Pronghorn antelope are true icons of the West. These colorful copper and white critters are found nowhere else on Earth. And as more hunters pursue them each season, pronghorns seem to be getting smarter. Filling your coveted pronghorn tag might require you to use advanced hunting tactics.

While spot-and-stalk and other standard hunting methods sometimes worked for most hunters, you are often overpowered by the pronghorn's keen eyesight and swift feet when you pursue them. They'll see you before you get within rifle range, and then they'll leave you looking at a thin ribbon of dust as they dash out of sight. Maybe it's time to up the ante and change your hunting style to an advanced level. Advanced pronghorn hunting tactics include decoying, flagging, hunting food or water sources, sitting on scrapes and bushing.

Decoy 'Em In
If there's one thing that pronghorn bucks hate more than hunters, its another pronghorn buck straying into their territory. A buck with a harem doesn't want another buck within sight, but does want to warmly welcome any and all does that wander into his territory. You can use this strong territorial card to your advantage by playing the decoy hand.

There are several styles of decoys-silhouettes and life-like 3-D forms. The styles offered by Cabela's include Renzo's and Montana Decoy's full-color printed images. If you abuse your gear or find that the thorns and mesquite brush in the Wild West demand durable goods, consider Flambeau's CommAndelope or Mel Dutton's hard-shell antelope buck decoys. Most of the hard versions fold for packing and some decoy kits include calls and instructional tapes to educate you on the ways of the leery pronghorn. If space is not a problem and you want to present the most life-like threat to a buck pronghorn, try plopping a life-sized McKenzie 3-D archery target down where you'll be hunting.

Decoys work best when they are sky-lined on a ridge top or placed in a prominent position in a wide, flat and open area. You want maximum exposure and a full-view opportunity for any pronghorn in the region. Remember that any time you deploy a decoy, there are safety concerns with other hunters who might spot and attempt to engage the decoy. For safety's sake, decoying should only be used in archery season.

Like white-tailed deer and wild turkeys, be ready when a pronghorn spots your decoy. They'll often charge in quickly to take on the challenger, and you'll need to act fast to fill your tag. In many cases you can hide behind the pronghorn decoy if you have steady nerves and don't mind a few cactus thorns in your legs.

It's Not A Surrender
Another way to lure a pronghorn close is waving the white flag. You can make a flag with a long section of sturdy wooden dowel and piece of white sheet about 16x16 inches. This hunting method requires quick movement on your part and knowing when enough is enough.

When you spot a pronghorn buck, quickly dive behind a bush and wave the white flag in an arch across the horizon so that the pronghorn can spot it. Once the pronghorn pauses and stares, flip the flag once and then raise your bow or rifle. Pronghorns who often see this flag think it must be the white rump patch of an intruder and they dash in to push them out. If you stay motionless and keep your shiny face down or concealed by a camouflaged net, you can often have pronghorns walk up to within 20 yards of you under the right wind conditions. A blend of curiosity and territorial defense will often pull any buck within range. Once the pronghorn buck is headed your way, don't raise the flag or you could spook him away. Flagging is also a great team-hunting tactic where one hunter flags and the other one prepares to target the pronghorn.

Ring the Dinner Bell
Pronghorns love succulent green foods and water. They live in arid regions and seem to always be on the prowl for water sources and lush vegetation for a meal. You can use these to your advantage. Try placing a ground blind on approach corridors and you could have a pronghorn passing by broadside within range.

One of the secrets to make this tactic work successfully is scouting. When you spot a watering tank or irrigated field, set up your spotting scope on a tripod and start observing. In most pronghorn rich areas you'll soon spot a herd of pronghorns approaching the food or water. Watch carefully and you'll often see them stop and scan the area before approaching. Many times pronghorns will use the same route and stop at the same place before committing to coming in to the water or food.

The place where the pronghorns pause, or along the approach route are good blind locations. One of the new pop-up blinds will be a great investment in your comfort and success. Several styles offer great concealment, light weight and easy setup such as the Cabela's Lightning Set Blind. The Lightning Set also has a roof that provides shade from the scorching sun and make certain to stake the blind down to avoid being tossed by strong western winds.

If you are hunting with a bow, be sure that you have enough room to raise, draw and release your bow. No limbs should strike the side of the blind or you'll have erratic arrow flight. The Lightning Set is also roomy enough to accommodate two hunters so that you can share your hunting experiences while watching in opposite directions.

Set Your Sights on Scrapes
A scrape on the ground is normally associated with white-tailed deer, but pronghorn bucks make scrapes also. These scent stations let other bucks know that this is the line in the sand and that they should not cross it. Scrapes also let does know that the buck of their dreams lurks nearby.

Pronghorn scrapes are often placed on ridge tops and in locations that provide visibility in all directions. After making a scrape-or refreshing it-a buck will often duck into the nearby brush to wait and watch. Some scrapes are refreshed several times a day and scrapes can be active for more than a week.

You can often get a pronghorn to walk into a scrape by deploying scents. There are several sources of pronghorn scents and some of them work well when squirted into a scrape.

Hunting a scrape involves the same tactics that most white-tailed deer hunters are familiar with-pick a sight down wind and wait. If you are bowhunting, the wind direction is a critical factor. Rifle hunters can normally escape the fickle winds that often alert a pronghorn to a hunter's presence by hiding a long distance away from the scrape. While tall mesquite bushes might offer enough concealment, this hunting tactic is another great situation to erect a blind and duck inside.

Step Right Up, As A Bush
Okay, I've saved one of the deadliest methods-bushing-for last and will reward you for reading this far. If you want to get nose-to-nose close with a pronghorn, try using a camouflage net, invite a hunting partner to join you, and cover up to mimic a bush.

To make bushing work, you spot a pronghorn that you want-or want to take a closer look at-then bend at the waist. Ask your buddy to step behind you and do likewise and then pull the camouflage net over you and your buddy. While it does take some coordination to move in sync, pronghorns will normally stand and stare as this odd bush floats up to them. When you are in range, the rifleman can slip the muzzle out and pull the trigger. A bowhunter will need to exit out on the side opposite of the pronghorn and slowly move into a clear and safe position to shoot.

The way to make the camouflage net bush work is to go slow, easy, and on a course to make you pass just beside the pronghorn. No wild animal wants anything moving straight toward it, not even a pseudo bush. You can purchase the camouflage netting from Cabela's and become the bush! Pronghorns are fun to hunt. If you're having trouble filling your tag, maybe you should switch to an advanced hunting tactic.

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