Page Twelve 



MONTANA STATE FISH AND GAME DEPARTMENT 



Law I§ Brnimgiimg Back the Deer 



By Fred B. Williams of Bozenian, President Montana Sportsmen's Association 



M 



O N T A N A ' S 

 u c k law. 

 which forbids 

 the killing of fe- 

 male deer in all but 

 six counties of the 

 state, has proven its 

 worth to sportsmen 

 keenly interested in 

 the increase of the 

 species. It is the 

 best piece of legisla- 

 tion ever listed 

 among fish and 

 game laws. For 

 many years the 

 writer was an op- 

 ponent of the buck 

 law, but when the 

 deer population of 

 Gallatin county be- 

 gan to diminish, it began to be appar- 



F. B. Williams 



Planting Fingerlings 



State Sportsmen Meet 

 at Helena 



M 



the 



EMBERS of the Montana Spo 

 mens Association are sched 

 to hold the annual meetinj 



Wednesday, January 10 and 

 11. according to word from Roger M. 

 Cummings of Missoula, Secretary. 

 Officers of the association include 

 President Fred B. Williams of Boze- 

 man. Secretary Cummings and the 

 following directors: A. C. Baumgart- 

 ner of Great Falls. Ed M. Boyes of 

 Libby. A. H. Croonquist of Billings. 

 Dr. J. H. Garberson of Miles City. 

 Glen A. Smith of Missoula and Har- 

 lan L. Hart of Helena. The call for 

 the meeting announces that questions 

 regarding needed legislation will be 

 discussed and a program arranged to 

 be presented to members of the state 

 legislative assembly. Coordination of 

 activities of all state departments 

 and organizations interested in the 

 welfare of the wild life of Montana, 

 is sought by the association. 



will always have big game on account 

 of their relation to Yellowstone Na- 

 tional Park. The natural overflow is 

 bound to drift into the forest adjoining 

 the park. Heavy snows force deer to 

 hunt lower lands and many of them 

 find new homes and locate there. 



from nltni 



Fiih axporti •urvey surroundlngi 

 tempomturo of the wntori nnd oqiinllia 

 environment ao that the little followa get 

 an oven break from the atart. 



ent that the buck law should be made 

 operative and opinions were changed. 

 During the last year I have covered 

 much of Montana and in practically all 

 regions where deer range, evidences 

 show substantial increases because of 

 llie operation of the buck law. 



Every effort should be made to edu- 

 cate the businessman as well as the 

 sportsmen of Montana to the real value 

 of wild life in this state. The amount 

 of money spent by the tourists and va- 

 cationists who come here for the op- 

 portunity to see our game, is of major 

 importance. For this reason we should 

 keep our buck law on the books and 

 build up our deer herds so that most 

 anyone driving through the National 

 Forests of Montana can see deer and 

 other wild game and be able to return 

 to their homes and tell friends about 

 the game in Montana. No better nd- 

 vcrllslng could possibly be undertukeii 

 and at no cost to us. 



Montana's game is one of our gnal- 

 ist assets — not alone to the field of 

 sport, but in limes like these, fnini the 

 slandpoint of food. We have the tlnt-wl 

 [ilayground for sportsmen in the Tulted 

 .Sillies and we siiould do everything in 

 our power to keep it this way. The 

 elk and deer killed in this state each 

 year represent many dollars in food 

 value. The Montana SporlHmon's Asso- 

 rhitlon hiiN been flghtlnK (or niiiny years 

 to protect and build up our wild life 

 and we feel that our effortH have not 

 been In vain. 



Tlieri- is no doubt about the monetary 

 value of fJHli anil game from a Hceule 

 piilnl of view. The tourist coining to 

 tills statu prefors to seu gamo more 

 than anything else we have to offer. 

 Tills value Is far In excesH of any pos- 

 Hlhlo income we may derive from the 

 leliitlvely Hiiiall kills made for food. 



I'ark. (iiillallii and MiidlHon eoiintleH 



GASre AXD FOREST FIRES 



Game resources cannot be success- 

 fully increased by mere laws. Game 

 must be raised. To do so successfully 

 the natural cover must be protected 

 from forest fires. Give the wild life of 

 Montana the right kind of environment 

 and protect all game during the breed- 

 ing season, then game will come back 

 in large numbers. Laws have been en- 

 acted to protect game. Laws exist pro- 

 hibiting forest fires. The public must 

 cooperate by observing the game and 

 forestry laws. Cooperation is the es- 

 sential factor. 



BOT— PAGE WEBSTER 



"Not drunk is he who from the floor 

 can rise and drink once more, 



"But drunk is he who prostrate lies and 

 cannot either drink or rise." 



RocKy M.M.nl.Mi u, ..!■ 



crag In Monlana'a p«i 



the vlalta of aa 



. Ir.ip (■.>nl .1.10 to 



rka to add Ihrllla to 

 atarn lourlata. 



