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Author Topic: Tips for Field Judging Pronghorn  (Read 1143 times)

Online Pathfinder101

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Tips for Field Judging Pronghorn
« on: January 29, 2026, 12:20:48 PM »
Planning to burn some point in Wyoming this fall (God willing and the creek don't rise...). I know pronghorn are notoriously hard to judge.
Here's a little backstory for context:
 I took my two sons pronghorn hunting in 2020 in a 1 point unit and they both wound up killing nice, representative goats (13 inchers).  It was the first time any of us had hunted antelope, and yes, I had read Mike Eastman's book through twice.  I thought I understood how to field judge them.  We shot both goats at nearly the exact same time (both died in their tracks about 50 yards apart).  When we walked up to them, there was not really any ground shrinkage, we knew what we had shot and were happy. When we put a tape on them though, we were shocked that neither goat was over 13 inches in length. 
Again, we were in a 1 point unit and just looking for a couple of decent bucks, but I realized that when it came time to burn my points, I was going to need to understand field judging a lot better.

So... for you antelope guys.  What do you really "look" for?  I know a giant goat will look like he's got baseball bats on his head.  I'm talking about the difference between a 70" goat and an 80" goat.  How do you know if he's barely 70" and you should keep looking, or if he's approaching 80" and you should start planning a stalk... :dunno:

I'm throwing in a couple of photos of my boy's goats so you can tell me "Look dummy, he only has ______ and _______ above his _____.  You shoulda known he was only ____ inches...." ( or whatever metric you use...)   
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Offline lewy

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Re: Tips for Field Judging Pronghorn
« Reply #1 on: January 29, 2026, 01:47:54 PM »
I read the eastman’s book before I went for the first time, pretty good
Go hawks

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Re: Tips for Field Judging Pronghorn
« Reply #2 on: January 29, 2026, 02:14:18 PM »
I have his book and I've read it too. I'll read it again (probably a couple of times) before I go.  But the chapter on field judging has a lot of information, because he's trying to make his method all-encompassing.
I'm just wondering if any experienced antelope hunters have any quick reference go-to metrics that they look at. 

For instance:  If I am elk hunting and I see a bull, the first thing I look at is his G5.  If it's at least 10 inches long, I'm probably looking at a good bull.  Then I start looking at everything else.  You know... hints like that...
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

Offline Bob33

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Re: Tips for Field Judging Pronghorn
« Reply #3 on: January 29, 2026, 02:24:02 PM »
Antelope ears are about six inches. A horn that is two ear lengths long is about 12 inches.

Also, horns are measured in four places. Having the prongs above the mid point of the horn will allow the second circumference to be taken on the larger half.

Remember that mass is the biggest factor in the score. Some record class antelope have 14 inch horns.

If you see enough antelope, a trophy will just stand out.
Nature. It's cheaper than therapy.

Offline Ridgerunner

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Re: Tips for Field Judging Pronghorn
« Reply #4 on: January 29, 2026, 04:07:38 PM »
I look for mass above the prongs to get a sense of how well he carries it.  I also like the look of big prongs so that is another thing I look at.  The above average goats typically look pretty long up top above the prongs, the more average goats typically are pretty short above the prongs. 

That being said they are very hard to judge in the field.  Most of the time it comes down to just how much I like the look.  Probably why I haven't shot an 80" yet lol.  Come close though.

Offline Bob33

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Re: Tips for Field Judging Pronghorn
« Reply #5 on: January 29, 2026, 05:47:02 PM »
Nature. It's cheaper than therapy.

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Re: Tips for Field Judging Pronghorn
« Reply #6 on: January 29, 2026, 08:25:14 PM »
Here's a good resource.

https://www.pronghornguideservice.com/field-judging.html
Thanks Bob. That was pretty fun. I actually learned a bunch from that. Some of those bucks I judged pretty close. A couple I was way off.
Before you criticize someone, you should walk a mile in their shoes.  That way, when you criticize them, you're a mile away and you have their shoes.

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Re: Tips for Field Judging Pronghorn
« Reply #7 on: January 30, 2026, 06:51:16 AM »
Make sure you know the unit you are going for and what the potential is in that unit. Not all units have 80” bucks so even if you see the biggest one of the week it might only be a 70” buck.

 


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