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MONTANA STATE FISH AND GAME COMMISSION 



NATIONAL FORESTS IN MONTANA 

 OF GREAT VALUE. 



By PERCY E. MELIS 

 Acting Assistant Regional Forester. 



The national forests throughout the nation comprise a net area of 165,978,- 

 691 acres, and contain a wide variety of public resources, all of which are 

 owned, protected, and developed by the federal government for the use and 

 benefit of the people. In Montana, the net area of national forest land is 

 16,187,260 acres, and one of the major resources consists of wildlife. This wild- 

 life resource includes game and fur-bearing animals, food and game fish, birds, 

 and in fact, all the creatures that inhabit the area. The forest service directs 

 its efforts toward maintaining and developing this resource and making it 

 available for the continuous use and enjoyment of the people. 



It has been estimated that national forest lands furnish 85 per cent of the 

 forage for the big game animals of the state of Montana. During the summer 

 period an even larger percentage use the national forest ranges, but during the 

 winters, there is a migration of game to lower elevations, resulting in some of 

 the animals leaving the forests during a part of the year. This situation re- 

 quires very close cooperation and harmony between the forest service and the 

 State Game Department in their joint endeavors, directed toward game con- 

 servation and wildlife management. 



To many people the idea of wildlife management means only game wardens 

 and closed seasons, bag and creel limits; bounties on coyotes and cougar; 

 streams closed to fishermen and game preserves closed to hunters. The very 

 first steps in game management consist, in fact, very largely of prohibition 

 and restrictions. But years of experience now indicates that modern wildlife 

 management includes a far broader field of endeavor. It comprehends such 

 problems as maintaining and improving the environment of the animals, main- 

 taining a proper balance between numbers and the available feed, securing de- 

 sirable utilization, as well as making provision for a continuous supply. 



Game studies have now been conducted on the national forests over a 

 period of years, and although the work of game management is still in its 

 infancy, much useful information has been obtained and constructive action is 

 being directed toward improved management practices. The loss from pre- 

 dators, starvation and disease has been checked for several seasons, as well 

 as the annual kill by man. Forage conditions in the winter range areas and 

 the concentrations of game in these areas have been studied. As a result of 

 these studies, salting recommendations have been made to the State Game 

 Department and large quantities of salt have been distributed by forest service 

 packers in order to secure better distribution and improve the vigor of game 

 animals. 



The winter game studies have shown conclusively that the principal limit- 

 ing factor in the production of big game is the small amount of winter range 

 in comparison with the vast areas of available summer feed. The original 



