The Bozeman courier. (Bozeman, Mont.) 1919-1954, 1926-08-13

FaFk are TINS summer putting up
1000 tons or more Of hay with
which to feed the park herd Of
deer elk, antelope and buffalo dur
ing the winter.
Each year the lOwlands along the
Lamar and Gardiner rivers and their
tributaries are harvested Of rich
timothy, clover and natural hay.
Along Slough creek, at Yancey's old
place, nea the Buffalo ranch in the
Lamar valley and at the north en-
trance to the park at Gardiner the
rangers work, gathering a thousand
tons or mOr of hay.
Meanwhile the tourists pass
through the zoe by the
middle Of July and coming at the
rate Of $4,000 or more each day. In
their travels over the Grand LOop
road of nearly 200 miles many ami
mails are seen, particularly the bears.
But realization of the cOnservationist
work responsible for the abundance
Of wild life in the Yellowstone is
not always forthcoming.
Take Lesson From Buffalo
The tragic story of the American
buffalo or bison, is well known.
Thanks to the Untiring efforts Of the
park service, Yellowstone boasts Of
one Of the few large herds of these
animals in the United States. There
are two buffalo herds of these ami
mails N the the park, one that is
cared for by winter feeding consist
ing of approximately 500 head, and
the other a band of 125 that rOams
free and without are the year
around in the eastern wilderness Of
the park.
A story similar to the buffalo's has
? been very nearly true of the antelope
and elk in this country. OF elk,
. possibly 100000 head remain. 40
n per cent of them in the Yellowstone
? National park.
$ Winter feeding is resorted to with
the elk after deep SHOWS have COW
t cred the available natural hay. With
> elk, and likewise with antelope, the
a topography of the Yellowstone park
creates the winter problem. The
= park is much like a huge plateau as
y big as the states of Rhode Island
+ and Delaware, higher than the sur
It rounding land and circled by noun
= tains. The heavy winter SHOWS force
e the animals down the river valleys
from the plateau into lower country
where grazing may be found. Here
they are unprotected from predatory
i animals and other dangers, hence it
h is to their advantage to be kept in
y the park by feeding.
While the elk range is almost ev-
cry section Of the park, usually well
back from the road during the sum-
mer, the antelope are found almost
entirely in the northern portion Of
the Yellowstone. The number about
600 and an increase of possibly $50
kids took place this year, the most
favorable for wild life in the park
records.
y The deer are in Yellowstone in
large numbers, nearly 1000 of the
mule" or black-tailed variety and
a few of the White-tailed species.
ID They also take advantage of the win
e" ter feeding, and each year when the
N SHOWS are deep on the ground e
small band c-Ongregates about the
settlement at Mammoth Hot springs,
re begging their food from the rangers
ce and others living there.
s Moose Increasing
4, Park officials are happy over the
a recent marked increase in numbers
~ of the Yellowstone moose An ad-
he ded delight is that these wary anil
tie mails ,frequenters of the swamps and
timber lands, are being seen by the
no summer tourists from the auto roads.
ne Not far from Mammoth an old COW
I'd moose with twin. calves has been not
y; ed along the road to Old Faithful
he time and again this summer The
pc rangers estimate 525 mOOs in Vel
M lOWstOne.
Ire Few who have followed the auto
road to the summit Of Mount Wash
NJ me- burn this year have missed the band
ne of bighOrn sheep in the that vicinity
tn There are 600 mountain sheep scat
no tered through the park in the high
IRE places.
he Everyone who ever came to Vel
ne lOwstOne and a good many who have
ed not, know Of the bears-the friend
" gluttOns that even resort to high
on way robbery of tourists for food
nm They hibernate in the winter ant
will eat anything during the sum
lot mer. The bear feeding grounds nea
the four big hotels are always tn
Ike centers Of attraction for tourists
in The Yellowstone brown bear numbe
W 200 and grizzlies IS.
Of The predatory animals-cOyOte
mountain lions and WOlf-must b
e. carefully kept few in number. Tn
a. Park service has no intention @
rem completely discriminating these an.
mails, but by trapping and shoot
ing during the winter maintains
small percentage Of coyotes an
mountain lions in the park. Othel
iml wise the carefully protected big gam
20 herds would furnish means for thel
predatory animals TO increase ar
Eventually exterminate all the other
IDS Wolves are noted in the park IrOt
Gu time to time, migrating in and Of
luE of the region. A few lynx exist.