management unit was selected in northwestern Montana known as the 

 North Fork of the Flathead area. This section was found to be typical 

 of most of the mountainous fur-producing sections in the state in that it 

 had been trapped so heavily in the past that a relatively small returti 

 of fur was being realized from it. This area has been closed for the last 

 four years. It has been patrolled throughout the winters. The men en- 

 gaged in this work have obtained a great deal of essential information 

 regarding the numbers of the more valuable fur species such as the pine 

 marten, Canadian lynx, fox, mink and beaver. Indications of such rare 

 species as the fisher and wolverine have also been noted. The range of 

 each of these species has been carefully mapped and analyzed, par- 

 ticularly in regard to the type of cover which each prefers and also its 

 relationship to the various food species such as the snowshoe rabbit, pine 

 squirrel, flying squirrel and others. A very encouraging increase has 

 been noted among the valuable furbearers in this area throughout the 

 period of closure. It is expected when the numbers reach the desired 

 maximum that the annual increase will be carefully harvested by trap- 

 pers, in this way preventing the violent fluctuation in numbers which has 

 been so common in the past. The information obtained in this area will be 

 as quickly as possible applied throughout the state in order that this 

 resource may be properly developed on a statewide basis. 



Trapping and Transplanting Beaver 



Following the detailed survey work, and in some cases interwoven 

 with it, has been a definite development program. This has consisted 

 of several phases, one of which is the trapping and transplanting of 

 desirable wildlife species, taking them from areas where they are 

 abundant and liberating them in the sections where they are extremely 

 scarce or in some cases absent entirely. In this way a far better dis- 

 tribution will eventually be obtained. Up to the present time approxi- 

 mately 555 beaver have been live trapped from agricultural sections 

 where they were doing material amounts of damage and moved back 

 into the mountains where the presence of their dams and resultant 

 ponds will be decidedly beneficial both in checking the spring runoff 

 and also in improving the habitat for game fish. 



Trapping and Transplanting Mountain Goats 



There have been 38 mountain goats moved from the Sun River area 

 into the Crazy Mountains and Beartooth Mountains near the Cooke 

 City-Red Lodge highway. Both of these ranges present ideal habitat 

 for mountain goats but have been isolated from their present range 

 by open vallcy.s which have prevented a natural drift of this species into 

 the areas. Very encouraging reports have been received regarding the 

 development of mountain goats in the Crazy Mountains, where they 

 have apparently become well established. Manpower has been lacking 

 to carry out an intensive follow-up on the Beartooth plant: however, 

 it is felt that these goats are undoubtedly doing quite well. The area 

 is so immense that it will probably be desirable to make several addi- 

 tional plants, one perhaps in the Stillwater Canyon and one in the 

 Boulder River drainage, in order to assure the final success of this 

 project. 



