The Western news. [volume] (Libby, Mont.) 1933-current, 1949-07-21
Montono Fish and
Come Department
News Report

OF counties selling the most
hunting and fishing licenses, Flat
head heads the list in '48 as it did
in 1947. The big six rank as fol-
lows Flathead, Cascade, Gallatin,
Yellowstone, Missoula, and Silver
Bow. These counties accounted for
81 per cent of the total license
sales
Cas- ade COUNTY leads in Resident
Bird and Fish licenses with 1904.
Flathead selling 1907 takes the
honor for Resident Big-Game Ii
censes. Gallatin County sold S.
Alb Tourist Fishing licenses and 877
Non Resident Fishing licenses to
well out do the other counties in
this category. Beaverhead County
ranks second for nonresident fish
ermen.
Comparing the l948 license sales
with l947. the trend towards in
creased hunting and fishing pres
sure continued. For all six types
of licenses, the l948 sales were
greater than 1947. In l941, total
of 235, 919 licenses were sold while
in 1948 the total increased to 1885,
206. The Nonresident licenses for
both hunting and fishing show the
greatest per cent of increase. Over
six per cent more Montanans bought
licenses in 1913.
Elks Get Earmarkers
Elk in Montana find privacy a
premium when the prying eyes of
the Fish and Game Department
look for the answers to some of
their management problems. In the
Gallatin drainage fifty-one newly
born elk are now equipped with
specially designed plastic ear tags.
Visible for a considerable distance,
the tags allow individual identifi-
cation. BY combinations of colors
the elk in effect carry license plates
indicating the exact locality where
they were born. Constant obSerVa-
ton of these tagged elk by Joe
Gaab, supervisor of the project, and
by Don Johnson, an advanced Wild
life student at Montana State Col
lege, will shed light on a number
of management questions
Intermingling of the Gallatin and
Northern Yellowstone elk herds has
long plagued the Department. Pro-
per management Of these herds de-
ponds upon KNOWING the migration
patterns which is the major objec
tive of this program. BY living
with the elk, other pertinent in
formation will be gathered. Facts
about coyote and bear probation
on elk calves are already accumu-
lating, Hoping that the tags will
serve satisfactorily for three years,
significant changes in habits as the
elk grow older, will be recorded by
continual observation. This tyne of
ear tagging allows much closer
checking than those used on this
area for the past several wears.
The latest technique in the diff
ficult task of locating calf elk for
tagging involves initiating the cry
of the young elk. When this bleat
is initiated properly. the mother elk
will indicate the location of her
calf which makes it easier to find.
Cow elk instinctively hide their Off
spring where they are very diff
cult to spot.
In addition to the tagged elk in
the Gallatin, twenty-six calves have
recently been marked in the north
west corner of Yellowstone Park
by the conventional metal ear tag.
Calling for special agility, the crew
has ear tagged two young moose.
This task is often a delicate zig
and gag proposition, because COW
moose do not often allow handling
of their young without putting up
a serious objection.