STATE GAME AND FISH WARDEN. 5 



GAME PRESERVES. 



The State Legislature of 191 1 established three state game 

 preserves : one in Dawson County known as the Snow Creek 

 Game Preserve ; one in Carbon County, the Pryor Mountain 

 Game Preserve; and the third comprising parts of Park, Galla- 

 tin and Madison Counties, adjacent to the northern line of the 

 Ylelowstone National Park, called the Yellowstone or Gallatin 

 Game Preserve. 



These preserves have been of benefit to the game of the 

 state, but the lines of the Snow Creek Preserve were defined 

 before that section of the state had been surveyed and through 

 an error only comprise about one half of the area intended by 

 the original promoters of the plan. A bill to enlarge the boun- 

 daries of this preserve should meet favorable action in the com- 

 ing Legislature. 



Citizens in different sections of Montana have expressed 

 their desire to have more of these game preserves established. 

 I believe that the establishment of game preserves is feasible 

 and beneficial only in those sections of the state where game 

 abounds in considerable quantities, and where the establish- 

 ment of such preserves is in accordance with the sentiments 

 of the residents of the district proposed to be set apart as a 

 preserve. In short, it is not best to establish a preserve where 

 the predominant sentiment of the community is against game 

 preserves. Xo benefit will result to the game interests by 

 forcing such established game refuges. 



SHIPMENTS OF ELK. 



During the early spring of the present year, some two hun- 

 dred elk were captured near Gardiner and shipped to various 

 parts of the state. The entire expense of capturing and ship- 

 ping these animals was borne by the citizens of the respective 

 communities to which the elk were shipped. In all there were 

 five carloads, averaging 40 animals to the car. 



The first shipment was made to Hamilton. In this instance 

 the elk were loaded in an ordinary stock car, without separat- 

 ing the animals of different sizes and ages into compartments. 

 Upon arrival at Hamilton, it was deemed inadvisable to unload 

 at the stock yards, on account of the distance of the sitock 

 yards from the lane leading to the park where the animals 

 were to be fed until liberated on the range. Several loads of 



