You’ve drawn a pronghorn tag

Learn some pronghorn biology

You may have heard that the pronghorn is the fastest land animal in North America but did you know …

• Pronghorn evolved to outrun a prehistoric North American cheetah-like cat and can reach speeds of 60 plus mph.
• They have hollow hair to insulate them from the cold.
• Both sexes have sheaths (horns) that are shed annually.
• Their large eyes are capable of seeing a field of view up to 320 degrees, which makes stalking them difficult.
• When startled pronghorn will raise the white hairs on their rump.

Learn more about pronghorn and how to distinguish between sexes.

Buy your tag before the season begins

Take a look at the Oregon Big Game Regulations for exact pronghorn season dates and bag limits. You must purchase your pronghorn tag before the first hunt period begins.

Prepare for fire and unpredictable weather

Almost all pronghorn hunts occur in August and September, when fire restrictions are usually in place. Be sure to visit ODFW’s Wildfire Map to learn about wildfire impacts before you scout and hunt.

Remember that the federal government requires specific fire-fighting gear for visitors on BLM-managed lands:  You must have a shovel, axe and at least one gallon of water or a 2.5 lbs. fire extinguisher. Violation of these restrictions can result in a fine up to $1,000 and/or imprisonment of up to one year.

Hunters also should be prepared for the dry, scorching heat and potential for flash desert storms during late summer in eastern Oregon. Make sure you have plenty of water and ice in your camp, and stop for gas when you have the chance. 
 

Scout before your hunt

Successful scouting depends on finding a good location to glass for pronghorn. As you’re getting to know the terrain and making good use of a spotting scope, here are some things to look for:

• Where pronghorn concentrate from higher elevation to lower sagebrush habitats.
• Where pronghorn go to get away from roads when hunters starting showing up.
• Location of waterholes. Remember, desert waterholes shown on the map may or may not have water in any given year. Knowing where water is during the time of your hunt depends on getting your feet on the ground.
• Appropriate hunting camp locations.

Find even more tips for your preseason scouting.

Find a camp site, don’t forget ice

Public land in Oregon has some great campsites. Keep an eye out during your preseason scouting, and check out Recreation.gov for information about designated areas. When not in a designated campground, be sure to follow dispersed camping rules.  Try to pitch your camp at least 300 feet from a water source. This will help reduce accidental contamination and will reduce the stress on animals that rely on that water.

Be sure to pack enough ice for camp use and to quickly cool the meat of any pronghorn you harvest. Research places where you can buy more ice in sparsely populated areas.

Be careful where you drive

It’s generally illegal to drive across the desert in any motorized vehicle, even to retrieve game. Driving across sagebrush country can create sparks that could ignite a wildfire. However, pronghorn are small animals and easy to pack out on foot.

In Oregon, a hunter must be at least 50 yards from their vehicle before shooting. So, take time to find a location that gives you a good shot at the animal, and allows you to get to it fast. 

Get meat on ice quickly

It’s usually very hot during the hunting season and pronghorn meat can spoil quickly. The key is to field-dress the animal and get the meat cooled as fast as possible. Have a large cooler with block ice ready in your camp so you can put it on ice as soon as it’s quartered.

Avoid getting the pronghorn’s tough hair on the meat, and protect it from dust. Use a game bag or another method to keep meat clean.

Anecdotes about adrenaline ruining pronghorn meat aren’t accurate. In fact, the quality of pronghorn meat comes down to how fast can you get the animal gutted, open to the air and on ice. If the hunter succeeds in processing the animal correctly, pronghorn meat is some of the finest game meat in Oregon.

Population and trophy potential

Hunters can find trophy pronghorn in all the major pronghorn Wildlife Management Units. You can look at ODFW Big Game population surveys for information on populations within a given WMU.

The annual hunt summary report is also a good source of information about pronghorn harvest in each WMU.

Buck ratios in Oregon tend to be quite high. But whether you find lots of big bucks or only a few is somewhat dependent on the weather during the horn growth period.

Horns generally grow between November and July. Growth can vary depending on habitat conditions. Precipitation may lead to improved habitat conditions in spring and summer, but precipination in the winter months in the form of snow can also limit horn growth if animals are nutritionally stressed.

The best way to bag a big buck is to spend time scouting in the summer and look at as many bucks as you can.

Know hunt blind rules on BLM land

The Bureau of Land Management has hunting blind regulations in place to protect wild resources and to fairly distribute access to hunting spots. See the rules that the BLM has for hunting blinds.

• Blinds must be temporary. They can be set up no earlier than 10 days before hunting season and need to be removed within seven days after the close of hunting season.
   
• Blind set-up is first-come, first-serve. Putting up a blind on public land does not create an exclusive right to use.
   
• No wire mesh and no digging, trenching or other surface disturbance allowed when constructing blinds. Do not divert water or impede access to water with your blind.
   
• No camping within 300 feet of a water source to allow animals and livestock access to water at night.
   
• Put your full name and zip code on the blind. This helps with monitoring and enforcement.