Pronghorn hunters: Shoot/Dont Shoot ?

[jnyork]

For those of you who may be new to hunting the pronghorn out West, there are three factors to consider when deciding whether or not to shoot: length of the horns, thickness of the horns and the length of the prong. Here are a few shots of a pronghorn we encountered in the Red Desert area of Wyoming, keep in mind the quality of the horns will vary quite a bit depending on where you are hunting, for instance, the New Mexico animals generally grow bigger horns than in Wyoming.

In this shot, we see the animal off in the distance, which is why a good set of binoculars are essential and spotting scopes are commonly used. Cant tell much about this guy from this distance, plus the ever-present mirage blurs his image:



Here's a telephoto shot headon. Still cant really judge whats going on with his horns, not a good pose on which to make your decision:



This is a little better, quartering away, you can see the length pretty well but the other factors not so well:



This is the best view, and what you should wait for before you shoot, or not. You can clearly see that he has a nice set of prongs, the prongs are above his ears, the horns are fairly thick and the length is about twice his ears. Figuring the ears are about 7 inches long, this guy is about a 13-14 inch buck. This is about average for this area of Wyoming, not a record breaker by any means but if it was the last day of rifle season I would drop him. If I were hunting with my flintlock and got the drop on this fellow the first 5 minutes of the first day, he would be meat in the pan.

[Old Ironsights]

What's on the other side of the ridgeline?

That's my first question.

Other than that...

[jnyork]

What's on the other side of the ridgeline?

That's my first question.

Other than that...

Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles. This was taken at least 30 miles from the nearest structure or developed road. Still, I would not shoot over a ridgeline like this, the article was intended strictly to show the factors involved in judging a pronghorns horns.

[TedH]

This Missouri boy would have shot him based on the first photo alone.

Thanks for the pics and info. I'm coming out again, hopefully in 2016. I'd love to shoot one with my Sharps and blackpowder load.

[Old Ironsights]

What's on the other side of the ridgeline?

That's my first question.

Other than that...

Miles and miles of nothing but miles and miles. This was taken at least 30 miles from the nearest structure or developed road. Still, I would not shoot over a ridgeline like this, the article was intended strictly to show the factors involved in judging a pronghorns horns.

I know that... I live out here too, remember? But it's still a Basic Hunter's Safety Question that should be anyone's FIRST concern - if ever so fleeting...

After that? Especially if he came down just a little, I'd certainly shoot him. There's good meat there.

Maybe I'll see something similar on my 66-1 this season?

[SargeMarlin]

I would have to add some caveats, since I'm a trophy hunter with a rifle, but will shoot anything if in handgun or levergun range. So, levergun, BANG--FLOP, same with handgun. Rifle, I'd like to think that I would let him walk, but I also get about pi** excited when I'm hunting so no guarantees. I'd definitely have to hope that I have time to evaluate him and that he's not the first that I saw for the season.

Now, if my teenage girls are hunting with me, I'm ranging while they are getting set up, then hope for the BANG--FLOP. Smiles and chocolate chip cookies all around bartender!

Thanks for the question and the great photos.

SM

[Griff]

I've always heard that "...twice the length of his ears..." as being a good starting point for judging. I'm with Ted!

[crs]

Dead goat = new chili grind.

[Chuck 100 yd]

For me it depends on the quality of the stalk. I shot one smaller than him but I had to sneak over 1000 yards to get onto him. I ended up within 80 yards of him after a two hour stalk. To me ,it's more about the hunt than the trophy.

[jnyork]

,it's more about the hunt than the trophy.

Exactly why I hunted with a flintlock for so many years, seemed like more of a hunt than just driving around until you see one and busting him with the Loudenboomer Mangle'em off the hood of the truck.

[rjohns94]

yep, I would have struck a spark on the second picture and let that .535 ball make meat! nice post, thanks

[Mich Hunter]

For me it depends on the quality of the stalk. I shot one smaller than him but I had to sneak over 1000 yards to get onto him. I ended up within 80 yards of him after a two hour stalk. To me ,it's more about the hunt than the trophy.

Exactly. One of the hardest animals to hunt in the U.S. Anyone can road hunt them but stalking is a whole different animal. First time I ever chased them I was amazed at their eye sight. Closest shot I ever had was 150yds. Farthest was 725 yds and dropped a nice 14in'er. However, I knew guys up in South Dakota that bow hunted them and average shots were 40-45yds.

[missionary5155]

Good morning
Sharp sticks and sparking rocks are music to my ears. Wonderful way to learn to hunt and enjoy the smells all about.
Mike in Peru

[bigbore442001]

As a life long resident of New England you do not pass up a shot. Success rates are low for hunting so I would definitely shoot. In my mind you may not get another chance

[AJMD429]

Unless I had just SEEN personally what was or was not on the other side of the ridge I'd not even consider the shot for the "backstop" reason.

[mohavesam]

Nice pics!

The valley north pf Prescott used to have waves, literally carpets of antelope grazing along the highway. It was a sight to watch as the entire hillsides seemed to undulate with orange/white animals. Nowadays one is pretty lucky to see a herd/harem of one hundred in an entire season. We have 'em in the yard at Son's home, they laugh at his great Dane and pitty, and mow every flower and succulent they can. They seems to avoid walking on the patio stone - strange animals. Old timers say that if you stare at an antelope and blink both eyes, he can see that from 400 yards away.

I don't and my hunting parties don't hunt for horns. There are plenty of city hunters and dudes who still do, just not us. Besides, if one is into walking for miles across the valleys, black sheath sheds are easily picked up every year.

Killing the dominant bucks allows inferior genes to take over the next generation in an area so sparsely populated now. Meat is the only ethical purpose of hunting these days, and now with G&F employing UAVs and manned recon aircraft more and more, and with the misdemeanor crime for leaving "any edible portion" in the field, it's easier to hunt with camera. If you have him "on film", you have a kill shot.

Then go find a doe and start the marinade!

[jeepnik]

Not skylined. You never know what's beyond the ridgeline.

[Blaine]

Not skylined. You never know what's beyond the ridgeline.

Depends on the shot....if it was a close, dead certain shot, I'd take it.

[vancelw]

Not skylined. You never know what's beyond the ridgeline.

Depends on the shot....if it was a close, dead certain shot, I'd take it.

No. It doesn't depend. Never shoot a skylined animal. Cows, horses, and people are out there, even if no houses or barns are.
The bullet goes through pronghorns. Not much to them.

My brother-in-law is one of the most easy going people I ever met. But, I saw him un-invite more than one hunter for shooting at a skylined animal. If you can't trust their judgment, you don't want them on the place.

All you have to do is wait and see if he drops down. If he crosses over, try to get within range again. It's hunting. The fun part is getting close enough for a safe shot.

[jeepnik]

Not skylined. You never know what's beyond the ridgeline.

Depends on the shot....if it was a close, dead certain shot, I'd take it.

I can't get past my dad telling me to never take a shot at a skylined animal. Likely as not there is nothing to be harmed if I missed. But...

[Blaine]

Ouch.
But, the man said there is nothing out there. Nothing. That's also part of Depends.
Don't tell me when you hunt squirrels you don't shoot them in trees.
Of course, if you can't make a broadside shot, on a supported position at fifty yards......

[vancelw]

Ouch.
But, the man said there is nothing out there. Nothing. That's also part of Depends.
Don't tell me when you hunt squirrels you don't shoot them in trees.
Of course, if you can't make a broadside shot, on a supported position at fifty yards......

There may or may not be "nothing out there". Why risk it?
I haven't hunted squirrel in years. I use a 20 gauge shotgun. Too many houses around me.
No one is saying you might miss the pronghorn. I've shot 30 or more in my life, from 40 to 300 yards. Never missed one. But, on every single one, the bullet went all the way through the animal and continued on into the ground. From a .243 to a .45-70 and lots of calibers in between.

It's real easy to get "buck fever" and want to pop a shot off at one. I just calm myself down (so I can make a better shot) and that gives me time to "see" my surroundings and make wise choices. The past 4 or 5 I've shot have been with un-scoped leverguns, so getting closer has not been optional. Their body is so much smaller than a mule deer that it's easy to mis-judge the distance.

If I can ever get a license again, I'll have you meet me in Montana sometime Blaine and we'll go get one. The blue tongue and blizzards and drought really took a toll on the MT pronghorn population. I used to get a license about 2 out of 3 attempts and now it's more like 1 out of 6. It is a very enjoyable type of hunting.

[Blaine]

Ouch.
But, the man said there is nothing out there. Nothing. That's also part of Depends.
Don't tell me when you hunt squirrels you don't shoot them in trees.
Of course, if you can't make a broadside shot, on a supported position at fifty yards......

There may or may not be "nothing out there". Why risk it?
I haven't hunted squirrel in years. I use a 20 gauge shotgun. Too many houses around me.
No one is saying you might miss the pronghorn. I've shot 30 or more in my life, from 40 to 300 yards. Never missed one. But, on every single one, the bullet went all the way through the animal and continued on into the ground. From a .243 to a .45-70 and lots of calibers in between.

It's real easy to get "buck fever" and want to pop a shot off at one. I just calm myself down (so I can make a better shot) and that gives me time to "see" my surroundings and make wise choices. The past 4 or 5 I've shot have been with un-scoped leverguns, so getting closer has not been optional. Their body is so much smaller than a mule deer that it's easy to mis-judge the distance.

If I can ever get a license again, I'll have you meet me in Montana sometime Blaine and we'll go get one. The blue tongue and blizzards and drought really took a toll on the MT pronghorn population. I used to get a license about 2 out of 3 attempts and now it's more like 1 out of 6. It is a very enjoyable type of hunting.

Sounds good....give me a heads up, and I'll go tie one to a tree for you....

[jnyork]

The article was presented only to show what a hunter should be looking at in terms of horns, not whether to shoot on the skyline. The question was, should you shoot the pronghorn, NOT should you shoot him on the skyline. The pix were taken 30 miles from a developed road or structure, and we did not see another human all day. Nevertheless, I would not shoot with him on the skyline like that.

Hope everyone is happy with that.