Fauna of Union Pass

Fauna of Union Pass. . , Before primitive man discovered this pass between rich hunting grounds native ungulates grazed here during summers, migrating to the river valleys and plains for winters. These high plateaus and mountain meadows then harbored thousands of bison. , Though bison are gone, hundreds of elk (wapiti), mule deer and prong horn antelope summer on Union Pass and in the near vicinity. Bighorn sheep live the year-round on high peaks and plateaus, venturing occasionally to timbered slopes and mountain meadows. Black bear are much in evidence and Lord Grizzly--"Old Ephraim" to mountain men and, in Indian lore, sometimes "Our Brother"-- still occasionally roams the nearby forest and crags. Only the Shiras moose had not yet arrived in the days of the mountain men. having migrated only this far south since about 1870. , Around 1900 the canine teeth of bull elk worth their weight in gold. Northwestern Wyoming, isolated midst an abundance of game, was a favorite base of operations for notorious tusk hunters until early-day game wardens, forest rangers and private citizens combined to drive the outlaws out. , Except for loss of bison and gain of moose, native fauna is much the same as it was in the early days of fur trade. Beaver and trout still inhabit streams. Occasionally an otter may be seen cavorting along stream banks and mink are common to such envious. Pine Martine--their peltry prized next to Siberian Sable and much sought by a later generation of mountain men, porcupines and red squirrels in habit coniferous forests. Marmots and ground squirrels are found in rocky ledges and grassy meadows along with many lesser four-footed denizens. At Union Pass the prehistoric hunter of the most recent recreationist might have seen: ,

"A golden eagle in the sky and , 'Ole Coyote' on the sly." , and thought: , "All snowshoe hares and little blue grouse , has better peel and eye."