Spring Creek Basin Mustangs

A few evenings ago in Spring Creek Basin, I was just sitting out in the grass, surrounded by a few bands of mustangs when … this lone pronghorn buck showed up, sashaying through the group like no big deal (and apparently it wasn’t, for either him or for them).

He didn’t seem to realize I was there at first, hanging out with the wildies as I was, just a lump in the grass. I think it was the clicking of my camera’s shutter that alerted him. He’s at a slow lope (if a pronghorn can be said to do anything as mundane as a *slow lope*!) in the pic above, but I think that was because he was between bands of mustangs at that point – and between me and bands of mustangs. When he first appeared to notice me, he just veered his course in that direction, still walking.

He ended up passing another band out in that direction and, as far as I know, went out around and beyond the western shoulder of Filly Peak.

Seeing these pix from that night, I was reminded that I’d seen a family of pronghorns a few nights (maybe a week) before THAT. Pronghorn bucks, like elk bulls and mule deer bucks, don’t stay with females of their species year-round – UNlike mustang stallions, who, of course, do. So I hesitate to call this little grouping a “family,” though it was clearly made up of a few does, a fawn and one determined buck (he was determined that they should go on, through/below/past the bands I was (again) watching, and the shes of the group were just as determined that they were not, under any circumstances, going past the little rock outcropping upon which perched the weird lump that was oddly clicking).

This was just after I’d become aware of them, after I’d sat down to watch a couple of bachelors who were grazing their way toward me. The doe at left is looking back at one of the stallions.

Ah, now the jig is up; they’ve heard my clicking and are aware of my presence. They didn’t come any closer (which was fine).

Riddle me this: Pronghorns are the fastest North American land mammal. But which are faster: does or bucks? The buck did manage to “corral” his girls (they also went in at least three different directions – at the same time), but THEY made the decision on where they were going and when. They finally moved in basically the direction he wanted them to go, but farther down the hill from below the road.

I can’t say for sure, but I think the horses found them as fascinating as I did.

That’s not a race you’re gonna win, ponies. 🙂

I rolled up to see a couple of bands grazing below the road just moments before the little resident herd of pronghorns (there are about 20 or so hanging out together and very visible in Spring Creek Basin lately) made *their* presence known (to me, at least). But as the pronghorn bucks and does started moving up the hill toward the horses, high spirits in both species kicked in, and all I had to do was aim and hold down the shutter button!

Pronghorns are fascinating mammals – the fastest in North America. While they are numerous in many parts of the West, they’re NOT so numerous in western Colorado, and because of that, they’re not hunted here. Seeing a group of 20 is a cool sighting of a fairly big group (most of the rest of the year, they’re in much smaller groups). Also very fun to see: pronghorns racing along with the mustangs!

Pretty soon, I think curiosity took over on the part of the horses (or they *knew* they weren’t going to win any races!), and they stopped to watch as the pronghorns sped past.

If you’ve never seen pronghorns on the run, you’re really missing out. Even at what for them, I imagine, is a relaxed pace, they’re fast. And seeming effortless!

Each group eventually disappeared from my sight … but pretty soon the horses appeared again, coming toward my area of the hill as they grazed. When I walked out a bit, I saw the pronghorns, settled down in a group, napping and grazing. This human was feeling the peace. 🙂