More Than 45,000 People Volunteered To Hunt 12 Bison In The Grand Canyon

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Well that escalated quickly.

Now I’m not a numbers guy, but it seems like way, way more people signed up for a chance to help manage the bison herd at the Grand Canyon than are going to be selected to do so.

The bison herd surrounding the North Rim of Grand Canyon National Park is growing at a pace that has them headed towards over population, and with no predators in the area the only way keep the herd in balance is to hunt them.

To solve that problem, the National Park Service has put out a call to action seeking volunteers to come help out.  The hunting community certainly answered that call in a big way.

“Volunteers were given 48 hours to apply for the rare opportunity to kill bison at the Grand Canyon’s Northern rim where officials said the bison are depleting resources.

A total of 45,040 people applied and only 12 will be chosen to each kill one animal.”

Applications to hunt the bison were solicited through an online portal. More than 45,000 prospective hunters threw their name into the hat, but only 12 of them will be ultimately be selected.

Again, not a numbers guy but it seems like your chance in being picked is only 12 in 45,000. Those don’t seem like great odds.

The winners have yet to be announced, but you can be sure that the 12 folks who do get selected are going to be feeling extra lucky.

According to Fox News, The ideal candidate to “protect the park ecosystem, resources and values,” will have no criminal history,  be physically fit, have a firearm safety certification and be able to “pass a marksmanship proficiency test,” government officials said.

A few hunters are pumped about the chance:

“Just keeping my fingers crossed that I’m one out of 12… You can’t win unless you play.”

The Arizona Game and Fish Department will pick 25 names out of a lottery, and then pick the 12 most qualified out of that group to kill and harvest an animal.

“I just thought it would be a cool experience. I’m an avid fisher, hunter. Going to Grand Canyon to hunt bison would be absolutely awesome.”

Volunteers hunters will be hunting in pretty tough conditions as the high altitudes and lack of motorized vehicles might cause some problems. Bison can weigh up to 2,000 pounds… that’s a lot of meat to carry…

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