316 AGRICULTURAL APPROPRL'VTIOX BILL, 1924, 



MAINTENANCE OF THE MONTANA NATIONAL BISON RANGE AND OTHER 



RESERVATIONS. 



Doctor Nelson. The (irst tippropriation item is that covering 

 game and V)ir(l reservations, page 231. 



This is for the maintenance of the Montana National Bison Range 

 and other reservations, (39 birds and big game reservations, of which 

 five are mostly, at least, for big game. We iiave about 40,000 acres 

 under fence. These 40,000 acres are distributed in live reservations. 

 Within these fenced areas we have on the National Bison Range in 

 Montana 402 bison, 325 elk, and 75 deer of two kinds, and 14 moun- 

 tain sheep. On the W^ind Cave game preserve. South Dakota, we 

 have 92 bison, 149 elk, 20 antelop; on the Niobrara Reservation in 

 Nebraska, we have 41 bison, 54 elk; and on the game preserve in 

 Sullys Hill National Park, N. Dak., 11 bison and 50 elk and 5 deer. 



A large number of these reservations are without regular warden 

 service. Some of them are so small that they do not warrant it, and 

 as to others the funds available do not permit us to maintain a warden. 

 We have wardens on the more important ones, and in the mainte- 

 nance of the big game reservations we have the upkeep of resident 

 wardens' quarters and of fences, with necessary repairs. In some 

 places new fences must be constructed to take in unfenced lands as 

 the animals increase in number. 



WINTER ELK REFUGE. 



In the winter elk refuge at Jackson Hole, Wyo., we have about 

 2,000 acres of land, largely under fence, where we provide forage for j tb 



the southern Yellowstone elk herd in the winter. This herd lives in 

 the summer in the southern part of the Yellowstone and adjacent 

 national forests and in winter tne animals come down into the Jackson 

 Hole country, in the valley of the Snake River. Formerly these elk ' sti 



used to pass on south into the plains of Wyoming, but that country La 



has been occupied by settlers and by stockmen, and is fenced. At 

 present the elk are stopped when they get down in the foothills, as 

 they have no outlet. The result is that they have insufTicient winter 

 range, and in order to keep the elk alive they must be fed hay during 

 severe winters. That is the object of this reservation, where we 

 cultivate about 300 acres of hay land, raising between 600 and 700 

 tons of hay a year. Occasionally we have to buy additional hay. 

 The elk. in numbers running anywhere from 4.000, (i.OOO. or nuu-e. 

 come down into this valley in winter and are fed during hard seasons. 



Mr. Anderson. Does this appropriation cover oidy these five 

 refuges or reservations? 



i)(Kl«»r Xelson. It covers those and the (i4 bird reservations. 



W.MtUKN SEKVICE. 



Mr. A.ndkrson. How do you police these bird reservations? 



Doctor Nki.so.n. liy wardens. At tli(> more important ones we 

 have a wiirdcn service. 



Mr. AsDKKSo.N. liow do you police the ones where you do not have 

 the warden service # 



Doctor Nki.son. We simply visit them occasionally, and secure the 

 cooperation of the Slate gniiie wnrdeiis. In Louisiana, for instance, 



t 



