Anybody have one of these sheds?

[Fletch]

Picked this up in Montana 2 yrs ago.

[boneaddict]

I don't.  Of course, not many are around here. There used to be some out on the firing center.  Does anyone know if there still are?

[Michelle_Nelson]

 

Thats a good one.  Pronghorn Antelope don't shed their horns.  Antlers are shed.  Horns are not shed.    Pronghorn Antelope horns are an extension of their skin and hair.  They continue to grow year round.  If you found it than my guess is a predator got it and it rotted off the core.  The base is prettty messed up.

[Fletch]

Are you sure they dont shed there horns? In Montana when Im hunting deer the bucks dont have their horns..in fact 3 yrs ago on the last day of antelope season a guy shot a one horned buck as one side had slipped off.  I know they are different but I believe they still shed...I will have to research this...

[WDFW-SUX]

I don't think they shed I think they are like mt goats?

[jackelope]

I thought they lose a layer or something...the outer layer or something like that, but not the whole horn???
what the heck do i know..i saw a pronghorn once...

[Fletch]

The horn sheath of the Pronghorn is different from either the antlers of deer or the true horns of cattle or Bison.  Antlers are shed annually and are made of bone.  True horns are never shed and are made of compressed hair (keratin) growing on a bony core.  The horn sheath of a Pronghorn is a little of both.  It is made of keratin growing on a bony core AND it is shed annually.  In addition, the horn sheath is branched in male pronghorns.  True horns are always unbranched.

this is from this website:www.gpnc.org/pronghor.htm

[boneaddict]

I used to have this arguement with folks all of the time, that they are horns and are not shed, but I WAS WRONG.  They are shed.

[kirkl]

Yes they do shed. My cousins in montana have shot them right before they shed and you can barely pull on them and they come right off.
Something i found off another site.

Re: Why do some Antelope families shed their horns and others do not?
Date: Wed Nov 3 20:49:59 1999
Posted By: June Wingert, MadSci Admin
Area of science: Zoology
ID: 938155272.Zo
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Message:


 Hi Megan,
That was a really great question.  The following info will explain why the
Pronghorn sheds its horns.
http://www.themaestro.com/JH/Wildlife/Antelope.html
Entirely unique on this planet, the Pronghorn's scientific name, Antilocap
americana, means "American antelope goat." But the deer-like Pronghorn neither
antelope nor goat -- it is the sole surviving member of an ancient family dating
back 20 million years.
The Pronghorn is the only animal in the world with branched horns (not antlers)
and the only animal in the world to shed its horns, as if they were antlers.
More information that should clear up why the Pronghorns shed their horns.
http://www.skullsunlimited.com/antilocapridae.htm
A single living species, the pronghorn, sums up the family Antilocapridae. This
animal is sometimes considered a
living fossil. It shows many primitive traits. Perhaps the most obvious 
primitive attribute is in that pronghorns shed
their horns yearly just like a deer. It is the only living horned animal that
does this.

[billythekidrock]

well, I guess you learn something everyday.

[Michelle_Nelson]

   I have never heard of Antelope shedding their horns.  I have never even seen a shed antelope horn.  If they have a core how do they keep from getting infected once they shed.

[Muleyslyr]

When the "horn" or "sheath" fall off there is a nub made of bone and like a deer or elk the horns begin to grow back usually within a coupla' weeks.  I have found a few antelope sheds when hunting back in MT and WY but everyone I've ever found and picked up stunk!!

If your ever Antelope hunting towards the end of the season in MT, which is usually the beginning of November, don't ever drag it or pick it up by it's horns.....you will pull em' right off!