game warden are so varied and complex that it 

 is necessary for one entering the service to sur- 

 render many of his interests in other fields of 

 endeavor and concentrate on the position he has 

 chosen as his life's vocation. 



The requirements by the department are so 

 stringent that a deputy should be paid a salary 

 consistent with his efforts, and after reaching a 

 certain age or serving a given number of years 

 he should be retired with a pension. Only by this 

 means can the state hope to employ the caliber 

 of men necessary to adequately carry out the 

 conservation, restoration and propagation of our 

 wildlife resources. 



Applicants for deputy state game warden 

 positions are now required to take a written exam- 



ination which covers the various fields of wildlife 

 with which a man must be familiar if he is to be- 

 come an asset to the department. The examina- 

 tion is divided into the following classifications: 

 Big Game, Birds, Fur Bearers, Fisheries, Law En- 

 forcement, and General. Qualifications resting 

 upon past experience and personality traits 

 are considered, along with the grade obtained in 

 the examination, in evaluating a man's possible 

 worth to the department. Successful candidates 

 will be placed upon an eligibility list. As the need 

 arises, men will be chosen from this list as spe- 

 cial deputy game wardens. These men will be 

 required to serve a probationary period. Vacan- 

 cies as they occur from time to time on the regu- 

 lar deputy force will be filled from this group. 



Pnedato/uf AtUmcU GanbuU 



The Fish and Game Department has contin- 

 ued in its effort to keep Montana's predatory ani- 

 mals under control during the last biennium. 



By complying with Section 3685.5 of the Mon- 

 tana Codes, this department, through the coopera- 

 tion of the Livestock Commission, has paid $7,500 

 each year from the Fish and Game Fund as 

 bounties in the amount of $2.00 each for coyotes 

 taken during April, May and June. 



In addition to this, the Commission on De- 

 cember 17, 1940, set aside $10,000 which was 

 paid out of the Fish and Game Fund by Febru- 

 ary 16, 1941, at the rate of $2.00 as bounty for 

 each coyote taken during that time. There were 

 numerous other coyotes killed at that time but 

 the $10,000.00 fund was exhausted before all 

 the bounty claims were presented. 



The Department is continuing to pay a year 

 around bounty of $25.00 on each mounfain lion 

 killed and $2.00 on bobcat. During the past two 

 years, bounty claims for 17 lions and eight bob- 

 cats have been honored. 



It is felt that the present fur market is suf- 

 ficiently high to encourage the taking of coyotes 

 and that any additional bounty expense would 

 be uncalled for. The fact is recognized that a few 

 predatory animals are an asset to our game birds 

 and animals in that they help maintain a vigor- 



[ 13] 



ous breeding population by killing the weak and 

 wounded game. 



In adition to the predatory animal trappers 

 working under the Fish and Wildlife Service, the 

 Fish and Game Department hired a few coyote 

 trappers for short periods of time to better con- 

 trol certain small game areas in which the coy- 

 otes had become too numerous for the safety of 

 our game. 



The Mountain Sheep has becom 

 problem big- game animal 



the number 

 1 the west. 



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