32 BULLETIN 1049, U. S. DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



size. 14 These refuges are all established on public lands, most of 

 them within the boundaries of national forests. The Teton Reser- 

 vation, lying immediately south of the Yellowstone National Park, 

 was the first and originally the largest. It was created in 1905, 

 and embraced practically all the area immediately adjoining the 

 south boundary of the park between the State line on the west, 

 Buffalo Fork on the south, and the West Fork of the Yellowstone 

 River on the east. In 1913 the boundaries were modified so as to 

 eliminate the western part of the reservation between the Idaho line 

 and the summit of the Teton Range. This elimination was due to 

 the fact that most of the game on the west slope of the Tetons had 

 been destroyed and the expense and difficulty of patrolling this 

 remote region was not commensurate with the advantages gained. 

 At the same time an addition was made in the southeast by extend- 

 ing the eastern part of the refuge up the Du Noir Creek. In 1917 

 another modification was made by eliminating the northeast corner 

 of the refuge, including all the land north of Soda Creek and east 

 of a straight line, drawn from the junction of Soda Creek and the 

 North Fork of the Buffalo north to the Continental Divide. The 

 object of this change was to afford a larger hunting area for sports- 

 men from northern and central Wyoming by giving them hunting 

 grounds between the Yellowstone River and the Continental Divide. 



Thus in a period of 12 years the boundaries of the Teton Game 

 Preserve have been changed three times and its original area, com- 

 prising about 576,000 acres, has been materially curtailed. The 

 western section has been eliminated and the eastern boundaries have 

 been first extended, then curtailed. While they still include the 

 lower lands in the southeastern part of the refuge, this section lies 

 in the form of a wedge extending at right angles to the general line 

 of migration of the elk and is of little value, inasmuch as the elk 

 can easily be driven out of it to open lands. 



Two elements are essential for the success of any game refuge: 

 First, permanency; and, second, sufficient area in a compact body. 

 For the protection of big game, long narrow strips of territory are 

 comparatively worthless and constantly shifting boundaries furnish 

 little actual protection. 



The Indiana game refuges, all established on private lands under 

 contract with the owners, represent the other extreme from those of 

 Wyoming. The idea was conceived and put into execution by the 

 late Z. T. Sweeney, commissioner of fisheries and game from 1899 

 to 1911. Under his plan contracts were entered into between the 

 State game commissioner and owners of contiguous farms providing 



14 Under recent orders of the game and fish commission some hunting is permitted on 

 the Big Horn, Popo Agie, and Split Rock Special Game Preserves. 



