from the non-shooters and non-fishermen in favor of cutting out most of the hunting and a big share of the fishing. "Suppose the sentimentalists had their way and, as one of the most prominent advocates, not a gun was fired for a year," says J. B. Doze, former Kansas state fish and game warden. "How many fishermen would buy licenses after the fish- ing season was cut down to a few days and the trespass law extended? What is more important than that question is who would pay for keeping the violator from taking his till of fish and game? "When the time comes that a game bird must be given perpetual protection the time also has arrived when the general public should pay for the protection and not the hunters. If America keeps on eliminating the shooting of certain game birds and maintains its increased restrictions against fishermen the burden of enforcing these restric- tions should be lifted from the hunter and fisherman and imposed on the general public. Every orchardist and agri- culturist is helped because hunters pay for protection of the insect and noxious weed seed eating birds. "Consequently the dollars the hunters pay for the privi- lege of killing replenish the earth with the things he kills. Kansas quail killers have been shooting several consecu- tive seasons. This is the first time consecutive shooting has occurred in many years. There are more quail in Kansas today than at any time during the last 15 or 2(1 years. The reason lies in the fact that these quail shoot- ers have imported 15,000 birds to increase the seed stock." WILD LIFE conservation means protection, mainte- nance of right biological conditions for breeding and living and artificial propagation. It is not a senti- ment but a business and should be administered as such. MONTANA WILD LIFE 17 WHY GO FISHINGS AS a contemplative fisherman with positive ideas on piscatorial subjects, some of which he had well ex- pressed in print and otherwise, Herbert Hoover was prepared to say some interesting things of that ancient pur- suit when questioned by newspaper men in his retreat on the Klamath river. In view of the striking fact, which particularly impresses Mr. Hoover, that 10,000,000 persons annually purchase fishing licenses in the United States, it is worth trying to discover why people go fishing who might easily buy all the fish they could eat. "All men are equal before the fishes," Mr. Hoover told an inquisitor. "There is peace and relaxation in going fishing. It is something that commands silence." And he said also: "In wading the streams and trying to hook trout a man finds solitude. He gets away from the jazz of our present civilization." To an insistent photographer he remarked: "There are two things that are sacred. One is prayer and the other is fishing. Neither can be done before a camera." Since he holds such views, Izaak Walton and his broth- ers of the angle to whom fishing was a rite would have accepted this man as a kindred spirit worthy of their wish that "the east wind may never blow when he goes fish- ing." For manifestly he subscribes to the Waltonian tenet that fishing is "an art worthy the knowledge and practice of the wise man." In view of the record as a fish con- servationist made by him in his seven years as secretary of commerce and his comments on fishing as he cast his hook, doubtless he accepts also the verdict of old Izaak that "God never did make a more calm, quiet, innocent recreation than angling." On this subject the testimony of the trout is not admissible. FARMERS ARE GREATEST HUNTERS THE FARMER more, perhaps, than the city man, is a hunter, for the man on a farm has more opportunities to hunt. Frequently all he need do is pick up a gun and walk a few hundred yards from the farm house to find game. Because of that fact, it is likely that most of the shotguns owned in the United States are in the hands of rural dwellers. It is on farms that most of the game birds and game animals are to be found. State-owned lands provide for the enjoyment of shooting by thousands of gunners. Usu- ally, shooting is better on public lands than on the average farm. However, the farm can and should be as good a place for small game, especially birds, as a state-owned tract. Still, the official and unofficial reports disclose that the mortality rate of game on farms is excessively high, owing to lack of control of "vermin" — as the natural ene- mies of game are called. Absence of necessary cover is also a factor both in mortality of game and in failure to attract wild life to farms. This condition is largely due to the destruction of natural cover by farming operations. These observations are based on the composite opinion of sportsmen in various parts of the country. Many are of the belief that the situation could be greatly improved by educational efforts along the line of instruction as to the kinds of cover required for various species of game. Concerning the subject of cover, the De- partment of Agriculture Farmers' Bulletin states: "The favorite resorts of upland game fowl have long been known as coverts, no doubt on account of their being admirably adapted to covering or concealing the birds. Such coverts are usually characterized by an abundance of low but dense and stiff or thorny shrubbery, together with luxuriant growths of grasses and weeds. These plants supply also an important part of the food of the birds." WISCONSIN BARS POLITICAL WARDENS WISCONSIN has put into effect an effective system of civil service examination for appointment of con- servation wardens, thereby eliminating the political hanger-on. In a recent examination of applicants for cer- tification to the Conservation Commission, 250 applicants presented themselves, 61 of whom succeeded in securing the passing grade. The examination is not, as the results would indicate, merely a perfunctory affair. Knowledge of the essentials for qualification as a competent conser- vation officer is absolutely necessary to secure a passing mark. The examination given applicants in Wisconsin consists of four parts: first, the application in which the applicant states his general qualifications. Many applicants are eliminated on the showing made in this portion of the examination. Second, a written examination which is con- ducted in the several county seats of the state and which consists of 250 questions relating to conservation law, enforcement provisions of the law and similar informa- tion. Third, testing the applicant's knowledge of natural history by requiring him to classify 30 marked game and song birds, and approximately 20 pelts of animals all na- tive to Wisconsin. Mounted specimens and pelts are used for this purpose. Besides this the applicant must name and classify 35 varieties of fish from colored plates and 65 native birds and animals illustrated in the same way. Each applicant is also subjected to an oral inquisition to determine his personal fitness and general qualifications. Physical fitness is also taken into consideration. PROTECTION OF DOES CONSERVATIONISTS generally stand for protection of breeding stock of all species in order to maintain the supply of game. They favor the buck law for the pro- tection of deer and maintenance of a permanent deer herd. Evidences of the effectiveness of limiting deer shooting to antlered bucks, such as prevails in Montana, with the ex- ception of a few counties, are numerous but experience in this respect also shows the fallacy of trying to establish and follow any hard and fast rules in the administration of game. Wherever deer have been seriously depleted they can be increased and restored by the application of the buck law but this dosn't necessarily imply that the buck law should be maintained thereafter indefinitely. The ex- perience of Pennsylvania has shown how deer can be tre- mendously increased by the protection of does and fawns and it also shows that results may be disastrous if the buck law is maintained so long that the deer range becomes overstocked and the available supply of food becomes in- sufficient and starvation ensues. This has actually occurred in Pennsylvania and it has been found necessary in that state to limit shooting of deer during the past season to does only. A thoughtful discussion of this subject is made in an article in the October-November issue of American Game, the bulletin of the American Game Protective Association, by E. A. Sherman and R. R. Hill of the U. S. Forest Service, in which they say: "In practical game management the percentage of each sex that should be killed each season should vary with the losses from other causes, the rate of increase and the number of bucks and of does which it is desired to main- tain. An important consideration from the game stand- point is that when the range unit under management has already all the de«r that can be provided for safely it is necessary to dispose of the excess number of animals of both sexes, and that the number to be disposed of should be the net annual increase, proper allowance being made for losses from all causes. However, this does not in any way minimize the desirability of greater protection to does on game refuges which are not fully stocked." In other words, effective game management requires occasional adjustment of regulations to changing condi- tions. THE ELECTRIC FISH SCREEN PREVENTION of loss of trout in irrigation ditches of the west is a very live and difficult problem. Ex- periments have been made with all manner of devices and screens to prevent fish going into these ditches with indifferent success. Congress has recently made an appro- priation of $25,000 to carry on investigations. Among other devices being investigated by the Bureau of Fisheries under congressional authority is the electric fish screen. This device promises to be an improvement on anything here- tofore discovered. A device of this kind recently installed in a stream in Oregon is claimed to work successfully in repelling fish which otherwise would pass into irrigation ditches or the intakes of power plants. These experiments are being watched with very keen interest by the game and fisheries departments of the west and sportsmen gen- erally. 18 MONTANA WILD LIFE Oeir Migratory Heriltaj Hy JOE B. HALM, Missoula, Montana TWO MORE BANDS.'' My friend was wading ashore holding up two beautiful greenhead mallards which we had just shot. The place was Nine Pipes Reservoir, the time mid-Decem- ber, 1928. Six out of the eleven mal- lards that morning were banded. Forty- nine banded mallards have been bagged this fall by the five members of our club, within 25 miles of the banding station in the National Bison Range at Moiese. A few years ago a friend was telling me of the wonderful hunting in the Flathead valley. He declared he daily saw thousands of ducks leave Mission creek in the Bison Range. I had never seen a thousand ducks in one day in my life. I mentally questioned my friend's statement, but aloud asked, "Where do they all come from?" His answer was: "They come from all over because they aren't shot at in the reserve." Now I had fished Mission creek be- fore the Bison Range was created and recalled the brushy, log-strewn little trout stream, overhung with willow, alder, aspen, cottonwood and an oc- casional cedar, where a fisherman, even when wading, found it difficult to cast a line. I could only picture it as a most unlikely place for ducks. This fall I visited the park ranger at his headquarters at Moiese, and we walked along the alder-covered banks of Mission creek. What a change eighteen years had made in that quiet rippling little stream. Every available stretch of water as far as one could see was literally alive with mallards, a busy, crowding, noisy, quacking mass, thousands of them. Upon reaching what would have been easy gun range those nearest took wing and flew to find another place further u]) the creek. Some large flocks of several hundred flew south toward the mountains within the preserve; after attaining consid- erable height they turned and headed north toward the grain fields, or other favorite haunts in the valley. Never once did they fly over the Bison Range enclosure in shooting range. Instinct and experience told them that fence was the danger line. Upon reaching the banding traps we found a number of mallards had fol- lowed the corn bait into the traps, which are chicken wire enclosures with wings extending across the creek. Once in, ducks can not get out until banded and released by the keeper. It was but the work of a few min- utes to band and release the birds; each bird as it was released and took flight carried a little copper or alumi- num band, a messac to the finder. whether he be an Eskimo in the Land of the Midnight Sun. a trapper in the Canadian north woods, or a sportsman of California or other sunny clime. These bands will, one by one, like the homing pigeon, find their way back to Washington with a message. A small percentage of the ducks are captured and recaptured in these traps. Of the 350,000 mallards that have frequented the three miles of creek within the refuge this fall, more than 8.000 have been banded. I was told that only a small percentage of these ducks were hatched in the valley. The locals are joined by their feathered brethren from the north who, finding safety within the refuge, stay for weeks and months in ever-increasing numbers, feeding over the fields and ponds of the surrounding country for miles around. I was invited to witness the ducks' evening flight which, I was told, oc- curs at precisely the same minute each day, which is approximately twenty minutes after the official sundown. The ducks all leave in the evening and drift back in small flocks at all hours during the following day. It was nearing flight time. We jumped into a car and drove to the creek. As we alighted I could see the same surging quacking mass I had witnessed earlier in the day. The ranger at that moment, watch in hand, said "They should be starting now." As if in response to his word there was a mighty roar as a great wave of ducks arose, followed by another and another. In less than ten minutes more than 10,000 ducks had scattered in all directions for their feeding grounds all over the valley. It seemed strangely deserted and quiet — an occasional feather floated Ruth Hatm and her pet mallard down the placid little creek where a few moments before all had been noise and confusion. Without the refuge, if pursued too persistently by hunters, these ducks would not remain in the valley but would take wing and head for the south. The remarkable increase in the numbers of ducks which return to this unlikely looking little creek within the refuge every year speaks louder than words in favor of other refuges which could be created about the state. The Grass Valley Bird Refuge, lo- cated a few miles west of Missoula, was created about three years ago upon the request of a number of far-sighted sportsmen and citizens, and is, accord- ing to reliable census, already harbor- ing some 5,000 mallards this winter. There has been some agitation by a few individuals to throw this preserve open. There is little likelihood that this will be done since the area is all privately owned and posted; only a chosen few could possibly benefit by this move. The average sportsman who must look to the rivers, ponds and open fields for his shooting would suffer a great loss. It is fallacy to suppose that the pres- ent 5,000 ducks would remain long in the locality after being blasted from behind every bush and tree from day- light till dark. The territory within and adjacent to the refuge would, in a few weeks, be as destitute of ducks as it was before it was created. In fairness to all concerned, however, I believe a careful study and survey should be made by competent men of this migratory bird refuge. It might be found advisable to exclude some of the less desirable portions from the present boundaries, confining it only to the most desirable areas. I feel confident that I am voicing the sentiment of the majority of sports- men in western Montana when I say we do not want the Grass Valley Bird Refuge opened, thereby destroying the only sanctuary of its kind in the west- ern part of the state, a refuge which the Montana State Fish and Game Com- mission has so wisely set aside for us. Before me are a number of popular sporting magazines containing articles pertaining to bird and game refuges. These articles, written by eminent men such as Charles G. Dawes, Vice-Presi- dent of the United States; Paul G. Redington, Chief of the U. S. Biological Survey, and other conservationists and sportsmen, are all strongly in favor of creating more refuges and sanctuaries. The U. S. Biological Survey, states, counties and thousands of private SB states and clubs, are spending millions annually In creating additional refuges. Areas formerly destitute of ducks and geese now abound with migratory fowl in the fall and there is hunting for all. That bird refuges and public shoot- ing grounds are the salvation of public MONTANA WILD LIFE 19 shooting is no longer a matter of con- jecture, as has been clearly demon- strated in the eastern and most west- ern states. Montana, by virtue of her small popu- lation, has not, as yet, felt the need so keenly, but that need is at hand and we must heed the call. A refuge can not be created in a day or a month; it takes years to change fixed habits of migratory birds; it takes years to build up the complete confidence of geese and ducks, confidence which can be destroyed in a single season. Find- ing a place that affords safety, ducks and geese on their migratory flight will stop as long as they are not pur- sued with importunity. These birds do not, as some suppose, stay within these sanctuaries, but daily drift here and there about the adjacent country and waters; when sufficiently harassed they retreat to the refuge for protection and rest. We sometimes assume the attitude of ownership; we think these ducks are ours, overlooking the fact that by far the greater number are hatched in Canada and raised to maturity there; inclement weather, ice and shortage of food drives them south to more favor- able latitudes. There they are again fed all winter until their return flight north. Their stay with us in Montana is momentary and incidental like a transient traveler picking up a quick lunch en route. However, if proper and suitable accommodations are pro- vided, these winged tourists will tarry as long as food and weather are favor- able, incidentally affording the local sportsmen some of the most exciting and fascinating sport in the world. Let us, therefore, as sportsmen of Montana, back up our own Fish and Game Commission of which we are so justly proud and urge their support in the creation of additional sanctuaries for the propagation and protection of fish and game for present and future generations. We can not continue to draw upon our great heritage of wild life without giving something back. How meager will be the hunting opportunities of our children as compared with our own and what will be the opportuni- ties of their children, unless we at- tempt to restore a part of that which we and our fathers have destroyed? Quail Are Immune to Strychnine Poisoning THE Bureau of Biological Survey, Department of Agriculture, as the result of an investigation of strychnine-poisoned baits to control ro- dent pests, has concluded that this form of poisoning is not injurious to quail and other game birds. The full text of the department's statement follows: Complaint is frequently made that quail and certain other game birds may be injured by the exposure of baits poisoned with strychnine, which are used in the control of injurious rodents and other mammals. Investiga- tions made by members of the Biologi- cal Survey of the United States De- partment of Agriculture and other in- terested organizations have shown that such destruction is unlikely to occur. It has been definitely established that gallinaceous birds as a group possess a certain immunity from strychnine poison. This group of birds includes grouse, partridges, quail, ptarmigan, prairie hens, sage hens, pheasants, wild turkeys and domestic poultry. Quail in California have been ob- served to feed to a large extent on strychnine-poisoned baits exposed for ground squirrels, and, so far as known, not a single individual has been killed. Prairie chickens have been known to eat without ill effects enough poisoned grain to kill 100 ground squirrels. A sharp-tailed grouse in Montana ate 400 kernels of strychnine-poisoned wheat without any of the strychnine symptoms developing. Experiences such as these indicate that complaints regarding the destruction of gallinaceous game birds by strychnine-poisoned baits are founded upon suspicion rather than upon facts." Banding Duc%s at Nine Pipes- REMOVING MALLARDS./^ Ij FROM OWE OF THE, BANDING TRAPS 0^ MISSION CRELK, NATIONAL BISON •<>■ tsxer*^ r -&\ ONE. OF THE BANDING ITU IN THE ONAL BISON RANGE. ~J) -O FRANK R.OSE- SHOWING? METHOD OF -C> °

A MALLARD BANDED BY BlOLOOlCAL SURVEY ON NATIONAL BISON R-AMGE-. 20 MONTANA WILD LIFE The Waterf owl Sitnuatloe ie Mooteira B] GEORGE K. HUSHBACH, Billings, United States (iaiiie Protector SINCE the pub- lication of the last Biennial Re- port of the Montana State Fish and Game Commission there has been a decided, marked, and grati- fying improvement in conditions affect- ing migratory water- fowl in Montana. In part, at least, this may be attributed to nature's generosity in replenishing the water supply which for several years preceding 1927 was sadly lacking in George Mushbach many sections. The year 1926 witnessed the termination of a drouth period which had extended over an interval of several years, and which had been the cause of wiping out many important waterfowl areas in eastern Montana. The western part of the state was not affected so noticeably by this condition as the water supply- is of a more permanent character and not dependent upon seasonal flood waters as is the eastern section. The heavy rains in the spring of 1927, a generous snowfall the following winter, and another wet spring rejuve- nated a majority of the lakes and ponds ol the prairie regions, resulting in the migratory waterfowl returning to the former path of migration which had of necessity been abandoned due to the lack of suitable water areas to make it attractive to this character of fowl. The marked increase in waterfowl during 1927 was more decidedly so in 1928. Reports and personal observa- tions clearly indicate that the supply of these birds was far greater through- out the present year than for any time during the past five or six years pre- Ing. Nor did the increase in eastern .Montana appear to be an appreciable drain on the supply from other sections of the state, for waterfowl were abun- dant in practically all favorable locali- ties. An unusually largo number of ducks nested in Montana the past year and remained throughout the season. A con- i able number of ducks are remain- ing in the state at the close of the season on December 81; of these green- head mallards and L-oiden-eye ducks predominate, with a sprinkling of pin- tails and occasionally a few of other species. For the last two years many pairs of cinnamon » * ■ : • 1 have nested here where formerly they were rarely ii in Montana. This teal is evident i. a spring migrant only, leaving before the opening of the hunting season, as it is seldom one is taken by our shoot ers. .Montana has been most fortunate in that there has been do duck sickness among our waterfowl, such as affected the snow geese in the spring of 1926 and which took large toll at that time. This is attributed, no doubt, to the abundance of fresh water which has kept the lakes and ponds alive. There has been a noticeable improve- ment in food conditions since the plant- ing campaign instituted by the Mon- tana State Fish and Game Commission, and which extended over an interval of several years. The wapato or duck potato appears to have done exception- ally well in many localities and seems adapted to Montana. It is to be pre- sumed that the introduction of duck food has had much to do with the ex- cess of wildfowl remaining in the state instead of going farther north to nest. What appears to be the outstanding need for our migratory waterfowl is a system of refuges or sanctuaries over which some one of our game protective agencies will have control, thus assur- ing permanent quarters for wildfowl. It is of vital importance at the present time to make provisions and guard against the possibility of all, or most, of our desirable water areas coming under private control. The danger is not an idle dream for it is practically an assured fact that within a very few years all of the water areas best suited for the needs of waterfowl will be owned or controlled by private shoot- ing clubs and fur farms, unless safe- guards are provided. Other sections of the country have awakened to this need only when it was too late. All of Montana's conservation \ SPORTSMAN'S CREED 1. I deem it a point of honor never to shoot a sitting bird (except crip- ples). I will not pot-shot, and I will not stand for it in my party. 2. I will measure the success of my day afield not only by the size of my bag, but by the cripples I leave behind me. I would rather get a mass of game with no lost crip- ples, than to kill the limit and leave the woods full of lost game. Ac- cordingly, I will shoot to kill, and I WILL NOT SHOOT OUT OF RANGE. 3. I am against "piecing out" the other fellow's limit. I am against the "dummy license." The legal limit applies to the man, not to the party. If I can't kill my own game. I don't want anyone else to kill it for me, and I expect my hunting partners to look at it the same way. 4. I will not clean out a covey. Leaving some for seed is one of the first principles of sportsmanship. 5. I realize the Montana game laws are made for my protection and to insure the future of my sport; therefore I will observe both the let- ter and the spirit of the law, and I will make it my duty to see that others do also. 6. I want to be a sportsman, not ■ meat hunter. agencies should profit by these grave mistakes and unite in making ample provisions while there is opportunity. That there is opportunity is apparent for there are many tracts throughout the state, either privately or publicly owned, of low acreage value that are chiefly valuable for wild life purposes and which could now be acquired for public uses for a reasonable outlay. It is quite probable that many of these areas, or parts of them, if ac- quired for refuge purposes could also be utilized as shooting grounds for the general public without seriously inter- fering with the refuge features. Public shooting grounds are in a class with the refuge plan and should have serious attention. Each year witnesses the acquisition of desirable waterfowl areas by private shooting clubs. It is only a matter of time until the duck shooter of moderate means will find himself excluded from his sport for the reason he will have no place to hunt. These sportsmen should be provided for as all are equally assessed by license — the man of little means paying for game preser- vation an amount as great as the mem- bers of the expensive duck club. There is no blame or criticism directed against the club member. He is en- tirely within his rights and is simply fortunate in being able to provide for himself a place where he may enjoy his sport; however, there is a duty to be performed for those less fortunate but who are equally entitled to con- sideration. A refuge matter of vital importance to Montana and the entire northwest is the act of congress last year which authorized an appropriation of $350,000 for the establishment of the Bear River migratory bird refuge in Utah. Of this amount $200,000 was made available for 1929. This will result in some 10,000 acres being diked so as to impound fresh water in what was formerly a veritable death trap for wildfowl. For a num- ber of years millions of bird life has been annually sacrificed as a result of alkaline poisoning on these marshes. It is now expected to turn this area into a wonderful resting, nesting, and feeding ground which will produce and care for a vast supply of waterfowl from which Montana will draw, in place of a terrible drain on our flocks and the flocks of the adjoining states. Within the next few years we will un- doubtedly have a practical demonstra- tion of the worth of this project in the form of a noticeable increase in our waterfowl population. It now remains to make provisions so that we may profit by the benefits which are sure to accrue from the Utah refuge. MONTANA WILD LIFE 21 x^®B^f|#B^ Aci?5i£fssTIif^r 22 MONTANA WILD LIFE Mootaima amid The Bear River Marshes Bj I>\VII> H. HA.DSEN, Salt Lake City, Superintendent Bear River Migratory Bird Refuge THE RECLAMATION of Bear River marsh means much to the migra- tory waterfowl of Montana and western America. Irrigation and power have materially changed the water courses and the water areas of the west. The Bear River marsh has suf- fered because ot these two essential ac- tivities. Where at one time 40,000 or 45,000 acres of marsh furnished feeding and breeding grounds for countless hordes of migratory waterfowl only a remnant or 2,000 or 3.000 acres of natu- ral marsh remains. The state of Utah and private shooting clubs have re- claimed 15,000 or 20,000 acres and at present this constitutes the entire Bear River marsh. Even though this great shrinkage has occurred, the birds seem not to have changed their course of migration but have continued to pour into this small area in great numbers. Either because of overconcentration of birds or because of the presence of an excess of alkali and salts in the waters, disease has occurred frequently among all varieties of waterfowl in this section for more than 20 years. The result has been the loss of literally millions of birds. This subject lias had great publicity throughout the country and for several years attempts have been made to secure money neces- to bring hack this marsh to its original condition. Finally success .'. ned our efforts and the last ses- sion of congress appropriated $350,000 for this purpose. SATING THE QUACKS MONTANA sportsmen are vitally interested in steps being taken by the federal government in the reclamation of the Bear River marshes in Utah. It is through these marshes that come the ma- jority of migratory waterfowl that eventually are quartered on Montana lakes, ponds and potholes. When duck sickness afflicted the birds on the Bear River marshes in their migrations north or south, the dis- ease cuts down the flight that reaches Montana. The marshes pro- vide a natural resting and feeding area for these migratory wanderers and have much to do with maintain- ing the waterfowl supply in the Treasure State. On July 1, 1928, the program for ac- tual construction was outlined and placed in operation. A corps of com- petent engineers was employed and a complete survey of the project is now near completion. It is estimated the work will require about three years and that when completed possibly in excess of 40,000 acres of marsh area will be reflooded and brought under control and will be maintained by the federal government in the interests of the waterfowl of this part of the coun- try. The work will consist of a control works in the Bear River from which will be distributed the water of this stream to desirable points for flooding the large level delta which the river has created during the past. A series of low dikes built from materials at hand will be constructed for the pur- pose of holding the fresh water back and preventing it from disappearing into the Great Salt Lake and also at times acting as p. barrier against the salt water of the lake. In considering the importance of this construction it is necessary to bear in mind that the waters of Great Salt Lake contain about 25 per cent salt. When the lake attains a comparatively high level and the waters are blown back over the marsh, the result is to destroy every particle of vegetation. Due to the deposit of great quantities of salt as the waters recede this vege- tation does not come back for several years. In addition, the fresh waters which flow into the lake from the river have been greatly reduced in volume because of irrigation and power reser- voirs above, thus delaying the process of leaching out the salt which has been deposited with each successive rise in the lake. The fresh water lakes to be created will all be shallow, none of them at- taining a depth of over three feet, which means the entire area will be feeding grounds for ducks. It also means that the control of carp in these waters will be possible so that they may not destroy the duck foods. - - 1^7 TM&- '*<* j*' 3^1 JEE ■> i — Photos by courtesy of the Bureau of Biological Survey. Above — Sick ducks on the shooting grounds shown strewn along the shore lines where they died from the results of alkaline poisoning in the Bear River marshes. Below— Looking toward Pintail Neck from Bond's Pond showing the dried up marsh. At left — Constructing dikes across the old river west of South Bay showing the river channel completely dried. MONTANA WILD LIFE 23 While seeking information leading up to the construction of the project the Biological Survey undertook to band several thousand ducks which were either reared in these marshes or which came there and were affected by dis- ease. This was for the purpose of determining the flight of these birds and also what part of the country was being affected by the great loss of birds in this section. From returns which were had on banded birds that were taken after leaving the Bear River marsh it was conclusively demonstrated that these birds traverse at least fifteen states, Canada and Mexico. It is probably true that many shore birds and perhaps even some of the ducks travel as far south as South America. With this picture fully presented it was not difficult to determine that this was a national project and that the loss of a million ducks in Bear River marsh affected adversely the supply in practically every state west of the one hundredth meridian. Not many of the birds seem to migrate in an easterly direction beyond that point. Occasionally sportsmen of states other than Utah have expressed concern be- cause of the establishment of so large a marsh here on the theory that the birds will be attracted to this place and remain here, thus interfering with the shooting privileges which have been enjoyed in the past in other states. This fear is wholly unwarranted. Utah sportsmen get comparatively little shooting at the birds which nest here. Our season opens October 1 and prac- tically all of the resident birds have left by that time. Our shooting con- sists chiefly of birds which migrate through here from the north. This migration begins in August when a great many birds, particularly male pintails, come into this marsh to moult. The greater part of these birds also leave before October 1 and the re- mainder soon thereafter. A second migration usually occurs about the middle of October and with greatly increasing numbers continues until the 10th or 15th of November when so far as we know most of the birds have arrived on their way south. The Bear River marsh contains no warm springs, is extremely shallow and as stated is flooded by the waters of Bear River. Because of this condition it freezes with the first cold snap and there is rarely any shooting after No- vember 25. No birds whatever winter in this section. They return in great numbers in the spring and the marsh is particularly valuable at that season because then the birds are badly in need of food and devour everything that has been left over from the previous season be- fore leaving for their nesting grounds in the north. I do not believe the Bear River proj- ect will affect the shooting in any other part of the country except that with the elimination of disease and the great increase which will result in the number of birds which nest in the re- gion, shooting in the western states will almost immediately show an im- provement and will continue to im- prove if the birds are given adequate protection elsewhere. However, the Bear River project should not be the only project of its kind in western America. The entire line of flight of these birds should be safeguarded by the establishment of refuges at intervals along the line where the birds can find protection during the open season and a food supply during their return in the spring. Furthermore, the bill provides that not to exceed 40 per cent of the Bear River refuge may be open to public shooting. This matter is in the hands of the Secretary of Agriculture of the United States and will be an administrative problem which will be worked out along the lines that will give the birds adequate protection. The time is rapidly approaching when the game refuge idea as it applies to resident game will also be applied to the migratory waterfowl situation throughout the country. The sooner sportsmen and conservationists agree upon such a program and put it into effect the better it will be for the birds and sportsmen alike. When Fishin's Best Fishin' in the springtime, Finest sport there is; Keep a feedin' of the fish, He will sure get his. Fishin' in the summer, That's the greatest fun ; Every single trout he lands Wil beat the other one. Fishin' in the autumn, Sport that can't be beat; Hookin' 'em and landin' 'em Is the greatest treat. Fishin' in the winter, There ain't no better way To get a dandy mess of fish And spend a nippy day. FAYE S. PERRY, Butte. Lost— A Canoeist I HABITAT DESIRED F I should build me a gypsy camp I'd go where the land was clean — Where the foot of man had never trod And the air blew fresh and clean. I am Johnathan Reginald Pike of New York And I know all about a canoe; And I care not a fig for your asinine guides Nor a whit for the warning of you. I shall leap in the stern of my frolic- some craft And with speed and the grace of a kite; With a bow riding high to a sun-bla- zoned sky I shall paddle with rhythm and might. And when I have journeyed as far as I choose I shall splendidly circle about; And with foam in the teeth of the shat- tering gale Shall return in the way I went out. * * * * We buried him deep by the cedar-walled shore, And this is the sign that we raised o'er his grave: I am Johnathan Reginald Pike of New York And I know all about a canoe; But nothing at all of the tricks of the squall So I'm resting — a warning to you. OPERATION OF FISH AND GAME FUND 1927 To balance in fund January 1, 1927 J103.216.95 To receipts. January 1, 1927. to January 1, 192S 180,415.27 $283,632.22 By disbursements, same period 205,552.45 Balance in fund. January 1, 192S $ 7S.079.77 1928 To balance in fund. January 1. 1928 $ 78.079.77 To receipts. January 1. 1928. tn January 1. 1929 194.763.18 $272,842.95 By disbursements, same period 179.S10.23 Balance in fund, January 1. 1929 $ 93.032.72 RECONCILEMENT State treasurer's balance, January 1. 1929 .$97,084.93 Less auditor's warrants outstanding 4.052.21 Net balance in fund. January 1. 1929 $ 93.032.72 OPERATION OF BIOLOGICAL FUND 1927 To balance in fund. January 1, 1927 $ To receipts. January 1, 1927, to January 1, 1928 8.790.41 17.722.5H By disbursements, same period Balance. January 1. 192S 192S To balance in fund. January 1. 1928 $ To receipts, January 1, 192S. to January 1. 1929 $ 26.512.91 .. 18.271.75 $ 8.241.16 S. 211. 16 19.946.85 28.188.01 15.102.47 By disbursements, same period Balance. January 1, 1929 ............ f 13. OSS. 54 RECONCILEMENT State treasurer's balance. January 1, 1929 % Less state auditor's outstanding warrants 13.611.54 526.00 Net balance in fund. January 1. 1929 $ 13.0S5.54 24 MONTANA WILD LIFE Wild aedl Doonesttie Aoiinmal Life By BR. W. J. BUTLER, State Veterinarian of Montana WHICH came first —the duck or the egg? We are still pondering over that question and probably will for all eternity. We might also ask ourselves the question which came first — wild animal life or disease-pro- ducing organisms? We do not know because many organisms can lead a saprophytic life. That is. they can live and propagate themselves outside of the animal body but become disease producers when they gain entrance into the living body. That does not hold good for all organisms, or parasites, by any means. There are innumerable bacteria and worms, or what we may call greater parasites, that require the animal body or several animal bodies in order to propagate. Undoubtedly, evolution has played a very important part in the development and selective adaptability of many of our present known bacteria and greater parasites. In this article, for the sake of brevity and clearness, we shall limit the term "parasites" to include only round and flat worms, although a parasite is any plant or animal which lives upon or within a living organism. Many flat worms have a remarkable life history. Take for instance the fasciola hepatic a. which is the common liver fluke. The mature parasite is found principally in the liver of rumi- nants. (A ruminant is any animal that chews its cud and that means any animal that casts up its food to be chewed a second time.) The eggs of the parasite pass out with the excreta of the infested animal and on getting into water release an embryo. This embryo gets into certain species of snails where it undergoes a further change. It is released from the snail, floats on or in the water and attaches itself to blades of grass or other vege- tation. When it is swallowed by a ruminant, the larval fluke escapes into the digestive tract, bores its way through the intestinal walls, wanders around the inside of the body cavity and, as a rule, finally winds up by perforating the capsul of the liver and then the whole cycle starts over again but the parasites never fail to cause considerable damage, if not death, to their host. That is only the history of the life cycle of one parasite. There are other parasites with even a more complicated life cycle, and there are lots of parasites whose life cycle we do not know. What has all this to do with wild animal life? Lots. We may not know whether the egg or the duck came first but we do know that wild animal life, with their attendant parasites and dis- eases, came before domestic animal life. It is a common mistake to believe that disease and parasites are unknown to wild animal life. True it is that disease is more common in domestic animal life than in wild animal life, but that is due principally to the man- ner in which domestic animals live and are handled and fed, and not to a posi- tive immunity to disease or parasitic infestation on the part of wild animal life. It probably will be surprising to know that we have found scab in moun- tain sheep living in their natural habi- tat. We also have found pneumonia and lung and stomach worms in moun- tain sheep; scab in elk; stomach worms in beaver; stomach and hook worms in foxes and mink; tuberculosis in ante- lope; hemorrhagic septicemia in buf- falo; and liver flukes galore in deer and elk. Tapeworms in coyotes and rabbits are common and the larval stage of some one of the warble flies are found in practically all species of animal life. In addition to these dis- eases, there are a number of other dis- eases found in wild animal life that are transmittable to the human family, some of which are extremely danger- ous and fatal. These conditions were not started by, or transmitted from, domestic animal life to wild animal life. Some of them, if not all of them existed long before man had domes- ticated any animal. Many of these disease conditions are common but nevertheless they exist, and all that it would take to make them more or less common would be to subject the susceptible host, whether wild or domestic, to a mass of infection or infestation. The cardinal principal for the proper production and disease prevention of livestock is "Let them live close to DISBURSEMENTS ANALYZED Br PURPOSE 1927 Game Department Operating expense $ 12.510.17 . 10,351.87 850.00 7,391.65 34.657.45 . 18.972.16 5.701 48 2,100.00 ;:n ,m Game warden rout office salaries capital expenditures Salaries special deputies Salaries regular deputies Expense of deputies Purchase 'luck r* •« »* t Purchase birds Refunds Total same depa 1 1 mi nl expense $ 92.564.7S Fish Department I Iperatlng expi .. ? 38,590 id Capital expenditure 18,930.30 Hatcheries pay roll ll ::n; <■ I Hatcheries employee expense 5,200.84 Total fish department expense J107.068.is Educational Secretary Salary $ 1,80 Expense 1,048.86 Great Palls Tribune— "Big Horn" 675.53 Stati Publishing Co.- p 82 Fish and Game Commission Per diem and expense Total fli ii and game dli bui ■ Binlogli al ' Pay roll $ 3 * 2. 847.61 071.88 * 195 .. 18.071',. 16 $205 $18,271.75 $ 18.271.75 DISBURSEMENTS ANALYZED BY PURPOSE 192S Game Department Operating expense $ 11,054.27 Game warden and office salaries 10.281.65 Capital expenditures 4.00 Salaries special deputies S. 520. 70 Salaries regular deputies 33,650.00 Expense of deputies 19,947.08 Refunds 40.00 Total game department expense $ 83.497.70 Fish Department Operating expense $31,787.66 Capital expenditures 5.672.71 Repairs and replacements 2.081.27 Hatcheries employees' salaries 41. 032. 27 Hatcheries employees' expense 4.666.S9 Total fish department expense $ 86.240.80 Educational Secretary Salary Expense Printing and publication 530.66 448.46 Fish and Game Commission Per dieni and expense $ 1.729.11 . ... $ 2.297.11 Montana Wild Lite Salaries, printing ami publications $ 1.011.1.", Biological Research $ 3,081.86 Biological Kutnl Salaries $ 7.419.34 Expense 183.13 Transfer to state bounty fund 7.500.00 $179,810.23 $15,102.47 $ 15.102.47 TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $223,824.20 TOTAL DISBURSEMENTS $191,912.70 MONTANA WILD LIFE 25 nature". This applies to domestic animals as well as to wild animals. Disturb nature's balance and you have to compensate, or you will pay with animal life. I do not believe in feeding wild animal life excepting under extra- ordinary circumstances, or conditions, or when they are in captivity. I believe in game preserves where there exists sufficient forage for the number of animals in the preserve. To me it is just as wrong to have a preserve overstocked as it is to have no pre- serves at all. Congregated animals in one place such as a feeding ground and if one is infested with worms, or has some bacterial disease, sooner or later animals that congregate at that feeding ground will be subjected to a mass bacterial infection or parasitic infesta- tion to which they may fall avictim. Wild animals require protected areas where there is an adequate pure runn- ing water supply with natural forage and shelter, and so do domestic animals. In fact, from a strictly economic stand- point, they are entitled to more pro- tection. There is, however, something more in life than money. There is our natural physical and geographic beauty with its attendant wild life. But at that a herd of cattle grazing on a mountain slope never spoiled the natural picture. The stockman with his herds has helped very materially to build this western country. He has pioneered, he has battled the elements, he has suffered, he has at times prospered and the sunshine of life has been his but always he has helped to develop the natural resources of the country and has supplied our people with a healthful food product. He is entitled to consideration and no act of congress, or of the state legis- lature, should deprive the stockgrower of land and range which is essential for the safe and proper production of do- mestic animals. Stockmen are advocates of the pro- tection of animal life, be it domestic or wild, and I am confident that I can safely say the majority of them are in favor of game and wild bird preserves. There is, however, a limit to the extent of grazing areas which should be seg- regated for wild animal life. Some of our eastern friends, zealous of wild animal life protection, which has our utmost support and sympathy, would make large areas in our western states the playground of the east, forgetting that the east is dependent upon the west for raw material both for edible and manufacturing purposes. There is a common ground of divi- sion and that is according to natural geographic boundaries. These areas should not be permitted to become over- stocked with wild animal life, but they should be sufficient in area to ade- quately maintain in a state of nature a reasonable number of wild animals. When animals are congregated in closely confined feeding areas and are dispossessed of their natural variety of grasses and weeds; or when they are deprived of their natural brush and rough-land shelter and sunshine, and are housed in poorly ventilated sheds, then assuredly disease will make its ap- pearance in a greater number of them no matter whether they are of the wild or domestic variety. THE BEAR, A SPORTING ANIMAL COLONEL J. A. McGUIRE, publisher of "Outdoor Life," began years ago to advocate recognition of the bear as a game animal rather than a preda- tory one. He succeeded in securing such recognition in some states, al- though there was more or less back- sliding from time to time. It has taken a long time to secure this recognition of a fine species of game, a trophy worthy of any sportsman's effort, and there is yet much to be done before the bear is everywhere on a proper footing as a recognized game animal. The following states now recognize that the bear is entitled to some pro- tection: Arkansas (entirely closed); California (closed in certain districts) ; Florida; Georgia; Louisiana; Michigan; Mississippi; New Mexico; New York; North Carolina; Oregon (protected in three counties); Pennsylvania; Ten- nessee; Texas; Utah; Virginia; Wash- ington (subject to regulation by county game commissions). There is a long list of states, how- ever, that give no protection to bear whatever; although some of them have at certain times in the past. These states include: Arizona; parts of Cali- fornia; Colorado; Idaho; Kentucky; Maine; Minnesota; Montana; New Hampshire; Oklahoma; parts of Ore- gon; South Carolina; Vermont; West Virginia; Wisconin, and Wyoming. It may be that some of these states do not contain any bear but they all should if the animal had the proper sort of recognition and protection. Why Mary Had A Little Lamb— Modern Version The cold winds swept the mountain side And pathless was the dreary wild. "Mid this cheerless scene they might have died. But each father wanders with his child. For, while through the drifting snow they push Lambs fare better there than in the bush. — Apologies to Seba Smith. GOVERNMENT zoologists, studying the wild life of Montana's moun- tain valleys of Glacier National Park last spring, not only discovered the earliest arrival of mountain sheep lambs in history, due to the mildness of the winter, but also found that the rams have a "daily walk" program mapped out. The zoologists found that the daddy sheep keep the lambs on the go incessantly rather than allowing them to snuggle down in a snowbank for protection against zero weather. Never before has it been noticed that the old sheep start right in so briskly to get them acquainted with their mountain climbing life. Possibly the light snowfall caused the radical change in the bringing up of their young. The picture at least proves that even the papas of the mountain sheep have home chores to look after. The lamb in the foreground has not eight legs. Behind him is his twin, while father is bringing up the rear in the daily exercising jaunt. 26 MONTANA WILD LIFE Moetoea Gamine Birds aimd Poison By l»H. EMEL STAEZ, Chemist, Montana Livestock Sanitary Board Dr. Emil Starz THE conservation of Montana game and use- ful bird life is of great e c o n o m i c value and anything which assists in in- creasing the num- ber of game and useful birds is not only an addition to the beauty of our natural scenery, but also to the decima- tion of destructive insects. The farmer should know h i s bird friends as well as bis bird ene- mies and protect the former, because the more of these birds that stay around a farm, the less will be the damage to his crops by insects. While birds help considerably in exterminat- ing destructive insects, the farmer in order to keep voracious rodents from destroying his agricultural products has to resort frequently to the employment ol chemical substances for that pur- pose. The latter are generally classed as poisons and comprise, among others, strychnine, cyanide of potassium and calcium, arsenic, and arsenical copper Compounds. Strychnine preparations such as wheat and oats poisoned with ii are the only ones concerned with the danger of losses among game birds. The alimentary system of birds dif- fers to a considerable degree from thai ol Other animals. There is no provi- sion made for mastication of food in the mouth because of the absence of teeth. The food is taken up by the beak and is immediately passed by the tongue Into the pharynx. Prom there ii enters the esophagus and is carried ir, the crop, where it is stored, partially ued and passed on to the stomach. Gallinaceous birds possess a crop, which is simply a dilation of the • sophagus. Passage i t the contents of the crop to the first stomach is aided by a wide circular muscle surrounding the crop. Ducks, geese and other palmi- peds are no! provided with a distinct crop, instead the cervical portion ol the esophagus may become greatly dis- tended in such a manner as to form a long fusiform reservoir. The crop has no secretory glands other than mucous glands. It is con- nected « i'li the lirst stomach bj a con tlnnation of the esophagus. The walls of the first stomach are thick ami COO lain numerous glands secreting gastric juice-. The food is not digested In the macb but after becoming Batu rated with the gastrii ' rei Ion it Is forced Into the gizzard when- it is trit- urated by the powerful muscles of this organ, with the aid of sand and peb- bles picked up by the bird The giz- zard acts principally In a mechanical way. grinding the food and serving as a substitute for teeth. It is more highly developed in grain-eating birds than in those subsisting principally on fish or animal food. It is now a known fact, supported by feeding experiments with strychnine poisoned grains to gallinaceous birds, that gallinaceous birds such as quail, prairie hens, grouse, pheasants, par- tridges and guinea hens, possess a cer- tain immunity from strychnine poison- ing. For instance, in 1918 the Biological Survey of California definitely proved that barley, poisoned with strychnine such as is generally used for killing ground squirrels and gophers, had no effect on the abundance of valley quail. Not a single dead quail was found, nor one which showed any symptoms of strychnine poisoning. Sportsmen, there- fore, need not fear the loss of game birds from that source as such cases of poisoning are extremely rare. Only one case of strychnine poison- ing of a male pheasant has come to our observation. About two years ago a woman brought to the chemical lab- oratory of the Montana Livestock Sani- tary Board a dead male pheasant which she had found on the road about three miles north of Helena. Physical exam- ination of the bird did not show any injury and it was suggested that a chemical analysis of the contents of the crop be made, which was gorged with grain. Chemical analysis of this grain showed the presence of considerable strychnine. The bird had evidently been feasting on some poisoned grain put out to kill gophers. But, as stated above, such cases occur very rarely and, therefore, need not provoke the concern of the sportsmen. Those who are charged with putting out poisonous bait for the destruction of gophers and other rodents are gen- erally men experienced in that work, and know very well the effects of poisons and the care with which they must be distributed. Besides strychnine there are some other poisons which are used in the pursuit of rodent extermination. How- ever, these very rarely lead to losses of game and useful birds on account of their application and preparation. To sum up, it can be said from the observation of various investigators that the danger of poisoning gallina- ceous game birds, through poison baits distributed for the eradication of ro- dents, is fortunately very small on ac- count of a certain existing immunity these birds possess for strychnine and its preparations. THE moon through a forest — a star- lit lake Can preach as no human can — Of the word of God and His love toward man Since this earth of ours began. CAUSE AND EFFECT Rube: What makes your daughter so talkative? Boob: I think she and her mother were both vaccinated with a phono- graph needle. Canadian Honkers See America First Wheat-fed Canadian honkers and their neighboring tourists, Mr. and Mrs. G. H. Mallard, are welcome visitors to Montana when the freeze hits the north country. This splendid bag of geese and mallards was made on Wild Horse Lake, north of Havre, in Hill county. The fortunate shootists in the picture are Loc Lucke of the Lucke Cloth- ing Company of Havre and George Forge. In Justice to the sportsmen in the picture it might be well to explain that the remaining members of the party are in the near vicinity. MONTANA WILD LIFE '£i MA * AIDS 1S&TIH2J5 &u CALLING IN ELK FROM THE RANGE> Muttt.lliatN 1HC1F ■£JBU-» UNLOADING TRUCK OF ELK, ON <*a LOADING A TRAIN OP ELK AT VAN DYKE STOCK YARDS N£AR. OAR0NER i SOUTH HAVRE UNLOADING ELK FROM Ti swamp -cRee Lincoln co" UNLOADING ELK AT SWAMP CREEK. LINCOLN COUNTY Through cooperation of the State Fish and Uaine Department, members of Montana sportsmen's clubs and federal authorities, elk are being transplanted in desired locations throughout the state. The group of photographs above show the manner in which they are corraled, shipped, taken to the mountains in huge motor trucks and released. The Depart- ment now has 300 elk from the Bison Kange at Moiese available for distribution, each sportsmen's club desiring them to pay half the expense of loading and transporting a carload. 28 M () N T A N A WILD LIFE FEED THE BIKDS GET the bird feeding shelves ready. Winter is unkind to the feathered flocks and existence for the ground feeders is a serious problem. Any old construction of shelf is welcomed by the birds Just so that it will hold food. Cereals, small grains, table scraps and raisins will attract practically all of our winter birds. WHILE it is uow midwinter, it is not too late to check up on the condition of game birds and to intensify and extend facilities for feed- ing and care of game. It very often happens that some of the most de- structive snow and sleet storms which cause tremendous mortality of game birds occur late in the winter. Every sportsmen's club which has not already made adequate provision for game birds in its territory would do well to take such steps at once. Feeding stations should be established wherever game birds can be located. These should be placed in exposed places which the winds will sweep free ol snow or in well sheltered places where snow will not cover and hide the food. All such locations should be so selected as to insure the birds op- portunity to escape from natural ene- mies and to this end should be sur- rounded by openings where ground ene- mies will not have an opportunity to hide. Bundles of unthreshed grain sup- ply food in ideal form for winter feed- ing as they can be wired to bushes or placed in sheltered places. Brush heap shelters are readily resorted to by quail but ample openings should be left to permit ready escape in case of necessity. In the northwest prairie chickens, sharp-tailed grouse, pheasants and Hun- garian partridge frequent straw Btacks in winter. Grain is readily taken by these birds if placed in such locations. Ruffed grouse will come near tarm build r wheat and other grains cattered on the ground. Suitable grains include wheat, barley, millet, hemp and kaffir corn. A mixture is desirable and grll should be furnished when snow is deep. Screenings from grain ele- vators and mills are cheap and desir- able food for birds but should not be used where there is danger of spread- ing foul seed on farms. Pood for birds should not be placed in large quantities but should be fur- nished in small quantities at frequent intervals at hast once eaeh week. In oiue instances automatic feeding de- rices have been used successfully. If birds are trained to look for- food in certain localities they should not be neglected as in such cases spasmodic ling will sometimes do more harm than rood. Sportsmen Plant 10,000 Birds MONTANA'S Fish and Game Com- mission has purchased and re- leased nearly 10,000 game birds during the last several years, to re- stock fields and valleys, maintain wild life and introduce approved varieties for the benefit of stockman, farmer and sportsman. Figures have been compiled under direction of Robert H. Hill, state game warden, covering the purchase of Chi- nese pheasants, Hungarian partridges and quail for the last 10 years. Since 1918 the department has distributed 2,973 Chinese pheasants throughout the state and the colorful Mongolians have multiplied rapidly and become well ac- climated. A three-day open season on male Mongolians was declared in No- The Fool Hen SPORTSMEN of Montana who delight in attractions of forests near the timber line are intimately ac- quainted with the fool hen. elown of feathered friends, she's true to her name. She just natuially doesn't know lor berries. Fores) rangers and hunt- ers tell many a yarn regarding Indies with the goofy girl of the big woods. .Many ot them toy with the forest jester with a noose of twine bitched to a long pole, The fool hen foolishly continues craning her neck ami bobbing her head. wondering what its all about, until head goes through noose and down comes the dinner. This picture was taken on the LiOlo National Forest by II. R. Flint. veinber by the Commission and sports- men generally voted him a rare game bird. The figures show that since 1922 the department has purchased from game farms in Czecho-Slovakia, Hungary and other European countries, a total of 6,600 Hungarian partridges — the gamiest little game bird of them all. The Huns have likewise multiplied rapidly anil are the friends of farmers and gar- deners because of their activities among insect pests. The Hun lays hard for a dog, always flushes where the hunter thinks he ain't and is one of the foxiest of feathered friends of the fields. One consignment of 360 Gambel val- ley quail was introduced in the Bitter Root and Flathead. Hundreds of quail were planted by Marcus Daly on his farm in the Bitter Root. The Chinese pheasants were purchased from Oregon game farms. The purchase of Chinese pheasants by the Commission were as follows: In 191S the first shipment of 48 was in- troduced; in 1920 there were 300 re- leased; in 1921 the total reached 500; in 1922 the mark was increased to 1,500; in the same year another ship- ment of 600 was liberated and the last consignment of 24 was distributed in 1924. Liberation of Hungarian partridges shows the following figures: The first shipment of 1,000 was released in 1922; the next batch included 2,000 which were freed in 1923; another 2,000 came in 1925; then 1,000 more were released in 1926, and a shipment of 600 was freed. Other small shipments have fol- lowed. 1>0 MOOSE CHARGE J THIS is a long disputed question and one that has never been an- swered finally. It all depends on the moose. T. M. Brewer, a resident of New Brunswick, after an experience during the last hunting season, answers the question in the affirmative. Mr. Brewer, who is now approaching 7n. was hunting moose in the Miramichi weeds. He sighted a bull moose, took a shot at him but only slightly wounded the animal, whereupon the moose im- mediately charged with all speed to- ward the spot where Mr. Brewer stood. Notwithstanding his advanced age. Mr. Brewer was able to climb a tree with surprising speed. but unfortunately dropped his rifle in doing so. The moose, suffering from the wound in- flicted by the bullet, snorted and pawed at the foot of the tree, keeping UP the siege for four hours before becoming wearied and departing far enough away so the unfortunate hunter could recover his rifle. After he had done so he suc- ceeded in placing a bullet with more accuracy and secured his prize. The antlers of the moose measured 6 1 inches, an extraordinary head. MONTANA WILD LIFE 29 MoetoM Fislh Pood Sets World Mark By LOUIS F. GRILL, Managing Editor Dally Slar, Miles City, Montana MONTANA has the largest warm water fish cultural pond in the nation, located on the site of old Fort Keogh near Miles City. As the result of close cooperation between sportsmen of the Custer Rod and Gun Club and members of the Montana State Fish and Game Commission, this enter- prise has been established and is oper- ating satisfactorily. Funds for comple- tion of the project were provided by the State Commission. The removal of 5,000 young bass in October, the result of the planting of 375 adult bass in May, constitutes the first major result that accrues from the building and establishment of the fish cultural pond on the grounds of the United States range livestock ex- periment station, formerly Fort Keogh. The purpose of the movement is to rear in eastern Montana waters warm water game fish and plant them in ac- cessible places for the benefit of future generations of sportsmen. The original consignment of adult black bass was received from LaCrosse, Wisconsin. The achievement justifies the time ex- pended, the labor involved and the ex- pense incurred in the conception and completion of the project. When in the early history of eastern Montana the plains were made bare by the extermination of the buffalo, the practical extermination of the deer and the antelope followed. Upland birds were threatened with extinction. Lack of legal restrictions resulted in the ruthless slaughter of wild life of east- ern Montana. Within the memory of ardent sports- men now living the problem of conser- vation became perplexing. The buffalo were gone forever. Barriers were erected to protect the remaining deer and antelope. Restrictions were placed on the killing of upland birds. The latter were augmented by the planting of the Chinese pheasant and Hungarian partridge. Under the protection af- forded herds on the plains and forests and coveys in the fields increased and multiplied. The adoption and the car- rying out of the policy of conservation has brought results that are at once gratifying and encouraging. Out of the problem of conservation so satisfactorily solved came the oppor- tunity to do something of a construc- tive nature. Sportsmen of vision saw the rivers of eastern Montana barren of game fish. The saugus, the bullhead and kindred varieties of fish, besides the occasional catfish, offered no con- tests worthy of the angler. Early ex- periments in importing perch and sun- fish produced no appreciable results. Out of the careful study of the condi- tions there was brought to fruition the idea of establishing a fish cultural pond. With the inauguration of the move- ment, the cooperation of the State of Montana through the instrumentality of the State Fish and Game Commission and the federal government, the Custer Rod and Gun Club, after a physical survey was made, selected a site, a natural depression on the west side of the old Fort Keogh reservation. Under the leadership of the State Commission, Dr. J. H. Garberson, Dep- uty Game Warden Captain J. H. Char- trand, George Stockhill, president of the Custer Rod and Gun Club; Alva Simpson, supervisor of the Custer na- tional forest reserve, and others, the work of construction was begun. It was started in July, 1927, and com- pleted in March, 192S. The total cost was approximately $15,000. On the north end of the pond a dam 590 feet long, 10 feet high and 10 feet across His Majesty-King Goat On Montana's crags, high above the tim- ber line, roam the Rocky Mountain goats. Seldom it is that a manipulator of a camera gets within shooting distance. The king of the crags is protected all the year around by Montana's game laws and his keen sense of smell telegraphs to him the presence of the man. The unusual photo was taken by Hileman of Kalispell in Glacier Park. the top was erected. One spillway 30 feet wide is provided with a drain box built in the dam. It impounds the waters that are provided by an artesian well flowing at the rate of 12 gallons per minute, the operation of the pump- ing plant and the irrigation ditches that carry the waters of the Yellow- stone river. The surface area of the pond covers about 78 acres. It extends in devious channels for a distance of more than a mile. The depth of the water at the dam is nine feet, and the average depth for the pond in its entirety is around four or five feet. In this pond in May. 1928, were planted 375 adult black bass from Wis- consin. It was thought at the time that the black bass were planted too late in the spring to. bring any con- siderable increase. It was surprising, therefore, to the local sportsmen, C. F. Culler, district supervisor of the United States fisheries at LaCrosse, and Cap- tain Hugh Crosser of the same city, who were present at the draining of the pond in October, to discover that 5,000 young bass were removed. The young fish were planted in the upper reaches of the Tongue river, in available waters in the vicinity of Rose- bud and Terry, and in the Mike Pestka storage waters in the Little Dry in the Cohagen region in southern Gar- field county. It required six days to drain the big pond to the point where it was pos- sible for the workers to go down with kettles and remove the young fish, which were from four to six inches long and in excellent condition. It was also observed that the fungi contents of the water are such as af- fording a feed that causes the rapid growth and development of the minnows. Ten days were required to refill the pond which was accomplished at a cost of approximately $500. The results of the first propagation test were considered eminently satis- factory. Arrangements were immedi- ately made to import another and larger consignment of adult fish. Fisheries authorities at LaCrosse were advised of the circumstances and arrangements were made to forward at the earliest opportunity a consignment not only of black bass but also other varieties that include crappies and bream. Arrange- ments were also made with W. T. Thompson of the Montana State College of Bozeman to come and supervise the planting of the fish. George Stockhill, president of the Cus- ter Rod and Gun Club, has furnished the details with reference to the num- ber and variety of the adult fish that were received by the local sportsmen. His report shows the following: :•,() M ONTANA WILD LIFE jl palls of adult black bass, 2 to 3 per pall 130 21 i»a ils of 2-year-old black bass. 11 per pail 231 !>7 pails of ailiill nappies, 6 per pall 582 44 pails of adult breams, 6 per pail 264 213 Total 1207 Calculating the increase of the future upon the results achieved in the initial experiment, it is anticipated that ap- proximately 30,000 young fish will be in Ken from the pond when it is drained again in the fall of 1929. An additional shipment of adult fish will be sent dur- ing the winter to augment the number already planted. This will increase the number that will be removed for re- planting in the streams and ponds of eastern Montana in 1929. The results achieved justify the fore- sight of sportsmen who have no thought other than building for the future. What was once a hunter's paradise has been restored with the exception of the buffalo. What is considered will be an angler's Eden is in the process of making. An element of romance enters. The fish cultural pond, located on federal government property, is adequately pro- tected. It is not intended that the pond shall be a place for fishing. The pri- mary purpose of the pond is to allow propagation of warm water game fish that will be planted in streams and other ponds where, within the course of a few years, the opportunity for fishing will be provided. Under the protection afforded the fish cultural pond has become an asylum for water- fowl. Here they are not molested and here they will build their nests in the spring and from the abundance of nat- ural food will rear their young. The potentialities of the pond have not as yet been fathomed, but the promise is vouchsafed that the builders have Imilded greater than they know. Baled Hay Kills Antelope HOT LUNCHES served by a Mon- tana goat have saved the life of a baby antelope. And the pres- ence of a pair of coyote pups failed to cause the young antelope to shy away from the lunch counter, according to the accompanying picture taken by J. H. Chartrand, deputy state game warden at Miles City. well. Then we found a mother goat. The antelope helped itself to hot lunches and began to grow rapidly. It was necessary for us to hold the goat by the ears when the little stranger was served meals to avoid malicious butting. Some time later several Indian dogs came to town and gave chase. The antelope ran into its shed, hopped up on a pile of coal to look out the window, fell and snapped its leg be- tween chunks of coal. Dr. Baldwin set the leg and after several weeks it was romping around again. Later it grew mischievous and ventured into neigh- borhood gardens. We shut it up. One day we received a bale of hay filled with foxtail grass. The grass worked into the mouth of the antelope and it could not eat. We did everything pos- sible to relieve the suffering but the pet died. There's only one place for wild life and that's the great open spaces of Montana." WAKDENS SUBJECT TO INTEL- LIGENCE TESTS The Mixed Family "The mother antelope had apparently been killed when we found the little fellow," writes Warden Chartrand. "We first tried cow's milk fed from a bottle but found that the antelope did not do THE FIRST state to exact an intel- ligence test of its game wardens is the State of Virginia, who are given the same test as that applied to incoming freshmen of Washington and Lee university. It is announced that these tests are given largely for ex- perimental purposes and will not mate- rially affect the wardens' standing with the State Game and Fish Commission. The idea of rating game wardens psy- chologically originated with Major A. Willis Robertson, State Game and Fish Commissioner, who had observed how useful these tests were to the govern- ment during the late war and at the university. CASH RECEIPTS January 1, 1927, to December 31, 1927 67. 083 Resident hunting and fishing licenses $134,166.00 3.320 Non-resident hunting and fishing licenses 11, 620. B0 151 General non-resident hunting and fishing licenses 00 limited non-resident hunting and fishing licenses 18 General alien hunting and fishing licenses 302 Allen fishing licenses 4.530.00 000.00 900.00 3,020.00 CASH RECEIPTS January 1, 1928- to December 31, 192S 75,063 Resident hunting and fishing licenses $150,126.00 4.335 Non-resident fishing licenses 15.172.50 132 General non-resident hunting and fishing licenses 3,960.00 120 Limited non-resident hunting and fishing licenses 1 . 200. 00 0 General alien hunting and fishing licenses 450.00 311 Alien fishing licenses 3,110.00 Less agents' commission $155,136.50 6.998.80 Less agents' commission $174,018.50 7,808.70 (1 is, 137.70 027 Trappers' ensi $ 10. 270. on Shipping pi rmlti . . 1.300.50 50.00 375.00 495.00 lo:,. an 0.410.00 4.613.50 ildes' llci I ning permits Flathead seining permits farm licenses in Taxidermists' li> ■ n fill Heaver permits 227 Beaver tac^ $166,209.80 1.773 Trappers' licenses $17,730.00 2.260 Shipping permits 1.130.00 69 Guides' licenses 690.00 Seining public waters permits 55.00 Flathead seining permits ion. 00 143 Game farm licenses 715.00 10 Taxidermists' licenses 150.00 613 Beaver permits 6.130.00 ."..719 Beaver tags 2,874.50 Refunds Pur sale Confiscations Fish royalties ■Ivlng fund Capital expenditure $ 24, * 1, g, 8 330. nn 040. si 196. 18 388.64 . 08 146 i ■ 16 Refunds Fur sales Fines Confiscations Fish royalties Capital expenditures Montana Wild Life subscriptions .Montana Wild Life advertising . 10 821.77 ,758.73 .439. SO ,686.71 03.22 27.75 497.50 100.25 * 25.661.07 $ is. 025. 73 $198,137.77 Less biological Income 17.722.50 Net finh and game Income $180,415.27 Total $214,710.03 Less biological Income 10. 947. 85 Net fish and game Income $104,763.18 MONTANA WILD LIFE 31 The Elk Herds of Mootaraa By GLEN A. SMITH, United Sfcites Forest Service, Missoula IF YOU were to ask the average citi- zen of Montana who is and who is not interested in game matters, where are the Dig herds of elk, the re- ply would, in all probability, be "Yel- lowstone, near Gardiner, Montana," or "the Sun River herd." This would be true in part. There are, however, a considerable number scattered over other portions of the state from the Yellowstone on the east and the state line on the west and along either side of the Continental Divide from the Gla- cier Park on the north to the state line on the south. From the best estimates available, elk are found in the following terri- tories and in the following numbers: Northern Yellowstone — 12,000 head (largely summer in the Yellowstone Na- tional Park). Beaverhead National Forest — 500 head (mostly in Beaverhead county). Bitter Root National Forest — 580 head (Ravalli county). Cabinet National Forest — 300 head (Sanders county). Deer Lodge National Forest — 1,000 head (Powell, Deer Lodge, Silver Bow, and Jefferson counties). Flathead National Forest — 1,500 head (Flathead and Powell counties). Gallatin National Forest — 300 head, summer; 2,500 to 3,000 drift from the Yellowstone Park and winter on the Gallatin National Forest in Gallatin county. Helena National Forest — 500 head (largely in Broadwater county). Jefferson National Forest — 200 head (largely in Judith Basin county). Lewis and Clark National Forest — 4,200 head (Lewis and Clark and Teton counties). Madison National Forest — 400 head (Gallatin and Madison counties). Lolo National Forest — 200 head (Mis- soula county). Missoula National Forest — 800 head (largely in Powell and Missoula coun- ties). There are a few additional scattered elk, from 10 to 50 head, in the follow- ing counties: Glacier, Pondera, Chou- teau, Meagher, Sweet Grass, Stillwater, Granite, Mineral, and Lincoln. From the foregoing it will be noted that elk are pretty well scattered over a large portion of the western half of Montana with about 11,000 to 12,000 head which summer and winter in Mon- tana and are, therefore. Montana elk. In severe winters there may be as many as eight to nine thousand head drift out of the Yellowstone National Park in Park, Gallatin, and Madison counties. Many of these scattered herds are the result of artificial stocking from the Northern Yellowstone herd or the Na- tional Bison Range herd west of Mis- soula, Montana. Space will not permit a discussion of each of the several herds and it seems, therefore, advisable to confine this article to the two main herds, the Northern Yellowstone and the Sun River. The Northern Yellowstone herd com- prises that portion of the great Yel- lowstone Park herd which summers in the Yellowstone National Park and drifts north and west out of the park in varying numbers, depending upon the severity of the winters and depth of snow. That portion which annually migrates to the south is generally known as the Jackson Hole herd. Here we have one of the largest herds of animals and the largest remaining area of public land suited to the per- petuation of a great number of elk in their natural haunts. The mountains at the headwaters of the Yellowstone and Snake rivers have long been the resort of a great number of elk. In the region now comprising the Yellow- stone National Park and the surround- ing national forests, the elk early found an ideal summer home. In the fall before the advent of settlement they drifted out of the mountains ahead of the storms and snow, scattering over the bordering open valleys and plains where the snowfall was light and where nourishing, cured grasses were plenti- ful. At this season they often worked their way from 100 to more than 200 miles from their summer feeding grounds. In the spring they followed the melting snow back to the high mountains, above the zone of annoying flies, where the climate was cool and refreshing, and where fresh and suc- culent feed abounded. The forest of- fered grateful cover. Then came the settlers with the ac- tivities of civilization which are, in many ways, so disturbing to wild life. Their fields occupied lands formerly the winter home of the elk. their fences obstructing free movement, especially in the fall and spring migrations, and the introduction of domestic stock con- sumed the winter feed. In addition, thousands of animals were killed each year. Elk were never so wantonly slaughtered as the buffalo, but the set- tlers used their meat and hides, they were sought by sportsmen from near and far, and hundreds and thousands were sacrificed by irresponsible market and tooth hunters. With the increase of livestock on the ranges, a growing conflict resulted between the interests of the elk and those of the livestock. As a result, the elk were steadily re- duced in numbers and the winter home of the survivors more and more nar- rowly restricted. The diminishing herds were crowded farther back into the mountains. In- stead of descending to the plains in winter, they remained in the remote valleys and on the lower snow-swept ridges. They were thus restricted to what was naturally their spring and fall range and, in some cases, to even what formerly would have been largely a summer range. Farther and farther the settlement advanced into the mountain regions. More and more restricted be- came the area in which the elk could spend the winter months, until now there is scarcely enough winter range in public ownership to take care of the remaining limited numbers during the average winter season, and, in severe winters, the loss by starvation has in the past been extensive. The elk situation has reached a cri- sis. The steps already taken to pro- vide for the remaining elk in the Yel- lowstone region are not adequate. A definite plan has at last been for- mulated and is based upon the follow- ing facts: The elk problem is a land problem. Because an elk is a grazing animal, it must have grass and herbage to sup- Single file, Indian style — that's the way the Montana elk line up when they start moving. This picture shows a band of elk starting toward greener pastures in their grazing ground near Poison, Mont. 32 MONTANA WILD LIFE port it. It is a gregarious animal, run- ning in bunches and herds, particularly In tlic spring, fall, and winter. It. therefore, requires feed in considerable quantities, ((wing to its wandering and migratory habits, the elk moves over a wide territory during the year, with special needs for forage during each of the four seasons. The elk is not like mountain sheep, moose, or whitetailed deer, able to find feed in the mountains and forest to maintain it during the winter. It needs, during much of the year, the same kind of feeding grounds as domestic stock. We have, therefore, the problem of furnishing to the elk herds of the Yellowstone region enough land on which they can, during the dif- ferent seasons, find adequate forage. The key to the situation in this re- gion is the Yellowstone National Park and the surrounding national forests Here are lands owned and controlled by the public. Here exists a vast moun- tain region which, so far as the sum- mer range of the elk is concerned, is adequate to support many more of them than now live there. Unfortu- nately, when these reservations were established, and during the early years of their existence, the needs of winter range for the elk were not given con- sideration. It was a question of land chiefly valuable for its scenic interest and for forest and water conservation. From the foregoing it must be clear that, primarily, the elk problem is one of land control: first, to safeguard for elk the use of certain of the public reserved lands, and, second, to secure for their use such additional lands now privately owned as are essential to the life of these wild herds. The first problem of the northern group of elk is to provide more winter range. Summer range is abundant, and spring and fall range is also plentiful. During the mild winters the animals fare well because they winter on what is naturally a spring and fall range, or even on portions of their summer range. The key to this situation is the area comprising about 60,000 acres lying north of the Yellowstone National Park. 10.000 acres of which formerly lay be- tween the boundaries of the Absaroka and Gallatin Forests, extending north 15 miles along the Yellowstone river from the town of Gardiner to Yankee Jim Canyon. This latter area is partly public and partly private land. Through the efforts of the Montana rtsmen's Association, local resident: Park county, the Fish and Gam< Commission, and other public-spirited men. the public lands in the above area were, by an afc^ 'm ' v •*. *' ■?**•" _ *■ rT"ii>ri i BSTAr^M a«^WA ^, , ft^MMM*' ^ "v* ""'' Zq/&3gsM .•c*- ^ir*y. "* - T"— ^lfai**Grzz. ^M»feJj Photo by the United States Forest Service showing elk on the winter range in one of the national forests. Montana State Fish and Game Department Commissioners Thomas N. Marlowe. Chairman, Missoula E. A. Wilson, Livingston G. T. Boyd, Great Falls J. L. Kelly, Anaconda W. K. Moore, Billings Game Warden and Office Staff Robert H. Hill. State Game Warden. Helena J. W. Carney. Assistant Game Warden A. G. Clarke, Cashier Floyd L. Smith, Editor, Montana Wild Life Winnefred Brackett, Secretary Mrs. B. Samson, Stenographer Hatchery Superintendents Dr. I. H. Treece, Anaconda, Field Assistant, Western Division of Hatcheries J. W. Schofield, Big Timber. Field Assistant. Eastern Divi- sion of Hatcheries Salaried Deputy Game Wardens L. S. Butler. Roundup L. C. Clark. Havre Harry Cosner. Malta Wm. J. Dorrington, Libby W. A. Hill, Missoula Allen T. Holmes. Billings Wm. Ray Kohls. Ennis E. M. Krost. Plenty wood J. P. McCaffery. Anaconda J. J. Meany. Plains Harry Morgan, Ovando P. W. Xelson, Livingston A. A. O'Claire. Kalispell Fred E. Pilling. Butte Chas. R. Price. Dillon A. D. Roushar. Great Falls Frank M. Snider. Choteau J. A. Weaver. Lewistown Frank R. Marshall. Bozeman Special Deputy Game Wardens .1. H. Chartrand. Miles City Frank Beller. Gardiner H. C. Sailor. Absarokee J. F. Goldsby. Poison Thomas Danaher, West Yellowstone State Hatchery Employees iW.„ Hoglund. Foreman; Ed. Gun- S. A. A. Big Timber Hatchery — Iver S derson. Assistant Great Falls Hatchery— A. G. Stubblefield, Foreman Hamann. Assistant, and Rex E. Hawn, Assistant Anaconda Hatchery — Kenneth MacDonald, Foreman; E Allen. Assistant Emigrant Hatchery — Oren L. Hathaway. Foreman Lake Ronan Hatchery — Leo Gilroy. Foreman Somers Hatchery — M. L Fish Culturist Missoula Hatchery — O. E. Assistant Hamilton Hatchery — J. P. han. Assistant Station Creek Hatchery— Eli Melton. Foreman Matzick. Foreman; Elmer Phillips. Johnston. Foreman; T. E. Day. Sheehan. Foreman; Margaret Shee- 1 U. S. POSTAGE PAID Helena, Montana Permit No. 27 WHERE THE BIG UNS STRIKE Qifl BEAVER, CREEK^ P^II^L COUNTY ^;^-:^\\vi^v:>. 3 F i.iiii.i.ii