Wyoming's abundance of wildlife was noted by early explorers, who described buffalo blackening the plains as far as the eye could see and pronghorn antelope as numerous as the buffalo. As the rush to the West increased in the late 1800's, game herds seemed limitless and settlers took wildlife for granted, but market hunters taking hides and meat helped drive buffalo, antelope, elk, and mountain sheep to near extinction by 1900. In Wyoming Territory, the first game laws were passed when the territory became a state, and the need for a game and fish enforcement staff to protect and manage wildlife across such a vast land became apparent. In 1927, the Wyoming legislature organized the Wyoming Game and Fish Department to manage the state's wildlife resource. After many years of law enforcement, state of the art wildlife management, habitat protection, and habitat enhancement, Wyoming once again hosts a wealth of wildlife, with management programs funded principally by hunting and fishing license dollars.