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Introduction: 



The sage hens are now found throughout the 

 greater part of eastern Montana where the habitat 

 is suitable. A lack of the sage types apparently 

 accounts for their absence in the northeast corner 

 of the state. Reference to the map, which shows 

 the distribution of these big grouse, illustrates this 

 general distribution in the east and also the 

 isolated, spotty pattern of their occurence within 

 the western half of the state. This is due partly tc 

 the presence of high mountain ranges, which the 

 sage hens never inhabited. However, there are 

 numerous sagebrush covered areas within and 

 adjacent to the intermountain valleys where sage 

 hens were once abundant. Their disappearance 

 was apparently due to a combination of factors. 

 Heavy and rather indiscriminate killing by hunt- 

 ers was no doubt one of the most important. A 

 series of dry years also had a detrimental effect. 

 Disease and parasites may have played a part. 

 At any rate, large areas are now found in the 

 western half of Montana where sage -hens were 

 once plentiful but are today totally absent. 



In an effort to reestablish this native game 

 bird to ranges it had once inhabited, the Fish and 

 Game Commission undertook a trapping and 

 transplanting program. 



Procedure: 



The trapping and transplanting of sage hens 

 had been carried on by several neighboring 

 states. The methods worked out by the Wyoming 

 Game and Fish Commission were adopted here 

 in Montana. 



The method in brief consists of the use of 

 a winged trap and a truck or car to drive the 

 birds. The trap was built in two sections, each 

 20 feet long. The front section was made of chick- 

 en wire and the rear section of fish netting. When 

 placed end to end this formed a trap 40 feet long, 

 6 feet wide, and three feet high. Two wings ap- 

 proximately 200 feet long were constructed of fish 

 netting; these were two feet high. When the trap 

 had been set up, the wings were placed out from 

 the front forming a wide V. 



The trapping was carried on in the vicinity 

 of the Roy Williams ranch on Box Elder Creek in 



S.i^v hens iu their now lie 



