iTiSH And GameCommssion: 



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Fishing Streams and Game Regions of Montana 



By Dave Morgan. Chief Deputy Game Warden. 



lONTANA has long been known as a sportsman's para- 

 dise, covering as it does approximately one hundred 

 fifty thousand square miles of prairies, mountains 

 and wooded areas, watered by thousands of lakes and 

 streams. 



The mountains and prairies are prolific of game, 

 so much so in fact that after centuries of relentless 

 hunting by Indians and white men, elk, 

 moose, deer, antelope. Rocky Mountain sheep, Rocky Mountain 

 goats and bear abound. On account of the ruthless slaughter of moose 

 by the Indians and antelope by both races, it has been found necessary 

 to perpetually protect these beautiful animals, but since the system of 

 protection of game which has been in vogue for the past fourteen years, 

 all species of game, moose and antelope included, have gradually in- 

 creased in numbers until now all varieties may be found in quantities. 



The lakes and streams are incomparably rich in the choicest of 

 finny inhabitants; bass in a few localities and several varieties of 

 trout including the native black spotted brook, steelhead, and the rain- 

 bow successfully propogated from foreign states, together with the 

 Dolly Varden, a distinctive native of the Pacific slope; the grayling 

 is only found on the Atlantic slope and Montana is one oi: the favored 

 few sections in the United States where this beautiful game fish is 

 found in a few of the streams on the eastern side of the continental 

 divide. Mackinac trout are found in two lakes of this state, St. Mary's 

 in Teton County and Elk Lake in Madison County. In St. Mary's Lake 

 are also the Lake Superior whitefish and fry of these superior food 

 fish, which has been planted from the state hatchery in Flathead and 

 Whitefish Lakes during past years. Here the eastern brook trout 

 attain greater size and reach maturity much earlier than in their 

 native brooks, some specimens now at the state hatchery in Anaconda 

 having reached a length of eight inches during the first year. To replete 

 the waters of those streams nearest the points of population, the state 

 hatcheries located at Anaconda and Somers are annually supplying ten 

 millions of fry of the eastern brook trout, rainbow and native black spot- 

 ted varieties, besides graylings. The government hatchery at Bozeman is 

 materially assisting in re-stocking the trout streams of the state, while 

 this supply has been increased by numerous private hatcheries, until 

 now there is fishing in every trout stream in the state. 



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