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Show The John's Valley Pronghorn Antelope The John's Valley Pronghorn antelope herd can generally be spotted grazing in the area north of f " Utah Highway 12 and west of Utah - Highway 22. Although once native to the area, these swift and graceful animals have just been reintroduced into the area in the mid-1970s. Once plentiful in the time of the pioneers, excessive hunting and disease took their toll and the last known sighting of an antelope in the John's Valley area took place in 1892. A few animals were returned to the area in December of 1976 and since then the herd has grown steadily. In recent years the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources has been actively relocating the beautiful animals back into areas throughout Utah where antelope range is still available. DWR experts say that antelope and black sage go together and the pronghoms are fussy about what they eat, so only a few areas are really suitable range. Panguitch Valley and an area south of Panguitch known as Sage Hen Hollow have in recent years received re-introductions of antelope. Originally the parent stock for Utah herds came from Wyoming and Montana. All animals now used for trapping and transplanting come ! ; :: -: ;i i 7 - I .... 1 : vcr.; ; .; f i ; ::: : ; ; :.i ; L , . .. t ' : " W 'iAW,,-'''". I -"l r , 'vz : - .;,." t DWR official opens gate on truck to allow a Pronghorn Antelope rush to his new home in the Johns Valley area. Planting of these popular animals continues in Johns Valley, -?n of the most suited spots in the country for them. T) i . from a strong and healthy herd on Parker Mountain in Wayne County, just north of Garfield County. The pronghorn antelope is not a true antelope, but was so dubbed by pioneers who had seen the real antelope in the eastern hemisphere. It is actually a goat-antelope and has no near relatives. Native to the U.S. it is found in the central and eastern parts of the country. The horns of the antelope are, unlike antlers of the deer, permanent features which continue to grow throughout its life. They consist of hard bony processes jutting out from the skull, covered with a hard substance known as keratin, usually tougher than bone. Both the male and the female have horns, although those of the female pronghorn are smaller. The antelope is a ruminant, like the cow. In coloring they are a deeper reddish brown on their back, somewhat lighter, often with white patches. Limited hunts have been allowed for sportsmen, starting in 1979 with five permits issued and all five hunters successful. More recently 10-15 Utah permits and one nonresident non-resident permit were issued, again with all hunters getting their antelope. |
