Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1911-09-12
TO DRIVE 10000 ELKs.


Ten thousand head of wild elk
"treking" clear across the state Of
Wyoming, guarded and guided by
1000 United States cavalry and as
r,any cowboys, ranchmen and sheep
herders, is the strange spectacle which
between now and winter II the plans
of the state officials who have the
project In charge are carried out.
The elk are at present in the Jack
son Hole country, in the extreme wes-
tern edge of the state. 1t Is the in
tention Of the officials to remove them
to the Big Horn Mountains, just west
of Sheridan, and in the extreme
northern portion Of the state-a trek
Of probably 800 miles. The animals
have increased so rapidly that the
Jackson Hole country is fairly over
run with them. 1t Is estimated that
fully rs. 900 head of elk winter every
year in the Hole, and they simply eat
the ranchmen out Of house and home.
They are protected by the state, and
except for a few days in the fall the
killing of an elk is a serious offense.
AS a result the elk herd, small a few
years ago, when the stringent pro-
lection laws were passed, has now
become the largest herd of wild ami
mails on earth, and its number Is in
creasing rapidly. The elk have SEEM
ed to realize that they are safe and
have become so tame that they are
not frightened at the presence OF q
man. In the winter, when the range
Is covered with snow, the elk invade
the ranchers' haystacks and eat every
straw. Fences are Of not the least
protection against them, as they go
over an obstacle of that kind as II
they were birds
The elk herd has finally become so
great a menace that the entire wes-
tern portion of the state took up arms
in an effort to save the ranches and
farms, as we'll as the sheep and cat
tie, as the elk threaten to simply strip
the range Of forage and leave the do
mesticated animals to die Of starva-
ton. The national government was
appealed to and the session Of con-
gress appropriated $4,000 for the
care and preservation Of the elk in
Wyoming. But this amount Is SIM
ply a drop In the bucket, and 1t Is
realized by the state officials that the
great herd must be made self-sup-
porting IL it Is to remain in existence.
In northern Wyoming are the Big
Horn Mountains, stretching 100 miles
or more from north to south. The
big Horns" are the most "moun-
famous mountains In the northwest
"A succession of high peaks and
deep ravines, and all heavily wooded.
It is an ideal country for elk and
other big game. The great elk herd
from Jackson Hole would scatter
and lose itself once it were trans
planted to the Big Horn Mountains.
And there would be sufficient proven
der to furnish food throughout the
winter without the least assistance
from the state or others.
Under these conditions the state
officials have determined to move a
big portion Of the herd from the Hole
over to the Big Horns. But to make
the transfer by railroad would be out
of the question, because Of the tre-
mendous expense, the distance by rail
being something like 1000 miles ana
necessitating a trip down through
Idaho, Utah, across the southern line
of Wyoming, and then northward
across the state So it was determined
10 uTlNe tHe elm do Ihou6H 'hN1
cattle.
The United States government will
be asked to permit 1000 cavalrymen
from Ft. Russell at Cheyenne and FIT
Mckenzie at Sheridan to take part In
the great drive. And to this large
force will be added 1000 cowboys
ranchmen, sheep herders and others
"a total driving force of 1000
mounted men. The great trek Will
not take place until late fall or early
winter. The elk have become so ac-
customed to mounted men that they
no longer fear man on a morse, ana
this fact will be taken advantage OF
during the drive. The animals Will
be handled as a herd Of cattle, ex-
cept that instead Of a cowboy now
and then the mounted men around
the elk will be as thick as flies. At
night they will be herded, just as the
cattle are.
The only practical road into Jack
son Hole Is from the west, so that
the big drive will take that direction
when the start Is made. Around the
southern end of the Teton range the
great cavalcade will make its way,
and thence through Central Wyoming
to the Big Horn River. Down this
stream the elk will be driven, and
not until the Big Horn mountains ale
reached will the animals be permit
ted to roam from the parallelogram
in which they traversed the some
thing like 800 miles Of mountains
and plains.
If the first drive Is successful 1t Is
the intention of the state officials to
repeat the move early next spring
and to continue doing so until the
Big Horn country is fairly alive with
the animals. The expense Of the drive
will be shared by the state and the
national government, the latter TO
the extent Of the $4,000 appropriat-
ed at the last session Of congress.
The west often has seen a herd OF
10000 cattle streaming along over
the prairie, but probably no country
ever saw so many elk being driven
clear across a big state.-Sheridan
(Wyo.,) Cor. New York Press.