Opinion
It’s hard to imagine a wildlife species that symbolizes Wyoming more than the pronghorn antelope. They roam freely across our state, fill our freezers, and you’ll see them on almost any short- or long-distance drive you take, blending seamlessly with the landscape where they evolved to thrive. For our family, the Sublette antelope herd is particularly special. We’ve hunted the herd for decades in the foothills between Farson and the Wind River mountains. Over that time we’ve seen all sorts of challenges for the herd — terrible winters, epidemics and lost habitat — so we applaud the steps the state may take to now protect this herd and their migration.
Last fall, the rifle opener for antelope in our hunt area fell on Sept. 10, which was ironic because that was the same day the Wyoming Game and Fish Commission voted on the future of the Sublette herd’s migration corridor. Though this corridor has been documented for years, the state has yet to put policies in place to protect that migration. Protecting the habitat that Sublette antelope need to move between summer and winter range is personal for us. The area between Farson and the Wind River mountains is one of only three muzzleloader hunting areas in the state. We’ve already seen the number of available tags decline drastically over the years, so we’re all for maintaining unfragmented habitat to give this population a leg up and prevent things from sliding further in the wrong direction.
Having already harvested our antelope, we decided to show up in person and watch things unfold at the commission meeting. We sat there for over three hours, through biologist presentations and dozens of public comments asking the commission to recommend the corridor be designated in full by the governor, who makes the final decision. Designation would add some level of protection to the migration. The sentiment in that room, and from all of us who testified, was damn near unanimous in support of designation, and to the credit of our Game and Fish commissioners, they listened. We left feeling heartened by the swell of support for the herd’s migration, and by our commissioners who prioritized what was best for the wildlife.
Unfortunately, rather than following the recommendation of the commission to designate the whole corridor, the governor opted to remove two segments from consideration, including the “East of Farson” segment where our family hunts. The rest of the Sublette antelope herd’s migration is still up for protection through designation, but key pieces of the corridor amounting to more than 200,000 acres will be ignored. This is not what’s best for the herd.
Now Gov. Gordon has appointed a working group to review the science, socioeconomics and conservation opportunities of a corridor designation. They met on Feb. 2 for the first time, and we hope the working group members don’t lose sight of the broad public support for the Sublette herd or the challenges the herd faces across its range. We don’t know if any members of the working group were in the room at that commission meeting in September, but because we were there, we can say definitively that the general public is counting on them to do right by these animals and find a way to protect their migration.
The Sublette herd is one of the largest populations of antelope on the planet. They need to cover a lot of country to maintain those numbers, and keeping their seasonal ranges intact and connected is the only chance they have to continue to do that. For our family’s sake, and all fellow Wyomingites who value this herd, we urge the working group to stick up for the needs of the antelope and get this designation across the finish line.
Thank you truly for your article. As a past GF biologist I am totally aware of how things change at the whims of our political climate. We should not only designate all of it, but explore better management of our sagebrush communities as well.
Great Article Ben. You are so right. The antelope need the full corridor not just piecemeal. That will surely bring an end to the Sublette Antelope herd. I too have Hunted that area. The vastness and the antelope are incredible. Thank you for your writing. I hope Governor Gordon pays attention.
I love Wyoming and often think about how wonderful it is to still have something in America, so wild and truly American such as the Prong Horn. So pease save the corridor so they can remain. I grew up in Texas as did my family from 1835 who participated in the Revolution to free Texas, so it’s very unlikely I will ever leave Texas. But I often think about the vastness of Wyoming, the beauty and the sense of freedom, openness…..i dream about it actually (free of Californian’s too, haha).
However while studying and traveling in Europe, I met many Europeans who would tell me that their family dated back a thousand years and that America had no real family or grand architecture, no old beautiful cathedrals such as Norte Dam and basically NO history. What? Here’s what I would tell them. We definitely have grand cathedrals and very grand canyons, much older than the ones in Europe, as well, as a very GRAND CANYON, plus tall 14,000 ft mountains that are beautiful and stretch for 2, 000 miles from Canada to Mexico. They are our cathedrals. Plus we have wild horses, pronghorn that run free and open space that Europe will never never have or see again. Travel for miles and miles in the western part of America and see nothing but land. All god given such as Wyoming, god’s country. So please protect the pronghorn and all other natives. Don’t make me a liar. Lol. Afterall, isn’t it …”America, land of the beautiful”? Along with the stars in Texas, of course.
Wyoming used to care about its wildlife. Now the leaders only care about money and politics. What a shame..
I hope the wildlife corridor is preserved. Where I live in South Carolina, the protection of forests and wildlife is always good for the people who live there. Good luck with this important task.