FORTY-FIRST BIENNIAL REPORT 



31 



TABLE 4. ESTIMATED ANTELOPE POPULATION AND RESULTS 



OF HUNTS, 1942-1950 



Year 



Estimated 



antelope 



population 



Number of hunting per- 

 mits issued 



Number of 



antelope 



shot 



Percentage 



of successful 



hunters 



1942 

 1943 

 1944 

 1945 

 1946 

 1947 

 1948 

 1949 

 1950 



3,752 

 5,338 

 6,147 

 4,739 

 2,798 

 3,949 

 3,592 

 4,675 

 3,852 



452 



452 



500 



500 



Hunting season closed 



Hunting season closed 



Hunting season closed 



500 

 No hunting season planned. 



405 

 362 

 322 

 307 



349 



90 

 80 

 64 

 61 



70 



Figure 2. A herd of antelope in a close-up view from a Division of 

 Fisli and Game airplane 



ELK HUNT 



The last special hunting season for reducing the Tule Elk herd in 

 Owens Valley of Inyo County had been held in 1943. That year 75 per- 

 mits were issued by lottery i'or taking 75 bulls. A check of all hunters 

 revealed that 43 bulls were" harvested. Since that time population counts 

 of this elk herd made by aerial surveys showed that the herd had been 

 steadily increasing in numbers. By 1949 cattle ranchers, maintaining 

 that the increase in the elk population was depleting the range, agitated 

 for a hunting season. Consequently, a controlled hunt was held from 

 December 2d through December 11th. A total of 125 permits was issued 



