The Best Way to Approach Pronghorn Antelope

Pronghorn antelope hunting is pure excitement, especially if you’ve never hunted the West.

Populations are usually high and you get to see lots of animals, including incidental creatures like mule deer, coyotes, and prairie dogs.

Unlike deer and elk that hide most of the day, pronghorn live in wide open spaces where they can easily be seen, often from a mile or more away.

Getting close is the real challenge. So when you consider that in most seasons antelope must drink every day, a water strategy makes good sense, as described in this AllOutdoors post.

Why endure long hours in a blind? If you have the patience, it’s far easier to let a good buck come to you than it is to try and stalk him in the short grass. In fact, according to data from the Pope & Young Club’s 26th Recording Period Statistical Summary Book, 57 percent of all pronghorn entries were taken from a ground blind. It’s rarely easy, but for those that follow a plan, it works. These are the things I do to guard water.

Find the Water: In unfamiliar country, step one is to scan the horizon. Windmills are the easiest landmarks to find out West, and they usually indicate the presence of water. Since ranchers use windmills to water livestock, you can bet they will be turned on year-round, or as long as cattle are in that pasture. By contrast, dirt tanks or earthen ponds can be only seasonal water sources. Look at maps.

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