For most die-hard western antelope hunters, an antelope buck is considered of trophy quality when the score hits near or around the 80’ mark. This buck will represent a mature animal in the top 10% or better for the species in both genetic makeup and nutritional health.
The total score of a pronghorn buck consists of four evenly spaced circumference measurements, representing roughly 50% of the total score of the buck, along with a total length of horn measurement (about 40% of the total score) and a length of prong measurement which is only about 10% of the total score when all is said and done on average. From this we can easily make the assumption; that just like all horned animals, antelope are no different when we conclude when it comes to score, mass is king. Needless to say at this point, the first rule of judging antelope on the hoof is: if you find a buck that lacks mass, move on and keep looking. A relatively thin-horned buck would need to be insanely long to even begin to score well, probably in the 18-20” class for starters. These kinds of bucks do in fact exist, but are extreme rarities and mostly in Arizona and New Mexico.
I nearly always focus my initial search for a buck that is very heavy, particularly on the base, followed by top-end mass. The top-end mass is usually the toughest buck to find as we go north. This portion of the horn is typically grown in the months of December and January, which are very, very tough months for antelope bucks in the northern regions of Montana and Wyoming. Shortcomings in the prongs and length can be compensated for by excessively heavy mass, particularly up top, while the contrary is generally not true.
While long prongs look good on the wall, they are of the least concern when looking for a high scoring buck. After mass, the second criteria I check off is the overall length of the horn and finally the prong. There are bucks in the records book with 13” horns, but they are rare, and the mass for this type of buck to qualify has to be beyond exceptional, almost unearthly.
Horn length can be a very tough measurement to judge. The really heavy bucks will tend to look shorter in length simply due to their mass. I once passed up on a buck initially because I honestly thought he was less than 14” in length. After my dad talked me into shooting the buck back at camp, we ended up putting him on the ground that night, only to find out his length was over 16 ½” and he grossed nearly 89” B&C! How could I have been so wrong? The buck was so heavy that he looked incredibly short. One of the biggest mistakes of my hunting career… almost.
