This handsome fellow wasn’t about to stick around for pictures on a recent visit to the Pawnee National Grasslands in northeastern Colorado. We crested a hill and he was right there but there was no hesitation on his part to put some distance between us. Off he went, probably running at 40mph or more.

Sometimes jokingly referred to as “speed goats”, pronghorn are the fastest animal in the western hemisphere and the second fastest in the world. Unfortunately they tend to use that running ability to put distance between them and me.  😉

It has been a while since I have seen any of these speed demons as they do tend to be elusive. Last weekend though I ran across this quartet way out in a field after a snowstorm.

The buck and three does stopped to check me out as they grazed in a field. As is typical though, they weren’t inclined to wait around for pictures, only giving me a couple of shots before darting off over the hill.

Pronghorn (often incorrectly called #antelope) are the fastest land animal in the Western Hemisphere and second in the world only to the cheetah. They can sprint at speeds up to 60mph and run for extraordinarily long distances at slower speeds.

Well, maybe not, but it sure looks like these two fellows are blocking any access to the pretty lady.

Driving home from far northeastern Colorado last Friday, I spotted a herd of a dozen or so pronghorn. That of course was a photo opportunity I couldn’t resist, despite the harsh late morning light.

As is normal with these speed demons, they did not linger long as they are notoriously skittish. I managed a few, quick captures before they took off running over the hill.

Pronghorn, oftentimes mistakenly called #antelope, are the fastest land animal in the Western Hemisphere and second in the world only to the cheetah. They can sprint at speeds up to 60mph and run for extraordinarily long distances at slower speeds. Taken in Morgan County.

It isn’t often you get pics of these speed demons lying down. They are quite wary of humans and more often than not, about all you see are white butts bounding away.

On this morning back in June 2018 in northeastern Colorado, this pretty lady was kind enough to continue lying down and gave me some nice portraits of her.

Pronghorn are what folks oftentimes call antelope (and sing about ala “Home on the Range”) however that is a misnomer. Settlers called these animals antelope due to their similarity to Old World species however the pronghorn is its own, distinct family. Genetics show that they are in fact closely related to okapi and giraffe.

A short, fun encounter with this handsome fellow last weekend near Eleven Mile State Park in Colorado.

I happened across him and a few does near the lake and was pleasantly surprised that they didn’t take off running like they normally do. Instead, they walked right by me, not 20 feet away.

I reckon being near a state park, they have gotten pretty used to people and are more tolerant of us pesky humans than other pronghorn in more remote areas

It isn’t often you can get these guys to stand still in close proximity but every now and then you get lucky. Such was the case this morning. I had to go to Cheyenne, Wyoming for work and on the way spotted this handsome buck. He was just curious enough to stop and check me out giving me some nice poses. Of course that didn’t last long and I soon got a view of its white butt as it ran off in the opposite direction.  😉

Quite a beautiful trio, eh?

One of many images I captured of the herd that hangs out northeast of Denver International Airport. I hadn’t seen them in months so was very happy to have run across them on this day late last month.

Before the arrival of western Europeans, it is believed as many as 40 million of them roamed the open rangelands of North America – possibly more than there were bison. Hunting and fragmentation of their habitat by fences and human settlements took its toll and as few as 20,000 remained at the start of the 20th century. Thankfully conservation and education saved them from ex

This was just one of those lucky wildlife encounters that was awesome.

Driving along the backroads of Adams County, Colorado, a pronghorn herd appeared out of nowhere and ran across the road not 50 feet in front of me. By the time I stopped, they were out in a field and lingered long enough for some nice pics of them posing.

As they moved off, I thought I had a good idea where they might reappear so I headed there and waited. Sure enough, they came along and now, took off running right by me giving me a fantastic bunch of action shots.

Last weekend I was excited to come across a herd of about 20 of these speed demons. As usual though, they were not too inclined to stick around for photos. No sooner did I get a couple shots of them posing then they took off running.

Pronghorn (often incorrectly called antelope) are the fastest land animal in the Western Hemisphere and second in the world only to the Cheetah. They can sprint at speeds up to 60mph and run for extraordinarily long distances at slower speeds.

I’ve been privileged to see them showcase their speed many times and it truly is astounding but also difficult to capture and convey in a static picture. Taken in Morgan County, Colorado.