Show Week Shots From f i Weekly The Mountain By Ranger Ranger- LeGrand Olsen The past two weeks were devoted de devoted devoted de- de voted to deer and elk studies For 15 years or more we San peters' peters have referred to the an- an an annual spring ride as ns a n deer count Actually it is a n range examination examination and trend trend study The same area arci is ridden year after year under the same sane condition In In addition to men pen from the Game Dept Bureau of Land Management Management Manage Manage- ment and Forest Service stockmen stockmen stockmen stock stock- men and sports sportsmen en gave freely of their time Nes Nels and Reed rode in inthe inthe inthe the Twelve Mile l area Meade Mcade Squire Ned Madsen l and D Don o n Mackey assisted Cd in the Manti 1 Six Canyon-Six Mile l area cent centI We Ve saw between 30 25 I fewer deer than OHm were tallied a n year ago This was to be expected ex expected expected ex- ex since there were five week-end week hunts follo following the regular season last fall You know there is considerable op opposition opposition opposition op- op position to these special hunts I I People are arc s sincere when whet voicing their fears that the herd willbe will willbe be depleted depicted to the extent that hunting will cease to be a sport I Also Aso private land and owners arc are I. I often looked upon as cranks I Few recognize the seriousness of the depleted depicted condition of the winter deer range When Then a n private private private vate land owner puts in a claim we often forget that state-owned state I animals arc trespassing on private private I vate property My respect goes to the boys in the Game Dept and the big game Board f for o r their courage in taking steps to preserve our our winter deer range in spite of criticism from their neighbors Care must be betaken betaken taken to avoid placing too much I confidence in the trend figures It will require another year or two to make sure sure about our ourI I numbers Thursday and Friday I attended attend attend- ed a n school to learn earn how to measure the amount of forage taken by deer in a n given area Sounds screwy doesn't it But nut believe me I wish all styled self-styled I game experts could have been along It is to be a n big step toward taking the guess work workout workout workout out of this game management The State Stale Game Dept is out in front when it come cone to these studies One of these days they will have the figures to prove their arguments I learned earned also that the state of Utah ranks the highest inper in inper inper per cent successful hunter around around a- a round 80 per cent Approximately Approximately matey hunters were in inthe inthe inthe the field last year What a n business By Dy comparison I re recall recall recall re- re call seeing announcements of 22 per cent successful deer hunters in New Mexico 1 for the year 1950 In Lower Joes Joe's Valley we studied studied studied stu stu- died a plot pot fenced in 1947 Half of it was fenced to exclude deer and livestock and half excluded livestock only The total ex exclusion exclusion exclusion ex- ex area aren was in the poorest condition of all when it comes to holding the soil soH in place So nature intended some use be made of the forage Next week the elk ek situation 0 n |