STATUS OF THE PROISTGHORNED ANTELOPE, 1922-1924 17 



to concentrate and care for the young animals when captured and to 

 raise them on the bottle. 



This new plan of operations was submitted to the donors of the 

 fund and heartily approved. Its practical execution was placed in 

 the hands of E. R. Sans of the Biological Survey. 



Forty newly born fawns were captured in the spring of 1924 by 

 Mr. Sans, and all but a small number were safely reared during the 

 summer and distributed in fall, as detailed below. 



The outcome of this experiment has been the placing of 12 ante- 

 lope in Hermit Basin, in the Grand Canyon National Park, Ariz., 

 where it is hoped they may thrive and increase so as to give pleasure 

 to many thousands of visitors during the coming years. (PI. V, fig. 

 2. ) Ten of the young antelope were placed on the Niobrara reserva- 

 tion, near Valentine, Nebr., 9 on the National Bison Range, in west- 

 ern Montana, for the purpose of attempting to build up herds of 

 these animals on both of these Federal game refuges, and 2 in the 

 city park at Reno, Nev. 



It is obvious that, following Mr. Sans's methods, the capture of 

 yoimg antelope would be perfectly simple in southeastern Oregon, 

 in various parts of Wyoming, and in other districts where consid- 

 erable numbers of these animals still exist, especially in areas like 

 the Greybull River section of Wyoming, where they have increased 

 imtil they are looked upon with disfavor by many of the resident 

 farmers. 



To perpetuate antelope under fence, even in game refuges cover- 

 ing large areas, experience has shown that very great precautions 

 must be taken first to destroy predatory animals, as bobcats and 

 coyotes. Antelope within such areas appear to lose their freedom 

 of movement and become extraordinarily helpless. This is par- 

 ticularly the case during heavy snowstorms, when they remain within 

 more or less definite areas, in which predatory animals capture them 

 with surprising ease. 



The antelope herds in the Wind Cave Game Preserve in South 

 Dakota and on the National Bison Range in Montana, the latter area 

 consisting of more than 18,000 acres under fence, were brought up to 

 a total of about 100 animals. Predatory-animal hunters had been 

 detailed repeatedly by the Biological Survey to kill coyotes and 

 bobcats in and about these refuges until the number of animals 

 thus destroyed amounted to several hundred. Notwithstanding 

 this, however, during severe winter storms in two seasons the band 

 of 04 antelope on the Bison Range was completely destroyed by 

 wandering predatory animals, which were able to drive them into 

 -now drifts and kill them without difficulty. More than half the 

 herd on the Wind Cave refuge also was killed, partly by coyotes and 

 partly by bobcat . 



Evidence as to the danger from the bobcats was made plain when 

 the Biological Survey warden, riding through the open pine forest 

 of the Wind Cave refuge, during a snowstorm, found and fol- 

 lowed the fresh trail of a solitary old buck- antelope. Tie soon came 

 upon the tracks of a bobcat which bad taken up the trail also. A 

 snort distance beyond he found the antelope, just killed and still 

 warm. It was ;i full-grown buck in good condition and apparently 

 had been easily killed by the bobcat, which had leaped upon its back. 



1 1349°— 25 3 



