When it comes to speed merchants, the pronghorn antelope (Antilocapra americana) has no peers in the Americas. As a matter of fact, there is only one creature in the world that can catch this illusive animal often called the ghost of the prairie. The African cheetah can best the pronghorn's sprint for short distances, but can't hold a candle to the long distance endurance of this lanky marathoner.

Author: Frank Ross

The prominent horns of the dominant buck are visible for great distances.

Although commonly known as an antelope, the pronghorn is technically not in that family. It is actually the sole species of the Antilocapridae family, found only on the Great Plains North America.

Exceptional bursts of speed, marathon endurance and phenomenal eyesight are all characteristics which make it well adapted to the short-grass prairies and desolate badlands of the western United States. With a large-capacity respiratory system and slender, strong legs that lack the usual dewclaws of the deer family, these creatures can run for long distances at 35-40 mph. While they are reported to reach short bursts of speeds of 50 to 60 mph -the top end of that range is thought by many to be an exaggeration.

A mature buck weighs from 100 to 130 pounds and the female stands slightly smaller at 75 to 100 pounds, which makes them subordinate in size to their deer cousins. Males develop large pronged horns with hooked ends that average about 12 inches, and while most females develop some presence of horns, a few grow horns that are rarely as long as their ears. Their horns are permanent, bony protrusions which are covered by sheaths, and only the sheaths are shed. The sheaths are similar to hair, but are not mineralized like antlers. The horn is solid, the sheath is not. Sheathes are shed annually beginning around November and regenerated in the Spring.

Speed set aside, the pronghorn's greatest defense mechanism is its exceptional eyesight. Its large eyes protrude from the side of its head and provide wide-angle vision believed to be the equivalent of a man looking through 8-power binoculars.

Alerted to danger, this pronghorn buck displays his breakaway speed.

Dark brown hair on its back and sides is offset by lighter colored hair on its belly, throat and distinctive white rump patch. The male has black cheek patches, and some black over the face, but the thing that makes the herd buck stand out the most is those large, black, curving horns.

Historically, the pronghorn population may have numbered nearly 40 million, which would have rivaled the populations of the great bison. Due to over hunting, during the early 20th century only about 13,000 remained. Competent game management philosophies have brought this admirable animal back to current levels estimated at around one million.

Back in 1907, Nebraska's forward looking legislature passed a law prohibiting the taking of elk, deer, antelope and beaver. For a period of 46 years there were no antelope hunting seasons in Nebraska. The population was estimated at 3,500 in 1955, and by 1974 those numbers had risen to approximately 10,000. Various factors led to a decline in these numbers starting in the mid- 1970s. The most influential of these was the devastating 1978-79 winter when some herds suffered morality rates of 60 to 100 percent.

The range of the pronghorn antelope spans from the Canadian border to the deserts of Arizona and New Mexico, but the highest concentrations are in the central plains.

Wyoming's wide-open rangeland is an ideal location for the ground-gobbling nature of the pronghorn.

Wyoming is reportedly distinguished with more pronghorns than people, but while that is somewhat of an exaggeration -it isn't far from true. Certainly Wyoming has the largest population of pronghorns on the continent with a estimated population of 416,000 animals, according to WGFC Public Information Officer, Jeff Obrecht. U.S. Census reports put Wyoming's people population as of 1999, at 479,602 and declining. Given a few good years of calving, those numbers could make that swing and cover the point spread.

Today, the number of antelope in Nebraska is estimated at around 6,000 animals, with a primary range covering the western half of the state and highest concentrations in the panhandle. The greatest densities roam in Dawes and Sioux counties. The North Sioux management area supports an estimated 5 pronghorn per square mile while other areas of the panhandle have an average of only 1 per square mile. While there are good numbers of pronghorn in most western states, Wyoming is by far the dominant range.

Habitat
Wyoming is obviously a perfect environment for antelope. It is not unusual to see several hundred pronghorns when driving through this state. While pronghorns can be spotted with regularity along Interstate-80 in western Nebraska, it's the northwestern rangeland that typifies this state's best antelope habitat. All of the plains habitat where this animal roams is a harsh environment.

In the panhandle of Nebraska, very low precipitation, extremes of seasonal low and high temperatures, and windy, harsh winters epitomize the Great Plains. On the average, the panhandle receives 17 inches of moisture or less, including snow and melted hail. The bulk of that moisture comes between the spring and summer months from April to July, which results in a thin vegetative cover that is ideal for forbs and limited types of shrubby growth that pronghorn thrive on.

Sparse grasses punctuate the vegetative cover, principally western wheatgrass, needle-and-thread, blue grama, hairy grama and buffalo grass fill the gamut, interspersed with pockets of sagebrush. Prickly pear cacti are abundantly sprinkled in dry rangeland, while willow, cottonwood, ash and elm grow along water sources. A variety of forbs are found scattered throughout the shortgrass and badland ranges, but one fall and winter mainstay for these opportunistic grazers is the succulent winter wheat and alfalfa crops produced by farmers in this region. For this reason, getting permission to hunt is usually not a problem.

Habits
The pronghorn has a very gregarious nature and is generally found in small family groups during the spring and summer and large herds during the winter. With their propensity to run at the drop of a hat, when food becomes scarce in one area it doesn't take them long to get to another. The antelope's "rump alert" is one of its most unique abilities. This large white patch of hollow bristle-like hair can be erected at will to signal other members of the herd to be alert to danger. When erect, it stands out like a powder puff against the drab background of the high plains. Their hollow body hairs also provide them an on-board thermostat to release body heat in the hot summer, and provide insulation against sub-zero temperatures winter's howling winds. Just like the military, pronghorns apparently assign sentinels to stand guard while the herd feeds or rests.

The Rut
Late summer and early fall will find bucks engaged in mock battles, preparing for the serious season of harem selection. Pronghorns are polygamous, and dominant bucks gather as many does as they can defend, while satellite bucks keep their distance and wait for their opportunity in this annual cycle of fitness and finesse. The height of their rut comes in late September and into October, as females in the harem become more and more attentive and receptive to amorous bucks.

Severe winters can be devastating on pronghorn.

While female pronghorns have been reported to breed as fawns, they are usually bred for the first time at the age of 16 to 17 months. Each doe will usually produce twin fawns in early June after a gestation period of about 250 days. At birth, a fawn weighs between five and nine pounds, and becomes the immediate forage of choice for the opportunistic coyote. This period of extreme vulnerability will see losses of up to 60 percent. Those that survive will be grazing in a few weeks and running with the best of them by late summer. During their first few weeks of life, they are without scent and will lie motionless for hours while their mother grazes nearby. Other predators such as bobcats and golden eagles also have an impact, but it's the coyote that takes the greatest toll.

Hunting Statistics
Both Wyoming and Nebraska's game officials have done an excellent job of managing their state's renewable resources such as the pronghorn. Numbers are managed to provide maximum opportunities for hunters while balancing the impact on agricultural interests.

The good news for hunters fortunate enough to draw a permit is that the success rates are excellent in both states.

In 1999, Nebraska rifle hunters averaged an 81% success ratio, while Wyoming hunters, working with much larger numbers, chalked up an impressive 90% for residents and 96% for nonresidents. Also, of note, there were 33,000 hunters in Wyoming during that period.

North Dakota has a herd of a little over 6,000 animals, and issued 1,300 permits this year. In 1999, the success rate in North Dakota was 85.1%

South Dakota has a smaller herd, and they have not issued any out-of-state permits in the last two years.

Montana has a herd of 125,000 antelope and issued 31,000 permits this year. Their success rate overall is 70%, with non-residents scoring 82% and residents coming in at 67%.

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