Show forester speaks to local exchange group speaking on utah ranges livestock and big game mr C N woods regional forester of region 4 told members of the parowan carowan exchange Exclia club at their meeting on monday that utah has more and smaller grazing permits on its forests than any other state ho he stated that on tour four forests of the state namely dixie cache fishlake fishlike Fish lake and monti manti there were 2403 cattle and horse permits and 1072 sheep per mitts and that of the cattle and horse permits issued about 8 88 8 0 were to owners of from one to fo foi 7 ty head he further stated that the permits issued were held by about livestock owners who were unable to get permits for all the animals they owned he went on to say that while drastic reductions have had bad to be made in the number of animals allowed on the forests in the past 20 90 9 0 years that they were still supporting about 90 percent of the animals animal they were at that time ile he also pointed out that game on the for ests had increased during the period stating that the number of deer estimated ti mated on the forests 20 years ago were and that elk were estimated at while the last count revealed that deer had increased to about 10 times that num her ber while elk had increased to seven or eight times that number in speaking of revenue derived from utah national forests mr woods gave figures showing very conclusively that livestock production in the state of utah is still the major industry he pointed out that the value of range livestock in the state was about of which was livestock raised on n the affie forests the value of all the livestock investments including land is valued at 77 of which is owned by the permit tees from these figures ther the estimated value of sheet sheep during 1939 was and cattle at 1510 per head big game says mr wood is another valuable source of revenue for the state and should not be overlooked er in 1939 there were hunting licenses sold in the state about five times as many hunters as rang estock operators license fees collected from nonresident non resident hunters totaled purchasers of these licenses killed a total of deer with a meat value of and elk with a meat value of the total meat value for all games animals killed that year was estimated at and was money brought into the state mr woods went on to point out that the winter range in utah was the weak link in our big game raising chain he showed ta that only a bout 7 V percent of the total area of the state was suitable winter range for big game animals he further pointed out that it was impossible to raise more livestock and game animals than the forage would permit stating that an fn n the past several drouth years it had been necessary to cut grazing permits and to kill off many doe deer about nine tenths of the national forests in the state show no heavy concentration of big game animals mr woods said and if range problems exist it is due to over stocking and not to big game in 1940 21 per cent of the national forests of the state were thrown open to doe killing this was done in oreas areas where deer were becoming concentrated cent rated to the point where animals were daeing from malnutrition end where disease was spreading among them as a result of lack of proper food during the 1940 hunting season doe deer were checked in by hunters and approximately head died of wounds making a total reduction in the herd of head of deer the estimated increase inci ease case ot acer is about head during the year this subtracted from the number killed would make a reduction in the capital stock of doer deer estimated at 58 of between and head bead and would leave about head still on the national forests of the state the only thing to fear in raising big game mr woods said is loss from winter starvation which happens often as only about 30 per cent of the forest lands is suitable winter range for big game mr C 3 olson assistant region al forester of region 4 also spoke briefly to the club lie he said if our youth is to be kept in the state and aad if new money is to be brought in to support them our natural resources must bo be utilized to the very best advantage for their perpetuity I 1 the guests speakers were introduced by mr dlaine blaine bettenson dis brict forest supervisor 0 |