GAME MANAGEMENT 



if game management is quality recreation. 

 Photo by Gerry Atwell. 



Big Game 



The number of big game animals taken by 

 hunters in Montana increased in 1966 over the 

 previous year. The new more expensive Ucense 

 structure, which discouraged the taking of second 

 deer, combined with more conservative hunting 

 regulations to reduce the hunter take in 1967, 

 although hunter success was a high 77%. The near 

 overabundance of deer in many hunting areas 

 warrant some adjustment in licensing structure so 

 more hunter effort toward taking second deer in 

 those areas could be accomplished. 



Spectacular antelope fawn production over the 

 biennium is rapidly countering the effects of the 

 severe winter of 64-65. Reduced quotas have been 

 held to for northeastern and southeastern Montana 

 allowing the base herds to increase back to 

 maximum allowable sizes, at which time the 

 excellent production will be reflected in 

 considerably higher hunter quotas. 



Montana continues to maintain high bighorn 

 sheep hunting opportunity. The combination of 

 high hunter success and trapping is keeping the Sun 

 River sheep herd productive but barely within 

 what its winter range will stand. The Rock Creek 

 bighorn population in Granite County is a current 

 problem, with lack of winter range, parasites and 

 disease causing high mortalities. 



The elk harvest rose from 12,450 in 1966 to 

 14,500 in 1967 in spite of relatively mUd faU 

 weather. More intensive management of specific 

 areas is providing increased hunting opportunity. A 

 five-year study of the Sun River elk indicates that 

 the Sun River Game Preserve is a hindrance to 

 raising the productivity of that herd. The Gallatin 

 portion of the Northern Yellowstone elk, 

 historically a trouble spot, requires close 

 continuous attention as weather plays such a crucial 

 and unpredictable part in the proper harvest. The 

 special late seasons have accompUshed much 

 toward adequate managment of these elk and 

 making more elk hunting available. 



Upland Game Birds 



The mountain grouse population and harvest 

 showed good stability during the biennium. The 

 production and harvest of pheasants, sharptail, sage 

 hens and Hungarian partridge was quite liigh in 

 1966. The exceptionally long, snowy, wet spring of 

 1967 made conditions unfavorable for game bird 

 production, which was reflected in the 1967 

 harvest of those species. The fairly mild spring of 



