# Pronghorn Population Remains Low



## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Pronghorn Population Remains Low, NDGF Recommends No Season

North Dakota Game and Fish Department biologists recently completed the 2011 pronghorn population survey, which revealed the statewide population is 30 percent lower than last year. Therefore, the Game and Fish Department is recommending the pronghorn hunting season remain closed in 2011.

Bruce Stillings, big game supervisor in Dickinson, said three severe winters with high adult mortality rates followed by poor fawn production has dropped the statewide population estimate to approximately 4,500 pronghorn. Until last year when the population fell to 6,500 pronghorn, the statewide population had been at or above 10,000 animals since 2003, including two years with more than 15,000.

"Our numbers are declining with few young animals observed due to poor production in 2009 and 2010," Stillings said. "To make matters worse, production this year was the lowest documented since biologists began surveying in the late 1950s."

The aerial survey is flown in late June/early July after young-of-the-year are born and visible. Five airplanes covered more than 11,000 square miles of aerial transects within pronghorn habitat.

Survey results indicate the population in the western Bowman and southern Slope management regions are doing the best, while pronghorn in the northern badlands and northern Slope areas are in the poorest condition. Pronghorn in all management regions are well-below population objectives.

Northern Great Plains pronghorn are susceptible to dramatic population declines due to extreme winter conditions, Stillings said. The last three years have been a worst case scenario for pronghorn in North Dakota, similar to 1977-79 when three consecutive severe winters hit the region, resulting in closed seasons from 1978-1981.

"The last thing pronghorn needed was another severe winter," Stillings said. "A much needed mild winter would increase adult survival and leave females in good condition for fawning."

Biologists will continue to monitor pronghorn numbers in the future, and will reopen the season when the population returns to a level capable of withstanding a harvest.

The 2011 pronghorn season will be closed to both gun and archery hunters. Applicants who have accumulated preference points will maintain their current points.


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

I'll buy the harsh winter stuff...but loss of habitat HAS to be a large contributing factor, doesn't it?!


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## KEN W (Feb 22, 2002)

Duckslayer100 said:


> I'll buy the harsh winter stuff...but loss of habitat HAS to be a large contributing factor, doesn't it?!


Not for antelope.They like the wide open prairie grass.


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## Duckslayer100 (Apr 7, 2004)

Right...but is there a lot of the wide open prairie grass out west any more? I thought CRP was getting tilled up in record amounts...


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## jwdinius1 (Dec 14, 2006)

antelope migrate into wintering ranges and back to summer ranges, these past few winters have seen North Dakota goats pushing into SD, and prolly more accurately into wyoming not to return to there orinigal summer ranges. It will take several mild winters to really rebound the population and return it what it was a few years ago.


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## Sask hunter (Sep 11, 2008)

There is no season in SK this yr cause of the hard winter


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## jmillercustoms (Dec 11, 2007)

At least ND and SK have the common sense to suspend the season, Here in SD I think our Game and Fish Dept. is determined to get the antelope population as low as possible, the last three years we haven't seen crap antelope hunting, this year they finally reduced tag numbers by about 2/3 but if the population is that low I say give them a break and suspend the season for a few years. I would rather wait a year or so to go hunt them and have good hunting vs not seeing many animals


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## wurgs (Mar 3, 2008)

I agree. Earlier this year I drove down Hwy 85 from Belfield to Spearfish and didn't see many at all. Evden in 2010 once in SD saw hundreds from the highway. I would like to see the seasons suspended for a couple years at least. This year even in Wyoming and Montana the numbers seem down from previous years.


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## jpallen14 (Nov 28, 2005)

Wife and I both shot buck opening morning. Yea the numbers are down a ton from three years ago but thier is enough to substain a season in SD. We saw 30-40 goats in 3-4 hrs on saturday while hunting on walk-in. Maybe we should close the pheasant season in eastern SD. They are down 75% from 2 years ago, you know. Don't be a air-chair biologist.


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## wurgs (Mar 3, 2008)

jpallen14 said:


> Wife and I both shot buck opening morning. Yea the numbers are down a ton from three years ago but thier is enough to substain a season in SD. We saw 30-40 goats in 3-4 hrs on saturday while hunting on walk-in. Maybe we should close the pheasant season in eastern SD. They are down 75% from 2 years ago, you know. Don't be a air-chair biologist.


Thread was about ND pronghorn season being closed not SD. Was just reporting what I saw earlier in the year, if there are numbers of pronghorn in ND they are usually around Bowman and west. Glad Your hunt went well.


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