The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1941-09-04
Moy Again Have
Greet Abundance
Of WiIdIife

dVeI Sl6dilltls WciS euii ne
mes up and down the Missouri
Ever, the rolling prairles OF Mon
tina had SO much wildlife that even
Baron Munchausen wouldn't believe
It.
But pioneer guns turned the pral-
ne into a wildlife graveyard, and
Wihlife disappeared Now, thanks
TO z group Of u. S. and State agen-
cies, scores of species of wild birds
and mammals again may live on an
area that formerly teemed with den
liens OF forest, field, and stream.
Early settlers living near the juno
tion of the Musselshell and Missouri
rivers thought nothing of taking
their muzzle- loading rifles and go
ing out to bag buffalo. elk, grizzly
bear, and antelope.
For diversion, they might bring
down a wolf, fox. or perhaps
mule or while-tailed deer The bet
ter shots rode through the Billie
Creek or He'll Greek areas to stalk
an Audubon bighorn sheep.
Those were the days Of plenty
game and fur animals, sharp-tailed
grouse. and sage hens. These AMI
mails were there for any man who
could draw a bead and hit his mark.
And then the old story OF deple-
ton repeated itself on the Montana
prairie as it did elsewhere.
The river steamers disappeared
from the Missouri above the juno
ton of Musselshell river, and the
buffalo. bear. elk. wolf, and noun
tain sheep moved on to areas where
hunting pressure was less. Except
the Audubon mountain sheep. That
animal became paragraph IN his
tory. on the page of extinct ANIMALS.
Now outdoor enthusiasts are
watching what they hopefully ex-
pect will be another Twentieth
Century miracle" in Wildlife con-
servation. Within the next decade,
wildlife on the rolling prairies may
be abundant once more. Things Will
be like they were in the sold days,
except that the extinct Audubon
sheep will be replaced by other spe-
cies of mountain sheep, and hunt
ers' guns will be used judiciously.
The rejuvenation of the Montana
prairies above and below the Mis-
souri-Musselshell Rivers junction
began when the Engineers Corps Of
the u. S. Army impounded the Mis-
souri, River waters with huge
earth dam.
The waters of the Missouri ane
even the Musselshell backed up Il
form a huge reservoir. The For
Peck Dam in northeastern Montan;
started a conservation boom.
Second Largest Refuge in U. S.
Federal agencies moved in ant
the cooperative conservation move
ment began. Today, the Fort Pee
area is administered cooperatlvel
by the U. S. Army Engineers, VIII
manage the flood-control and navi
CATION problems. the Grazing Serv
ice. which attends to grazing lands
and the Fish and Wildlife Service
Of the United States Department 0
the Interior, which, with the co
operation Of the Montana Fish AM
Game Commission, administers tn
area as a game refuge.
The Wildlife restoration projec
is HOW uIlUcI way Will tiiC cCtlAii
aside of some $4,000 acres of tn
Fort Peck Dam area as a nationa
wildhfe refuge, the Fort Peck Gam
Range.
Second largest national Wildlif
refuge in the United States, the For
Peck Game Range is 81 miles lon
and 4 to 20 miles wide 1t goe
through six counties Valley, Fergus
Garfield, Petroleum, Phillips, AM
Mccone The largest refuge in tn
United States is the Desert Gam
Range, 1000, 000-acre area in Ne
vada
This place has great possibili
ties declared Albert Van S. Pull
ing, manager of the Fort Peck Gam
Range, 1Wildlife once flourishe
here. and we hope to make it a
abundant as it once was. We wi
have to reintroduce some of the spe
cies that have been extirpated an
then manage the area on scien
tific basis. But it can be done.
Mr.. Pulling believes the Fort Pee
Game Range will soon abound wit
Wildlife. Mule deer already ar
abundant throughout the more rug
ged portions of the area. Plain
white tailed deer, however, are lin
tied to the bottom lands in the uI
per stretches of the refuge.
Though elk no longer are foun
on the game range, suitable habitf
for these big game animals is foun
on the western end of the area.
The last mountain sheep was taxi
en- out of this country about 20 year
ago, but it is still good mountai
sheep country, the refuge manage
declared, recommending that mour
. tain sheep be introduced into som
sections of the wildlife refuge.
i, The Hungarian partridge, an e,
otto game bird introduced into Nor
tana years ago, is abundant and ir
creasing rapidly.
Another popular game bird tn;
will be benefited by the manag,
ment OF the area as Nildlife re
y wye will be the prairie sharp-taile
grouse. There are not many grou:
on the Fort Peck Game Range no
but, since this is in the true rams
OF that prairie game bird, the POI