1931 — BIENNIAL REPORT — 1932 



Page Three 



Moet^e^^s Fish ^ed Game Prolbleens 



By W. P. Snllivaii, Sfiiiare Hiitte, Cliainiiaii State Fish and («ame toimriission 



N T A N A'S miles of 

 crystal mountain 

 streams, her magnificent 

 forests, thousands of 

 acres o£ hill and dale 

 where furred and 

 feathered game flour- 

 ish, and the ever- 

 increasing demands being made upon 

 this great national playground by 

 sportsmen of America, provide a prob- 

 lem of magnitude which must ever be 

 given conscientious consideration by 

 the State Pish and Game Department. 

 Since the days of the fur traders, trap- 

 pers and pioneers, fish and game have 

 constituted an asset of rare value as 

 part and parcel of the upbuilding and 

 development of the Treasure State. 

 With the inroads of civilization, the 

 wild life has in great measure been 

 diverted from a source of food supply 

 to an influence that takes men and 

 women, boys aud girls into the out-of- 

 doors in search of health, happiness 

 and wholesome recreation. To main- 

 tain Montana's supply of fish and game 

 and to keep step swith progress, is the 

 great task that confronts the commis- 

 sion, acting as representatives of Mon- 

 tana residents. 



Consideration of geographical condi- 

 tions, which vary in Montana to an un- 

 usual degree, the equalizing of the fish 

 and game situation, the maintaining of 

 the balance of nature through utiliza- 

 tion of artificial means and the inces- 

 sant effort to meet demands with lim- 

 ited funds available, provides sportsmen 

 of the state with au objective that 

 means much to future welfare. 



Millions of dollars are rolling through 

 Montana on rubber tires annually. These 

 eastern tourists, who in many cases re- 

 turn to cast their lot with residents of 

 the state as eventual farmers, stock- 

 men and businessmen, are attracted to 

 the state in their motor travels, largely 

 through pleasures offered through un- 

 equalled fishing, unparalleled hunting, 

 the magnificent panoramas, pure air, 

 sparkling waters and all the other at- 

 tributes that go to make Montana the 

 gem of the Rocky mountains. If this 

 interest is to be maintained for resi- 

 dent and visitor alike, sportsmen co- 

 operating with the State Fish and Game 

 Department must be ever alert. 



We must be ever mindful of the in- 

 terests of all Montana residents while 

 we are building. Sincere cooperation 

 between sportsmen, stockmen, the for- 

 estry department, bureau of biological 

 survey, the dude ranchers, railroads, 

 hotel owners, automobile associations 

 and all the other agencies interested in 

 maintaining the state's supply of wild 

 life, should be the goal attained and 

 maintained if we are to reach a proper 

 solution of our re-stocking programs. 

 All are equally interested, all are 

 mindful of the ever-pressing need for 

 conscientious propagation and protec- 

 tion of wild life, yet in carrying for- 

 ward this program of magnitude, the 



rights and privileges of all concerned 

 should be given honest and fair con- 

 sideration. 



Montana has attained a merited po- 

 sition of national esteem because of its 

 miles of trout streams, the manner in 

 which these waters have been kept 

 stocked with fighting fish and the 

 wholesome surroundings which consti- 

 tute the environment of the sportsman 

 and angler when afieM or knee deep in 

 his fishing boots. 



In order that streams and lakes of 

 the state may be properly stocked, it is 

 the desire of the State Fish and Game 

 Commission to build more rearing ponds. 

 The department is now operating a bat- 

 tery of 14 hatcheries which last year 

 produced more than 30,000,000 game fish 

 fiugerlings for liberation. It is the 

 eventual plan to construct additional 

 rearing ponds where fingerlings pro- 

 duced in the hatcheries may be fed un- 

 til they attain sufficient size before lib- 

 eration in order that they may be bet- 

 ter qualified to protect themselves 

 against their cannibalistic brothers when 

 they are planted. 



It is the plan of the commission to 

 encourage the building of dams and 

 bring about the re-creation of some of 

 the old lakes of the prairies where con- 

 ditions are favorable and the cost is 

 not excessive. These re-created prairie 

 lakes, such as the Half Way lake proj- 

 ect near Havre, which is now being 

 prepared to receive the excess waters 

 of the Beaver creek drainage basin 

 through recently constructed ditches. 



The Hungarian 



can be made splendid fishing waters 

 when stocked with the variety of fish 

 best suited to water and climatic con- 

 ditions. Lake fishing for farmers and 

 other sportsmen of dry land areas will 

 thereby be provided and the over-fish- 

 ing of many of the trout streams will 

 be materially relieved. These lakes, 

 meanwhile, will provide ideal nesting 

 places and havens for migratory water- 

 fowl. 



The big game ranges of the state 

 should be given close study and care- 

 ful attention every year in an effort 

 definitely to ascertain the safe and sane 

 carrying capacity, summer and winter. 

 The carrying capacity of any range in 

 Montana, whether mountain or prairie, 

 will vary from year to year, according 

 to the seasons. Should any range be 

 stocked to capacity in what is known 

 as a good year in Montana, the same 

 approximate number of domestic stock 

 or big game will tremendously and 

 dangerously overstock that same area 

 in what might be called a poor year. 



Both extremes in range conditions are 

 regularly encountered in any given five 

 or ten-year period in this state. In the 

 grazing of livestock it is absolutely 

 necessary to know the number grazing 

 on any given area, if they are to be 

 cared for with intelligence and safety. 



The elk ranges of the state are well- 

 known aud defined. The seasons, good 

 or bad, can be ascertained each year 

 by mid-July. The only other element 

 necessary in order to manage the elk 

 herds of the state intelligently, is to 

 know the aproximate number of elk in- 

 habitating the several ranges within the 

 state. 



The only "counts" of Montana elk 

 herds that are available have been sup- 

 plied by the splendid men associated 

 with the national forest service. This 

 is the only agency in Montana possess- 

 ing the personnel and equipment capa- 

 ble of even closely approximating the 

 total number of elk in the state. These 

 counts have been criticized and ridi- 

 culed in some parts of Montana. I 

 would like to ask the most vociferous 

 critics to inform us who, outside of 

 men in the forest service, can supply 

 any information regarding the number 

 of elk in Montana that would rate 

 much above an average guess. 



It is our desire to favor a program 

 of whole-hearted cooperation with the 

 federal bureau of fisheries, the bu- 

 reau of biological survey, the forestry 

 department, sportsmen's associations 

 and the stockmen of Montana. Within 

 the year I have met all the gentlemen 

 in charge of federal a.mn.i, s interested 

 in fish and ganio in .MMiii:ina. They 

 are all well inlnnuiil, rninieous and 

 most anxious to wmk with the State 

 Fish and Game Commission in order 

 that we may attain the goal we all de- 

 sire — the improvement and perpetuation 

 of fish and game resources of the 

 Treasure State. 



