It’s Home on a New Range for 257 Antelopes

As the first rays of sunlight threw a fiery glow over this mile-high mountain in Modoc County, airborne cowboy Steve DeJesus maneuvered his helicopter to drive 55 pronghorn antelopes down a snowy hill and into the trap.

The trap consisted of facing 8-foot-high fences that gradually narrowed to a V before opening into a holding corral. The animals moved into the corrals were tested, tagged and then herded into trailers for a long journey south.

DeJesus and 59 other wildlife biologists, game wardens, veterinarians and volunteers did this work in sub-zero temperatures this week to complete what is believed to be the largest single big game animal relocation operation in California history.

267 Captured

Over three days ending Thursday, the California Department of Fish and Game captured 267 antelopes in the northeast corner of the state and moved most of them 650 miles by truck to San Luis Obispo County for release into an 82,000-acre preserve owned by the Nature Conservancy.

This week’s transfer was part of a large-scale reintroduction of pronghorn antelopes to parts of the state from which they disappeared generations ago. In this case, the tan-and-white antelopes were moved onto a ranch site purchased by the Nature Conservancy, a nonprofit conservation organization, for $14 million and onto adjacent land in the Carrizo Plains area of San Luis Obispo County.

“What we are trying to do is turn back the clock and allow this to be one of the few places where people can see what this state looked like before white men changed it so dramatically,” said Steve McCormick, 37, California director of Nature Conservancy.

When European settlers first reached California, there were 500,000 pronghorn antelopes in the state, officials estimate. The delicate-looking animals stand 3 1/2-feet tall, with black horns and a telltale white patch on their rump, and can run as fast as 60 m.p.h.

Now, there are about 7,000 pronghorn in the state, nearly all in Modoc County. While limited hunting is permitted in Modoc County, the animals relocated to the Nature Conservancy land will be protected from hunters.

More than 400 antelopes have previously been relocated from Modoc County to Lassen, Mono, San Luis Obispo and Kern counties.

This week’s relocation was an eight-day effort. Before the actual roundup and move, workers had to build the elaborate trap and the holding corrals and arrange transportation and release.

Then, pilot DeJesus and Modoc County Fish and Game biologist Doug Thayer made five aerial roundups. Each lasted 20 minutes and was conducted within two miles of the trap.

DeJesus, 41, a veteran of several big horn sheep, elk and antelope aerial censuses and captures, crowded the pronghorns together by carefully maneuvering his helicopter with guidance from Thayer.

“I tried to work the animals tightly, to move them along at a pace comfortable to them. I backed off several times to slow them down,” the pilot said.

As the antelopes thundered into the trap’s entrance, two lines of “wingmen” hid behind sage blinds. Each line of 15 wingmen was holding a 250-foot-long strip of burlap. After the antelopes passed, the wingmen leaped up and, holding the burlap in front of them, formed a burlap-shrouded human chain behind the animals, forcing them into the corral. Biologists closed the corral gate behind the antelopes.

The 8-foot-high, 100-foot-wide corral was covered with burlap to calm the antelopes and screen them from what was going on outside the fence.

Before the pronghorn were moved into trailers and trucks, they were examined and tested by veterinarians. Bucks were fitted with ear tags and radio collars and, because they are more rambunctious than does, given a small dose of Valium to calm them for the trip.

“They are very clean, healthy. We checked for disease, for general health, for parasites and found no obvious indications of any of that,” said Dave Hunter, 42, a Fish and Game veterinarian.

Does were herded into horse trailers for transport. Bucks were placed in individual crates.

Ten of the animals died or had to be put to death due to injuries.

“We hate to lose any of them,” said Bill Clark, 55, director of Fish and Game’s wildlife investigation laboratory in Sacramento. “We designed the entire operation as best we know to prevent injury and for the well being of the animal. But there is loss because antelopes are wild and fiercely resist capture.”

Next came the 16-hour trip to San Luis Obispo County where 207 were to be released on the Nature Conservancy land as well as on adjoining Bureau of Land Management and private land. The other 50 were taken to San Benito County for release.

At the release site three men went inside trailers to sort out the animals and pass them out one at a time. “Everybody gets banged up, the pronghorns, us. We’re covered with cuts and bruises, but it can’t be helped,” said Jay Harris, 26, a Fish and Game lab technician.

Before being turned loose, the does’ ears were tagged. There were more shots, more tests, more checks for injuries. Each animal was given eight different vaccines and vitamin E.

After two hours of processing, the corral gate was opened and the first antelope peeked out. Then it bolted ahead, leading the others into their new home range.

It was sundown and as the antelopes kicked up their legs and gained speed Darrell Twisselman, 55, whose family has ranched in the area since the 1860s, remarked: “What a sight. Those critters are bringing back some of the Old West that disappeared from this country 75 years ago.”

Everybody clapped as the animals ran free and shouted encouragement. “See you later guys,” sang out Mary Mason, 31, Fish and Game warden from Bakersfield. “Watch out for those coyotes.”