go? On private land. More elk are killed on the adjoining private and For- 

 est Service land. 



I hear the hunters beefing about higher license fees and fewer game, 

 except coyotes and foxes. One area reported more coyotes than deer. 



For the first time in the history of the ranch we have very few ground- 

 hogs and jack rabbits. I have seen two mule deer fawn and two whitetail 

 fawn this season. The fox has taken over the bird hunting and now it looks 

 like upland birds will be eliminated by the fox. 



Hunters stop and want to know where the deer, elk, and birds are. Many 

 G.I.'s think that a license entitles them to travel over any property and 

 a deer is out on the range waiting for them. In our area many landowners 

 have closed their land for several reasons: (1) there is very little game; 

 (2) fire hazard; (3) destruction of forage. We permit hunting, but no ve- 

 hicles. Very few will walk. 



What about inflation and devaluation? A rancher friend of mine who 

 lives in British Columbia was offered $1,000 per acre for his 10,000 deeded 

 acre ranch. The buyer was from Italy. Most of his neighbors have sold. 



Priorities for land must include food as the most important. Pood pro- 

 duction in the last few years has become very important to help maintain 

 our balance of payments. But this country cannot be prosperous with a cheap 

 food policy. Producers must have a profit or food production will decline. 



Recently the USDA announced a policy to protect lands from going to 

 non-agricultural uses. The guidelines established are: (1) All federal a- 

 gencies acquire land only when, (a) there are no suitable alternative sites, 

 and (b) overriding public need; (2) Environmental impact statements and re- 

 view procedures; (5) Inventories and evaluations of the nation's farms, range 

 and forest lands; and (4) Cooperative efforts with states, local governments 

 and land grant institutions to assure food, fiber, and wood production. 



We must have management of o\ar natural resources. Complimentary bene- 

 fits will accrue to supplement range forage by the use of more fertilizer, 

 irrigation, and conservation practices. 



Many areas in Montana are heavily infested with weeds. This is parti- 

 cularly true of leafy spurge. I have faith that the chemists and plant 



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