NEW MEXICO
Like Arizona, New Mexico has a much smaller pronghorn population than do the states to the north. But the overall health of the herd results in outstanding trophies.

The biggest controlling factor is moisture. In areas that have received good rainfall over the past couple of years, such as in the southwest quadrant of the state, herds have remained stable or have had fair increases in numbers. Game units 12 and 13 consistently provide decent hunting and high success rates.

The northwest portion of the state has fewer antelope, but the success rates generally run 90 percent or more. Units 39 and 43 are the top producers.

The population in the southeast part of the state has done well. In fact, the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish recently trapped pronghorn in the Roswell area, where the animals had been causing depredation and nuisance complaints. The agency used drop-nets to capture antelope on private property and then released them in southeast New Mexico on specific ranches that have public land within their boundaries. The selected ranches contain excellent antelope habitat and should provide additional hunter opportunity in the future. The releases of antelope on the ranches also could result in new herds.

Similar operations near Roswell took place in the past. Those antelope were relocated to Bureau of Land Management lands on Fort Stanton near Capitan to supplement an existing herd.

The better units in the southeast are 24, 25, 34, 36, and 37 and 38. In the northeast, units 41, 45, 46, 47, 54, 55, 56 and 58 are good choices.

For 2007, the game department issued a total of 1,648 permits for the public-land hunts, but many of those were set aside for mobility-impaired, muzzleloader, archery or special youth hunts. So drawing a rifle permit in the Land of Enchantment is difficult. Many private ranches scattered throughout the state take advantage of the special landowner tags available to them and either sell them directly to hunters for a set fee or to outfitters who conduct guided hunts on those ranches.

UTAH
Due to drought, Utah’s antelope herds haven’t done much more than hold their own over the last decade. Most herds are stable or under population objectives.

In an effort to boost populations in the north, northeast and central portions of the state, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources began an extensive relocation program a couple of years ago. The agency has captured animals from the Parker Unit and moved them to the San Rafael, Escalante National Monument and the Book Cliffs areas.

The Plateau Unit in the south-central part of the state is an outstanding area for both numbers and decent bucks. There were 247 permits issued in 2005 for two different hunts, and 233 hunters tagged their animal. One hunt produced a 100 percent success rate, while the other came in at 95 percent. Bowhunters in the Plateau Unit also had a good season with 31 of 45 archers sticking an antelope.

Statewide in 2005, 141 bowhunters killed 71 pronghorns, and 803 hunters with any-weapon permits tagged 737 ‘lopes for a 92 percent success rate. For 2007, the game commission authorized 843 any-weapon permits.