326 ANNUAL, REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



ideal breeding grounds for fish. One of the important duties of 

 forest officers in the field is the protection of these resources, which 

 are related to the use of the forests as recreation grounds. 



The question is constantly asked, Are game animals increasing or 

 decreasing? The annual game reports submitted by each forest 

 supervisor show that, contrary to the general opinion, the larger 

 animals, especially deer, while increasing only in certain regions, are 

 probably about holding their own. On the game preserve in the 

 Kaibab 'National Forest in Arizona, with 20,000 deer, on the Trinity 

 National Forest in California, with 26,000, and on the California 

 National Forest in the same State, with 40,000, the numbers are 

 increasing to a point where the disposition of the surplus is already 

 a problem. This question as it relates to the Kaibab herd is now 

 under consideration in cooperation with the State and the Biological 

 Survey. 



The valuable species of fish, however, are undoubtedly being de- 

 pleted faster than the streams are restocked. It is generally ad- 

 mitted that the chief cause for fished-out streams, as well as depleted 

 hunting grounds, is the automobile. The extension of excellent 

 roads into regions hitherto almost inaccessible save on horseback or 

 on foot brings people into the forests by thousands from increasing 

 distances. Streams that a few years ago furnished excellent sport 

 for a few adventurous fishermen who made their way over rough 

 trails and down deep canyons are now brought within easy reach by 

 road. 



The automobile and good roads are, of course, here to stay. The 

 situation must be met not only through wider and more frequent 

 restocking of the streams, radical regulation of the number of fish 

 that can be taken by each person each day, cutting down bag limits 

 and open seasons, and strict game-law enforcement, but also by the 

 development of scientific game administration based on thorough 

 knowledge of the requirements, habits, breeding capacity, and life 

 history of the various species, to the end that conditions favorable 

 to their production up to the limit of what is desirable, all things 

 considered, may be maintained or provided. The wild-life resources 

 of the national forests must be administered, fostered, and utilized 

 much as are the timber and forage resources. The cost of this 

 activity, in common with providing facilities for recreation and 

 conserving the sources of water, will never be recovered in the form 

 of commercial receipts, but is justified by the valuable public service 

 which the national forests can thus contribute. 



Game refuges and fish-breeding streams or ponds should be set 

 aside to provide for protected breeding, careful consideration must 

 be given to available food supplies, and a system of regulated use 

 devised that will prevent depletion. The Forest Service is working 

 on some of these problems in cooperation with the Biological Sur- 

 vey and the Bureau of Fisheries. It is also collaborating to the full- 

 est extent possible with the game departments of the respective States 

 in the enforcement of State laws, the selection and special protection 

 of State preserves, and the study of local situations and needs with 

 a view to bettering fish and game administration. 



The last two or three seasons, both summer and winter, have been 

 favorable to the elk in the Yellowstone region. Calf crops have 



