Wanted: Bison herders; tenderfoots welcome

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The annual Antelope Island bison roundup, on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, outside Salt Lake City, is a Utah state tradition that brings together seasoned cowboys and wide-eyed neophytes for a weekend of Western romance.

A rider drives a herd of bison during the annual Antelope Island bison roundup, on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, outside Salt Lake City. Antelope Island is a rugged, salt-ringed expanse just an hour s drive from Salt Lake City, and its eastern shore faces the city’s twinkling skyline. (Jim Urquhart/The New York Times)

Riders participating in the annual Antelope Island bison roundup, on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, outside Salt Lake City. The annual roundup, a Utah state tradition, brings together seasoned cowboys and wide-eyed neophytes for a weekend of Western romance. (Jim Urquhart/The New York Times)

Bison in a corral after the annual Antelope Island bison roundup, on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, outside Salt Lake City. At up to 2,000 pounds, bison look like bears but run more like gazelles, at speeds of 30 or even 40 miles an hour, and will occasionally charge at agitators. (Jim Urquhart/The New York Times)

Participants in the annual Antelope Island bison roundup gather near their trailers and campers on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, outside Salt Lake City. Participants camp out on this island and spend a day on horseback chasing hundreds of bison toward corrals, where the animals are given vaccinations and about 200 are readied for sale. (Jim Urquhart/The New York Times)

Riders participating in the Antelope Island bison roundup gather near their trailers and campers, on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, outside Salt Lake City. (Jim Urquhart/The New York Times)

From left: Fran Olive, her brother David and father Paul at their campsite the night before the annual Antelope Island bison roundup, on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, outside Salt Lake City. The annual roundup, a Utah state tradition, brings together seasoned cowboys and wide-eyed neophytes. The annual roundup, a Utah state tradition, brings together seasoned cowboys and wide-eyed neophytes. “I m a surgeon it s very boring compared to this, said Paul Olive, who drove 1,300 miles for the event. (Jim Urquhart/The New York Times)

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A rider drives a herd of bison during the annual Antelope Island bison roundup, on Antelope Island in the Great Salt Lake, outside Salt Lake City. Antelope Island is a rugged, salt-ringed expanse just an hour s drive from Salt Lake City, and its eastern shore faces the city’s twinkling skyline. (Jim Urquhart/The New York Times)

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