I recently decided to start hunting and wanted to get into big game hunting. I thought I’d start off small and go for game that were easy to hunt. So, I researched into what big game animals are the easiest to hunt and thought I’d write everything I learned into this helpful post.
So, what is the easiest big game to hunt? Pronghorn antelope are considered to be the easiest big game to hunt. They live in mild terrain, so you don’t have to be as fit to find them. They also sit down, and gather in flat terrain so it’s easy to get a good angle to shoot them.
They do have good senses though, so you do still have to follow hunting best practices. Below, I’ll explain where you can go to hunt them and some tips on how to be more effective when hunting them.
What makes pronghorn antelope the easiest big game to hunt?
Pronghorn antelope inhabit open country, so they are very easy to find. If you live in State then it’s pretty easy to get a tag. But, if you’re coming from out of State not all of the best places are easy to get a tag. There are some workarounds, though, and I’ll cover those below.
They are also a herd animal so you have lots of opportunities to see one that will turn on it’s side and give you a really good shot at it’s kill zone.
Other big game are very elusive – such as mountain lions, and some big game live very rugged terrain. Which makes it difficult to track them, and get a good line of sight to get a clear shot – such as mountain goats.
Other big game such as wild sheep are very difficult to get a tag for. So, for all of these reasons pronghorn antelope are some of the easiest big game to hunt.
Where’s the best place to hunt pronghorn antelope?
According to Steve Rinella at Meateater.com, the best places to hunt pronghorn antelope are:
- Wyoming
- New Mexico
- Colorado
- Montana
Wyoming
According to the Wyoming State Game and Fish Department, you have an 85% chance of being successful on a pronghorn antelope hunt. They also say that Wyoming has more antelope than the rest of the USA combined.
And most of the best places have public access to the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) lands. If you go to this link here, it will take you to the official page of the Wyoming State Game and Fish Department page where you can apply for licensing and provides a tonne of additional resources and information about hunting antelope in Wyoming.
Wyoming is by far the best place to hunt for pronghorn antelope, but the other States that are good for hunting them – New Mexico, Colorado, and Montana. Their numbers are far less, and distributed evenly throughout the State. So, they are more difficult to find.
How do you hunt pronghorn antelope?
They have a big white patch on their abdomen so they stick out like a sore thumb. And because they graze and gather in wide open spaces, finding them is quite easy.
But, you need some very good binoculars, and will need to use a scope on your rifle.
It’s difficult to get closer than ½ a mile (800 meters) without scaring them away.
Although it is possible to make a shot at ½ a mile without a scope, you need to have a lot of practice. Here’s an interesting video showing people shooting at 1000 yards (900 meters) without a scope.
According to Steven Rinella antelope will travel in one direction for long periods of time. So, if you find that the terrain doesn’t allow you to get into position to get a clear shot, it’s a good idea to wait for them to move.
Once they start on their way they will stick to that direction. Which gives you an opportunity to wrap around and get in a good hiding spot in front of them. Then once they are in a comfortable range you can take your shot.
For more detailed instructions on the ins and outs of hunting pronghorn antelope I recommend the full article written by Steve Rinella. He is a well known hunter, and has been featured on the Joe Rogan Podcast.
What are other big game that are easy to hunt?
The most popular big game animals to hunt are white-tailed deer, and wild hogs (javelina). According to deerbusters.com there are 30 million white-tailed deer in North America. Because they are so popular it’s safe to assume they are the easiest to hunt.
Americanhunter.org reported that the best States to hunt white-tailed deer are:
- Wisconsin
- Kentucky
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Minnesota
- Iowa
- Texas
- Illinois
- Kansas
- Missouri
Related questions:
What is the best State for hunting big game overall?
According to bowhunting.com, the best State for big game hunting is Alaska. Over 90% of it is state owned public land which is open to hunting. So there are a ton of places to hunt, and they have a lot of big game animals such as moose, grizzly bears, brown bears, mountain goats, elk, and musk oxen.
In my opinion, the weather can be very inhospitable. Early season hunts can provide better weather than a late October hunt. Also, each state is better or worse for particular big game, and I would say it’s definitely a contentious issue.
Which is better to hunt big game or small game?
There are pros and cons to both big game hunting and hunting small game. I recently wrote an in-depth article outlining the pros and cons of each, which you can read by clicking [here: Which Is Better Big Game Hunting or Small Game Hunting?]. The long and short of it is that it’s easier to hunt small game, but you get less meat. Hunting big game for the most part requires you to travel to remote areas, and takes more time and energy.
But, when you do they have a lot more meat, so it kind of balances out. However, I go into more detail about the pros and cons of each so definitely check out that article if you’re interested in learning more.
In Conclusion
The easiest big game to hunt are pronghorn antelope because they are easy to track, and the chances that you will be successful on a hunt are very high. But, they are only heavily concentrated in Wyoming, and it’s easiest to get a tag for one there.
The next easiest are white-tailed deer, and wild hogs.