1931 — BIENNIAL REPORT — 1932 



Page Nine 



TIhe Dede IR^eeher and the Sportsm^e 



By A. H. Croonqnist, Execntive Secretary, Dnde Ranchers' Association. 



YOU hear that 

 we, as a na- 

 tion, produce 

 too much — too much 

 of everything — 

 fey m'*^ jM| wheat, sheep, cattle, 

 HL ♦ 4^i^B lumber, copper, oil, 

 ^m '^ lii ^^^ what-not. Even 



^L^ _.*. ^B the lowly hen has 

 ^B" , a^ ^^ been forced to over- 

 ^^■jl^^ production by the 



^^^^H^ installation of elec- 



^^^■^Z trie lights in the 



^^^H henhouse to produce 



^^^H a 1 o n g e r working 



^^V day. But there is 



I^B V one crop of which 



I^B we need an over- 



production, that is 

 fish in our streams. 

 All streams in Mon- 

 tana should be stocked with some kind 

 of fish. Even the dusty Powder river 

 is navigable to mud cats. 



Fish propagation and distribution is 

 not alone the problem of our State 

 Fish and Game Commission, the U. S. 

 Bureau of Fisheries, the Sportsman's 

 organizations, the Forest Service and 

 the Dude Ranchers', but a problem of 

 every citizen and taxpayer living in 

 these western states. 



Good trout fishing is one of the best 

 advertising mediums to induce people 

 to come west, to stay a while when 

 they come and to continue to come 

 back year after year for their vaca- 



H. Cr 



tions and enjoy fishing, which should 

 be the west's best paying cash crop. 



With 25 years active association and 

 work with fish and game organizations, 

 conservation movements, state and fed- 

 eral bureaus and the dude ranch indus- 

 try here in the west, the executive sec- 

 retary of the Dude Ranchers' Association 

 is now working to bring about co- 

 ordination of game and fish activities 

 in the ranch territory and we feel that 

 our fish and game program is one of 

 the most constructive things the Dude 

 Ranchers' Association has yet under- 

 taken. 



Lack of information or the casual 

 conversation of the man on the street 

 is often the cause of much misunder- 

 standing and criticism, while the facts 

 and figures often tell a different story. 

 The Dude Ranchers are proud of their 

 cooperation record and stand ready at 

 all times to work with clubs, depart- 

 ments and commissions to carry out 

 the fish and game programs. 



The easterner does not catch all of 

 our fish, but easterners who come to 

 fish have made possible the dude ranch, 

 a $6,250,000 industry in Montana and 

 Wyoming, and these people spend an- 

 nually with Montana merchants about 

 $200,000. We might add that 214 of 

 these eastern fishermen liked this 

 country so well that they bought places 

 and are now residents of our states 

 with nearly $4,500,000 invested. 



Quoting from interviews and the 



Montana Blue Grouse are Coming Back 



ter several years of protection by action 



Duse are multiplying In Montana's mount 



other scourge, caused them to disappea 



The open season in 1932 was the fir 



of the State 



;ains. Some strange malady, 



r in peculiar manner for a number of year 



st since protection was afforded them. 



questionaires returned from SO mem- 

 ber ranches in Montana and Wyoming, 

 they own and control 555,700 acres of 

 land. If every acre of this land were 

 lakes and streams and every foot 

 posted it would not make a good-sized 

 pond on the map of these two states. 

 But all this land owned and controlled 

 by member ranches is not posted. Our 

 figures show that of 68 ranches report- 

 ing on this question, only 20 of them 

 are posted. Public fishing is promised 

 on the other 48, so you can not charge 

 all these "no fishing" signs to member 

 dude ranches. 



Possibly your own Rod and Gun Club 

 or League Chapter asked the fish and 

 game commission to close these streams 

 as a spawning ground or rearing pond 

 or stream. Then, too, the posted lake 

 or stream may belong to some farmer 

 who has had livestock shot, crops de- 

 stroyed or buildings burned by some 

 fisherman, camper or hunter. 



Dude ranchers are interested in the 

 public shooting and fishing grounds and 

 are working with the existing agencies 

 to have congress pass such bills as 

 they come up. 



During 1931, a total of 60 of the SO 

 reporting ranches planted 2,762,000 fish 

 without assistance from any organiza- 

 tion, while 56 ranchers cooperated with 

 Montana and Wyoming fish and game 

 commissions and 32 assisted the U. S. 

 Bureau of Fisheries and the Forest 

 Service in stocking the lakes and 

 streams wth several million fish. 



Twenty of these cooperating ranches 

 furnished transportation and labor, 

 packed and planted fish in lakes and 

 streams from one to five miles from 

 their ranches, 32 of them packed fish 

 to new homes 5 to 30 miles away and 

 8 ranchers furnished trucks, pack 

 horses and man power to plant lakes 

 and streams 30 to 60 miles from their 

 ranches, also 60 of the SO members re- 

 porting helped or planted fish on the 

 forest reserves or other public land 

 uliere they could not post the lakes 

 .111(1 streams if they wanted to. 



This survey also shows that 47 



iiihers make allowance in their 



iilsets for fish planting and annually 

 [iiud in cash, transportation and hired 

 labor sums from $1 to $500 a year. 

 This is more than most rod and gun 

 clubs spend for this work. 



In most cases the rancher has not 

 a chance for direct return on the time 

 and money invested, but they are real 

 piirtsmen, willing and anxious to work 

 Willi everybody for more and better 

 li.shing. 



The dude ranchers are strong and 

 active supporters of Rod and Gun clubs, 

 70 of the 80 reporting belong to some 

 sportsman's club. 



