Pronghorn Antelope - Notes from a first-timer.

The first thing I learned on a recent hunting trip is that Pronghorn Antelope are elusive. Elusive is just one word to choose from. Others may include sneaky, cunning, unpredictable, frustratinglydevious (ok, I tried to make that one word). This was my first time hunting them and I approached the hunt with some very erroneous pre-conceived notions. The first was that it would be easy to find them.

In previous years, while hunting Mule Deer, my brother and I had seen Antelope everywhere. One evening whilst driving along the foothills on the west side of the Santa Rosa range in northern Nevada, we crested a small hill and were amazed. Sprawling before us about a half mile away was a meandering herd of about 125 Pronghorns. They took little notice of us as they went about foraging for their evening meal. My brother drove the vehicle forward towards the herd. They lazily moved out of the way of the truck as if they were cattle and not North America’s fastest animal.

Another time hunting Mule Deer we came across a smaller herd early in the morning. This herd had about 15 Antelope in it with a few large bucks and does. They were walking single-file through a small glade just to the left of our truck. Without even paying a scant glance, they walked within 50 yards of us. I actually leaned over my brother, who was driving, and snapped off a few pictures with my cell phone camera.

The second pre-conceived notion I had about hunting Antelope is that they would be easy to shoot. The two examples I mentioned above are just a sampling of my previous experience with these animals. Locals filled our minds of sightings of herds, large and small, that were right along the highway, watching traffic roll by. “I could’ve thrown a rock and hit one” was one account from a local Forrest Service employee. Perhaps I may be just a very unlucky hunter (which is closer to the truth than blaming it on a lack of skill) but most of our shots at Antelope were very challenging and at ranges that would make a seasoned Mule Deer hunter cringe. Before I get to the actual shots, lets talk about the hunts first.