First Pronghorn/Officially Addicted

[Prairie Rambler]

After reading every pronghorn thread on here, watching every youtube video available, studying maps for months, and walking 22 miles over 2 days of scouting I sealed the deal on my first pronghorn 45 mins into the SD opener. Its not scored yet and I haven't the slightest idea how to, all I was looking for was cutters above the ears/mass. Couldn't be happier

 

[LCH]

Glad it worked out for you! He's a pretty buck.

 

[Idahoarcheryhunter]

Congrats on an awesome goat

 

[schmalts]

Nice!

 

[fishing4sanity]

Congratulations and yes, they are very addicting & rewarding.

 

[recon6036]

Great buck! Congrats

 

[wagges]

Very nice goat! I believe from the largest to the smallest, they all look great.

 

[JohnCushman]

Welcome to the addiction!! That's a great buck whether it be your first or another in a long line of seasons under your belt. Wait until you decide to do it with a bow, then you'll be really screwed

 

[Bowaddic]

Good Deal Congrats. Hope to get my first in two week.

 

[ackleyfan]

Sure sounds like you had fun.........nice buck!

 

[Sowhntr]

Congrats! The wife and I are earning points

 

[pointingdogsrule]

COOL.

good luck to all
the dog

 

[prhunter]

Congrats!!!

 

[efw]

Congrats on yer first and for getting addicted early you have many years to hunt!

 

[SFC B]

Good looking goat, congrats!

 

[spidr]

good job the hard work paid off

 

[Brian in Montana]

Great job! Now you need to get one with your bow. ��

 

[LopeHunter]

You can usually hunt Pronghorn in WY every year by building points and drawing a decent unit every 3 - 5 years that has lots of public land and quality bucks then in the years you do not draw your 1st choice you can list a 2nd choice on your application and a 3rd choice and if you draw a 2nd or 3rd then does not forfeit your points. Your 2nd choice will have some warts such as not very much public land or smaller bucks on average but should be over 50% harvest rates. If you research your 2nd choice ahead of applying you can be sure to have plenty of public land that holds pronghorn to hunt to fill your tag or pay for access on private.

CO gives out some tags as does MT so you can build points there and a reasonable distance to drive from SD.

AZ, NV, NM and UT are harder to draw for pronghorn but if you are planning on hunting 20 more years then you will draw a tag in those states and maybe two.

I am winding down my hunting activities but was drawing 1 to 3 pronghorn buck tags a year the past decade. I always saw bucks no matter the unit and a 65" buck looks very similar to a 75" and those are nice, mature bucks. A very good buck will be in the 80s. Think about that. Mule deer and elk racks which are average (150 mule and 310 elk) look small next to a very good rack of same species. Not the case with pronghorns as a 14" tall horn is not that much different looking than a 17" one unless are next to each other on the same wall. I have several euro pronghorn along the garage wall and other than a 11" (brother was calling out which one to shoot as they emerged from a basin on the run, doh) the rest look similar yet each has its own unique aspects such as the horn curvature or diggers shape or mass or burrs near the base, etc.

Another aspect of hunting pronghorns is you usually have a shooting opportunity first or second day of a hunt. That is not my experience on mule deer and elk hunts. I also rarely need to hike further than a mile from a road to pass over a ridgeline and drop into a basin that can't be seen from the road. The weather is usually more moderate on pronghorn hunts. About the only downside is how often I encounter rattlers but have never had a venomous bite though those encounters are stress tests for my heart and adrenal glands.

 

[1_pointer]

Congrats!! They are fun critters to hunt that's fo' sho'.

 

[MT_elk]

Congrats!