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Show John's Valley Pronghorn Antelope The John's Valley Pronghorn antelope herd can generally be spotted grazing in the area north of Utah Highway 12 and west of Utah Highway 22 in section A of the center map. Although once native to the area, these swift and graceful animals have just been reintroduced into the area within the last six years. Once' plentiful in the time of the pioneers, excessive ex-cessive hunting and disease took their toll and the last known sighting of an antelope an-telope in the John's Valley area took place in 1892. A few animals were returned to the area in December 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 pronghorns are fussy about what they eat, so only a few areas are really suitable range. Originally the parent stock for Utah herds came from Wyoming and Montana. All animals now used for trapping and transplanting come 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 j the skull, covered with a i hard substance known as : keratin, usually tougher than bone. Both the male and the female have horns, although those of the female j pronghorn are smaller. The antelope is a ruminant, like j the cow. In coloring they are a deeper reddish brown on j their back, some -what lighter on their sides, and j light, almost white on their undersides. Their faces are lighter, often with white patches. Limited hunts have been allowed for sportsmen, starting in 1979 with five i permits issued and all five ! hunters successful. More J recently 10 Utah Permits and one non-resident permit issued, again with all nun- ters getting their antelope. t. 1 A - j ' .-. i-, ; . , . ' v ' - " '4 - t . ' 1 . " J ' ' !r - . . " i , , i - . .. v: l. '-r'-..1 ' i ".-'1 t'A" t'' ': -' 'i ,k. '?! .V" t f ; V- Pronghorn antelope are frequently seen grazing in the John's Valley area north of Utah Highway 12. Unlike deer, both the male and female have horns. |