Frank B. Weinrich, Sr. with buffalo he killed on Antelope Island in Great Salt Lake, 1926.
Antelope Island was 40 miles long and 6 miles wide. It was on lease to cattlemen from the government.

Very cool pic, Nick. Where do you get all these historic hunting pictures?

Was that bison one of the last remaining vestiges of the wild herds?

Canuck

Nic,

Awesome bull. Thanks for posting. Keith

Where do you get this stuff Nick?

Antelope Island is an Island in the Great Salt Lake Accessable from a causway Near Ogden, Ut. It is a game refuge now and is home to many types of animals now including Bison and Antelope and has a visitors center. It is also one of two locations in Utah that Bison hunts occur, the other is the Henry mtns in southern Ut.

A friend of mine said that his uncle hunted buff on the island and had to be accompanied by a park ranger, when he head shot the animal he got chewed out for it, (which I dont blame the Ranger for) The Henry mtn hunt is much different, remote and difficult. Bison in Utah is considered a once in a lifetime hunt. I saw a pic in sportsmans warehouse a couple days ago of an Island buff that was HUGE..

Sorry I cant help much with the Islands history but I saw a picture in that area the other day that you would have liked. It was in the Brigham City & County bldg. It showed about ten or fifteen men lined up near an old railroad boxcar and they had a big pile of rabbits lying at their feet. It said that the pic was taken near Snowville Ut (remote farming area in No. Ut.) circa 1900. There were so many rabbits overruning the farmlands that the men made a drive and were killing them with CLUBS .. I forget just what the number of Rabbits was that it reported per sq mile, but it was astronomical. The days of plenty! The next time Im up that way Ill see if I can con someone out of a photocopy.

[ 01-08-2003, 07:25: Message edited by: Wstrnhuntr ]

Nickudu,

Another great old photo. One of the guys I hang out with in the fall drew one of the bison permits the year before last. He and his Dad flew into an area and he got a nice bull. Tough draw. Tough hunt.

Joe

Wstrnhuntr,
Thank you! Very informative and I hope you can locate the photo.

Ovis,
I doubt I'm up to a true deep snow hunt but it sure gets me pumped, just thinkin' about it. The woods buffalo hunts of northern Canada sound as though they are about as close to the real thing as one might get, these days.

Found This:

WILDLIFE ON ANTELOPE ISLAND

Perhaps the most alluring feature of Antelope Island is its unique array of wildlife. The island is most famous for its large bison population. The herd fluctuates between 550 and 700, making it one of the largest publicly owned bison herds in the nation. The Antelope Island bison herd is also recognized as one of the oldest in the country and possesses unique genetic characteristics.
Prior to European settlement, biologists estimate between 50 to 60 million bison roamed the continent. By the 1890s, the population had been decimated, and it is believed only 800 remained. Conservationists, faced with the eminent extinction of bison, began to take steps to save the species. Two Utahns, William Glassman and John Dooly, were instrumental in this effort. They brought bison to Antelope Island in 1893. The bison herd is managed to maintain a stock population of 600. The bison calve primarily from March through June, and new calves balloon the population to more than 700. Studies indicate that this is near the maximum population of bison that the island can support without overgrazing the grasslands. Careful management allows a large herd to thrive while maintaining forage and nesting cover for other wildlife species.

The bison roundup, which occurs the end of October, is one of the great fall spectacles of northern Utah. The bison are driven to corrals on the north end of the island by a combination of volunteer horsemen and helicopters. Here they are allowed to rest for four days before being worked through the corrals, vaccinated and checked for general health the first week in November. The excess animals are sold at auction and a small number designated for the annual bison hunt in December. Other mammals found on the island include, mule deer, pronghorn antelope, bighorn sheep, coyotes, bobcats, badgers, porcupines, jackrabbits and several species of rodents.

Thank you Nick! Good stuff!

I saw the aforementioned pic of the big buff taken again today on the bulletien board and was tempted to borrow it for posting here but my self restraint got the better of me.

I remember visiting Antelope Island in my youth and people could come and go as they please, the road made a circle around the perimiter of the island. Its an interesting place but its much more controlled nowadays, less access and tough to justify the fees IMHO. A visit there doesnt take long.

My Grandpa used to read "old west" magazines, now I wish I would have asked him for his old copies. If I had of I would now think it a gold mine. Hindsight's 20/20.

Somebody please tell me what kind of lever action that is.

GREAT PICTURE but I'm not too sure I would hunt Antelope Island for Bison these days. it is MUCH too controlled as mentioned above. All you really need to do is look at the number of people applying for the Henry Mountain hunt vs. Antelope Island to get an idea of the relative desirability of these hunts.

Again, cool photos!

Regards,

JohnTheGreek

Some will say that was the good old days

Good thread and pic.