{"id":47412,"date":"2017-06-22T04:29:54","date_gmt":"2017-06-22T10:29:54","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/?p=47412"},"modified":"2026-03-02T13:15:11","modified_gmt":"2026-03-02T19:15:11","slug":"buck-pronghorn-close-up-on-antelope-island","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2017\/06\/22\/buck-pronghorn-close-up-on-antelope-island\/","title":{"rendered":"Buck Pronghorn Close Up On Antelope Island – Worth the Gnat Bites?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"BuckBuck Pronghorn Close up – Nikon D500, f10, 1\/640, ISO 400, -0.3 EV, Nikkor 500mm VR with 1.4x TC, natural light<\/span><\/p>\n

I went out to Antelope Island State Park<\/span><\/a> yesterday morning to feed the nasty, horrible bloody sucking biting gnats<\/del> look for birds to photograph and although I did find a few birds I think I was mostly there as a prey item for the biting bugs.<\/p>\n

I got chewed up. Insect repellent is ineffective on them<\/em>. Even though the temps have been in the high 90’s for days, even into the 100’s, be forewarned that those biting gnats are still active and seeking blood donors. I can’t wait until they are gone.<\/p>\n

The heat of summer has already dried up most of the grasses on the island itself and it was fairly quiet yesterday as far as birds go. I did see Loggerhead Shrikes, Western Meadowlarks, Barn Swallows, Burrowing Owls, Chukars, California and Franklin’s Gulls, Sage Thrashers and Lark Sparrows.<\/p>\n

The causeway to the island was birdy.<\/p>\n

My best photos of the day were of a buck Pronghorn that was very close to the dirt road I was on, he was so close I had trouble keeping all of his head in the frame.<\/p>\n

I was using my 500mm VR lens with the 1.4x teleconverter on and didn’t have time to remove the teleconverter as the buck walked past.<\/p>\n

I think the Pronghorns have been sticking to the west side of the island lately because they haven’t been as visible as they have in previous years so when I do see the Pronghorns<\/span><\/a> I am happy to photograph them.<\/p>\n

Maybe taking this photo was worth getting bitten by the gnats.<\/p>\n

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

Mia<\/p>\n

Click here<\/a><\/span> to see more of my Pronghorn photos plus facts and information about this species.<\/p>\n

PS, after this photo the pronghorn walked closer to the vehicle and at that point I was unable to fit his head and horns into the frame. They are used to people on the island but they are still wild animals and should be respected as such.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

My best photos of the day were of a buck Pronghorn that was very close to the dirt road I was on, he was so close I had trouble keeping all of his head in the frame.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":129682,"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":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[511,1022,183,26,99],"tags":[4004,4096,514,4184,4142,11978,4038,4062,4046,185,4020,2315],"class_list":["post-47412","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-antelope-island-state-park","category-davis-county-utah","category-pronghorn","category-utah","category-wildlife","tag-adult","tag-antilocapra-americana","tag-biting-gnats","tag-buck","tag-close-up","tag-desert-island","tag-grasslands","tag-male","tag-portrait","tag-pronghorn","tag-pronghorn-antelope","tag-summer-3"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/06\/pronghorn-buck-close-up-mia-mcpherson-1559.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p11Mom-ckI","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":101005,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2022\/03\/24\/spring-pronghorn-buck-photos\/","url_meta":{"origin":47412,"position":0},"title":"Spring 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Park","link":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/category\/locations\/utah\/antelope-island-state-park\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Pronghorn buck running by, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-buck-rut-mia-mcpherson-6088.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-buck-rut-mia-mcpherson-6088.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-buck-rut-mia-mcpherson-6088.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-buck-rut-mia-mcpherson-6088.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":16743,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/11\/05\/autumn-pronghorn-portraits\/","url_meta":{"origin":47412,"position":2},"title":"Autumn Pronghorn Portraits","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"November 5, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"I am very fortunate to live in an area where I can see these beautiful creatures up close and that is some thing I don't take for granted.","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 yearling portrait, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-portrait-mia-mcpherson-6587.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-portrait-mia-mcpherson-6587.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-portrait-mia-mcpherson-6587.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-portrait-mia-mcpherson-6587.jpg?resize=700%2C400&ssl=1 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":14233,"url":"https:\/\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/2014\/02\/07\/a-pronghorn-buck-in-winter\/","url_meta":{"origin":47412,"position":3},"title":"Pronghorn Buck In Winter","author":"Mia McPherson","date":"February 7, 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"It has been quite some time since I have photographed Pronghorn on Antelope Island State Park because it seems that the Pronghorn have kept mostly to the west and south sides of the island this winter.","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 winter, Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pronghorn-buck-winter-mia-mcpherson-7188.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pronghorn-buck-winter-mia-mcpherson-7188.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/pronghorn-buck-winter-mia-mcpherson-7188.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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2013","format":false,"excerpt":"I hope the Pronghorn we do have continue to flourish because they are majestic creatures and the western landscape wouldn't be the same without them.","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 on Antelope Island State Park, Davis County, Utah","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-buck-mia-mcpherson-0292.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-buck-mia-mcpherson-0292.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.onthewingphotography.com\/wings\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/pronghorn-buck-mia-mcpherson-0292.jpg?resize=525%2C300&ssl=1 1.5x, 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