Great Falls tribune., 1922-04-22
CAME WARDEN SAVES
NAR00NED MOOSE
FROM STARVATION
Pair Cut Off by Deep Snow
Feed on Brush Cut
by Rescuers.
Special to The Tribune.

SpCCldl 10 1HC lT1OuuP.
Kalispell, April 21.--Wel' toward the
North Folk country, cow moose end
big husky yearling bull. cut off from
the main herd probably by blizzard,
battled through the long winter months
for bare subsistence and would have
probably succumbed and fallen ready
prey to wolves or coyotes but Cor the
efforts of two men from Columbia Falls
and Deputy Game Warden Archie
O'Clair. -
This region lies in what is locally
known as snow belt and the unusual
fall, together with the steep banks of
the canyon, served effectua1ly to pre-
vent their either Joining the herd, which
usually yards" well up toward the
Canadian lines, or reaching feeding
ground adequate for their needs.
north fork and in late years have taken
to ranging well to the south Of their
original feeding grounds. This pair,
ranging for feed late in the fall, or pos
sibly chased by a band of coyotes, evil
IDENTIFY took refuge in the gorge of Can
yon creek.
Waited Too Long
Encountering a storm, they may
have kept to the creek bottom for pro-
lection, waiting for it to abate, but it
would appear that they had waited too
long. The last winter, setting in early
with an unusual amount of snow. never
broke until well towards the first of
April and even yet the snow is 80 deep
in this region that travel is impossible.
When first discovered, two men from
Columbia Falls made the trip in on
snow shoes and cut down everything in
toA~ >@- hat
would furnish food. The moose is not
birch, small cottonwood, buckbrush, all
are grist for his mill, and full grown
moose will breast cottonwood tree
Of surprising size, bearing it over with
his weight and walking astride 1t until
the tender tops are within reach, but
unless hard driven by hunger he draws
the line at the resinous trees such as
pine, spruce, hemlock and fir.
Unfortunately, the place where these
animals were marooned was almost de-
void of deciduous trees of any sort and
such as there were grew in inaccessible
locations.
The first relief party chopped down
enough as they supposed to furnish
scant ration until spring, providing
spring came on schedule. But for once
SpTlus IdIleu tO uNE up lp CApCltdtloAc
and when Deputy Game Warden O'Clair
learned of the situation. he and COM
panion started a second relief expedi-
ton.
Snow Five Feet Deep
Going in by the way Of Nine-mile lake
they followed the forest service trail
over the divide into the Canyon creek
bottoms. They found the snow from
five to six feet deep and due to lack
of warm weather so soft that travel,
even on snow shoes. was difficult and
for moose or deer absolutely impossible.
They found the moose almost fam
ished. but still able to travel in the
limited scope Of the creek bottom. They
were gaune as skeletons and appar-
emily so disheartened that they had lost
their hereditary fear of men, permit
ting O'Clair and his companion to APP
proach to within 30 or 40 feet of them.
The adjacent territory was ransacked
for anything that would afford feed
and this was cut down and dragged
within their reach and Deputy O'Clair
is convinced that they will winter, as,
even in their i'll nourished condition,
they are strong enough to repel the at
tacks of marauding animals.
Pictures taken by O'Clair show
that the snow is so deep that it is prac-
tically impossible for the moose to move
outside of the gravel bars adjacent to
the creek and they apparently confine
their travels to the creek bed itself.