WILDLIFE 



Wildlife is a renewable natural resource of considerable 

 importance to Montana. It is a product of habitat — the land, 

 and the vegetation that grows upon it. The actions of a land 

 manager, whether a small ranch owner or a large federal agency, 

 directly affects the abundance of wildlife. 



An understanding of the habits, needs, and life cycle of 

 each species of wildlife is necessary to permit adjustment of 

 land use practices to produce maximum benefit. These habits 

 and needs for any given species are similar regardless of 

 location. For example, the wild turkey in Montana requires 

 water near its food supply as does the wild turkey in New Mexico. 



The increasing demar.d for larger wildlife populations 

 has resulted in much research into the "limiting factors" which 

 hold down wildlife numbers. These limiting factors are also 

 directly associated with the habits, needs, and life cycle of 

 a species . The bulk of research everywhere points to lack of 

 suitable habitat as the culprit restricting wildlife populations. 



A place to live—space — is just as important to wildlife 

 as it is to man. Not just any space, but the type of home 

 ground the species requires. One kind of wildlife may require 



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