R EC RE A TION. 



35* 



HABITS OF ROCKY MOUNTAIN GAME. 

 Ira Dodge. 



Cora, Wyo. 

 Editor Recreation. 



In the Rocky mountains, the deep snows and 

 the changes of weather conditions cause the 

 game to shift from one place to another many 

 times during the year. The Colorado desert, in 

 western Wyoming, is the winter home for many 

 thousands of elk, mule-deer, antelope, and an 

 occasional bunch of mountain sheep and bison. 



This tract of land, about 50 m.les square, is 

 mostly covered with a nutritious bunch grass, on 

 which the game thtive, using snow to quench 

 their thirst. It would seem like an act of Provi- 

 dence that there is no water on this range, as, 

 for that reason, the sheep men are obliged to 

 keep their herds from it in summer time. 



As soon as the snow recedes in the spring, all 

 animal life leaves the desert and wends its way 

 back to the neighboring mountains. A good 

 many of the elk, deer and antelope go back as 

 far as the Yellowstone National Park, crossing 

 over the Union pass of the Gros Ventre and 

 Wind river ranges, a distance of several miles, 

 on the crusted snow. This is locally calltd a 

 game drive, and lasts from April 1st to June 1st. 



The calving season commences about May 

 20th, and lasts from six weeks to two months. 

 When one of a bunch of females is looking for a 

 place to have her young, she will drop out from 

 the band into some quaking aspen thicket, or 

 even in the sage brush, far from timber, and 

 there stay until her young is 10 or more days 

 old, and strong enough to travel. Then the 

 mothers and young commence banding together, 

 and if not molested by hunters, bears or moun- 

 tain lions, their numbers often reach into the 

 hundreds The males follow up the snow line, 

 where the grass is green and tender. In such 

 places they may be found drying their horns in 

 July and August. After that they are wherever 

 you find them. 



The few bison that winter on the desert go to 

 some place in the summer, no one seems to know 

 where, probably to some watering place in the 

 Wind river mountains. However, their numbers 

 are few, and it is to be regretted that they are so 

 poorly protected. 



Mountain sheep are about evenly distributed 

 among the several adjacent ranges. While a 

 p >rtion of them go into winter quarters on the 

 desert and on the low ranges, a great many, and 

 perhaps the majority, of the sheep pass the win- 

 ter months on the high peaks and ridges, above 

 timber line, where the snow is blown off. At 

 such altitudes the snow drifts are so hard that 

 trie sheep travel over them, from one mountain 

 to another, with little danger of being stranded 

 in a snow drift, a thing which, however, does 

 sometimes occur, and then part if not all of the 

 band perish. When spring comes, the sheep 

 descend to the valleys for green gra-s ; making 

 these trips nightly, and returning to the moun- 

 tains in the morning, having travelled, in many 

 cases, 10 or 15 miles — iust for breakfast. 



mountains among the snowy ranges. They come 

 down in the spring after green grass, lay their 

 eggs, hatch their young;, then gradually work 

 back up the mountain side, and live on pine pins 

 and nuts, from the nut pine trees, until spring. 

 The snow in such places is usually from five to 

 ten feet deep. 



The sage hens winter with the large game on 

 the desert, and when spring opens wend their 

 way back to the foothills, where they rear their 

 young. While young, and up to the time they 

 are two-thirds grown, they are delicious eating. 

 Then they commence feeding on sage brush, and 

 soon taste of that obnoxious shrub. As soon as 

 cold weather sets in and snow begins to fall, 

 back they go, by easy stages, to the desert, 

 where flocks may be seen numbering many thou- 

 sands. 



The ducks and geese flock here in spring, lay 

 their eggs, hatch and rear their young, after 

 which they have full sway among the lakes, 

 rivers and sloughs of the Upper Green river 

 country. Then, when fall comes, they fly away 

 to the south, to become easy victims to misplaced 

 confidence, not having had a shot fired at them 

 during the whole summer. 



Antelope return to the desert in October and 

 November, travelling boldly across the open 

 prairie, seldom turning from their course, even 

 when pursued or shot at, the bucks usually herd- 

 ing their harem before them. 



The mule-deer follow a little later in Novem- 

 ber, but farther up in the mountains, and mostly 

 under cover. They are so numerous, one may 

 see from 10 to 20 in a single day's hunt, by care- 

 ful hunting, all going in the same direction. 



The Wapiti, after the rutting season, congre- 

 gate in large bands, and hang back on the moun- 

 tain sides until the deep snows drive them down. 

 They will come down in the night for feed, 

 where the snow is not deep ; then at dawn of 

 day start back up the mountain and get under 

 cover for the day. They will undergo this half- 

 starving plan for days, even weeks ; then, when 

 hunger drives them to it. they make a bold dash 

 through settlements and across prairies toward 

 the desert. They may be turned back many 

 times by settlers and hunters, while endeavoring 

 to get their winter's meat, but starvation makes 

 the poor creatures desperate, and sooner or later 

 they are forced to go on, although they may lose 

 many of their numbers in doing so. I have seen 

 thousands in one band running the gauntlet in 

 this way. The bulls follow up the large bands 

 in small bunches, but are more shy and cunning, 

 and usually try to keep under cover. 



A singular thing about the mountain, or blue 

 grouse, is their following so closely in line with 

 the mountain sheep, wintering high up in the 



Editor Recreation. Okoboji, Iowa. 



I see by the April number of Recreation 

 that you and the settlers of Jackson's Hole, 

 Wyoming, are making an effort to stop the 

 Indians from slaughtering game. I am ac- 

 quainted with some of the men connected with 

 this movement and can say that each and every 

 one speaks the truth. I have been there and 

 seen what they describe, repeatedly. I have met 

 Fort Hall Indians, have questioned them, and 

 they said they had no pass, and that they were 

 from Fort Hall. A. A. Henderson. 



