The Powder River County examiner and the Broadus independent. [volume] (Broadus, Mont.) 1919-1935, 1921-02-11
BISON INCREASE
MAY BE PROBLEM
GOVERNMENT WOULD CARE FOR
YELLOWSTONE ELK RATHER
THAN BUY BUFFALO.
So Great Salt Lake Herd Will Go to
Sportsmcn, Who VIII Pay $500
Each for Privilege of Stalking
Them; Remarkable Growth of the
Buffalo Herd.

The biological survey of the Uni
ted States department of agriculture
refuses to get excited over the
slaughter of bison on Antelope is
land in Great Salt Lake. and also re-
fuses to be stampeded into urging
congress to pass the yelling bill,
making an appropriation for the
purchase of the bison herd, which is
now being exterminated.
Rather than spend 100000 in
purchasing the bison ON Antelope Is
land, the department would spend
that money in preserving the elk of
Yellowstone park and that vicinity.
In q statement on this subject. the
department says:
Although few years ago slaugh-
ter of even few bison would have
been deemed national calamity, the
biological survey Of the United States
department of agriculture will make
no definite effort to stop the pro-
posed shooting of number of these
animals on the privately owned An
telope island in Great Salt Lake, an
nounced in news dispatches.
AAAAV A0oAVSSAA NAV 0uuOuuNOO
decisfOn~0f the owner of the herd to
turn the fine animals over to sports
men at 5000 a head, DR.. E. w. Mel
son. chief of the biological survey.
does not find it expedient to curtail
other and more necessary game pre-
servation measures by seeking q con-
gressional appropriation to buy this
heard at the owners price. A bill
to purchase the island and animals
for 100000 was recently introduce
ed by Congressman yelling of Utah.
"'The dark day of the bison has
passed. said DR.. Nelson reverting to
the time not many years ago when
the principal remnant of the count
less herds that once roamed this con-
tinent consisted of a pitiful group OF
less than 100 in Yellowstone national
park, where they were prey to poach.
ers because of inefficient protective
laws.
"'As a matter of fact, with the
present rate of increase, it may be.
come problem in a few years how
we shall care for the buffalo on the
national preserves. It would be de-
sirable for the government to owr
the Antelope island herd, but there
are other and more urgent uses fol
the money. I would much rather Il
we're spent to buy additional range
land north and south of Yellowstone
park for the sustenance of the ell
which find insufficient feed withil
the grounds
Statistics of the American Bisol
society show that on Jan. /, 1920
there were 1893 captive and will,
buffalo in the United States, Of which
1882 we're under the direct protec
ton of the federal government. TIL,
rate at which the animals are com
ing back may be partially realized
from the fact that the Jan. 1, 1920
figures give 29S buffalo on the ma
tional bison range at Noise, Mont.
while recent figures show 336. Thu
necleus of this herd was 40 buffalo
in 1909. The leader Is Kalispel
Chief, fine old veteran, who ha,
maintained the primacy of the hero
through the years. This herd is un
der the protection of the biological
survey, as are also 81 animals a
Wind Cave, s. D.: Z at Sully's N
D., and % at Niobrara, Neb. OF tn,
other buffalo under government pro
lection. the January, 1920, figure
give Fl in the National Geological
park at Washington. 6 on the Pisg'
game preserve. North Carolina; 3 OF
the Plat national park. Oklahoma
119 on the Wichita national forest
Oklahoma. and SOC in Yellowstone
national park. There were 4S9 but
falo calves born in the United State
In 10f q sS