worthwhile , but the anticipation of seeing mule deer , white-tailed deer and mostly pronghorn antelope leaves me with heightened anticipation . South of Bowman , when you hit the state line , you enter prairie much as it was 200 years ago , priceless as it remains today .
And so it was , with son Jon ’ s urging ( demanding ) we got into the pronghorn hunting process several years ago , which would set us right smack into the corridor of what , I believe , is some of the most wonderful , pleasantly withdrawn land in America .
Long intervals
It can be a long time between antelope tags in the Dakotas , especially a buck tag . I believe , for most hunters , that time lapse makes it more attractive . And so I wonder ... is it really about the pronghorn , the meager few pounds of meat , or the fact we have to wait so long for the valid chance to enter pronghorn prairie ?
I ponder if few would trample this lonely , detached terrain without a bonafide reason . Is the antelope tag-in-hand enough to justify that ? Probably , but it shouldn ’ t be . We can visit the vast western emptiness anytime , no excuse needed other than to experience a huge lifting of our spirits .
Despite waiting years for the small piece of paper that authorizes an antelope hunt , I can ’ t believe a majority of hunters want to fill the freezer of a less-than- 100-lb . animal that provides fewer pounds of meat than a young calf . I enjoy thinking these tag-in-hand hunters might also want to enjoy the adventure of primitive land where native pronghorn have lived for centuries . If we ’ re successful in filling that tag , fine . But it ’ s the opportunity to experience that brutish land we ’ ll remember to our end . There are no antelope in the forest .
Native prancers
Fact is , antelope are not difficult creatures to hunt . Oh , they can be spooky , but they can also be amazingly presentable .
Page 88 , Dakota Country , September 2024 www . dakotacountrymagazine . com