260 SADDLE AND CAMP 



portion of the herds that perished, and the most 

 conservative placed the number at not less than 

 seventy-five per cent of the young, and ten per 

 cent of the adult, elk. I had but one estimate 

 as low as ten per cent of the latter, the majority 

 agreeing that at least fifteen per cent of the 

 grown animals perished. 



Again, in February, 1910, many elk died of 

 starvation in Jackson's Hole, but a fortunate 

 thaw cleared the upper ranges in early March, 

 and not nearly so many were lost as in 1909. 



In spite of these lessons which have been re- 

 peated winter after winter for several years, 

 Wyoming took no steps to protect her animals 

 during the winter of 1910-1911, and when the 

 spring of 191 1 opened the carcasses of starved 

 animals in untold numbers were strewn over 

 the valleys and the hillsides. 



S. N. Leek wrote me on January 28, 191 1 : 



"Last night, coming down from Jackson, I 

 passed over twenty calf elk lying by the road, 

 none of them dead yet, but all will be within 

 a few hours. While traveling in the road, 

 where the snow is packed, they give out and 

 drop down. We must drive around them with 

 our teams, and those who pass throw out little 

 bunches of hay to them. Some of them are seen 

 lying with the hay before them, but too far 



