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Show Airplane Used to Count Game The past week on the Manti j Forest has been devoted largely to the making of a check on the deer in Twelve Mile Canyon and an airplane count of the elk on the east side of the forest. On the 16, 17, and 18 Orange Olsen of the Regional office, Randall Ran-dall Turpin of the State Fish and Game Department, Ranger Edward Ed-ward Cox and the Supervisor drove into Twelve Mile and walked walk-ed over the low ranges where the deer arc now congregating. A horse was ridden one day to make it possible to get above the animals ani-mals grazing on the higher ranges so as to get an idea as to whether or not most of the country where the deer are located was being covered. During the three days more than 1,000 deer were counted and while the counts may have shown some duplications, it is quite probable (hat a great many deer were missed. We now have a much better idea of the number of deer grazing on that part of the forest than ever before. Due to the deep snow the deer are holding largely at the present time to the south facings in the pinion and juniper type on the lower areas; in fact, there are quite a number of deer down near the town of Mayfield. In looking over the deer west of North Hollow they were driven down on top of the ridge above the roller mill. While counting a bunch of more than sixy the school band practicing in the schoolhouse could plainly be heard The deer were in fair condition and if favorable weather follows should winter without any heavy losses. There were few tracks of predatory animals observed, however, how-ever, on the second day Ranger Cox ran onto a fresh lion track up above the forks of the canyon and quite a number of coyote tracks were also observed in the North Hollow country. On February 19 and 20, Messrs. Olsen and Turpin again visited the Manti by airplane. Vern Carter Car-ter of the Utah Pacific Airways Company in a Curtis-Robin plane flew over most of the Manti Vor-est Vor-est from Upper Joes Valley south to Quitchupah on the i-ast side ol the range. The total count of elk by plane was approximately 500 head, of these 120 were on the North Horn. 183 on the South Horn, 3 head on the south end of Trail Mountain, 42 in the Black Dragon, 40 in the Kitchen (in 2 bunches) and most of the others were found between Ferron Creek and the Muddy. Two flights were made from the landing field west of Ephraim. On the morning flight the air was solid and the men reported a very pleasant trip. In the afternoon, however, the air was somewhat treacherous and it was necessary to fly rather high. It was also difficult to visit the rough areas immediately north and west of Emery where the elk are reported at this time to be wintering. According to the fliers bulls are fairly numerous In all j the bunches seen so that there is I no question but what we have plenty for another hunt this coming com-ing fall. Fliers Find Marooned Livestock During the flight the fliers discovered dis-covered a bunch of approximately 100 sheep that were marooned on the long point east of the Cap of I the Horn. From appearances I they have found it 'difficult to keep out of the deep snow and 1 find sufficient feed on which to subsist. There were both bells U and blacks in the bunch and elk I were grazing near them. The sheep are supposed to belong to ) stockmen from Castle Dale and Orangeville and they will make an effort to get them one of these first days. The fliers also discovered dis-covered two bands of horses, one of 9, and one of 4 on the south of 3 (he Muddy below Horse Creek The sheep had the appearance of l' bein; in por.r condition, however, the horses were able to trot when U frightened by the plane. Deer in Fields at Fairview ,i Ranger Overtoil reports that , because of cteep snow the deei have been forced down into the 2 foothills near Fairview. One bunch is iinwing down on the Sanpltch River, while the others are grazing wherever feed can be found in the low foothills in the j pinion and juniper country. More Elk 3, Unofficial reports reaching this office are to the effect that a num ber of elk have recently been seen j, on the low range east of the Den-, Den-, mark Cedars south of Spring it City. This report will be investi-" investi-" gated and may possibly offer a reason as to why no more elk JJ' were counted by the airplane than reported above. Ranire Improvements Planned On Saturday, February 20, slx-ty-seven water troughs arrived at jj( Ephraim from the W. E. Newman and Sons Company at Ogden. These troughs will be installed as soon as weather conditions permit per-mit on various projects throughout through-out the forest. OMest Manti Stock Association The Lake Shore Cattlemen's Jfl Asrociatlon if Spanish Fork and Lake Shore is cue of the oldest recognized livestock associations grazing on the Manti Forest. It was organized in 1907, the consti- tuticn providing that the life of the association was to be twenty-five twenty-five years. At their annual meeting meet-ing last month a committee was appointed to draw up a new constitution con-stitution and by-laws and later a general meeting will be held to effect ef-fect a new organization. Two of the framers of the original constitution con-stitution were present at the annual an-nual meeting and were made mem bers of the committee arranging for reorganization. Fish and Game Notes The Annual Fish & Game Report Re-port for the Manti National Forest For-est for the year 1931 shows a healthy increase in ail big game animals including bear. Unfortunately, Unfortu-nately, coyotes, bobcats and moun tain lions have also increased in numbers. According to the ranger reports there are 134 bear, 1350 coyotes, 610 bobcats and 126 mountain lions on the Manti Forest. For-est. (There may possibly be some dupliation in th estimates.) During Dur-ing the past year 585 coyotes, 21 mountain lions, 171 bobcats, 3 bear and 999 porcupines have been destroyed by Biological Survey Sur-vey hunters, local hunters and forest for-est officers. These reports show foxes, martin, mink, beaver, badgers bad-gers and ermine on a number of the districts. During the past hunting season, 3975 hunters hunted hunt-ed deer on the Manti Forest. The total kill of big game as reported was 1004 deer and 27 elk. Predatory Pre-datory animals killed 256 deer and 19 elk during the year according to the rangers' reports. A number of the California hunters, seeing the large number of bucks remaining after the deer hunt, have expressed themselves as planning to come to the Manti next fall to hunt deer. Between 150,000 and 160,000 trout fingerlings from the Federal Hatchery at Springville have been planted in streams and lakes with in this forest during the season. Ihe State Fish and Game Department Depart-ment have also furnished more than a quarter of a million trout fingerlings for planting in the streams and waters within the Manti Forest, and in Scofeld Reservoir Re-servoir and Spring Creek outside the forest. Rodent Control For 1931 R. Scott Zimmerman, Leader of Rodent Control, has recently reported re-ported that during the months of June and July 1931, his department depart-ment distributed 5390 pounds of poisen grain within the Manti Forest in their campaign against ground squirrels and that 23,300 acres were treated with this grain at a total cost of $1453.90. In addition to the work above referred re-ferred to, local forest officers secured se-cured poison grain from Mr. Zim merman's department and distributed dis-tributed the same over those areas 'vilhin the forest on whih ground squirrels were most numerous outside the areas treated by Mr. Zimmerman's crews. An improve-nent improve-nent in range conditions on the areas treated will no doubt be ividenced this comng year. How Many Trout Should A Stream Support? The following information on the stocking of streams may be of interest in-terest to fishermen and ethers: "What is an ideal capacity for a well-stocked trout stream? Who can say? Here is a bit of information informa-tion on the subject: 540 trout, ot taking length, per mile for every ten-foot width of stream. Studies have indiated (how much guess entered into the indication cannot be i-aid) that stream capacity ranges ran-ges up to 1500 trout per mile of water ten feet wide and down to 200. Below 200 the stocking is considered very unsatisfa.y Northern Region News Snow Measurements Ranger OUerton reports that his son, Roldo, accompanied by another an-other young man from Fairview had returned on February 12 from shoveling the sncw off the roof of the Mammoth R. S. In ten measurements taken in the Mammoth Mam-moth pasture. 100 feet apart, the fnow averaged 70 inches deep with a water content of 21.4 inches. In fourteen measurements taken ac ross the top, the snow averaged 81 inches in depth. On the east side if the divide, the snow was 90 inches in-ches deep and on the west side (he minimum depth measured was 70 inches. Considerable diffculty was experienced on the top of the mountain in measuring the water content because of ice forming in the tube. Seven of these measure ments gave an average of 22.4 inches in-ches of water. In going up the cr.nyon to meet the boys, Ranger Ollerton report-?d report-?d counting 16 head of deer in the foot hills east of Fairview. Upon his return they counted a total of 56 deer in tho tame locality. One of the nearby residents reported finding a dead fawn near the creek above the power plant that had, from all appearances, been killed by coyotef whicn are now very numerous in thy locality ,vherc the deer are wintering. Game Count Orange Olsen, in charge of Game Studies in the Regional Office, Of-fice, and Randall Turpin of the State Fish and Game Department are counting deer in Twelve Mile Canyon today. February 16 Supervisor Su-pervisor Humphrey and Ranger Cox accompanied them. An effort is also being made to induce lecal portsmcn to accompany the party for one day at least. |