16 CONDITION OF ELK IN JACKSON HOLE, WYOMING. 



Gros Ventre. The majority, however, move southeastwardly along 

 the foothills to the lower part of Jackson Hole. In 1910 they came 

 about the last of November. The open valley between the hills and 

 Snake River, a part of which is known as Antelope Flats, was for- 

 merly a favorite migration route for these animals, but increasing set- 

 tlement has lately caused them to seek almost entirely the shelter of 

 the foothills to the eastward. Besides those which winter in the val- 

 ley of the Gros Ventre within the mountains, a few hundred frequent 

 the willow swamps of its lower stretches. A few winter about the 

 upper Gros Ventre Butte (usually called the Black Tail Butte), and 

 the low elevations, called the East and West Gros Ventre Buttes, 

 which occupy a considerable area in the middle part of Jackson Hole, 

 harbor a number of good-sized herds. The favorite haunt of the 

 animals, however, is the large marsh bordering Little Gros Ventre or 

 Flat Creek above the town of Jackson. This occupies an area about 

 5 miles in length and varying in width from 1 to 2 miles. Flat Creek, 

 which traverses it, is partially dammed near the town of Jackson by a 

 ledge of rock, and the slackened current, permitting the deposition of 

 great quantities of silt, has caused the formation of this marsh. A 

 rank growth of coarse grass covers the greater part of this area, much 

 of which is so wet during ordinary seasons as to prevent harvesting. 

 Several large warm springs drain into it, and these cause parts of the 

 stream to remain open during most or all of the winter, but the marsh 

 itself is partially flooded and freezes early, allowing the animals to gain 

 access to such forage as remains above the ice and snow. During the 

 past winter an unusually heavy fall of snowin early January was heavily 

 crusted as the result of a wet storm and the animals were prevented 

 from obtaining more than a small proportion of the rich store of food 

 which should have awaited them. The surrounding hillsides, as a 

 result of the unusually dry summer of 1910 and the consequent exces- 

 sive grazing, did not afford the usual amount of food, and before the 

 winter was half over the condition of the herds had become appalling. 



DEPREDATIONS BY ELK IN WINTER. 



The passage of bands of large animals through even a sparsely 

 settled country naturally results in some damage to fences. The 

 ordinary rail fence used for the confinement of stock offers no serious 

 impediment to the elk, especially when snow lies deep on the ground 

 and eddies of air about the corners of fences and in the lee of knolls 

 form deep drifts. Thus fences which cross the routes frequented by 

 these animals are usually broken down early in the winter. The most 

 serious damage, however, results from the efforts of animals to 

 reach haystacks, and in this respect the settlers find it almost impos- 

 sible to protect themselves. Besides their ability to leap or scramble 

 over high fences, the elk show great dexterity in clambering sideways 

 between the poles and, if even a narrow space is left, they frequently 



