CALIFORNIA FISH AND GAME 145 



tion of the matter, making- a tour of the farms in the vicinity and 

 noting" the losses suffered by the farmers involved. The investigation 

 showed a cost of approximately $100,000 to purchase and fence 1000 

 acres of land. 



The committee felt that Kern County should not stand tlie entire 

 cost of this enterprise but that the State of California and the Fish 

 and Game Commission should participate equally with Kern County. 

 Their recommendations to the board were that an elk refuge should be 

 established and that the county of Kern should contribute not more 

 than $35,000 for this purpose. 



Following" this report, the Fish and Game Commission and the elk 

 committee attempted to get the State Park Board to assist in the pur- 

 chase of this refuge. The Fish and Game Commission had already 

 ])]eclged $35,000 as the maximum amount which could be supplied by 

 the Division of Fish and Game. It was therefore necessary to get the 

 State of California to participate to the extent of the other one-third of 

 the expense. Considerable work was done by the committee in an 

 effort to get the State Park Board to take over this project. After 

 spending much effort and time in this regard, it was the opinion of the 

 committee that the State Legislature should be requested to make an 

 appropriation for this work. 



In the meantime, complaints were coming in from the farmers and 

 considerable damage was taking- place. 



Miller and Lux agreed to furnish a piece of ground near where 

 the refuge would likely be established and furnish fencing for it if 

 llie Fish and Game Commission would fence it and corral the elk 

 pending final decision on the refuge. Authorization was received in 

 September, 1930, from the Fish and Game Commission to proceed with 

 this program. 



After the fence was erected on this temporary refuge a big elk 

 drive was put on by the members of the Division of Fish and Game 

 and the interested ranchers. The result of this drive was very similar 

 to that of the first drive recorded in 1904. When the elk neared the 

 corral, they broke and ran toward the horsemen, past automobiles, dodg- 

 ing and jumping everything in their way and scattered like a band of 

 quail to the mesquite brush. Attempts were made to follow them and 

 try to drive them but they were so wild by this time that there was no 

 chance to get near them. Finally, a lone rider with a number of dogs 

 succeeded in gathering up a small band and driving them into the 

 refuge. This man was an experienced cowhand who knew how to 

 liandle wild cattle, so he was employed to attempt the corralling of 

 the elk herd. He was successful in getting about 75 head into this 

 enclosure but the balance of them had taken to the hills where they 

 defied all further efforts to approach them. 



This somewhat alleviated the trouble for the time being, but in a 

 short while those animals remaining outside the corral were back in 

 the cultivated fields again. They were chased out of the fields with 

 dogs and shotguns, in spite of whicli they returned to them at night 

 to feed. At the request of the farmers in tliat district, the Fish and 

 Game Commission put on a night patrol to ride between the hills and 

 the cultivated fields. This patrol continued until after the fall harvest 

 of crops was completed. 



