Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1905-08-20
THE LARGEST HERD OF WILD
ANIMALS.
The Wyoming Band of Elk Numbers
Thirty two Thousand.

The largest herd of wild animals in
the United States, and probably in the
world, is the great band of elk which
winters in the lOwlands of Jackson $
Hole district, wyoming" said d. q.
Robinson of the western state, to
Star" man at the Raleigh. There
are estimated to be some $4,000 head
of elk in the band. The men who
have given this estimate are we'll
known ranchers and cattle men or cow
boys and owners of sheep and stock
ranges Their estimate comes pretty
close to being a correct one. During
the severe winters in Wyoming, when
the elk, driven by the bitter cold and
heavy SHOWS, approach almost to their
very doors, they have unusual oppor-
tunities for observing this great herd
of magnificent animals.
"An the elk in Jackson's Hole dis
trict are carefully protected by The
scattered residents of the country. At
present the herd is under the constant
surveillance of two deputy game war
dens, who carefully watch the band
when any portion of it strays into the
district over which they have any au-
thority. In the summer time the herd
is widely scattered over an extent OF
country the radius of which is more
than 500 miles, embracing a territory
of virginia. beauty and primeveal
grandeur.
'Of these elk which enter Colorado,
a large percentage is killed, while the
few which straw into Utah fall into
the hands of the Ute Indians. The
elk which wander too far from their
home are not killed in the summer,
but late in the fall.
by far the largest portion of the
herd which is guardede in the winter
in JacksOn's Hole passes the summer
in the timbered heights in Teton, eros
Ventre and Shoshone mountains, the
Big Horn basin, the Yellowstone Ma
tionaI Park. and even in the free range
near the settlement of Jackson itself
One gentleman recently counted a
herd of 500 elk within two and one
half miles of Jackson.
within the last five years the elk
have decreased $500 in number This
alarming decrease is due as much to
the restriction of their natural range
as to the effects of sportsmen, Indians
! or commercial hunters, who, it is Of
ten alleged, have pursued the herd in
order to obtain the much priced elk s
| teeth for certain fraternity. In Sc
we're winter weather a large number
perish from starvation. Rather than
venture to the lower pastures they
! founder through the deep SHOWS of the
mountains, browsing from the buds OF
birch and quaking aspen. thaw,
| followed by severe cold weather
makes a heavy crust that proves the
undoing of the emaciated elk. Their
progress becomes 50 difficult as to
prevent the animal from obtaining
sufficient food.
1T is often incorrectly stated that
elk browse on sheaVes of pine and frs
If this were the case, they would never
starve, for their range abOunds in con-
Tiers. Very few elk are pulled down
Iby wolves, cougars or other wild ami
mails; in fact, they remain in the
mountain attitudes long after the deer
SHOWS have driven these hungry ma
RAIDERS away, and the spring thaw:
reveal untouched carcasses of starved
elk
Elk are far and free travellers
They have not that strong love of 10
cality which characterizes most mem
bers of the deer tribe, and when the!
once get under way they swing owe
the toughest ground and through
! dense forests of pine, up steep noun
tains covered with fairly impenetrabl
brush and windfalls at almost the pac'
of a locomotive. The big herd IL
Jaekson's Hole is a considerable SQUIRE
of income to the residents of tina
country and as such it is as CAREFUL.
guarded as possible in so wild ant
rough a region.
I'm their equipment elk are like cat
tie caribou and reindeer. They do no
possess the instructive cunning of mos
members of the deer tribe. One vii
sometimes see a band laboriously paw
ing the snow for pasture in some dee
covered valley. while the SUBMITS an
hogbacks have been blown clear b.
the wind. Deer, horses. and ever