HUNTING AND FISHING IN MONTANA 



Gardiner, Montana, 1919. Elk Shed Their Horns in Winter Months 



Montana's sportsmen have but a very short time in which to enter 

 a vigorous protest against this system, and claim protection of a rea- 

 sonable amount of winter grazing ground for the remnant of the north- 

 ern herd of elk. I predict that unless prompt action is taken in this 

 matter^ — protect the elks' winter grazing ground along the park bor- 

 der — that within five years the nortliern herd of elk will consist oi 

 several head confined within an enclosed pasture, somewhere in Yel- 

 lowstone Park. 



If a tract of territory, 10 by 20 miles, adjacent to Yellowstone Park, 

 running from Dome Mountain east to Slough creek along the eastern 

 border of Yellowstone Park, were set aside for their winter grazing, 

 a home would be furnished for our northern elk herd, and thereby 

 save many thousands of dollars to the government. 



During the winter of 1919-20, when hundreds of tons of hay were 

 being fed to this remnant of the elk herd, the sportsmen of Montana 

 suggested that a few hundred head of elk be shipped to the Dixon 

 buffalo preserve in Western Montana, later to bo turned loose in the 

 forests. 



This preserve had hundreds of acres of splendid grass, and noth- 

 ing to eat it, but no, the management preferred to do otherwise, and 

 when spring came 700 to 1,000 dead animals were taken from their 

 winter feeding grounds. 



For wild life preservation in the Yellowstone National Park and 

 vicinity, there must be radical changes at an early date, otherwise 

 liberal appropriations of money will be asked for, for the purpose of 

 restocking this natural and wonderful home of wild life. 



Big game animals — moose, elk, deer and antelope; fur bearing ani- 

 mals, birds and fishes are being handled in and about the Yollowstone 

 National I'ark without gloves. If wild life could talk, many heart- 

 rending stories could be told. 



During the tourist season of 189S-99 I was engaged in driving 

 tourists thro\igh "this greatest of all American summer playgrounds," 

 and (luring these sumni(>r months almost every stream was found to 

 be abundantly stocked with native trout, as well as abundantly pro- 

 vided with beaver and all other fur bearing animals which might be 

 seen daily. 



