, 1922-04-19
NO CAUSE TO WORRY
OVER ELk---WARDEN.
Game Doing Well, Plenty Of
Feed, Few Coyotes, Criticism
Unmerited, Downing Claims !:

have noticed the articles written
by Ned Frost and B. G. Rumsey, and
1t looks like the State of wyoming
and everybody connected with it IL
guilty, therefore these facts.
First. / will admit that / have not
been east to get the official, authen
tic Information on our game situation
out here in Wyoming, but from all
the information l can get by being OF
b ground and from such sources as
the U. s. Biological Survey. which has
been in cooperation with the state,
In their canyass Of the windriver. Du-
bois n Jackson Hole countries, In
v~estigating conditions, during the win
ter. This report by the Biological
Survey will probably be true. regard
less of the political side, and can be
depended upon l mention them be-
cause they are a non-political body.
They found the elk doing very well
in spite OF both Mr.. Frost and Mr..
R1msey, and they looked over prob
ably ten times as many elk as we
have in the entire country from the
Montana line down to Bridger Lake.
I would suggest that Mr.. Frost and
Mr.. Rumsey get a copy Of that report
and see il they can get any informa-
tion that would help our alarming sit
uation.
Speaking of more winter range,
where is 1t to come from? OF course,
! have only been In this state twenty
nine years and can only speak from
my limited experience but I can never
remember such a winter as the last
one. am speaking for such men as
Sam Aldrich regarding last winter.
Now. If u main herds of elk win
tered in good shape this winter. why
should we be alarmed because some
n says they are dying INT starving,
when they are absolutely wrong ex-
cepting n or two instances. For in
stance. one party came to Cody and
said: The elk r starving on Jones
creek; lear walk right up and lay
my hand on them. They are too weak
to get out of my way" What caused
he elk to get caught in the snow up
on Jones creek? I'll answer that
question. Because they did not real
ize they were safe to come down out
of that country. 1t being open to hunt
ing until last fall, and they were afraid
TO show up for being gunned so much
in there formerly. Come on down the
river to where, there are elk and look
into conditions. Are there any elk
starving on Elk Fork? Decidedly no;
we Jumped several punches in this vi
cfnity and never got close enough to
see what kind Of shape they were in.
but poor elk as a rule do o a to
the tops of the mountains in the win
ter time when you just take a look at
them.
Let us go further into this winter
range proposition. Where did the elk
used to winter before during severe
winters? I believe you will find their
winter quarters taken mostly by
homesteaders. Should that be step
ped? Or shall the State buy them
out, SO the elk can winter. just dur
ing severe winters? 1t is granted they
car winter with ease in an ordinary
winter. because none complained last
winter. not even Mr.. Rumsey. l be-
lieve the elk are amply provided for
ordinarily. because have taken pains
TO notice feed conditions the last two
years. and even stockmen have to
taSe a loss during a sever winter. II
the feed is there for them. I don't see
how ANYONE can censure the state nor
the Forest Service nor anyone else
down here because the snow comes
and covers 1t up.
further believe Mr.. Hutton in his
recent article fully covered the e e
situation. not by guess but by facts
SO there is no need going into details