As bow season for antelope opens, Nevada hunters can benefit from being aware of how the pronghorn species has adapted to the native environment.  According to a biological bulletin published in 1983 by Nevada Department of Wildlife (NDOW), the pronghorn  are the fastest running ungulate (hoofed animal) in North America, with adult speeds being clocked up to 55 miles per hour.  Pronghorn are also well-known for their exceptionally keen eyesight.  With large eyes located far back on the sides of their heads, the pronghorn’s field of vision ranges nearly a full 360 degrees…..clearly, the combination of high speed and extraordinary eyesight help the pronghorn evade predators.

 

Water, of course, is an important aspect to the environmental survival of the pronghorn species.  Although the National Wildlife Federation (NWF) and others have documented that the pronghorn are capable of surviving without available sources of drinking water (getting their water from succulent forage), the NDOW bulletin reports that the typical salt  desert shrub vegetation of Nevada will not provide the water necessary for pronghorn during the hot summer months.  As Nevada bow hunters know, you must find a water source in order to find the antelope.

 

The NWF does document several interesting facts regarding the pronghorn species…..most notably their migration patterns throughout North America.  Pronghorn are known to migrate 150 miles between Wyoming’s Upper Green River Basin and Grand Teton National Park, being second only to the caribou as the land animal species traveling furthest in North America.

 

In Nevada, pronghorn migration patterns are generally less than 50 miles according to NDOW.  Some Nevada herds do no migrate, but display daily and seasonal movements, determined by a range of environmental and physiological factors.

 

For more interesting facts on the pronghorn species in Nevada and throughout North America, take some time to check out NDOW’s 1983 Biological Bulletin at  http://ndow.org/about/pubs/reports/pronghorn.pdf ,

and the NWF information at http://www.nwf.org/Wildlife/Wildlife-Library/Mammals/Pronghorn.aspx