HuntinFool
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How big does a pronghorn have to be to enter into the books?
B&C pronghorn
- Thread starter HuntinFool
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B_BOP_A_LU_LU
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80" & 82" TO MAKE ALL TIME I BELIEVE?
HuntinFool
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I'm not much of an pronghorn hunter but it seems like you see a lot of 80" bucks that people have shot. Is it not that hard to find an 80" buck.
cabuck
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HuntinFool,
It has been my experience that pronghorn taken in August or early September seem to shrink more than some that are taken in October. A quick look at entries into B&C you will see that whitetail deer are by far the easiest animal to harvest. Pronghorn are susceptible to bad winter-kill, mild winters equal more mature bucks, more B&C bucks. They are fairly hard to judge but 80" bucks are not like "stars in the sky".
Good Luck
Cabuck
It has been my experience that pronghorn taken in August or early September seem to shrink more than some that are taken in October. A quick look at entries into B&C you will see that whitetail deer are by far the easiest animal to harvest. Pronghorn are susceptible to bad winter-kill, mild winters equal more mature bucks, more B&C bucks. They are fairly hard to judge but 80" bucks are not like "stars in the sky".
Good Luck
Cabuck
BigFin
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Quote: "..... it seems like you see a lot of 80" bucks that people have shot. Is it not that hard to find an 80" buck."
I agree that we see a lot of pics that people say are 80" bucks. Most often, they are 76" bucks, or even less. In fact, there are some pics where I think the guy gave the buck a spread credit to arrive at the posted score.
If you see an 80" buck, it is usually a "Holy crap, I'm shooting that one" kind of event. Very few places do 80" bucks abound as a high percentage of the bucks you will see.
Shrinkage is a major problem with pronghorns, as one person mentioned above. Most of these bucks that have a gross green score of 80" will net green score even less, and when the drying period passes, the net official score will have lost another inch, and maybe more.
"Hunt when you can - You're gonna' run out of health before you run out of money!"
I agree that we see a lot of pics that people say are 80" bucks. Most often, they are 76" bucks, or even less. In fact, there are some pics where I think the guy gave the buck a spread credit to arrive at the posted score.
If you see an 80" buck, it is usually a "Holy crap, I'm shooting that one" kind of event. Very few places do 80" bucks abound as a high percentage of the bucks you will see.
Shrinkage is a major problem with pronghorns, as one person mentioned above. Most of these bucks that have a gross green score of 80" will net green score even less, and when the drying period passes, the net official score will have lost another inch, and maybe more.
"Hunt when you can - You're gonna' run out of health before you run out of money!"
ramtagless
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I agree with most comments above...a true 80 incher is not as common as it would seem.
Not to get off topic, but I disagree with this statement.
"A quick look at entries into B&C you will see that whitetail deer are by far the easiest animal to harvest."
Not sure how you meant that and it is not a big deal. But, there are an estimated 20-25 million whitetail deer in north america and less than a million antelope.
Certainly there are more whitetail deer in the record books, but in my opinion that does not mean they are the easiest.
Not to get off topic, but I disagree with this statement.
"A quick look at entries into B&C you will see that whitetail deer are by far the easiest animal to harvest."
Not sure how you meant that and it is not a big deal. But, there are an estimated 20-25 million whitetail deer in north america and less than a million antelope.
Certainly there are more whitetail deer in the record books, but in my opinion that does not mean they are the easiest.
ramtagless
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I dont want to hijack the guys pronghorn thread. Just did not agree with whitetails being the easiest to put in the book. No need to wait until you can not walk and ya dont have to sit in a blind. Hope you get to hunt them someday. Take care...
Adventurewriter
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Big Fin nailed it. I have seen thousands of Bucks over the years and last year I went to my area (Wy) four days before and found the biggest buck I had ever seen......horns and body. the instant my glass touched him there was no doubt. Looked at hundreds more in the next few days and he was head and shoulders above everthing else we saw. Ended up getting him on opener. He green scored at 84 1/2 and after the seven inch bases shrunk to 6 1/2 a few deductions. It doesnt take much to add up. He scored 81 3/8 th. So when I hear everyone fast and loose with 80 inch bucks on what looks to be maybe an 15 inch buck. My Buddy got a soild 15 incher with decent prongs and bases and it score out at 76 or so. An inch or so is not much on most North Anerican game but it is a ton on Antelope
Muley_73
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I finally drew a tag a couple of years ago in Utah after 6 years of applying. I spent about 5 different trips scouting and looked at hours of video that my brother and dad took. I probably looked at over 50 bucks that were in the 14 inch 65 to 75 class. Two that we felt were closer to 16 inch and 75-80 class. I planned 7 full days off of work and told myself I was holding out for a monster until late in the hunt. I killed a buck at 9 am opening morning that was 15 1/4 tall and green grossed 80 7/8. When I spotted him he was an absolute no doubter! He made me rethink the size I was putting on the goats we had scouted. After drying he gross scores right at 78. So I guess what I am saying is an 80 inch goat, if it truely is 80 inches is toad and not very common in most places.
S
sawtooth
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Obviously it is easier to find 80 inch bucks in some state than others. But I think that 80 inches is tough to find most places. I hunted Wyoming this year and looked at hundreds of different bucks and do not believe that I ever saw an 80 incher....
sageadvice
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My case is just the opposite. My Wy hunt also gave us the look at hundreds of antelope bucks but i never did see one that stood out over the others. When it came down to the last day or two before we felt we needed to end that portion of our hunt and move on to muleys, we looked over a group that had one that was obviously heavier with long cutters but we only figured him for 12-13" or so high. I passed on that buck but because it was time, went back later in the day and took him. Upon ground checking we thought he was nice enough but way too short to be anything special. It was not until at the meat processors plant was i told that my buck was a real trophy. 7" bases and 7" prongs add up fast. What i thought might be a 72-73" goat, taped out at over 80". Surprise Surprise!
Joey
Joey
Looking for length is the biggest mistake an antelope hunter can make. Mass is much more important to the overall score. In 2008 a hunter killed a goat that tied the Wyoming record. I can't remember the exact score, but it was over 90. The buck's horns were less than 15 inches.
There are four mass measurements and only one length measurement. When comparing bucks, it is fairly easy to determine which has longer horns. It is much harder to decide on mass.
There are four mass measurements and only one length measurement. When comparing bucks, it is fairly easy to determine which has longer horns. It is much harder to decide on mass.
