Just now (1912) the American people are sorely puzzled by a remarkable elk problem that each winter is presented for solution in the Jackson Hole country, Wyoming.  Driven southward by the deep snows of winter, the elk thousands that in summer graze and grow fat in the Yellowstone Park march down into Jackson Hole, to find in those valleys less snow and more food.  Now, it happens that the best and most of the former winter grazing grounds of the elk are covered by fenced ranches!  As a result, the elk that strive to winter there, about fifteen thousand head, are each winter threatened with starvation; and during three or four winters of recent date, an aggregate of several thousand calves, weak yearlings and weakened cows perished of hunger.  The winters of 1908, 1909 and 1910 were progressively more and more severe; and 1911 saw about 2500 deaths, (S.N.  Leek).

In 1909-10, the State of Wyoming spent $7,000 for hay, and fed it to the starving elk.  In 1911, Wyoming spent $5,000 more, and appealed to Congress for help.  Thanks to the efforts of Senator Lodge and others, Congress instantly responded with a splendid emergency appropriation of $20,000, partly for the purpose of feeding the elk, and also to meet the cost of transporting elsewhere as many of the elk as it might seem best to move.  The starving of the elk ceased with 1911.

Outdoor Life magazine (Denver, Colo.) for August, 1912, contains an excellent article by Dr. W.B.  Shore, entitled, “Trapping and Shipping Elk.”  I wish I could reprint it entire, for the solid information that it contains.  It gives a clear and comprehensive account of last spring’s operations by the Government and by the state of Montana in capturing and shipping elk from the Yellowstone Park herd, for the double purpose of diminishing the elk surplus in the Park and stocking vacant ranges elsewhere.

The operations were conducted on the same basis as the shipping of cattle—­the corral, the chute, the open car, and the car-load in bulk.  Dr. Shore states that the undertaking was really no more difficult than the shipping of range cattle; but the presence of a considerable proportion of young and tender calves, such as are never handled with beef cattle, led to 8.8 per cent of deaths in transit.  The deaths and the percentage are nothing at which to be surprised, when it is remembered, that the animals had just come through a hard winter, and their natural vitality was at the lowest point of the year.

The following is a condensed summary of the results of the work: 

Number of   Hours on   Killed or    Died After
Destination           Elk       Road      Died in Car  Unloading

1 Car.  Startup, Washington 60:  calves, 94 11 7
                           yearlings
                           and two-year
                           olds
1 " Hamilton, Montana 43:  cows & 30 4 1