Pronghorn State Ranking

[BuzzH]

The reason why pronghorn get zero respect as the premier spot and stalk big-game animal in the lower-48. Compared to coyotes and people whacking away at them shooting off fenceposts for a "rest" at 4 bills..can't imagine why I see a handful each year on 3 wheels.

 

[WVgoodguy22]

Thanks everyone so far for your input on my questions and the thread topic. I have seen the biggest buck of our whole trip to Idaho for a mule deer hunt, just chilling under a billboard sign in town. I know that they're usually easier on average than elk or deer at least with a rifle. I would probably do a combination deer and pronghorn hunt for 10 days, especially during rifle season. Archery , seasons and opportunities I definitely need to be much more dialed in and try to take advantage of limited terrain or water.

 

[rwc101]

Pronghorn Concern Level by Yardage:
500- Very little, but keeping an eye on you.
400- Glancing over a bit more frequently
300- You've got my attention
250- F#@%! I'm out.

 

[Cheesehead]

Pronghorn Concern Level by Yardage:
500- Very little, but keeping an eye on you.
400- Glancing over a bit more frequently
300- You've got my attention
250- F#@%! I'm out.

Yup

 

[WVgoodguy22]

Pronghorn Concern Level by Yardage:
500- Very little, but keeping an eye on you.
400- Glancing over a bit more frequently
300- You've got my attention
250- F#@%! I'm out.

Sounds about right from what I have heard.

 

[WVgoodguy22]

I've thought about doing this too.

1. Put in for NM and Idaho every year.
2. Wyoming should be first stop and the most realistic shot you have at hunting one your first or second time trying.
3. Next CO and MT. Can hunt them w/o a huge wait in both, though you may have to take some less glamorous units.
4. Start early building points for AZ, UT and Oregon. Maybe Nevada too?
5. In the meantime, try archery (OTC) in SD and Nebraska.
6. Buy a tag from a private land owner in TX (the only way you can hunt them there) as well to kill the wait for the states mentioned in 4.

Aaaaand that's as far as I've gotten (with planning, not actually hunting). But I think you can reasonably shoot for five or six states in the first decade of trying. After that, it gets more difficult I'm sure.

Hey for Colorado check out some of the units in SE CO. There not really high-end units but they seem relatively drawable even for low-points holders. Would take some work but there's a goat out there somewhere.

And let me tell you man. Take it from a fellow back-Easter (assume your from WV?) and relative newcomer to the pronghorn scene: You are going to love it.

I say that because two years ago nearly to this writing I was jumping into applying for pronghorn tags, and had the same enthusiasm you do. I hit on a little luck and drew a rifle tag for a unit in NE New Mexico. That was before I joined this site and I'm sitting on the story for a rainy day, but suffice it to say I loved every second of that hunt. I sincerely hope you get to get into it soon! I'm probably going to roll the dice in New Mexico again here in the next few days. Haha!

That definitely pumps me up. I can't wait to start and be able to go. If I wasn't getting married this summer and have extremely limited vacation days I would definitely try my luck with New Mexico this year.

 

[WVgoodguy22]

Not to be a rain cloud, I love antelope hunting more than most, but there is a bit of reality to deal with.

In some states like AZ for example, you will never build enough points to guarantee you a tag. You will have to get lucky and draw a random tag. So you need to apply every single year and not just buy a point. If you look
At GoHunt you can see that the odds for someone with 1 PT and someone with 10 PTs are not drastically different for a rifle tag. So that $15 investment is worth about as much as you paid for it. So you need as many bites at the Apple as you can. Apply every year. The good news is that AZ’s draw is early enough that if you draw you will know before you have to apply for Wyoming.

You probably need to plan an otc / Hugh percentage draw every year and move forward with that plan while simultaneously throwing hail
Mary’s in the draw states. If you get lucky and land a draw tag, be willing to walk away from whatever investment you have made for that year in the otc / easy draw state.

Just from what I have seen in this thread it looks like you could do something like this:

Year 1 otc NE / SD / KS? AND apply in AZ, NM, ID, CO, NV, OR
Year 2 Repeat w/new otc state
Year 3 Repeat w/new otc state
Year 4 Apply in AZ, NM, ID, CO, NV, OR and then apply in WY if not drawn for any other state
Year 5 Apply in AZ, NM, ID, CO, NV, OR and then hunt in MT if not drawn for any other state
Year 6 Apply in AZ, NM, ID, CO, NV, OR and then buy a NM landowner tag if not drawn
Year 7 Apply in AZ, NM, ID, CO, NV, OR and then buy TX landowner tag if not drawn
Year 8 Apply in AZ, NM, ID, CO, NV, OR and if not drawn go back to one of the OTC states if not drawn
So on and so forth until you check all the states off the list. In reality, you probably never will, but it will be super fun trying and we will all get to see your pictures and read your stories. And along the way you are bound to have a little luck and draw a good tag or bump into an above average buck on a otc tag.

like someone else said, the advice is probably worth as much as you paid for it.

Wow thank you very much for taking the time to break this down so thoroughly and thoughtfully. I will definitely have to put this into motion. I know that it will be tough to accomplish especially with states that have less than 1% draw odds even with 17 points like AZ. Plus living here in the East I can only devote a short amount of time each year to such a quest.

 

[PablitoPescador]

I would agree with Buzz, they’re no less intelligent than elk and deer. Their Achilles heel is their curiosity and the fact that they’re a white and reddish brown animal that can outrun any predator on the landscape. Their evolution to outrunning predators just hasn’t caught up with 3000 FPS yet

 

[MTLabrador]

I would agree with Buzz, they’re no less intelligent than elk and deer. Their Achilles heel is their curiosity and the fact that they’re a white and reddish brown animal that can outrun any predator on the landscape. Their evolution to outrunning predators just hasn’t caught up with 3000 FPS yet

Exactly. It’s like calling bison stupid because they choose to stand and fight instead of running away. Those two animals are well suited to surviving most things other than centerfire rifles.

 

[rwc101]

Right. Criticizing pronghorn because they survived the American Cheetah is doing them dirty.

 

[Cheesehead]

The reason why pronghorn get zero respect as the premier spot and stalk big-game animal in the lower-48. Compared to coyotes and people whacking away at them shooting off fenceposts for a "rest" at 4 bills..can't imagine why I see a handful each year on 3 wheels.

Ok Boomer

I would agree with Buzz, they’re no less intelligent than elk and deer. Their Achilles heel is their curiosity and the fact that they’re a white and reddish brown animal that can outrun any predator on the landscape. Their evolution to outrunning predators just hasn’t caught up with 3000 FPS yet

Apparently my antelope insensitivity became more of a firestorm than anticipated
To clarify: I am not insinuating they are stupid, just that their evolved defenses appear inadequate to our technology. I would argue that antelope more than most critters have struggled to adjust to the improvement in optics / range improvements (ie, 500 is the new 300).
This isn’t an attack on a species...this is simply trying to inform someone newer to the game that umm, yes, they’re relatively easy game. Look at the harvest stats.
Folks out west tend to under appreciate the fact that Midwestern/Eastern folks have less inherent knowledge of the quarry.
I don’t disagree with the comparisons mentioned above.

 

[BuzzH]

Ok Boomer

Apparently my antelope insensitivity became more of a firestorm than anticipated
To clarify: I am not insinuating they are stupid, just that their evolved defenses appear inadequate to our technology. I would argue that antelope more than most critters have struggled to adjust to the improvement in optics / range improvements (ie, 500 is the new 300).
This isn’t an attack on a species...this is simply trying to inform someone newer to the game that umm, yes, they’re relatively easy game. Look at the harvest stats.
Folks out west tend to under appreciate the fact that Midwestern/Eastern folks have less inherent knowledge of the quarry.
I don’t disagree with the comparisons mentioned above.

You're as correct about my age and generation as you are pronghorn. Drag out the open sighted 30-30, a pronghorn tag in an area I pick for you, that has tons of access....kill an honest 75 inch pronghorn. Report back on how "easy" it is....tuffie.

I wish I had a dollar for every missed shot i've watched pronghorn "hunters" with mad shooting skills miss on these "easy" pronghorn....most much closer than 300 yards. Get a half decent wyoming breeze and the clowns are breaking into the 50 pack of ammo stashed under the truck seat before lunch time on opening day.

 

[Cheesehead]

You're as correct about my age and generation as you are pronghorn. Drag out the open sighted 30-30, a pronghorn tag in an area I pick for you, that has tons of access....kill an honest 75 inch pronghorn. Report back on how "easy" it is....tuffie.

In the interest of not derailing the OP’s intent of the thread, @BuzzH, let’s take your thread to private messages to avoid further distraction. I'll initiate. Cheers

 

[rwc101]

In the interest of not derailing the OP’s intent of the thread, @BuzzH, let’s take your thread to private messages to avoid further distraction. I'll initiate. Cheers

Real slick way of getting Buzz's application strategy.

 

[Bob-WY]

It's simple. To kill any animal you have to get lucky or beat their defense.

With pronghorn it's eyes. Longer you can shoot more it sways to you. The yardage chart above is pretty accurate

Now add in hunting pressure where if they see you, or a truck. Game over

 

[WyoDoug]

Trophy class bucks all over Wyoming. Some in the area I hunt though. But according to the moose outside, Wyoming is now closed. LOL

Seriously, look at the habitat and odds are you will likely find quality bucks to shoot. I got a couple come down from that country up north to hunt with me so I have been and will be doing serious scouting for quality bucks so these NRs do not waste their time hunting with me. (Not as an outfitter or guide but as a fellow hunter. I am taking no money other than fair share expenses before someone gets started on it.)