42 BULLETIN 1346, IT. S. DEPARTMENT OP AGRICULTURE 



3. About 300 antelope are estimated to occupy the area of the original Bell 

 ranch, eastern San Miguel County, now partly owned by the Tom B. Owens Co. 

 and by Dan C. Trigg, jr. This is the largest number of antelope in any re- 

 stricted district in the State. The first-hand information here presented con- 

 cerning these animals shows the need of a careful survey of the situation in 

 this district as a basis for further conservation measures. The friendly atti- 

 tude of protection toward the antelope by the owners of the ranges indicates 

 possibilities of building up here considerably larger herds than now exist. 

 Owing to the large size of this area there has been some difficulty in getting 

 definite information concerning the present situation. C. M. O'Donel, manager 

 of the Bell ranch, under date of July 20, 1923, supplied the following : 



" The sum of the reports from employees in various parts of the range gives 

 the number of antelope within the present boundaries of the ranch as 217. 

 Naturally this can not be an accurate count, though the habit of antelope to 

 ' locate ' in bunches makes it more accurate than would probably be the case 

 with other varieties of game. * * * 



" I believe that antelope are increasing on this range only very slowly, if at 

 all. My opinion is that their natural enemies, of which perhaps the eagle is the 

 worst, keep down the increase by destroying the young. I believe we had as 

 many, if not more, antelope here when I first came to the ranch 25 years ago." 



Inquiry was instituted among the purchasers of parts of the original Bell 

 ranch, with the following results: 



The Tom B. Owens Co. wrote : 



" We hardly know how to arrive at an estimate of the number of antelope 

 on our property, but think around 100 to 150 old ones, with possibly a fawn 

 crop of 50 this year. 



" The antelope on our place as well as on the Bell ranch are found on the 

 level open valleys and rarely go into the mountains for any reason. We have, 

 it seems, a surplus of bucks and often see them off by themselves, they having 

 been whipped out of the herds by the younger and stouter bucks. 



" We do not know of any other section of the country where the antelope 

 are as often seen as on these ranches, and we never take any kind of drive or 

 ride ove,r our pastures without seeing several bunches of various numbers, 

 from 2 to 20." 



Dan C. Trigg, jr., who now owns a part of the original Bell ranch, wrote : 



" A few antelope stay in my pasture all the time. I have seen as many as 26 

 in a bunch. There have always been two separate bands in different portions 

 of my ranch. They are more or less migratory and have a habit of crossing into 

 the Bell ranch, which joins my holdings for several miles." 



4. Bands totaling about 60 antelope are reported from the ranches of Senator 

 A. A. Jones and of John Hicks, in San Miguel and Guadalupe Counties. 



5. A band of 50 is reported in western Guadalupe County. 



6. Three antelope are on the Ed. Morrow ranch, in southern Guadalupe 

 County. 



7. A band of 10 is reported in eastern Guadalupe County. 



8. Four antelope are reported on the Buckeye ranch, near Taft, in northern 

 De Baca County. 



9. A band of 12 is on the Charles Orr ranch, near the cornering parts of 

 Roosevelt, Curry, and Quay Counties. 



10. A band of 8 occurs on the C. S. Hart ranch, near the borders of Roose- 

 velt and Curry Counties. 



11. A band of 12 is near the bordering corners of Lincoln, De Baca, and 

 Chaves Counties. 



12. A band of antelope is reported as living in southeastern Socorro County, 

 but the number is not given. 



13. Herds aggregating 200 or more are reported as ranging on the San 

 Augustine plains, in Catron and Socorro Counties. This number was verified 

 by actual count reported by the Magdalena Game Protective Association, but 

 those familiar with the situation believe that there are many more than that 

 number in this district. G. W. Evans, of Beaverhead, states that 200 antelope, 

 by actual count, live on his 50,000-acre ranch in the southwestern portion of 

 San Augustine plains, in Catron County, within the general area reported by 

 the Magdalena Game Protective Association. It is obvious that there are in 

 this Great Plains region many more antelope than those here listed, possibly 

 500 in all. Formerly the San Augustine plains were a favorite resort for 

 thousands of antelope. 



14. A band of about 60 ranges in western Sierra County, 



