{"id":2254,"date":"2011-04-29T09:55:19","date_gmt":"2011-04-29T16:55:19","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=2254"},"modified":"2026-02-28T15:14:37","modified_gmt":"2026-02-28T21:14:37","slug":"pronghorn-buck-with-misshapen-horns","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/04\/29\/pronghorn-buck-with-misshapen-horns\/","title":{"rendered":"Pronghorn Buck With Misshapen Horns"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Misshapen<\/p>\n

Misshapen Horns \u2013 Pronghorn – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1000, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 400mm, natural light, not baited or called in\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Last fall I saw a Pronghorn that had misshapen horns, as luck would have it though the pronghorn was going away from me, was partially covered by tall grasses and the light just stank. The photos I took of it were not great but they served to remind me of the unusual horn formation on the buck.<\/p>\n

I got lucky two days ago and came across that same Pronghorn buck in a bit better light and I was closer.\u00a0 This buck is located in a no hunting area otherwise it might not be around because of its atypical horns, hunters treasure them.<\/p>\n

\"PronghornPronghorn buck with misshapen horns – Nikon D200, f6.3, 1\/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x tc at 400mm, natural light, not baited or called in\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

I had hoped to come across this pronghorn buck again to get better photos of the unusual horns with one jutting out almost straight at a strange angle and the other curling down past the pronghorn’s eye.<\/p>\n

Other than the unusual horns the pronghorn seems healthy in every way. I watched as it ate grasses and new spring leaf growth without any difficulties at all, it does not seem\u00a0negatively affected by the one horn partially blocking\u00a0its vision.<\/p>\n

\"NormalNormal Pronghorn (Antilocapra americana) buck – Nikon D200, f7.1, 1\/1250, ISO 400, Nikkor 200-400mm VR with 1.4x TC at 240mm, natural light, not baited or called in<\/span><\/p>\n

The photo above of a normal Pronghorn<\/span><\/a> buck shows what the horns usually look like on a buck. This photo was taken a little earlier on the same day as the images of the buck with the misshapen horns.<\/p>\n

For me, the unique horn formation is intriguing, I wonder if it was caused by physical damage when the pronghorn was very young or if it was genetic. I am just happy to have seen it again and for coming home with better photos of it for my files.<\/p>\n

Life is<\/em> good.<\/p>\n

Mia<\/p>\n

More newer images of this same Pronghorn buck<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

I am just happy to have seen the Pronghorn buck with misshapen horns again and for coming home with better photos of it for my files. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":170674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":true,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,183,26],"tags":[4096,532,4184,3981,4062,185,4020,102,4032],"class_list":["post-2254","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-pronghorn","category-utah","tag-antilocapra-americana","tag-atypical","tag-buck","tag-davis-county","tag-male","tag-pronghorn","tag-pronghorn-antelope","tag-wildlife","tag-wildlife-photography"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/pronghorn-utah-misshapen-mia-mcpherson-1324.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-Am","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3277,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2011\/10\/08\/a-buck-pronghorn-with-oddly-misshapened-horns\/","url_meta":{"origin":2254,"position":0},"title":"Buck Pronghorn with Oddly Misshapened Horns","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"October 8, 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"This October 3rd I spotted this pronghorn for the third or fourth time in this past year only this time I had good light, the buck wasn't far away and because it is rut season he was only paying attention to the does and other bucks in the area.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Atypical Pronghorn buck with sunflowers, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, 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are composed of a permanent slender, laterally flattened blade of bone that is covered by a keratinous sheath.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pronghorn buck in horn regrowth, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-up-close-mia-mcpherson-5860.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-up-close-mia-mcpherson-5860.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-up-close-mia-mcpherson-5860.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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and while I was on Antelope Island State Park I took a series of spring buck Pronghorn photos.","rel":"","context":"In "Antelope Island State Park"","block_context":{"text":"Antelope Island State Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Spring buck Pronghorn close up, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pronghorn-buck-early-spring-portrait-mia-mcpherson-4137.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pronghorn-buck-early-spring-portrait-mia-mcpherson-4137.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/03\/pronghorn-buck-early-spring-portrait-mia-mcpherson-4137.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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