The Carbon County news. [volume] (Red Lodge, Mont.) 1924-1931, 1929-05-30
ELK TRANSPLANTED BY
HUGE SNOW TRACTORS

Montana sportsmen who have re-
quested cooperation of the State Fish
and Game department in defraying
half the expense in securing carloads
of elk from the National Bison range
at Moiese for distribution in suitable
areas, have been extending every as
sistance to make "the plant" success
fully. While many states are crying
for Montana elk for transplanting
many of the monarchs of the forest
have been sold to be butchered for
meat and be sold to eastern corpora
tions or given to Indians, Those which
have been requested by state clubs of
sportsmen have been moved in the
dead of one of the hardest winters in
the history of the state, Sportsmen
have demonstrated their sportsman
ship.
One of the most interesting incl
dents of the transfer of shipment of
these elk is explained in the weekly
report of Allen 7. Holmes, deputy
state game warden stationed at Bill
lings, who assisted in unloading and
llberating the consignment for the Red
Lodge club. They constructed huge
sled, hauled it into the hills with the
aid of caterpillar engine and only
three elk were lost.
But let Deputy Holmes tell the story
in his own words:
"John L. Corey furnished the sled
and caterpillar to haul the elk. The
crate was built on a sled, and was
made of poles about eight inches at
butt, about six inches at top, and
eighteen feet long. 1t was six feet
wide and about seven feet deep, with
poles beveled off for the floor. Then
they had about foot and one-half of
hay in the bottom. The upright pieces
were pine and about twelve to fifteen
inches through. There were four of
these. The poles were spiked at ends
and to the upright pieces and the rear
end was fixed so that poles could 60
through when the elk were loaded.
We used one-hy-twelve-inch boards,
eighteen feet long, and nailed them to
the poles on the inside so that the elk
could not get their feet through the
cracks between the poles, four feet
1lgh. One COW elk was down in the !
,ar when we opened it and she had |
oeen trampled quite a bit. The hair
IN her left side was about half off.
md left her skin bare. They showed |
light from the start.
ut was four and one-half miles from (
Red Lodge to the mouth of Nichols
reek where we turned the elk loose,
md the Red Lodge Rod and Gun club
lad Is bales of timothy hay scattered
here but the elk did not stop to look
It the hay. They went up on the side
i the mountain and stopped and look
d around. Then some of them started
0 browse and didn't seem to be afraid. i
When we got up with the last load
wo stood around close to the back
nd OF the sleigh. Then we went up
ne creek to where one COW was in the
now up to her belly. We got her out
n bare ground. The COW that had
ne hair off her left side was in the
reek dead. We pulled her out of the
reek and out of the way. Then we
ut some hay where this other COW
ould eat it. Another COW in the first
'ad looked as though she had the
lstemper.
when we came back to the sleigh
ne bull was still there, so we threw :
at the hay in the bottom of the 9
elgh. He started to eat some of the
ay and was standing there when we !
ent out of sight. Outside of the three
have mentioned think the others ,
III make it all right, after a few
lys OF sunshine and a little rest. '
hey will get over their soreness and =
icitement from being penned up. \
ne elk did we'll for wild animals not : !,
ing used to being hauled bv man. = =
nned up and shipped by rail, then : :
lyen and loaded into huge sleighs :"
ID hauled four and one-half miles by 8.
caterpillar tractor over a snow road
e to six feet Deep Montana Wild
fe.