Antelope Island Bison Roundup
The 'Wild West' returns to Antelope Island State Park! Join us for the 23rd Annual Bison Roundup, Saturday October 31 and Sunday November 1, 2009. Volunteer wranglers will saddle-up and move the park's herd of 600 free-roaming bison from the southern tip of the Island to the bison corrals on the northern end of the island.
All events are open to the public. Park visitors are welcome to come out and watch as we bring in the herd. See these wild bison up close as they rest comfortably in our bison corrals.
Then, from November 6 to 8, watch as veterinarians and state park personnel weigh, vaccinate and conduct various health tests on each bison to determine the herd's health. In order to keep the herd at a healthy number that the island can sustain, approximately 200 bison will be sold at a public auction on November 14, 2009.
Money generated by the sale of these bison goes into the wildlife management program for operating costs, habitat improvement projects, research and data collection, and infrastructure development of the bison corrals.
General Park Information:
Directions: From I-15 take exit 332. Proceed west on Antelope Drive to the entrance gate (approx. 7 miles).
Park Hours: 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Entrance Fee: $9 per vehicle, up to eight people.
Camping Fee: $13 per night, up to eight people.
History of the Antelope Island Bison Herd
Twelve bison, 4 bulls (males), 4 cows (females) and 4 calves were taken by boat to the island on February 15, 1893 by William Glassman and John Dooly. These twelve animals provided the foundation for what has grown into one of the largest and oldest publicly owned bison herds in the nation.
Who's who?
All bison have three identification tags; a microchip, a metal tag and a plastic tag. The Microchip is encased in a yellow button and is implanted behind the bison's right ear. A scanner can then be passed over the microchip and the animal's history is displayed on a computer; including vaccinations, blood type and weight. New information can then be added to the bison's permanent record. The metal tag is placed in the bison's ear and identifies that the animal originally came from Utah; this is required in order to transport animals off the Island. The plastic tag, called a Temple Tag (named after the tags manufacturer), simply tells the animals' blood type.
Interesting facts about these bison:
- Birth weight: 25-40 pounds
- Average cow (female) weight: 700 to 900 pounds
- Average bull (male) weight: 1400 to 1600 pounds
- The largest bison we've weighed was 2,100 pounds
- Bison can run up to 40 miles per hour!