Mind-boggling 45,000 People Apply for a Chance to Kill Grand Canyon Bison

A dozen spot for bison shooters at Grand Canyon National Park has garnered multiple applications from up to 45,000 people.

The population of the bison herd has grown since 1906. What was thought to be a superior animal turned out as a 'lackluster result', according to study. A group of students in a Northern Arizona University undergraduate conservation biology studied the impacts of a prolific bison herd near the Grand Canyon's North Rim. It was observed that 'bison have trampled archaeological sites, affected water resources and damaged native plants through overgrazing and reducing plant diversity', and this causes imbalance in ecosystem.

The National Park Service opened up a chance for skilled shooters to kill bison at the Grand Canyon's North Rim and were given 48 hours to apply, which will be until midnight Tuesday. Grand Canyon spokeswoman Kaitlyn Thomas said on Wednesday that 25 names out of the 45,040 applicants will initially be selected, but only the first 12 who were able to submit a packet of information requested by the park service will be part of the volunteer program. The volunteers who are selected will be announced on May 17 and shooting event will commence in the fall.

In addition, Larry Phoenix, a regional supervisor for the Arizona Game and Fish Department, said that 15% of the applicants were from Arizona and one-third were from Texas, California, Colorado and Utah.

Reducing Bison Population

While park officials clarified it is not a hunt, since hunting is illegal within national parks, they confirmed they were authorized to kill animals that harm resources in the area. In September 2017, the park strategized a plan to corral animals near the highway that leads to the North Rim and relocate them for skilled volunteers to shoot. About 90 animals were removed so far and the park claims this will not reduce the herd by much. 200 is the goal population out of an estimated number of 300-500 inhabiting the far northern reaches of Arizona.

In the upcoming event, volunteer shooters would be elevated on a foot of 8,000 (2,438 meters) or higher at the Grand Canyon's North Rim and shoot the bison from a distance that can weigh up to 2,000 pounds (907 kilograms). Motorized transportation and use of farm animals are prohibited. Officials say snow can make it more challenging.

Volunteer Shooters Standpoint in Bison-killing

The shooting event garnering over 45,000 applications from people can only mean one thing: killing the bison is an opportunity for Arizonians.

An applicant, Rich Dawley Jr. a 29-year-old farmer outside of Gettysburg, Pennsylvania even quoted "You can't win unless you play." on Grand Canyon National Park's shooting-a-bison event.

Another applicant, an archaeologist in Flagstaff named Matt Mallery explained that this needs to happen for management purposes. Less bison would mean less harmful effects in ecosystem and opportunity to harvest organic meat that can be 'cost-prohibitive through the state hunt'.

Other applicants such as James Vasco just thought it would be awesome and 'a cool experience' to go to Grand Canyon to hunt.