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More than 45,000 shooters applied for opportunity to kill 12 bison in Grand Canyon National Park
By Stacy Liberatore For Dailymail.com and Associated Press 22:30 05 May 2021, updated 21:14 07 May 2021More than 45,000 people have submitted an application to take part in the first controlled bison cull inside Grand Canyon National Park.
Only 12 slot are available for the September slaughter, in which shooters will have a chance to take a dozen animals.
A total of 45,040 volunteers signed up for the event, 25 names will be then chosen through a lottery and the first dozen to submit complete, accurate and qualified applications will be selected, said Kaitlyn Thomas, a spokeswoman with the National Park Service.
Candidates must be physically healthy, pass a marksmanship proficiency test and be 'willing to haul bison carcasses out of wilderness on foot without motorized assistance,' according to the National Park Service.
More than 45,000 people have submitted an application to take part in the first controlled bison cull inside Grand Canyon National Park. Only 12 slot are available for the 'hunt,' in which each shooter has a chance to take a dozen animals
The House Rock bison herd includes 400 to 600 bison and park officials aim to cut it down to no more than 200.
The surviving bison of the Grand Canyon cull will be captured and relocated outside the park for state-run hunts, with dates yet to be announced.
The cull, according to officials, is due to concerns of ecological impacts as a result of stampeding through dense forests, intense over-grazing and wondering around the rim of the canyon.
'Just keeping my fingers crossed that I'm one out of 12,' said Rich Dawley Jr. a 29-year-old farmer outside of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania who applied. 'You can't win unless you play.'
A total of 45,040 volunteers signed up for the event, in which 25 names will be chosen through a lottery and the first dozen to submit complete, accurate and qualified applications will be selected
The work is expecting to be grueling, done on foot at elevations of 8,000 feet (2,438 meters) or higher at the Grand Canyon´s North Rim.
Volunteers can't use motorized transportation or stock animals to retrieve the bison that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms) and will have to field dress them with help from a support crew.
'Selected skilled volunteers will be able to take up to a single bison including head, hide and meat in exchange for removing the carcass from the field,' said Arizona Game and Fish Commission Chairman Kurt Davis.
'The Game and Fish Department will provide the volunteer with the necessary permit to possess and transport the carcass from Grand Canyon National Park
'There will be no waste of game meat, and no waste of tax dollars to contract for paid sharpshooters.'
None of that deterred James Vasko from applying. He joked that he had great odds and already planned to bring the best man from his wedding along for the trip.
Participants must be in good physical health, pass a marksmanship proficiency test and be 'willing to haul bison carcasses out of wilderness on foot without motorized assistance,' according to the National Park Service
'I just thought it would be a cool experience,' said Vasko, a 27-year-old who works in real estate and farms in Omaha, Nebraska.
'I'm an avid fisher, hunter. Going to Grand Canyon to hunt bison would be absolutely awesome.'
Park officials are clear that it's not a hunt because it doesn't involve fair chase.
Hunting is prohibited within national parks, but the agency has authority to kill animals that harm resources, using park staff or volunteers.
The Grand Canyon bison are believed to be descendants of those introduced to northern Arizona in the early 1900s by rancher Charles 'Buffalo' Jones.
Some say that at one point Jones was caring for 150 buffalo, and 15 percent of the present-day herd are said to be their descendants.
In 1902, US. President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Jones as Yellowstone's first game warden, following the official establishment of the park in 1872.
The House Rock bison herd includes 400 to 600 bison and park officials aim to cut it down to no more than 200. The surviving bison of the Grand Canyon cull will be captured and relocated outside the park for state-run hunts, with dates yet to be announced
As one of his first official acts, Jones obtained three breeding bulls from Goodnight's buffalo herd. The following year, Yellowstone's superintendent proudly reported to Washington that the herd, 'under the immediate charge of Mr. C.J. Jones, is doing exceedingly well.'
Jones held the post for five years, but collected and bred buffalo for years afterward.
Fast-forward to present day, the 500 House Rock bison herd is wreaking havoc on the park.
The state of Arizona now owns them and has an annual draw for tags on the Kaibab National Forest.
'Grazing and wallowing in park meadows, stampeding through dense forests, and occasionally venturing along the rim of the canyon,' the National Park shared in a statement.
'Concerns of ecological impacts and effects to archaeological sites have increased over the years as these bison have begun to congregate around natural water sources and change their migration behaviors to stay within park boundaries for longer periods throughout the year.