GAME 



197 



Los Padres National Forest in California, is an almost extinct species of 

 American vulture. The white-tailed Kaibab squirrel is found only north of 

 the Colorado River on or near the Kaibab National Forest and Grand 

 Canyon National Park in Arizona. The muskellunge, which once was found 

 quite commonly in the waters of northern Wisconsin and Minnesota, has 

 disappeared from many lakes but is now being restocked on national forests 

 by fish planting, mainly in Wisconsin. On the Nantahala National Forest 

 in North Carolina, and the Cherokee National Forest in Tennessee, and Los 

 Padres National Forest in California are approximately 650 Russian wild 

 boars introduced from Europe in 1910. 



Among many other species, somewhat less rare but equally interesting, 

 found on the national forests is the grizzly bear, once quite common in 

 mountain and foothill areas of the West. This biggest of all bears in the 

 continental United States has found competition with civilization particu- 

 larly hard and has been reduced to less than 700 on the national forests. 1 It 

 has disappeared completely from the national forests of South Dakota, 

 Nevada, California, and Oregon, and is fairly safe from extinction only in 

 parts of Montana, Idaho, Alaska, and Wyoming. 



Moose, the largest of the deer family, has responded to protection fairly 

 well, and has gradually increased in numbers. This once-plentiful animal, 

 which usually restricts its range to the vicinity of wet meadows and shallow 

 lakes and feeds quite largely on acquatic or marsh vegetation, is found on 

 national forests in Montana, Idaho, Wyoming, and Minnesota. The 1939 

 census of game on national forests reported more than 6,675 head. 



The 'mountain goat always has sought the rough high mountains for 

 its home. In spite of the rigorous conditions under which it lives, the moun- 

 tain goat is steadily increasing. The 12,420 animals reported in the census 

 are divided among the national forests of 4 States. Washington, Idaho, 

 and Montana furnish the home for almost all of them, but surprisingly 

 enough, there are a few in South Dakota, transplanted there years ago. 



Bighorn sheep survive under conditions that make increase in numbers a 

 problem. Fortunately, the present estimated 8,530 are distributed on 55 na- 

 tional forests. The wide distribution gives assurance against loss by epidemics. 



1 Note: A wildlife census table is appended on page 291. 



