Wild Game in the 40's / Pittman Robertson Tax

Dear Editor

While traveling the highways between Saco and Malta, you can't help but notice all the antelope on the north side of the highway. I was thinking about them, and the game we have now and what I can remember as a boy in the 1940s. There were no deer. There were no antelope. I never saw an antelope where I was raised south of Saco until the late 40s, maybe even 1950.

I have no idea if antelope came down from Canada, in the hard winter of 49 and 50, I know I never saw them, there weren't any deer either. The BLM land in South Valley County was fenced in 1951, up to that time it was open range.

I remember my dad chasing horses out there in the late 40s, and telling about seeing antelope down towards the Missouri River.

My granddad shot the last deer he saw on our home place in South Valley in 1907, and the next deer that was seen there was 1948, the next year, either 1949 0r 1950 the FW&P opened a 3 day season, bucks only. By 1951-52 I got a chance to hunt myself.

By 1955, a hunting license included 1 (general season) elk tag and 2 (general season) deer tags. How did this happen? Why all of a sudden we had game? I believe there was a specific reason for this, and it was when 1080 coyote poison was made legal in 1946.

By 1948, you hardly ever saw a live coyote. You should have rode the range with me in the early 50s. About 100 yards from the bait stations, you could find dead coyotes, that was as far as they made it. We hardly ever saw a live coyote, but you could always find dead ones in the spring.

There were many sheep outfits at that time In Phillips and Valley counties. In South Valley there was the Etchart sheep ranch, Pippin Ranch, Gerspatcher Ranch and others. South Phillips saw the Itcaina Ranch, and Hansen Ranch. North Phillips included the Akien Ranch, the Dunbar ranch and the Austin ranch. I know there were many more, these I can think of off the top of my head.

You were only allowed to put 1080 poison on ranches that wanted it. Practically all sheep men did, many cattlemen didn't. They never got them all as proof shows today, but it did allow the sheep men to flourish and allowed for the return of deer and antelope.

Do I have respect for a coyote? My folks raised sheep, I would love to tell you what I saw coyotes do when I was a boy, and what my folks were doing to try to stop the predators.

Howard Pippin

Saco, Mont.

Pittman Robertson Tax

Thank you Parker Heinlein for your defense of the Pittman Robertson wildlife tax on firearms and ammunition. This has been very important to our hunters, hunting access and our hunter safety programs.

I tried to contact representative Rosendale and voice my displeasure with what he was proposing and he wouldn't accept my email because I'm in the wrong district. I did contact representative Zinke about this matter, and I will do so again.

Thank you,

Howard Pippin

Saco, Mont.