STATUS OF THE PHONG-HORNED ANTELOPE, 1922-1924 57 



Mr. Carter states that predatory animals and shooting have caused a reduction 

 from about 50 present in 1919. 



10. In 1922 a band of 25 was reported in Hurricane Valley, Washington 

 County. 



WYOMING 



Wyoming has the distinction of possessing the largest number of antelope 

 surviving in any State. This, however, is only a pitiful remnant of the vast 

 numbers which once roamed its great open plains. Antelope are now reported 

 from 27 sections and total 7,000. In 1885 on the Big Sandy River they were 

 estimated to number about 30,000, or as many as now survive on the whole 

 continent. 



Practically throughout the United States, as in Canada and Mexico, there is 

 now a close season on antelope. A modified exception to this rule exists in 

 Wyoming, where an act approved February 18, 1921, which still remains in 

 force, reads as follows : 



" Whenever, in the judgment of the State game and fish commission it is 

 deemed desirable, the said commission may direct the State game and fish 

 commissioner to issue not to exceed one hundred special buck antelope permits." 



Owing to the numbers of antelope in some sections of Wyoming in 1922, plans 

 were made for the issuance of 100 buck-antelope licenses under this law, 

 but so strong was the public opposition which developed that the idea was 

 abandoned. 



The history of the Greybull River herd on the Pitchfork Ranch and vicinity, 

 above Meeteetse, is a good illustration of the manner in which an antelope herd 

 may be built up and also demonstrates the fact that a great increase of game 

 under protection in the midst of a cultivated district may become detrimental 

 to the interests of the farmers and lead to open antagonism toward the ani- 

 mals. The late L. J. Phelps, one of Wyoming's pioneers, living at Meeteetse, 

 many years ago realized that the antelope were disappearing. In 1902 he de- 

 clared that no antelope should be molested anywhere on his holdings and pro- 

 hibited shooting. At that time there was a band of about 15 ranging in the 

 vicinity of the Pitchfork Ranch. Through Mr. Phelps's influence during the 

 next 21 years the original 15 increased to about 1,500. During 1923, Charles 

 J. Bayer, in charge of the predatory-animal work of the Biological Survey in 

 Wyoming, visited the Pitchfork Ranch to investigate this herd, and reported 

 that there were practically 1,000 antelope ranging within the boundaries of the 

 territory of area No. 3 on the accompanying map (fig. 18). They were broken 

 into bands of from 25 to 125 each. It is planned to verify the numbers by a 

 count during the fall of 1925. Eugene Phelps, in charge of the Pitchfork 

 Ranch holdings, reports to Mr. Bayer that during the past two years the animals 

 have increased to such an extent that they have become a pest. They enter 

 grainfields after harvest and consume much grain before it can be hauled in 

 and threshed ; they also graze throughout the year on lands owned and leased 

 by his company. He contends that the antelope consume sufficient forage from 

 their holdings to accommodate easily a good-sized band of sheep, and this con- 

 tention appears to be correct. Many of the antelope were grazing in the 

 pastures and fields at the time of this investigation. 



A. M. Hogg, representing the Eogg brothers' land holdings in that vicinity, 

 reports that their company lias suffered considerable loss of forage through the 

 antelope. Be states (hat during the past four years the antelope have 

 cleaned all the forage from one field of 1G0 acres. Immediately after a heavy 

 snowstorm on October 24, 1923, a band of between 500 and 700 crossed the 

 fence Into an alfalfa and grain field and consumed about half the second 

 crop of forage. They also yisited the grainfields at night and destroyed some 



