Pronghorn Antelope (Antilocapra americana)

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The first time I saw a Pronghorn while out in Utah I saw nothing but a dust trail in the desert. Not too surprising considering they’re the fastest land animal in the western hemisphere. From my experience they’re quite skittish and most of the time you’ll see them far off.

Recently I caught a lucky break and had a close encounter with a couple of Pronghorn in eastern Utah. One stuck around surprisingly long, after seeing me in the distance. Well… I wasn’t to distant that’s what makes the encounter so special. These were photographed at a focal length of 400mm and I ended up having to stop photographing this particular Pronghorn after he came too close, closer than the minimum focal distance of my lens. All in all this was a great wildlife encounter. Witnessing a wild animal carry on without a worry in the world is a very satisfying experience.Â With in those moment the world has a peaceful harmony to it.

Pronghorn Antelope (Antilocapra americana) wildlife photo by Jim M. Goldstein

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Posted by Jim on 09.25.2008 at 2:50 am
Tagged: Locations, Photography, Stock Photo, Utah, Wildlife , Photography, Stock Photo, Wildlife

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heatherrankin

Thanks for posting these. I was lucky enough to see some right off Highway 89 just above the entrance to Bryce. Not as great as shots, but I was soooo surprised!

http://media.lakepowellrealty.net/southern-utah...

jimgoldstein

Heather I love these with the snow in the background. As for many nature photos it's important to never lose track of the experience. Enjoy the moment and increase your odds of a repeat encounter to get the photo you're happiest with. Don't let a missed photo or creation of a less than ideal photo steal from your experience with nature.

Jim

@Thomas From what I've seen of your work I knew you'd understand.
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@Gary As pleasant an experience as this was I have to admit I do get a thrill out of seeing them in action. Something to capture the next time I'm out.
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@Andrew Thanks for the comment. For whatever reason this Pronghorn didn't find me a threat. Then again I was mostly out of view and his hunger likely dictated his actions. His mate wasn't as confident or hungry (which ever) and didn't stick around much longer than 10-20 seconds. I lucked out with the lighting considering this was a little after mid-afternoon.
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@Mark I agree. I was quite lucky on my trip to see several Pronghorn. Most were in areas where I could not stop in my car. On the Idaho/Wyoming border I saw dozens of them, but they were very far off and many had their young with them. As a result they were even more guarded. With a little luck you'll have as good a Pronghorn encounter.

Mark

I have never even seen a pronghorn except in photos. I think shots where the animal is portrayed as not even knowing you are there are my favorite types of images.

Andrew McAllister

Really nice shots! I always love seeing them on my trips through Utah. This particular one looks very inquisitive. The diffused light, the animal, the setting all excellent. Thanks for sharing.

Andrew

Gary Crabbe / Enlightened Imag

Really nice, Jim. I've never been able to get this close to a pronghorn, or 'too close' for that matter. Skittish is the right word.

Thomas

Beautiful series of shots, it should have been an awesome experience. There's nothing more satisfying that watching and photographing wildlife for me and hence I m able to understand your feelings on this sighting pretty well