Control measures were inaugurated soon after 

 the drift to outside ranges set in. This consisted 

 of actual patrol work. The men engaged traveled 

 on horseback, on snowshoes and on foot. The 

 objective has been to keep the main body of 

 the elk herd within the Forest boundary during 

 the winter months. 



The success of the patrol work has increased 

 markedly throughout the years. A lack of man 

 power was a definite handicap until the winter 

 of 1938-39. The work that winter marked the be- 

 ginning of an intensive patrol. This type of work 

 has been carried on each winter since that time 

 with a marked degree of success. 

 Procedure: 



Last winter's big game work on the Sun 

 River area extended from November, 1941, to 

 April, 1942. The two fieldmen made their head- 

 quarters at Hannan Station on the lower Sun 

 River Canyon. Other field stations were used 

 as stop-over camps on the regular trips through- 

 out the winter game ranges. During the winter 

 the crew traveled approximately 1,140 miles on 

 foot and snowshoes and 724 miles on horseback. 

 The winter ranges were covered once each month. 



A detailed record was kept concerning each 

 day's observations. This included census figures, 

 range conditions, feeding habits, and movements 

 or migrations of game animals, as well as in- 

 formation pertaining to disease and parasites and 

 other information considered important phases of 

 the life history of the Sun River elk herd. 

 Findings: 



Weather conditions on the Sun River game 

 range during the past winter apparently varied 

 in no important respect from normal. The move- 

 ment of elk beyond the Forest boundary was 

 very light. The State elk patrol was successful 

 in checking this drift. 



The most heavily used winter elk range was 

 found in the lower West Fork of the Sun River 

 within the Game Preserve boundary. Heavy use 

 occurs during late fall in this area. The elk are 

 held back by hunters along the lower margin of 

 the closed area, and at the same time are pushed 

 down out of higher ranges by deepening snows. 

 Elk use this area very heavily during the spring 

 and early summer. The large natural lick near 

 the mouth of the West Fork tends to hold large 

 numbers of elk on these lower ranges when they 

 should be drifting onto the high summer ranges. 



[61 



Limited areas on the North Fork of the Sun River 

 range receive heavy elk use during the spring 

 months. This type of usage is confined to the 

 most exposed slopes, as well as areas within the 

 proximity of natural licks. 



(Top) Looking- south along: the ChineBe Wall from Larch 

 Hill Pass. ThiB escarpment extends for many miles along 

 the Continental Divide between the Sun River and riathead. 

 It is 70O to 1,000 feet in heig-ht. Elk are able to cross at 

 only a few high passes, and these are blocked by deep 

 drifts during the winter months. (Middle) A migrating- herd 

 of elk on one of the high passes. (Bottom) Loading 50- 

 pound blocks of game salt at Augusta in preparation for 

 distribution by airplane. 



