The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1903-03-29
HEARD Of Elk
$1,000 STRONG
Largest Herd of Wild Animals
in America.
WINTER IN WYOMING
Greater Number Starve 10
Death Every Season.
WINTER IN WYOMING

The largest herd OF Wild animals In the
United tsstes. and pEocsoly in me world,
/ Is the great hand OF elk which winters
In the lowiands ot Jackson's Hole dis
trfct. Wyoming. There are ST this WIKI
( ins, estimated TO be some thirty-two
thousand head OF elk In the band. Ths
men who have given this estimate arc
well known ranchers and cattle men, o.
cowboys and owners OF sheep ana stock
ranges. Their estimate comes pretty close
TO being correct one During the severe
winters In In Wyoming. when the elk.
driven by the bitter cold aud heavy snows
approach almost to their very doors, they
have unusual opportunities fer observing
this great herd OF magnificent anilnala
All the elk in Jackson's Hole district are
carefully protected by the scattered resi-
dents of the country. AT present the herd
Is under the constant surveillance OF two
deputy game wardens. while district game
warcens carefully watch the band when.
ever any portion or Il strays into the dis
strict over which they have authority In
the summer time the herd is widely scat
| tered over an extent of country the fa-
dius OF which IS more than five hundred
miles. embracing territory Of vlrginai
beauty and primevsi grandeur.
OF those elk which enter Colorado Q
large percentage is killed while the few
which stray into Utah fail AT the hands os
the Unitsh Ute Indians The elk which
wander too far from home are not allied
in the summer. but In the late fall
BY far the larger portion OF the herd
which is guarded IN the winter tn Jack
sons Hole passes the summer ia the TIM
bered heights in the Teton. Gros Ventrs
and Shoshone Mountains. the Big Horn
Basin. the Yellowstone National Park and
even In the free range near the settle
usent OF Jackson itself one gentleman
last summer counted herd Of eight hun
dred elk within two and a half miles Il
Jackson.
Within the last five years the Elk have
decreased eighteen thousand IN number.
This alarming decrease is due as much ia
the restriction OF their natural range as
to the efforts Of the sportsmen. Indians
or commercial hunters who. q Is often
alleged. have pursued the herd in order
10 obtain the much priced eiks teeth
for certain fraternity.
In severe winter weather a great num-
Der OF elk perish from starvation Rather
than venture 70 the lower pastures they
founder through the deep SHOWS Of th~
mountains. browsing from the buds e
birch and GiiakinE aspen. \ taaw. fol-
lowed by severe cold weather makes
heavy crust that proves the undoing e
the emaciated elk. Then pfoxress be-
comes 50 difficult as 10 prevent the ami
mai from obtaining sufficient food.
II is often incorrectly stated that elk
browse on shsathss OF pine and hrs. II
this were the case they would never
sfarve. for their range aboands IN conf
fers Very few elk are pulled down BY
wolves. cougars or other Wild animals:
In fact. they remain IN the mountain at
titudes long after the deep SHOWS have
driven these hungry r1auauders away.
and the spring thawS reveal untouched
careasSes or starved elk
Elk are far from free travellers They
have not that strong love II LEGALITY
which characterfzes most members ~ the
deer tribe and when thy oure Eet un-
der swing over the toughest Ffounf a.sd
through dense forests II pine up steep
mountains covered with fairly penefrahis
brush and vinifails at almost tho pace
OF a locomotive
The big herd tn jackson Hole is con
siderable source Of income 10 The resi-
dents Of that country. and as such :; /.
as carefully guarded as - possible n
SO wild and rough a region. \ couple OF
years sgo n newspaper correspondent Slao
had made the trip into Yeslowssone Park
went further into the Jscksens Bols
country.
Alarmed By the sikh; - fenre - ~hit-
ened elk horns h wrote nls editor "a
article upon the ludiscrimlnate slaughter
81 the elk He was mistaken. however.
all these horns are shed ~ the sik IN
the early spring and are gathered daring
the cattle FotsaA-uus n TIE fafi shr1
elk are sho; the horns are Fastened FIRM
70 have shrn separately mounted -
trophies b. does rot tfoahie - sstseh
them.
Ia their mental equipment tx sYe llss
cattle. caribou I'D reindeer. They - 20;
possers tbs fusflnrttsa cunning - rect
members - The der srbe ore All
sometime go band iaberfouz1y pawsna
er~d VALLEY While inc rsnsrsfts ara heK.
hacks have ben stewn eissr - so
Wind Deer. horses asf even sheep. *
hihif keener reasoning n fhis r~sr~ss
Orly eyratic methods - traV~i afd hstsiss
- migration. together zffh fhs4r ter.
senry - refres; a. fsg IS Yosslt.ls trek
the uu'poz.s q civfiizsfsu. havs rass.
ansH row ~Tsx ToyT Herald