Plentywood herald., 1928-04-20
Private Game Reserve
Inn Belt Mountains Has
Been Stocked With ELK

and curious spectators. Three movie
outfits had sought and been refused ad-
mittance. Everything was moving
quitely according to schedule, and the
elk were drifting through the loading
chutes, when there was a sudden rush,
and clash Of horns, and struggling
mass of elk began piling up against one
side of the corral. A small boy, un-
noticed by the lookouts, and had come
trudging across the snow from a distant
farmhouse. He came up to the pens
from the most inaccessible place inn
aginable, and had climbed the eight
foot fence before any one could inter-
fere. Evidently he realized what he had
done, for by the time the riders were
ready to give their attention to him he
was tiny black speck in the snow,
mile away.
Rounded Up In Fish Hook Traps
Ten experienced riders working in
relays with 16 horses made the January
roundup of elk on the Bison range,
Elk are always drifted from foothills
towards higher ground, because they
naturally seek the mountains when dis
turbed. To facilitate the drive, two five
mile fences were built, converging at
the summit of the range. series Of
fish-hook traps, a quarter of mile a.
part, kept the elk from turning back to-
ward lower ground A second series OF
traps led the animals to the collecting
pens Eleven elk were taken the first
day and more than 400 the second day
of the drive. The work was done almost
without mishap except for the adven-
ture of the small boy. One driver was
hurt when his horse fell with him, and
a truck with Grated elk overturned on
two occasions. Drivers had been in
tod 20 Hail, oil ir11r1
diately in case of accident. In both
cases the crates fell with their gates ex-
posed, SO there was no difficulty in re-
leasing the animals. None was injured.
There has been much speculation as
to what Mr.. DuRand intends to do with
| his elk now that he has them. Stock
men chuckle and tell him there will be
an informal open season on elk If they
| get off their range. Mr.. DuRand believes
| his eight-foot woven wire fence will hold
| them. Fencing Is not finished on the
230-acre tract that constitutes the elk
range, but the work is under way. He
belives the backing he is getting should
hold his critics. Certain members of the
Old Colony club of New York are inter-
ested in the venture and Mr.. DuRand
expresses his appreciation of the assis-
tance given him by DR.. Rinehart and
Mrs. Mary Roberts Rinehart, whose in
terest in the west is we'll known. Senator
Walsh, also. has been most helpful In
furthering his plans.
To Get Bison and Reindeer
Mr. DuRand claims that his project
is unique. He is establishing an expert
ment station for the study not alone
/ OF elk, but Of bison, deer and other wild
game animals. He has already purchased
bison from the range; has arranged with
Carl Loman of Nome, Alaska for the
shipment Of reindeer, and has arranged
for the delivery to him of two pairs Of
mountain goats and two of mountain
sheep. He expects to introduce pheas-
ants and other game birds, and make
his ranch a breeding and resting place
for migratory and domestic game birds.
He does not wish to emphasize the COM
mercial side of his venture, since 1t Is
primarily sportsmens undertaking.
But he believes when the elk are freed
from the adverse effects of inbreeding, o
herd may easily become commercially
profitable. For this reason he wanted
only females and fawns from Montana
stock, with bulls from other states or
Canada. He intends eventually to keep
complete records. At no time does he
contemplate the slaughter of anything
except surplus males
High Percentage of Meat
He cites numerous facts OF commercial
interest Elk yield a heavier percentage
Of dressed meat than cattle, because Of
their smaller bones. An adult male elk
weighs from 700 to 1000 pounds; fe-
male from 600 to 700 pounds. Elk are
more prolific than cattle. When the herd
is not inbred, there is high percentage
Of twins. They are amost immune to
disease, are hardy, and, subsist on
coarser browse than cattle. A flourish
ing herd offers commercial possibilities
in meat (there is growing hospital de-
mand for venison) byproducts, especially
leather, harness animals for advertising
purposes stock for ZOOS, circuses and pri-
vate preserves and animals for stocking
government preserves. Reindeer. too. are
In growing demand for holiday use, and
Mr. DuRand wants to be the man that
puts them on the market.