GAME AND WILD-FUR PRODUCTION AND UTILIZATION 3 



PAST AND PRESENT STATUS OF GAME AND WILD FUR 



Abundance 



Wildlife abundance has always been gaged in relative terms, for 

 no standardized methods have been devised for the enumeration of 

 most species. Such terms as "rare," "common," and "abundant" are 

 in general use. So a species designated as abundant by different indi- 

 viduals or as abundant in different territories may be much more 

 numerous in a unit area in one district than in another. To establish 

 a basis on which to indicate the different position occupied by wildlife 

 in our present economic and social system as compared with periods in 

 our earlier history, a few well-known recent examples are given. 



IN RELATION TO LAND AREA 



Many species that once abounded are now extinct or endangered, 

 and many that once ranged widely are now found only in limited areas. 

 Sixty million American buffalo once ranged over more than a million 

 square miles, but a rapid depletion of the herds followed the building 

 of a transcontinental railroad and the settlement of the land. In 1941 

 the estimated number was less than 35,000, of which approximately 

 30,000 were on Canadian ranges and some 5,000 in the local zoos, 

 national parks, and refuges in the United States. 



The heath hen once ranged along the Atlantic seaboard from south- 

 ern New England to Virginia. Records indicate that these birds were 

 originally relatively abundant, yet by 1830 they were rare and in 

 danger of extinction. A few remained on the islands off the coast of 

 Massachusetts; in 1916 it was estimated that there were between 800 

 and 2,000 birds on Martha's Vineyard under protection. Catastrophe 

 struck in many ways and the heath hen became extinct in 1932. These 

 are only two of many species once numerous and widely distributed 

 that have suffered reduction in numbers and range, or even extinction, 

 by the advance of civilization. 



Many species of North American mammals have been reduced in 

 number and only a few have increased. Birds may be nearer former 

 numbers, although several species have disappeared* or are endangered. 

 Others, especially some exotic species such as the starling, English 

 sparrow, ring-necked pheasant, and Hungarian partridge, have 

 increased. 



Ecological changes brought about by man have caused an increase in 

 populations of some native forms, both birds and mammals. The bob- 

 white increased and greatly intensified its range during the pioneer 

 days when clearing and plowing the land and the introduction of new 

 plants provided an abundant supply of food and cover, thus making a 

 more favorable habitat. Probably there are more bobwhites today 

 than before the advent of the white man. 



Deer have greatly increased in parts of their former ranges. After 

 the forests were cut, luxuriant new growth created a habitat of much 

 greater deer-carrying capacity than the virgin woodlands had pro- 

 vided. Even areas near the populous Atlantic coast are believed to 

 have more white-tailed deer today than ever before. Ecological 

 changes brought about by the settlement of the country have resulted 

 in larger wildlife populations in some areas and smaller in others. 



