210 OUR USE OF THE LAND 



winter range of their cattle. The period between fall and spring 

 is the most critical time on a cattle ranch, for then feed is scarce. 



This is another illustration of the problem of keeping the 

 balance in land use. The stockmen have taken the winter feeding 

 ground from the deer. The deer have been forced to overgraze 

 the higher summer feeding grounds which the stockmen also 

 need for their cattle in the spring and summer. In addition to 

 this, much of the winter feeding ground for deer has been so 

 badly overgrazed by the cattle that it is useless for any purpose. 



The result of this is a severe competition between cattle 

 and wild life such as the deer for the forage. Man, deer, and 

 cattle depend on the forage, and the forage is being destroyed 

 by overuse. 



WILD LIFE AND FOREST LAND 



On forest land the problem of wild life is once again a matter 

 of balance. The beaver, for instance, was once a valuable 

 engineer in the headwaters of the great river systems. His dams 

 helped to hold back the torrents in flood seasons. But most 

 of the beaver which once lived in the forests have long since 

 been made into ugly, stove-pipe beaver hats or fur coats. 



The story of the deer and elk in the forest is much the same 

 as the story of these beasts on the farm and range lands. The 

 destruction of their natural enemies leaves too many deer and 

 elk for the food supply. To add to the threat of starvation is 

 the fact that hunting laws in some states have gone from the 

 extreme of leaving wild life unprotected to the other extreme 

 of giving too rigid protection. 



A practical example is the case of the Pecos herd of elk in 

 the Santa Fe National Forest in New Mexico and the Sit' 

 greaves herd in the Sitgreaves and Coconino National Forests 

 in Arizona. The state restricts the hunting of these animals. 

 These restrictions were placed on the herds when they were 

 first introduced in small numbers and were in danger of being 



