OUTLOOK - Ahead of the hunting season this fall in the province, there's good news when it comes to one specific species of land dwellers on our prairie landscape.
Saskatchewan Environment reports that the pronghorn population in the province has seen an increase from last year.
Observations have shown that the current population has seen a 1per cent increase from this time in 2024, jumping ahead from 14,758 to 14,905. The numbers and results come from a recent ground survey conducted by Saskatchewan Environment, which shows the population numbers as being stable.
Statistics for the species show fluctuations in both patterns and numbers, as between 1949 and 1980, Saskatchewan’s pronghorn population estimates ranged between 8,000 and 20,000 animals. During the 1980s, populations steadily increased due to mild winter weather, which would greatly improve their survival rates.
Following a historic population high of an estimated 33,000 animals in 1992, exceeding provincial goals, allocation was increased, and a hornless season was opened. However, data shows that the aggressive harvest strategies were magnified by several years of poor fawn recruitment, followed by a severe population decline, triggering season closures from 1997 to 2001.
Populations rebounded through the 2000s but were again reduced by severe winter conditions in 2010-11 and 2012-13, resulting in a province-wide season closure from 2011 to 2014.
In 2015, pronghorn populations reached a level where a limited hunting season could be offered in the province. Since then, populations have increased steadily at an average rate of 16 per cent annually since 2013. However, over the last couple of years, population trends have become more variable, with declines of 20 per cent or more, depending on the severity of the previous winter.
Today, wildlife managers are recommending maintaining the current allocation until populations of the pronghorn recover from what were described as poor winter conditions in 2023, while the license allocation remains the same for the upcoming hunting season for 2025-26.
While pronghorns are often called pronghorn antelopes or just antelopes, they are not true antelopes. Pronghorns are the sole surviving member of the family Antilocapridae, while true antelopes belong to the family Bovidae. The animals are known for their speed and unique forked horns that are shed annually.
Locally, wildlife watchers as well as motorists can typically see pronghorn grazing in fields all across southern, central and even some areas in northern Saskatchewan.
