Notes on Memories of a Bear Hunter 



them in the timber, or among it, though perhaps never 

 in very thick timber. In old times, if one entered a 

 park in the mountains where antelope were feeding, 

 they would be likely to try to escape through an open- 

 ing leading from the park, rather than to pass through 

 even a narrow strip of pine woods. On the other 

 hand, I have seen them feeding in a river valley so 

 heavily dotted with large clumps of willows that in 

 fact the tree or shrub covered area exceeded that of 

 the open prairie land. 



Because of its high altitude the Yellowstone Park 

 was only a summer range for antelope, and at the 

 approach of winter the herds migrated to the lower 

 land, great numbers of them passing down the valley 

 of the Yellowstone River, and so out on the plains. 

 In spring again they worked up the valley and re- 

 entered the Yellowstone Park, where usually the young 

 were born. As soon as the valley of the Yellowstone 

 River became more or less settled, this annual migra- 

 tion resulted in the slaughter of great numbers of 

 antelope, and a marked decrease in the number of 

 those summering in the Park. A dozen or fifteen years 

 ago the northern end of the Park was fenced, and by 

 the sowing of alfalfa, efforts were made to keep the 

 antelope in the Park. These efforts have been only 

 moderately successful, and the number of antelope 

 found in the Park has dwindled from thousands to 

 perhaps not more than five hundred. They seem to 

 be steadily decreasing. 



273 



