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Show Stockmen and Sportsmen Discuss Game Problems Discussing ways and means of control con-trol of big game and selecting a committee com-mittee of two to' aid in obtaining a comparatively accurate check on the number of deer and elk ranging in the Twelve-Mile district of the Manti forest, constituted the major portion of the business handled at the special meeting at the city hall Saturday evening. The purpose of the meeting was to get the joint views of the stockmen and sportsmen of the vicinity as to what should be done about the range situation in this district. dis-trict. 0 A. Olsen of the forest service, gave) some interesting facts on the habits of - deer and their relation to human welfare from the angle of recreation rec-reation and also from the standpoint of economic value. Mr. Olsen stated that the forest service and the game commission, heretofore, knew7 but very little as to the habits of "big game" animals and that now they were beginning be-ginning to see where it would be necessary to obtain some first-hand knowledge, as it had become apparent that the range was not in as good a shape as it should be, under the present pres-ent conditions, and it was very, important impor-tant that facts be known as to whe- stoekmen and sportsmen of the state get together and, if necessary, form a joint organization to aid and give suggestions as to the handling of the game situation. The topic was thrown open for discussion dis-cussion and it was apparent that there was immediate need of action. The stockmen pointed out that there were parts of the range that there was no doubt that damage had been done by deer. Most of the damage, however, has been noted on the early ranges, or the districts where the deer have a habit of wintering, as they run in large herds in the winter and have a tendency to migrate to certain cer-tain sections and spend the major portion of the winter there. As suggested by the state game commission and the forest service it was decided that representatives of the local club and stockmen would be appointed to go with the officers and to endeavor to obtain a comparatively accurate count of the deer and to help in outlining some plan for handling. John Baxter and R. A. Fjeldsted of Centerfield were named. The meeting was in charge of Dr. J. A. Hagan and in spite of the fact that attendance was not the best a great deal of interest was shown.. ther it was the deer that were causing the damage or the ranges being over-1 stocked. He said that the only tests as to the class of food the deer consumed con-sumed were taken from deer killed in the Kiabab forest a short time ago and that from these tests it was decided de-cided that grass made up a veiy small amount cf the deer's ration. These tests showed no sign of any grass consumed, but knowing that they did eat grass, w-hen it . was in the early stages of growth especially, the supposition was that the grass, having a large content of water, had already partly digested, but it was proved by .these tests that there were many other classes of plant life that were also very palatable to' the deer. R. L. Turpin, state fish and game commissioner for Sanpete county, w-as the next speaker and he pointed out that there was some complaint from the stockmen that deer and ' other types of big game wrere becoming too numerous and had made their pleas so insistent that there was need for immediate and consistent action on the part of the fish and game commission com-mission to determine the actual material ma-terial effect that this class of game has on the ranges. He stated that there were some portions of the state that were undoubtedly over-stocked with big game and that there were also portions where there was an actual ac-tual shortage, of big game. He gave a short history of the effect the license li-cense and "buck" law has had on the deer in the state and said the commission com-mission had believed that they had the matter under control, but since the inauguration of the buck law, deer had increased in numbers so rapidly that now it was a problem as to how to handle the surplus in some parts of the state. Mr. Turpin urged that |