Gunnison news-champion., 1923-02-23
Thinks Sheep Do not
Drive Out Game
Editor S-gs-ChampiOn,
GlHus son. Colo,

Dear sly
note IN your paper Of Feb. 10, al
article dated Feb. s. 1923 IN regards
o. domestic sheep on the high ranges.
f terminating the deer, elk. and other
gaua. would Ike TO submit : few
q ny obs, N sItIons IN the last p year,
! u residence and range work for the
haep and cattle industries. / VAS
i ,s.th the first herd Of sheep that went
20 Iae Cneou p1hgTe Peak district BE-
H fore that -ectIgu was ever put into the
. Ea-ouzl Forest Also, | piloted the
hrt bglEh Of sheep on the north sids
of the 5uuUIaou Tyer 10 their all0t-
msH-a q, the head waters Of Soap
creek and that territory. have hunt
. ed game for p years in GunHis0u Co,
.a al a.utudes. would ike 70 ask
the der hunters in the state OF Colo
RADIO. how many deer and elk they have
ever killed above timber line
can prove % any one, that the over
gr-ung OF live stock on any range will
sIte-IuInate the zane aud Wild fowl,
the same as civilization did away with
the Buffalo and Antelope OF the plains.
. / admit that on south side Of Lake Fork
the game has been badly scattered and
. practically gone. from the over graz
IEg Of live stock: cattle, sheep, etc
can show you the same conditions on
the north side of the river, caused by
the over grazing of cattle.
am trying to feed a small bunch
II elk At the present time within three
miles Of Sapinoro, because their win
ter range was grubbcd by live stock
where sheep is not permitted.
| have been in the employe of the
government the last two years. con-
structIng trails on the north side of
/ the river, consequently | see a good
many things and meet a good many
campers and tourists. etc. find that
7 that 90 per cent of them have fire arms
/ Of large caliber. In two days, while
| was camped on the head waters OF
Curecanu Creek there were % people
went by and most of them had large
guns.
Time August LIST. What open sea
son on large game is there ut that
umc7 What is the last record of q
man being attacked by n bear, lion
or elephant in the state of Colorado
Why the Big Cum
| saw in August 1921 on the head
Of Soap creek, wild or tame meat
packed by my camp. The men carried
large caliber rifles. | have noted
numbers Of instances where game was
killed out of season. Some for food
some for heads. tusheS and trapping
Of beaver. Also | have heard the old
timers speak Of the sage hens in the
eighties and early ninties saying when
they would fly from their roosting
places, above Normal hill they would
almost darken the sun. in the fall of
the year. Whether this is SO or not
! viii leave II to the old timers.
worked on the Blue Mesa 25 years ago
and have seen 500 in flock in the
fall OF the year, and | feel that their
determination is due to game hogs
and the man who liked to see them fall
and never pick them up.
] notice from past observations
and talks ! have had with the pioneer
settlers, that the deer and game in
general used to winter in droyes in the
North Fork and Muddy countries To-
I day the land is all taken up for agri-
culture and the foothills in pastures
Hence no winter range.
( The rule allowed homesteads TO be
taken in the National Forest areas and
I look up the entries of land brought
under taxation in Gunnison Co., on the
Muddy and tributaries and you viii
J find that civilization has something to
do with the pastunpg of the deer and
elk. Also ! think you viii find very few
domestic sheep grazcd thereon. The
White river district too is considered
all cattle country but the game goes
! just the same. | find here at home
| in winter time numbers of deer that
are killed by coyotes, some by lions.
Thanks TO the Denver Post, feel that
! the National Govt, has done a great
thing TO protect the game in the re-
serve, also, | think they are perfectly
. capable of handling the grazing of
live stock thereon. But if you will
take notice of the fact their junsdic-
ton does not reach but very little of
the winter range for the game. Re-
suits, over grazing by livestock and
home steaders.
Please don't feel that am prejudic-
ed against cattle, that is not the case,
our live stock of Gunnison CO., tops
the worlds markets, sheep and cattle
both, why rob Peter to pay Paul? We
need both for food, clothes, etc. and
to keep our name at the head of the
live stock industry.
Let us do little cooperation.
believe we have S131 900 in the game
and fish fund of the state, that they
are trying to turn in the general fund.
Why not take some of the money and
buy up some winter feeding grounds
| for the game and give them some real
protection? They will have very
good range in the summer time, un-
der protection of the National Forest
l want to thank Mr.. Cowan and the
Forest people and the Denver Post,
for what they are trying to do to pro-
tect the game, but l think the rest of
US could help by not violating game
laws and carrying big guns with US
to keep the bear from eating US up.
want to state that ! know all the
old timers in this neck of the woods
and ! would like to have the gentle
man who wrote the article dated Feb.
q s,aakl;Sh Ii ! l..,s l.