Arizona republican., 1921-03-29
IF
 ! ELK FOUND
 BY FORESTER

State Game Warden Joe Prochaska is in receipt of a letter from the dlS- trict forester at Albuquerque, New Mexico, informing him of the kll1ns of seven elk on the SitgraVeS toresl The forester does not know how the animals were killed as the carcasses were in such state of decomposition that it was impossible to make any consistent examination for wounds
 State Game Warden Joe Prochaska has a deep interest in the elk herd and has been personally supervlslng
 the care of the animals on the Slt-
 graves National forest, on his regular visits to the reserve The carcasses were found in a remote part of the forest seldom visited by rangers or wardens Mir Prochaska is at a loss to determine how the animals dled as the investigation by Supervisor Hoyt failed to determine the cause or
 death after an investigation. Some of the teeth were taken from the elk | only recently.
 l Supervisor Hoyt's letter to the dis | trict forester and forwarded to Mr.
 Prochaska follows:
 DistrictN Forester,
 Albuquerque, N. M.
 l Dear Sir:
 l Ranger Baldwin reported last night
 by telephone that he had found seven 1 dead elk four bulls and three cows, all grown animals and was told of l two others, These animals are on l the west side of Wilkins Draw be- l tween there and Leonard Canyon 1 and presumably were all killed last I fall some time or early winter. They l were not found this spring until the l carcasses were in such state of de
 composition to render any consistent I examination for wounds impossible He reported that all the carcasses
 had been more or less eaten and thal
 as near as he could judge had nol
 been torn or wounded along the back !. The examination, however. was no
 sufficient to definitely deterCline thi;
 fact. A great many mountain lion'
 have been taken this winter an(
 spring in that immediate vicinity bu
 my experience of the past and tha | of others who have reported killing! by mountain lions leads me to believ' that the mountain lion captures it prey by springing on top of the ami
 maj and that its main teeth and clay holds are on the upper part of tn | animal with frequently throat hol . along the under part of the neck - We have heard of one or two lob , wolves on the forest this winter an the lacerated hams of some of the. ef
 carcasses would indicate that pos SlDly NOlNeS nsld SOfneInlfS tO q U Sxith the killing although ii is know !, that the mountain lion almost invar iably eats out the rounds of animal
 killed by them and the hams of thes : elk may have been eaten after the were brought down. It is difficu . for me to believe. however. that vii animals would have killed so man - elk in so close proximity to eac e other and I am wondering if it possible that some other agency. sue $ as poison, may have caused tf u deaths.
 e Baldwin reports that the carcasst
 found all indicate that the anima e were in very good shape. in fa' Ie actually fat, when death occurred Q. He also states that the tusks of a '- the elk seen by him had been r' g moved but states that George Wis i'd gins informed him that when he fir s- found the elk all teeth were intac L. Baldwin also states that there a le indica tions that at least some of u te teeth were taken only recently. Te have not reported this matter q re rectly to the state game warden al D. do not know the name of any loc of warden in Coconino county.
 is Very truly yours,
 re (Sigd.) G. D. HOYT, re Forest Supervisor.