A little scouting

[gbfan]

Took a trip a week ago to check out a unit I drew for antelope. Not the greatest pictures, but you get the idea.


Kind of hoping I can find the fella below when the season rolls around.





This guy was a little closer.

 

[LCH]

Some good looking bucks!

 

[renello]

Wow, some really nice goats there.

 

[gjensen]

I guess I should hit the dirt and scout my unit. I was thinking antler growth was not that far along. It is truly tough to judge them. I guess length, mass wider than eye socket and then prong length. Ill probably just look for something big or ugly that I like! Great pictures and glad to see you got in them.

 

[renello]

I didn't realize antler growth would be that far along. I wish I lived out west so I could better understand the seasonal patterns and habits of goats. Me and my wife applied 63-1 for antelope in the special draw with 6 pts each. Should have good chance for tags.

 

[Washington Hunter]

Great photos, but how'd you get the draw results already? The deadline was just yesterday.

 

[375H&H]

That buck will still grow quite a bit before the season.

In Wyoming, anything that is 12-13” by now will be a great buck come hunting season. And I have seen quite a few of those already.

 

[BuzzH]

Any Wyoming bucks that are 12 to 13 inches now are going to be 12 to 13 inch bucks september.

 

[dirtclod Az.]

Looks like a great area,good luck-show pics.

 

[madtom]

Great photos, but how'd you get the draw results already? The deadline was just yesterday.

Wyoming doesn’t have cholla cactus, so I’m gonna guess gbfan is hunting in New Mexico.

 

[wytex]

Any Wyoming bucks that are 12 to 13 inches now are going to be 12 to 13 inch bucks september.

Really, I think they will put on a little more growth before July, but not tons.
Sure is green around the area though. Took a drive up towards an area I won't mention, as flaming may ensue, but lots of ground water and very green. Hope it leads to better winter range conditions next winter.

Nice bucks gbfan, good luck this fall!

 

[The Hedgehog]

If they grown any more in WY, it will not be noticeable unless you can notice 1/8 -1/4" in length on the bottom of the base. Now, and even in May is a fine time to scout antelope to see about exactly what they'll be during hunting season. Some real nice bucks in the pics above - good luck.

 

[375H&H]

Those bucks you posted are awesome, and their prong will move up quite a ways by the time hunting season rolls around as it doesn’t even look above the ear yet. Plenty of growth still happening, even in Wyoming.

Antelope Horn Growth “An American Original” - Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals

For more great content SUBSCRIBE to Eastmans' Hunting Journals Here. Opportunity is the name of the

blog.eastmans.com

 

[gbfan]

Those bucks you posted are awesome, and their prong will move up quite a ways by the time hunting season rolls around as it doesn’t even look above the ear yet. Plenty of growth still happening, even in Wyoming.

Antelope Horn Growth “An American Original” - Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals

For more great content SUBSCRIBE to Eastmans' Hunting Journals Here. Opportunity is the name of the

blog.eastmans.com

I had come across that article after my trip, as I was curious on when they stop growing. These are in NM.

 

[homers]

Nice looking bucks

 

[Rzrbck918]

I’m not an antelope hunter ... yet but those look awesome to me.

 

[BuzzH]

Those bucks you posted are awesome, and their prong will move up quite a ways by the time hunting season rolls around as it doesn’t even look above the ear yet. Plenty of growth still happening, even in Wyoming.

Antelope Horn Growth “An American Original” - Eastmans' Official Blog | Mule Deer, Antelope, Elk Hunting and Bowhunting Magazine | Eastmans' Hunting Journals

For more great content SUBSCRIBE to Eastmans' Hunting Journals Here. Opportunity is the name of the

blog.eastmans.com

Yes, about 1/4 of an inch at most...Greenhorn has it right.

 

[375H&H]

Yes, about 1/4 of an inch at most...Greenhorn has it right.

No, they continue to put on a lot more than 1/4” of growth until August per the article and referenced publication.

Do you have any recent peer reviewed science to support your claim? Seriously, I am curious now.

 

[wytex]

I believe the bucks further south finish earlier. I also believe we'll see growth until late July and more than 1/4 inch, but that is only based on what I have seen in the field.
Lots of different views on horn growth out there, many papers, studies and books showing both sides of that issue. I would love to hear from someone that actually has hands on pronghorns throughout their growth cycle.

 

[EliAGrimmett]

They all grow at different rates based on genetics, weather, feed, etc. From now until August I've seen bucks put on 3" of length - very rare. I've seen bucks that didn't appear to grow at all. For 95% of the bucks, from now until August, they'll grow anywhere from 1/2" in length to 2" in length. A lot of them you can kind of tell what they'll do. If they're prongs appear relatively low, like the last buck you posted, they'll probably grow at least an inch. For bucks where they look fully grown, they may not grow much at all. From a biology standpoint, they technically don't stop feeding their horns until their hormones change when the rut kicks in.

Here's a clip from a book









Here's an example of a buck that grew a minimum of 2 inches in length from May 21 to Oct 4.








Below is an example of the summer horn growth ring on a buck. The first buck didn't grow much during the summer. The second buck grew quite a bit. Some bucks these can be very hard to locate, others they're fairly easy to see.