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<\/p>\nI don’t know a definitive answer to that question but I think I have a pretty good guess.<\/p>\n
Yesterday when we arrived on Antelope Island soon after dawn my thoughts went to the Pronghorn that I rarely see anymore. In fact I said out loud ” I can’t even remember the last time I saw a Pronghorn on the island”. That statement was a bit of a stretch but not by much. A few times a year I do see a Pronghorn or two in the far-off distance but even those kinds of sightings have become unusual to rare..<\/p>\n
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So about a half hour later I was very pleasantly surprised to find this handsome buck right next to the road. He crossed the road behind my pickup and slowly walked away to the south. This was as close as he came to giving me a broadside view but he turned enough that I got a good look at his face and a catch light in his eye.<\/p>\n
A close look at a Pronghorn on the island has become unusual enough that this guy inevitably brought back memories of what it used to be like on the island. Up until 8-10 years ago Pronghorn seemed almost as numerous as the nearly ubiquitous Bison. It wasn’t unusual to see herds of many dozens of Pronghorn very close to the road and individuals or small groups were easy to find.<\/p>\n
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I ‘knew’ at least one of them individually. I called this distinctive buck “Curlicue” because of his malformed horns. I saw Curlicue often enough that I became very fond of him. I saw him fairly regularly for two or three years running and then I just didn’t see him anymore. I often wonder what happened to him.<\/p>\n
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Even in places where Pronghorn are common it’s highly unusual to see very young ones because their mothers keep then concealed in vegetation for the first 3-4 weeks of their lives. But Pronghorn used to be common enough on the island that I’ve been lucky enough to see young fawns a number of times. I photographed this one on the island more than a decade ago as it was racing in circles around its mother.<\/p>\n
When I see my photos of this happy little guy the word ‘cute’ inevitably comes to mind, even though that’s a word I try to use very sparingly. Those long gangly legs, club feet and huge dark eyes kinda melt me.<\/p>\n
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I took this photo a couple of minutes later after the same fawn finished a nursing session with its mother.<\/p>\n
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I can only guess why Pronghorn are so seldom seen on the island these days but I suspect the primary cause is the same reason most other species of birds and mammals on the island have been similarly affected – the disappearing Great Salt Lake. The water sources of the lake, particularly the Bear River, have been mismanaged by politicians and special interest groups (industry, agriculture and developers) for so many years the lake is now only a small remnant of its former self.<\/p>\n
In recent months politicians have finally seen the light but I fear it’s too little, too late. I’d love to be wrong.<\/p>\n
Ron<\/p>\n
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I don’t know a definitive answer to that question but I think I have a pretty good guess. (4 photos)<\/p>\n