Forest Reserves as Game Preserves 



breaks of the Blue, are sheltered from the cold north- 

 erly winds of the Little Colorado Valley, while the 

 greater natural warmth of the situation aids in pre- 

 venting any serious accumulation of snow. As a re- 

 sult, this entire portion of the reserve forms an ideal 

 winter game range, with an abundance of grass and 

 edible bushes. The varied character of the country 

 about the head of Black River makes it an equally 

 favorable summer range for game, and that this con- 

 junction of summer and winter ranges is appreciated 

 by the game animals is shown by the fact that this 

 district is probably the best game country in all 

 Arizona. 



LARGE GAME IN THE SOUTHEASTERN PART OP TH1 

 BLACK MESA RESERVE. 



The large game found in this section of the reserve 

 includes the elk, black-tailed deer, Arizona white- 

 tailed deer, black and silver-tipped bears, mountain 

 lions and wildcats, timber wolves and coyotes. 



Elk were formerly found over most of the pine and 

 fir forested parts of this section of the reserve, but 

 were already becoming rather scarce in 1885, and, 

 although they were still found there in 1897, it is 

 now a question whether any survive or not. If they 

 still survive, they are restricted to a limited area 

 about the head of Black River from Ord Peak to the 

 Prieto Plateau. Black-tailed deer are still common, 

 and their summer range extends more or less gen- 

 erally over all of the forested part of this section 

 above 7,500 feet. In winter only a few stray indi- 

 viduals remain within the reserve on the Little Col- 



479 



