Pronghorn in California

Figure 1. Pronghorn buck, Ash Creek Wildlife Area, CA.

Talking about the pronghorn, it is usually related to states like Wyoming or Montana. In fact, they are quite abundant today due to the conservation efforts. Most western states have herds of pronghorns, including California.

Modoc Plateau in the northeast corner of California is the best place to see pronghorns. There are about 5,000 to 7,000 pronghorns here and their population continues to increase. Unlike most populous places in California, Modoc Plateau is quite remote and thus pronghorns have space to thrive. Alturas is the major town in this area. US-395 south of and CA-299 east/west of Alturas are the places to see pronghorns. If you are lucky, they may even stop at the roadside.

Ash Creek Wildlife Area is located along CA-299 near the town Adin. This place belongs to California Department of Fish and Game (DFG). July and August are the months to see pronghorns here. I saw about 10 pronghorns, bucks and does, during a trip in early June. I suspect some does may have or be about to deliver fawns, but I just can't sight them. Fawns are usually born in late May and early June. They are still too young to outrun predators. So they hide most of the time until they can run well.

To my delight, these pronghorns didn't run when they saw me. They showed some sort of curiosity and keep watching me for a certain time. Some even walked closer to have a better look at me. Although the lighting at high noon is not good, I have no complaint about the photo quality with the Canon 100-400mm lens and Canon 50D body.

Most people living in California don't know they have an easy way to see pronghorn. Well, maybe it is not that easy because of the long drive to get here. For people living in the Bay Area, it takes about 6 to 7 hours to arrive this region, which is better than flying to Wyoming or Montana.

For people living in southern California, Carrizo Plain in Central Valley is within the reasonable driving distance, though pronghorns there are not doing well. I will cover this part later.


Figure 2. Pronghorn buck and does, Ash Creek Wildlife Area, CA.