DIY Proghorn Hunt

McDougal is all smiles behind his 71-inch Wyoming buck taken on public land with the help of his self-crafted cardboard decoy. Photo by Rebecca McDougal

I peered through the tiny viewing hole in my homemade cardboard decoy, fully expecting to see the pronghorns’ white rumps amidst clouds of dust. However, the three-goat group—two does and a massive buck—lingered and stared curiously at my cardboard cutout.

One doe soon ambled directly away, while the other approached inquisitively with the buck in tow. I leaned out just far enough to range the goats as they advanced my way. When they stopped at nearly 60 yards, I knew they weren’t coming any closer; it was now or never.

I slowly drew my bow and leaned out, and when my pin floated on his ribs, I touched the trigger. My arrow arched across the prairie, hitting slightly higher than I’d aimed and dropping the buck in his tracks. I ran up and quickly administered a finishing arrow. Just like that, a difficult public-land hunt ended with Pope & Young-class horns and memories I’ll never forget.

The American West is a hotbed for hunting adventure, and pronghorn antelope are high on the list. Their jet-black horns, rich-tasting meat and exotic-looking coats alone are reasons enough to pursue them. Pair that with abundant public lands and booming populations, and you’re looking at a hunt that screams adventure.

Of course, planning and executing a successful pronghorn hunt—especially on public land—is challenging just like any DIY hunt. Still, any able-bodied hunter can tackle it, and it’s relatively inexpensive as compared to an elk hunt.

Choosing a Location

The first order of business is to research and choose a hunting location. I’ve successfully hunted both South Dakota and Wyoming. The goat referenced above was taken in a Wyoming hunting area that requires one preference point to draw. I learned about the area while deer hunting an adjacent area two years prior. Pronghorn numbers were the main allure, as the overall trophy potential is rather low based on my observations. My 71-inch buck was probably the largest buck spotted during the hunt. That makes little difference to me.

If you’re flexible on horn size like I am, you need not wait 5 years to draw a tag. Wyoming offers leftover permits after its primary drawing, and South Dakota and Nebraska both offer OTC archery tags. Set goals first, then choose a hunting location relative to your goals by studying harvest stats available from the fish and game department. Also, choose a location with ample public-land opportunities.

Mapping Productive Hunting Spots

Once you choose a hunting area, you must narrow down public parcels to a manageable number. Focus on ones that will likely produce. Of course, hunting from a blind requires more pre-hunt scouting than spotting and stalking and/or decoying.

Scouting for pronghorns is like scouting for whitetails. From home, prior to my Wyoming hunt, I zoomed in on several Walk-In Areas via Google Earth. I quite easily spotted multiple stock tanks with overflow ponds, which substantially reduced my scouting time when I arrived to hunt. I also found irrigated alfalfa fields.

When I arrived in Wyoming, I checked each stock tank I’d found virtually for fresh sign, finding that goats were actively using several of them. I even watched a herd suck water from one of the tanks the day before I started hunting. The alfalfa fields were also crawling with goats. You can scout a ton on Google Earth, but an in-person visual evidence helps you cement a killer game plan.

Antelope country is desolate and wide-open, which makes quality optics and scouting efforts crucial components to success. Photo by Darron McDougal

The Setup

In Wyoming, I hunted near stock tanks for a few days, but antelope wouldn’t come to drink. The presence of my blind was unacceptable, even though I’d positioned it downwind from the tanks. The only goats to enter bow range were a few does, and even they were spooky.

If possible, position your blind a few days in advance. If you can’t, I suggest you back it against a windmill or some other structure that breaks its outline. My brother did this during the same Wyoming hunt, and he scored opening morning as a pod of seven public-land bucks ignored the blind and waltzed right in to drink.

Back-Up Plans

When hunting pronghorns over water, plan for worst-case scenarios, including a prairie soaker, which will shut down watering activity. In this case, you can continue hunting from a blind, but you must move it either to a fence crossing or an alfalfa field where goats congregate regardless of conditions.

During my Wyoming hunt, rain ruined my waterhole plans, and the outcome of my hunt started to look grim. However, I crafted a decoy from cardboard and spray paint. That cheap decoy fooled my buck into archery range and ultimately turned my hunt around for the better. My point is that you must be flexible, or you might eat your tag. Back-up plans are a must in pronghorn country.

Now, understand that decoys are most effective from mid-September through the end of the month. Find a buck guarding a harem of does. Remain out of sight and get within 200 yards or closer before erecting the decoy. Be mindful of the wind, always approaching from downwind, or in the crosswind at the very least. At this range, you are posing a threat as a subordinate buck approaching the harem, and the buck is liable to charge. He’ll usually put on the breaks as you rise and draw your bow, giving you a few seconds to pull off a shot.

The Ultimate DIY Adventure

If you desire western adventure with higher success rates and lower costs than elk and mule deer hunts, give pronghorn antelope a try. If you plan carefully, you’ll see lots of goats, and have multiple opportunities to take one. I don’t know about you, but I find that hard to beat.

Money-Saver Tips

If you’re on a budget, you can realistically execute a pronghorn hunt for $1,000 or less. Rather than lodge in a motel, camp at a campground for a fraction of the price, or better yet, camp on public land (where legal) for free.

Next, rather than eat meals at the local diner, plan out and make your own meals. Make sandwiches to pack along for lunch and make meals on a simple propane cookstove for breakfast and dinner.

Lastly, process your own meat. It’s awfully tempting to drop your harvested goat at the local meat locker, but why not bone-out the meat and put it on ice until you get back home? It’ll save you money, plus there aren’t questions about who’s handling your meat or how it’s being handled.

Archery vs. Rifle

There are some things to consider when deciding which weapon to tote to pronghorn country. This isn’t whitetail hunting from a treestand, so say goodbye to 15-yard shots (in most cases). Pronghorns are traditionally shot from 35 to 50 yards and farther with archery tackle, so you must build your shooting skills at these distances. In many situations, you’ll get busted once you’re within 100-150 yards of goats. This makes the rifle a more tempting avenue. Believe me, I know.

Of course, there are merits to hunting with archery gear. Having hunted antelope multiple times with bows and firearms, I can say that you’ll only experience pronghorn hunting in its purest form during archery season when hunting pressure is low to nonexistent. While hunting for my Wyoming buck, I didn’t encounter another hunter.

Things change during rifle season. After killing my buck, I turned my attention to my doe tag. Several unsuccessful archery stalks landed me at the firearm opener. Hunters were everywhere, and goats were on the move and super-flighty. Finding a place to hunt was even a task. Luckily, I had enough spots in mind that I was able to pull up to an alfalfa field, keep round bales between me and some goats, and pull off a 240-yard heart shot on a mature doe. As fun as that hunt was, archery season is far more enjoyable due to goats being goats and hunters being few and far between.

By Darron McDougal