There are many iconic animals of the West, but only one stands out as a uniquely North American big game animal. Meet the pronghorn. Pronghorn represent a do-able, western hunt for all hunters. Here are some tips from award-winning writer and photographer Mark Kayser, to have a successful pronghorn hunt.
Pronghorn history
As the single surviving member of the New World family Antilocapridae, pronghorns once numbered an estimated 30 to 40 million across North American grasslands and had upwards of 12 close relatives. Evolution and extinction canceled family reunions leaving pronghorn alone to wander with the bison. Then Europeans arrived and we know how that ended for the bison. Pronghorn did not fare too well either. Numbers plummeted until an estimated 17,000 pronghorn or less populated the country.
Conservation efforts reversed the crashing pronghorn population, but the changing landscape of the West continues to thwart a pronghorn population escalation. Development, energy exploration, wildland fire, invasive vegetation, predation and harsh winters all work against a huge pronghorn revitalization. Depending on the year, pronghorn populations rise above 1 million while in poor years they plummet to 700,000. Despite a mediocre populace, pronghorn hunting opportunities exist across the Great Plains and West.
The Pronghorn represents an American Conservation success. Hunting them is a challenge and a lot of fun. Photo by Mark Kayser.
Pronghorn present a challenging hunt due to several factors. Having evolved in an open environment, their eyes progressed into high magnification tools. Research suggests that they have magnification comparable to a 6- or 8-power binocular. They also exhibit great scent detection and excellent hearing. Like their eyesight, their speed also stands out as a game changer. Pronghorn can burst into a 55 mph-plus sprint and trot at 30 mph for miles on end. This track-star character likely evolved as a survival trait to escape the now extinct, fleet-pawed American cheetah.
APPLICATION OPTIONS
If you have never hunted pronghorn, they represent the true American safari. Like the plains game of Africa, the openness of their homeland offers a hunt with ample stalking opportunities. Unfortunately, the limited density of pronghorn strung across less than 20 states requires you to apply for a firearm hunting license. No state currently offers over-the-counter firearm licenses. Even so, with a year or three of preference points, you can acquire some tags in the states with more pronghorn. In states with modest numbers, expect to wait years for a chance to hunt these world-class runners.
Several states support good populations and no state ranks higher in pronghorn density than Wyoming. The population ranges from 400,000 to 500,000 most years although a recent bad winter did put the population into rebuilding mode. Montana ranks second for pronghorn numbers with herds scattered across Big Sky Country. The largest densities are in the central and eastern portions of the state.
Different states have better odds for drawing a pronghorn tag. The challenges remain the same, as pronghorn represent a fun hunt. Photo by Mark Kayser.
Western South Dakota and Colorado also rank high for pronghorn population densities. Again, firearm hunters must apply for licenses and it’s worth it to acquire preference points. You can also hunt pronghorns in other Western locales, but a scarcity of tags means you need to be patient. New Mexico, Arizona and Texas put whoppers in the trophy book every year, but with low densities tags are limited. North Dakota waffles on its season with a low population.
Other states like Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Nebraska, Kansas, California and Oregon offer pronghorn opportunities, but snoop first. States like Kansas have resident-only hunting for firearm and muzzleloader. In brief, like an African safari, the name of the game is planning and building preference points toward your successful pronghorn hunt is required.
The good news is that in many of the Western states, finding a place to hunt is not difficult due to the expansive acres of public land available. Some states, like Wyoming and Montana, have public-land holdings exceeding 40 percent or more of their total land base. The BLM manages the most prosperous pronghorn territory. Most Western state BLM tallies are measured in millions of acres.
The same is true of the National Forest Service. National Grasslands are managed by the National Forest Service and provide ideal habitat for pronghorn. Low elevation foothills also contribute to pronghorn environments with mixed sagebrush interspersed with pockets of junipers and pines. Thick forests rarely attract pronghorns except in pass-through circumstances. Even so, do not be surprised by pronghorn living in the high country where broad mesas and expansive meadows provide the habitat these open-space animals require.
Finally, do not overlook state lands and private lands leased by wildlife agencies that are open to the public for walk-in hunting. Large programs exist in Wyoming, Montana, South Dakota and Colorado, key players in the pronghorn universe.
A HUNT WITH A VIEW
You will see some amazing scenery while hunting pronghorn. At sunset, you should be able to find where they bed down. They will be pretty close to that spot come morning. Photo by Mark Kayser.
Pronghorn seasons vary across the West. Some offer the distinct advantage of hunting during the September rut with a firearm like in Wyoming. Others push the firearm seasons into October like Montana and South Dakota. The rut does give you some advantages as pronghorn move about in active breeding behavior, but remember, pronghorn do not hide out like elk, whitetails or even pressured mule deer. They do not seek dark timber and dense vegetation to disappear into. Their defense is to see danger from a long distance away and then move away from it, trotting or running. Once you know this, it helps you plan a successful pronghorn hunt.
This distinct security detail does give you an advantage. Pronghorn move all day long in daylight giving you a hunting show that few species can duplicate. And unlike most big game species that can be seen at dusk in one location, but roam miles in the dark, pronghorn have a turkey tendency to stay near their last sunset location. The next morning, they generally can be found nearby unless a bright full moon illuminates the landscape or a predator busts them.
Even so, when hunting pressure is applied, pronghorn quickly escape to nearby country void of roads and defined by harsh terrain. Look for them well beyond where the ATV trail ends.
Finding hunting success
Being prepared for the shot is a big part of pronghorn hunting success. A suppressor helps. Photo by Mark Kayser.
Use this knowledge as a starter for your pronghorn hunting strategy. It includes a heavy dependence on a quality hunting app with scouting that can be started at home. Finalize your scouting with an onsite mission prior to the hunt, weeks or just days in advance of your opening day. It can be the key to a successful pronghorn hunt.
Begin by looking for roadless areas in your hunting unit with public-land access. Most hunters will hike one or two miles, but three is max. Any area with three square miles or more of country closed to motorized access will be a definite pronghorn refuge during the orange invasion. Mark all high locations as positions for glassing. You will be doing lots of glassing and then moving from high point to high point. Once you find pronghorn, stay out of sight. You will need to peek once you locate a target, but do it discreetly and learn to crawl again. Crawling to a ridgetop or cliff edge, and peeking is your only option to avoid putting sharp-eyed pronghorn on alert.
Next, stay downwind and use terrain to stalk within your effective and ethical shooting range. You can shoot long, but most shots can be whittled down to distances of 300 yards or less with terrain moves.
The author suggests a suppressor, like the BANISH Backcountry, for pronghorn hunting. Photo by Mark Kayser.
Finally, consider adding a suppressor to your equipment needs. Not only does a quality suppressor, like the BANISH Backcountry from Silencer Central, reduce recoil, it muffles your shot. That’s critical if for some reason you miss or worse yet, wound an animal. The subtle report does not alert animals as bad. That provides you with additional precious seconds to get back on the animal for a successful end to your pronghorn safari. It does not hurt that this model is lightweight when a long hike is required across a sagebrush basin.
No, pronghorn are a completely separate species of mammal. While they have been called pronghorn antelope before, they are not related. In fact, they are the single member of their genetic family and that makes them especially cool and interesting.
Like any big game species, they re[resent their own levels of challenges. They have terrific vision and are very fast when running, meaning that when they spook, trying to get ahead of them is not going to be easy. Hunting is best when the pressure is low.
Pronghorn are a plains animal and can be found all across the plains states in North America. Some of the best hunting for them can be found in states like Wyoming, South Dakota, and Montana, but they can be found elsewhere, too.
The hunt can be quite challenging, so the trophy is in the eye of the beholder. Most will say that any buck with horns in the 16+ inch range is a trophy-class animal.
As indicated in the name, pronghorn have horns. The bone-part of the horn is covered in a sheath of thick hair that can be shed every so often for growth.
With the costs for tags and such, most DIY hunters can go pronghorn hunting for $2,000-3,000. It can increase from there, but this is the most accessible western big-game hunt you can find, on average.
About the author
To many of you, Mark Kayser needs no introduction. An acclaimed outdoor writer, Kayser has written for most major hunting publications including American Hunter, Outdoor Life, North American Whitetail and many more.
He is also a regular guest on the Deer & Deer Hunting podcast, and on many hunting television shows. He is based in the heart of big-game hunting - Sheridan Wyoming.
While many suppressors can be used on several different caliber firearms, we have some specific models that can make your shooting more enjoyable. Pick the caliber that you have in mind. If you don’t see your caliber, pick one close to it to see our recommendations.
