ticular drainage or body of water is capable of producing. During the 

 past biennium the Commission provided open seasons and bag limits 

 accordingly. 



GAME DIVISION 



Game Farms. During the biennium covered by this report, only the 

 Fort Peck Game Farm vv^as in production. The Warm, Springs Game 

 Farm and the Billings Game Farm, which suspended operations in the 

 fall of 1942 for the duration of the war, were not in production . How- 

 ever, during the fall of 1945 preparations were being made to put both 

 of these farms back into full production for the 1946 season. In Decem- 

 ber, 1945, contracts were let for the construction of four brooder 

 houses at the Warm Springs Game Farm and four brooder houses at 

 the Billings Game Farm. The four houses were completed at the 

 Warm Springs Farm for use during the 1946 season, but due to shortage 

 of building materials, the buildings at the Billings Farm were not com- 

 pleted. Construction of additional brooder houses is planned at both 

 farms so that incubators, hatchers and hovers can be used to raise 

 pheasants without depending upon the use of domestic setting hens. 



In February, 1946, the Commission purchased eighty acres of land 

 in the Moiese Valley in Lake County for the purpose of establishing a 

 fourth game farm in Montana. This site was picked due to its favor- 

 able climatic condition, soil, exposure, and its acreage under irrigation. 

 The Commission has been unable to do anything toward the construction 

 of buildings and runways to date due to the scarcity of the materials 

 needed. 



Predatory Bird and Animal Control. Since the fall of 1942, the cur- 

 tailed amounts of ammunition available to sportsmen has resulted in 

 fewer sportsmen in the field which heretofor had killed a great many 

 predatory birds and animals. Immediately thereafter a large increase 

 in predators was apparent. Many sportsmen's organizations have con- 

 tinued to inaugurate predatory animal and bird campaigns. During the 

 past two years limited magpie and crow poisoning campaigns were car- 

 ried out by the Department as well as the operation of magpie traps. 



The Department has continued to pay a $2.00 bounty on Lynx Cats 

 and a $25.00 bounty on Mountain Lions, in addition to paying one-half 

 the bounty list of the State Livestock Commission on coyotes. 



The Fish and Game Commission also paid the salaries and expenses 

 of four Government predatory animal trappers for four months during 

 the winter months of 1946 and for two months during the winter of 1945. 



Law Enforcement. During the past biennium the return of six 

 wardens from the armed forces, in addition to those previously returned, 

 bolstered the law enforcement division. Also during this time, three 

 regular district vacancies were filled by new personnel who are also 

 veterans of World War II. 



There were 640 arrests made for violations of the Fish and Game 

 Laws and Regulations of the Commission during the period covered by 

 this report. In addition to the actual numbers of arrests, a great many 

 infractions of the Game Laws were investigated for which no arrests 



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