North America and come up empty. Fortunately, it all comes together occasionally, making victory all the sweeter.

As far as changes for 2005 go, Hams says, there may be a few. "We're restrictive right now and we'll probably be a little bit more restrictive," he concluded. "Everything but archery is buck-only, and until pronghorn numbers start to show some rebound, I'd expect we're going to stay restrictive."

KANSAS
Many of the estimated 2,000 pronghorns that call Kansas home are located in Wallace and Logan counties. However, their range extends well beyond that.

"Pronghorns are found in about 14 counties in western Kansas," said Matt Peek, pronghorn program coordinator for the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks. "Basically, in the western two to three tiers of counties depending on where you're at."

The Sunflower State doesn't have a problem with winterkill when it comes to pronghorns. "Kansas has a pretty mild climate compared to western states where pronghorns thrive," Peek said, "and winterkill isn't a factor."

As a result of the relatively small population of pronghorns, Kansas pronghorn permits are few and far between, particularly for firearm hunters. "We issued 104 firearm permits and 30 muzzleloader permits," Peek said of the numbers for 2004. "Our archery permits are unlimited, and we sold 120 of those."

The total number of pronghorns harvested last year included 94 bucks, 5 does and 5 fawns. "That's minus six people we didn't get reports back from, and I'm still pursuing those people," Peek said at the time we talked. "More than likely they didn't harvest, or they would have reported to us. So we had a total harvest of 104 animals."

Success rates vary by hunting method. "We've only had a muzzleloader season for a few years but they've probably had an average success rate of 55 to 60 percent," Peek said. "The firearm success rate is usually about 75 percent, and archery success is about 12 percent."

The number of permits for 2005 is expected to rise, according to Peek. Approximately 120 firearm permits will be issued, and 38 muzzleloader permits will be offered for the drawing.

Kansas does have a few Walk-In Hunting Area program tracts in western Kansas that have a few pronghorns on it. These tracts are private land leased for public access by the state. Primarily geared towards upland bird hunting, some of these tracts offer bonus species as well, depending on enrollment dates.

"Some of them open in September, so there is some WIHA opportunity," Peek said. "But it's fairly limited. As a rule, we haven't leased a lot of land out there with a September start date."

It's not hard, Peek has heard, to get permission to hunt pronghorns in western Kansas. "Everyone I talked to said it's real easy to get permission out there, since the locals don't like them," he said. "You knock on a door and they gladly let you go out and shoot pronghorn."

Other changes on the horizon include a couple of adjustments with regard to seasons and dates. "We're looking at extending the archery season," Peek said. "It's been a nine-day season in recent times (in September), and we're looking at extending it through the month of October" -- archery season would close during the muzzleloader and firearms season in early October -- "and that's a pretty substantial number of days."

Things can change over the course of a year with pronghorn populations, and Peek looks forward to this fall with guarded optimism.

"For most people who are looking for mature bucks, those animals are already out there on the ground," Peek concluded.

Hunters who've already drawn a pronghorn permit for this season are ahead of the rest of us. But there's always next season for gun hunters, and there are over-the-counter permits for the stick-and-string crowd. Pick your hunting spot and study the animals living there. With a little luck, you'll collect one of those mature bucks and have a great trophy for your wall.

But whether you score or go home with an empty tag, hunting pronghorn antelope is a great experience. As a game animal, the pronghorn is one of a kind!