FOREWORD 



The importance of our wildlife resources to the residents of Montana 

 is demonstrated by the number of citizens who purchase hunting and 

 fishing licenses. Approximately one person out of each five citizens 

 purchases a resident game bird and fishing license. 



Demands of the resident sportsman and non-resident sportsman 

 for more fish and game is ever on the increase. Methods of transporta- 

 tion to and from hunting and fishing grounds, as well as the methods of 

 taking fish and game, are becoming more and more efficient. 



The problem that confronts Montana sportsmen and the Fish and 

 Game Commission is to conserve our present supply of wildlife and to 

 provide means of increasing our game fish populations and certain 

 species of game animals and game birds in habitats which have the 

 carrying capacity and room for an increase without upsetting existing 

 stable economic land use programs. 



To meet this problem the Commission necessarily must expand its 

 program to propagate, administer- and conserve wildlife in proportion to 

 the demand. There is, therefore, a need to provide an increase in 

 revenue to finance such a program and to compensate for the decline 

 in the purchasing power of the dollar. 



This report of the Fish and Game Commission for the biennium 

 presents some of the accomplishments of our game management pro- 

 gram, and calls attention to some of the needs and recommendations 

 to further the program. 



GENERAL WILDLIFE PICTURE 



Montana has a great variety of wildlife habitat due to its topo- 

 graphy, which supports many of the important species of North Ameri- 

 can wildlife in considerable numbers. 



Big Game. Through sound conservation measures and game man- 

 agement practices, huntable populations on big game animals have been 

 maintained and open seasons have been provided on elk, deer, mountain 

 goats and bear, and limited seasons on moose and antelope. 



With the present total population of elk in the State estimated at 

 not over 30,000 and with present hunting pressures almost developed to 

 the point where the annual kill of elk is equal or possibly greater in 

 some instances than the annual increment from its breeding stock, 

 serious thought should be given to the inevitable adoption of the limited 

 license for taking the desired number of animals. Present methods to 

 close big game seasons when a desired kill has been reached has proved 

 unsuccessful in limiting the kill to the desired number. 



Present estimates of our big game populations are as follows: 



Elk 29,779 



Mule Deer 87,530 



White Tailed Deer 29,173 



Moose 3,610 



Antelope 22,105 



Grand Total 



— 7— 



/ 



