the Hunter's Lane
summer hunter's guide:
pronghorn

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

America's Pronghorn evolved in North America 20 million years ago. They can run sprints at 45–50 miles per hour, an adaptation to outrun an extinct cheetah. The North American pronghorn is the sole surviving member of a group of animals that evolved in North America during the past 20 million years.

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Where: The present-day range of the pronghorn extends from southern Saskatchewan and Alberta in Canada south into the United States through Montana, Idaho, Utah, Nevada, Arizona, Nebraska, Wyoming, Colorado, New Mexico, Washington, and central Texas west to coastal southern California and northern Baja California Sur, to Sonora and San Luis Potosí in northern Mexico.

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When: Archery seasons open in mid-August. Pronghorn can be hunted as early August 14, 2023 in Oregon and August 19, 2023 in South Dakota. Be sure to check with the wildlife management resources for season dates and updated regulations information about the state game lands you plan to hunt.

 

Preferred Habitat: 

Pronghorn prefer gentle rolling to flat, wide-open topography. These habitats allow the Antelope to spot predators from far distances and quickly escape. They are primarily found in the mountain ranges of northern and central Nevada. 

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Active Times:

Pronghorn are diurnal creatures, meaning active only during daylight hours. With the lack of movement over night, a pronghorn hunter and guide can leave a group at dark and find them in the same spot the next morning.

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Tracking:

Locating and spotting pronghorn is relatively easy, at least in comparison to brush-loving whitetail deer. In good antelope country it’s common to see pronghorn grazing in groups of a dozen or more, sometimes, way more, although they could be a couple of miles away. Males and females can easily be told apart at distances of a mile or more if you’re using good optics, so if you’re hunting on a sex-specific tag you should be able to select your desired animal before you begin what might become a painful and arduous stalk. You don’t want to walk a 2-mile half-circle in 90-degree heat just to get within crawling distance of a lone antelope and then discover that you’re stalking a buck when all you’ve got in your pocket is a doe tag.

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Position:

Make sure to select a potential shooting position that offers a wide field of view, a place where you can wait without having to move around too much. If the animal was following the bottom of a valley or dry wash, then make sure you can cover the entirety of the valley. 

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Recommended Calibers for Pronghorn Hunting: 

6.5 PRC​

• 6.5 PRC factory loads usually fire the same bullet 200-250fps faster than the 6.5 Creedmoor. Therefore, 6.5 PRC has a flatter trajectory, more retained energy, and less wind drift than the 6.5 Creedmoor at typical hunting ranges.

• While the 270 WSM slightly outperforms the PRC in drop and energy, the 6.5 PRC has noticeably less recoil, less wind drift .

• The maximum effective range of the 6.5 PRC for hunting is approximately 730 yards, at which distance many bullets will slow below 1,900 fps which can cause a bullet to fail to expand..

 

.270 Winchester​

• Similar knock-down power to the .308 Win, but with slightly less recoil.

• High-velocity, flat-flying wind-resistant round, great for flat open terrain where Pronghorn are found

• Excellent power and performance up to around 680 yards.

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.243 Winchester​

• The balance of light recoil and versatility as both a varmint and big game cartridge.

• The .243 is that it offers adequate killing power for medium game at a noise and recoil level that can help any hunter to shoot calmly and accurately.

• the .243 is ideal for game weighing between 40kg and 60kg (90-130lb) but is adequate for game weighing 80kg (180lb).

 

Taking Aim:

When taking aim on an Pronghorn, you can employ the same strategy as you would with deer.  You want to hit the vitals, ideally in the lungs or heart to help facilitate an ethical kill. Ideally, you want the deer to be quartering away from you, clearing the way for your shot to penetrate the vitals most effectively. Aiming for the heart and lungs, you want to places your crosshairs or sight just behind the deer's elbow, into the chest. The red target on the photo below represents the best shot placement to achieve a quick and ethical kill.​

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Recovery:

If the deer has run off, be sure to watch carefully to see where it runs to so you know where to go to attempt your recovery. Mark the time and take note of where the deer was when you shot it and which direction it ran, then wait for at least 45 minutes to an hour before beginning to trail. After incurring a mortal wound, an animal, after a short run, will usually lie down, go into shock and die. If you move in too quickly, the animal's flight instinct will kick in.