Mexico Missouri message. (Mexico, Audrain County, Mo.) 1899-1918, 1912-07-25

out by the settlers who have hunted
them in season and out Elk are great
travellers. and, when disturbed. will go
long distances in the cudeavor to
shake of danger Fleeing from the
populated mountain districts Of Colo
RADIO into Wyoming. they have at last
drifted to the sparsely populated Jack
sons Hole country The additions OF
the large elk herd that has always
fed In the lackson's Hole and yellow
stone Park country have proved too
great for the natural range to support.
Wyoming has had TO feed the elk, and
finally the problem OF caring for the
animals has grown so acute that I'm
Gle Sam has been called upon for aid,
and at the last regular session Of con
gross several thousand dollars were
! appropriated to be spent in caring for
the elk. Had the elk been properly
! protected from the first, no such sit
uation would have arisen.
Tragedy OF Buffalo.
It has been proposed to remove sew
! eral thousand of the Jackson's Hole
elk to Colorado and Montana, but old
hunters claim that such move would
be folly, as the elk would drift back
to their old feeding ground and in n
year or two conditions would be "a
bad as ever. Apparently the only so
luton Of the problem, according to
officers of the Biological Survey who
have tho matter in hand, is the re-
moval of part Of the elk in small
numbers to various parks and private
game preserves, where they will be
under fence. This means n long step
toward the extinction Of the elk, for
those animals do not thrive well in
. captivity, their natures being too rest
less to stand close confinement.
Owing to differences in tho game
, laws OF various states. and lax en-
: forcement of the same, game birds are
/. disappearing. Wild geese that could
be killed in great numbers In the
Rocky mountain states few years
ago are now a rarity. Some of the
game hog" pictures, taken by men
who love to pose before the camera
in the midst Of their trophies, go
long way toward telling the details OF
the tragedy.
The tragedy OF the buffalo is famil-
lar to all. There IS only one outlaw"
: herd in the country, which numbers
about seventy-nve head, and which Is.
, supposed to be part of the herd own
ed by Michael Pablo Of Roman, Mont.
There was a small herd in Losa Park,
: Colorado, but the last chapter In the
, history of that herd was written
: when the state confscated a number
, ! 4 10 In hn m
= of a hunter, and sold them for $l,0S5.
, Mountain lions, wolves, coyotes and
I hob cats are responsible for a part OF
} the decrease in wild game In tho
s western states. These predatory ami
= mails have actually shown an increase,
IN spite Of liberal bounties offered for
their destruction. Mountain lions are
n especially skillful in killing deer and
h elk. They have wrought great dam
a age in Yellowstone National Park
J. so much so that professional hunters
8 are employed in the national forests
= adjoining the park and spend much Of
:. their time pursuing mountain lions
J. with packs of specially trained hounds.
r Wolves and coyotes play havoc with
G the antelope on the plains in winter.
i All western states have standing boun-
l. ties on the heads Of these animals but
p so hard are the wolves and coyotes 10
& trap that they remain a constant
g menace to the wild game as well as 10
II the flocks and herds Of western stock
g men.
h The problem OF saving the wild
o game in the west is difficult to solve
n hut Z, 10 mt imnOssible OF solution
l. Evidently the simplest way is TO have
e the government take the matter In
r charge The game hog" has a whole
q some fear OF Federal officers that 10,
y cal officials fail to inspire. Convic,
n tions could be secured against local
d residents in the Federal courts
e whereas such things would be impos,
@ sible in local courts. The extension
y of the national forests has done much
a to preserve the wild game. Forest
4 rangers who are deputlzed as game
/. wardens have brought many proseCu-
d tions which have ended successfully.
r. Next to absolute control OF the gov
d crnment. cooperation between ths
L government and the state would be
I effective A more uniform system Of
g game laws on the part Of the states.
and an awakening of public sentiment
Z in behalf OF state authority would be
J. beneficial As It is, game protection
II in the last haunts OF the creatures of
e the wild is merely a farce, and one
n OF the choicest heritages OF the PEG
d pie 10 being shamerully wasted