MONTANA'S WILDLIFE RESTORATION PROGRAM 



Introduction 



It is interesting- to note that in the past century and a half Montana 

 has passed through a period of unbelievable abundance of game animals 

 followed by slaughter and the resultant scarcity verging in some cases on 

 extinction. There then followed the slow process of building back this 

 depleted resource. We are still engaged in the latter phase of game 

 management. 



In this period of restoration a great many problems must of neces- 

 sity arise regarding proper numbers of various game species to be 

 carried on the many and diverse ranges within the scope of a state as 

 large as ours. A great many other important industries have developed 

 and wildlife must be placed in its proper relationship with these. Detailed 

 investigations are of course necessary in determining this information. 

 These are time-consuming and of necessity somewhat costly. For this 

 reason until the inauguration of the Wildlife Restoration program, the 

 Fish and Game Commission found it impossible, working on their 

 limited budget, to finance this type of work to any extent. The passage 

 by Montana's Legislature in 1941 of the Assent Act in Wildlife Restora- 

 tion placed additional funds at the disposal of the Fish and Game Com- 

 mission. At the beginning of the program wildlife investigations and 

 surveys made up an important share of the work carried out. This was 

 necessary in order that a fund of information could be quickly built up 

 which would indicate clearly the needs for various types of wildlife 

 development. 



Big Game Investigations 



In these first years of the program detailed investigations were 

 carried on over most of the important game ranges in the state. These 

 included the Little Belts, Crazy Mountains, Absaroka, Fish Creek- 

 Thompson River, Gallatin, Sun River, Flathead including the South 

 Fork, Middle Fork and North Fork, Bitterroot, Blackfoot-Clearwater, 

 Swan Valley, Georgetown-Wise River, Madison, and the game range 

 areas throughout eastern Montana. Within these areas the numbers 

 of the various game species were obtained by sex and age classes and dis- 

 tribution. Vital winter ranges were studied in detail; snow and forage 

 conditions were observed; conflicts, if any, with other land uses were 

 investigated; and a detailed list of recommendations regarding the man- 

 agement on each area was drawn up and submitted to the Fish and 

 Game Commission. 



Game Bird Investigations 



The survey work also included investigations of the game birds. 

 The entire state was covered extensively. The range of each important 

 species was mapped and important information concerning population 

 densities was obtained. This information was also prepared in a concise 

 report which was submitted to the Fish and Game Commission. 



Fur Resource Investigation 



Another phase of the survey work has included a study of the 

 fur resources of the state. Through the years these have been seriously 

 exploited and a great deal of information is now needed in order to build 

 this important resource back to its proper place. For this purpose a 



