STATUS OF THE PRONGHORNED ANTELOPE, 1922-1924 49 
of land. The fenced area will be approximately 4 miles square and will cover 
some of the present antelope range. 
*' Whether it will be 15 or 16 sections depends on the purchase of a ranch, 
for which negotiations are now under way. Most of the land inside the in- 
closure is owned by the State of South Dakota. An 800-acre ranch, with im- 
provements, located in the center of the area, has already been purchased by 
the State. 
" The inclosure will cover approximately half of the proposed game preserve, 
it being the intention of the commission to enlarge it in a year or two by add- 
ing an area 4 miles square, which will include a few sections of forest-reserve 
land in the vicinity of Slim Buttes. 
"The preserve is located in the eastern part of Harding County and is 84 
miles from the closest railroad point by present highways. This, of course, 
makes the undertaking rather expensive; but it is a splendid location, even 
though somewhat isolated." 
In connection with the establishment of the State antelope refuge in South 
Dakota, mentioned above, the following letter, dated December 4, 1923, from 
State Game Warden Hedrick, is worth quoting: 
" Senator Norbeck and myself have been making a personal investigation 
along this line, having recently put in several days in Harding County, in 
the northwest corner of South Dakota, investigating conditions and looking 
for a location for the establishment of an antelope preserve, which was author- 
ized by the South Dakota Game and Fish Commission during the time that 
Senator Norbeck was governor of the State. 
" When the Senator arrives at Washington he will doubtless see you per- 
sonally and paint a word picture to you of this beautiful prairie animal, as 
he certainly got very enthusiastic when we came upon a band of 85 head on 
a fine Sunday afternoon and were within 200 feet of a considerable number 
of these animals at times. Within 3 miles of this place on the same after- 
noon we came upon another band of 17 and drove up within 8 or 10 rods of 
them. There was also a band to the west of us that we did not get close to ; 
we do not know how many there were in this band. Upon talking to the 
neighbors and ranchers in that section, where the antelope seem to have 
many friends, my estimate would be that there are at least 225 antelope 
within a range of 4 to 6 townships. There are also many other bands in 
Harding County, as well as in Perkins, Butte, and Meade Counties. We also 
have a band of from 50 to 75 head within 50 miles of Pierre, lying to the 
northwest of us, in the Cheyenne River country. The Senator and I investi- 
gated this situation the latter part of July, this year." 
Three unsuccessful efforts have been made to stock the large State game 
park of South Dakota, but in each case the animals died from disease or other 
causes. The new antelope refuge is in much more suitable country, and there 
the animals should do well. 
On May 29, 1923, Louis Knowles, predatory-animal inspector of the Biological 
Survey, who furnished most of the information as to the specific distribution of 
antelope in South Dakota, wrote that he believed antelope have decreased 50 
per cent during the year. This has come about through depredations of 
predatory animals, diseases, illegal shooting, and a shortage of males. Coyotes 
are reported to kill many antelope. One of the oflacial hunters has been work- 
ing in the principal antelope ranges, where he has killed many of these preda- 
tory animals, thereby relieving the herds from one of their chief dangers. 
On June 23, 1923, Mr. Knowles wrote that stockmen and others throughout 
the country where the surviving antelope occur report a marked decrease in 
