STATUS OF THE PRONGHORNED 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 
Count5^ 
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 suflBcient 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 Hogg brothers' land holdings in that vicinity, 
reports that their company has suffered considerable loss of forage through the 
antelope. He states that during the past four years the antelope have 
cleaned all the forage from one field of 160 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 visited the grainfields at night and destroyed some 
