Goat Archives - Bliss Photographics

Posted on September 1, 2020August 25, 2020 by Frank Bliss

Herd of Pronghorn Hanging

Abundant Pronghorn live on the western plains. One of their major wildlife refuges is the Thunderbasin National Grasslands. Made up of several blocks of land just to our south, the Grasslands are huge. All these animals migrated from the federal land refuge in the spring to pasture on the surrounding privately owned ranchlands. Summer pastures versus winter pastures. These animals have been doing this for the last 10,000 years at least.

This late in the summer, they are starting to group / bunch up. Earlier in the year the does break off to give birth. The males get in small groups. The males will slowly get control over the loose females in their area. Then the serious stuff begins. I count 3 bucks in this group.

The rut is coming very soon and may be happening to one degree or another at the moment. I’m not sure what the rough environment this year had on their activities but I usually get close to rutting activity. Trail Cameras do work for me 24/7 and I get a lot of opportunity to see Pronghorn in and around the ranch. I see some groups two times a day. Depending on how they are feeling, occasionally I get lucky and can move in close. When the groups are this big though, they get collectively and synergistically jumpy. Life in an ocean of grass.

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming / Montana borderlands (Wyotana)

Title: Herd of Pronghorn Hanging

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Posted on May 26, 2020May 18, 2020 by Frank Bliss

Pronghorn Bucks Crossing Swords

These 3 younger bucks got caught working out for the Bliss Dinosaur Ranch Fall Pronghorn Rut. Taking turns with male aggression. It’s a single elimination tournament with winner taking all in the long run.

These Bucks actually get along pretty well in the “Boys Club” they hang in most of the year. But this is as close to a full blown organized training session I’ve seen this year. Getting ready for the Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, annual Pronghorn all male review for a party of just the Does. Hot and heavy in the fall, it’s a yearly thing up here… So turns the wheel of life. 🤘📸

So on an overcast tuesday HIGH up on a backcountry Ridge was a small dojo formed for the purpose of working out and getting “tuned” for the battles to come. These guys were not not yet playing for keeps. The bigger bucks usually take it easy on the smaller males training/ramping up to the rut. It can really be violent when big Pronghorn Bucks cross swords. It’s all fun and game until someone puts out an eye!.

. Probably 4 year olds. This of course is a game trail camera capture from late in the fall (Fall was on a Tuesday this year). From this location in the past, dozens of various wonderful candid captures of both deer and Pronghorn occurred. All the Pronghorn are off ranch at the moment.

They all migrated over a month ago from about 30 miles south from the Thunderbasin National Grassland. Pronghorn herds numbering in the hundreds with thousands in the larger Grassland area where they overwinter. I once had a Old Pronghorn Buck I named “Grunt” that stayed over winter several years but he’s not here for the last 2 years. . He either migrated with the others or in in much higher and greener pastures by his passing. I miss him as I could get very close to him as he was tolerant of me as a pronghorn can be tolerant. Grunt was a nice buck too. 😔

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Title: Pronghorn Bucks Crossing Swords

Posted on April 28, 2020April 21, 2020 by Frank Bliss

Pronghorn Razzing the Photographer

Boy talk about attitude…..👅 . I actually don’t see this too much. Blue Tongue to the wind is something that might happen every few minutes. They don’t lick a lot I’m thinking….

This is a Pronghorn. It is not an “Antelope” no matter if the “Deer and Antelope Play” song rolls through your head lolol. It is not a “Speed Goat” either and is not related to a goat. It’s not related to an Antelope, the natural location for the closest of which is in Africa. It’s Latin Name “Antilocapra americana” literally means “american goat”. It is not either a goat or an Antelope as I said. It is the sole surviving member of the Antilocapridae family in North America and has literally been in North America for at least a million years. More of a relative of the Giraffe than any other animal…

The best way to tell a male is to look for a black cheek patch under the ear. This is a female sans the patch. They are active both night and day, have excellent eye sight and can see you up to 4 miles away. Your not sneaking up on these guys/gals very easily. They take about 20 foot long single strides when running . These guys own the title as the “Fastest land animal in North America”. They are strictly a western United States creature of the Rocky Mountains and the grasslands of their foothills.

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands (Wyotana)

Title: Pronghorn Razzing the Photographer

Posted on April 2, 2020March 27, 2020 by Frank Bliss

Pronghorn Doe Side Portrait

This gal was in perfect morning light with a very wet nose. She was sniffing the air and had a gleam in her eye. Odd horns on this girl. Sort of scraggly lol. Got her with her tongue out on the other cheek ….. You can see the landscape in the reflection from her eye.

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands (Wyotana)

Title: Pronghorn Doe Side Portrait

Posted on February 15, 2020February 7, 2020 by Frank Bliss

Pronking Pronghorn Levitating

Catching a Pronghorn during Levitation is a demonstration of Stotting or Pronking. Relatively stiff legged they more or less pogo stick across the ground. Apparently it’s an energy efficient way of moving but not their fastest method lol.

Pronghorns are the fastest land animal in North America and pretty much hit 50 everyday around here at one time or the other lol. This apparently is an efficient way of covering ground quickly as they are moving when they do this. Maybe 30 ish…. This is harder to capture than you might think….. This is not really an everyday thing for them. Hard to capture as only once in a while do I see this. You have to be there to start with and then they have to do the behavior you want lolol. Technical camera settings are straightforward but opportunity wins every time. 📸

This of course is a summer photo as the lack of mid-winter snow AND the total absence of the Pronghorns this time of year. There are no Pronghorns on ranch that I am aware of that are overwintering here. We do keep water open but it looks like all of them have migrated south about 30 miles to the Thunderbasin National GrassLands. They gather there by the thousands for running water and lots of grass. I’ve seen individual herds of 250-300 before and they were just a random herd. I know there are bigger groups down there.

Location: Bliss DInosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Title: Pronking Pronghorn Levitating

Posted on October 25, 2019November 16, 2019 by Bliss

Pronghorn Levitation: Stotting or Pronking

Catching a Pronghorn during Levitation is a demonstration of Stotting or Pronking. They are the fastest land animal in North America and pretty much hit 50 everyday around here at one time or the other lol. This apparently is an efficient way of covering ground quickly as they are moving when they do this. Maybe 30 ish…. This is harder to capture than you might think…..You have to be there to start with and then they have to do the behavior you want lolol. Technical camera settings are straightforward but opportunity wins everytime. 📸

Location: Bliss DInosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Posted on October 24, 2019November 16, 2019 by Bliss

I Call to Order This Meeting in the Snow

He called to Order This Meeting in the Snow because it’s time to migrate the 20 miles to the south. These antelope will winter down in the Thunder Basin National Grasslands (it’s on the map) between Gillette and our Ranch. It’s a huge area of no vehicular traffic (but for a few gravel roads). Large herds of hundreds of Pronghorn winter down there. But they have to get from here to there and it’s not an easy trip over hill, dale and gulley. There are a lot of places that only four feet can travel.

We are in and out of winter weather up on the high ridges our ranch is located on. It was 70 today as I type this about a week ago but it will be below freezing again very soon. Indian summer is all too short.

Location: Bliss DInosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Posted on October 13, 2019October 5, 2019 by Bliss

A Chase and Evasion During the Pronghorn Rut

Here’s a frozen motion shot of A Chase and Evasion During the Pronghorn Rut a week ago (from this post). The rear male actually wasn’t involved in this chase/evasion. The other three were just running past him in the slow lane… The three in the front were traveling about 50 mph (all out in other words) and the MUD WAS FLYING on the corners. This wasn’t running away from me, they didn’t care I was there…this was running away from the middle buck in the photo. Trying to get the attention of the gal between them. Fighting/rutting for the doe…. Flat out hauling white furry A** /cornering too….

Photographers notes: 1/2000th second F13, ISO 1000, 1200mm(fast) lens. About 200 yards out. Not a crop 🙂 Full Morning sun..

Tracking these guys with a 2 foot long, 13 pound camera/lens setup out of your jeep window is a challenge lol.

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch,

Posted on October 11, 2019October 2, 2019 by Bliss

Antelope Eyelashes at Dawn

I try really hard to maneuver such that I can photograph Pronghorn Eyelashes at dawn. I’d have rather had another 10 feet of elevation so I could have the rising sun behind those eyelashes but I’ll take this one. Topography prevented the desired alignment. Coulda done it if I was taller lololol.

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Posted on October 9, 2019September 30, 2019 by Bliss

Pronghorn Doe Considering to Run or Not

This Pronghorn Doe was considering to Run or not… Your guess as to what she did lolol.

I usually don’t get long to take these really close photos. Just a few seconds to bring the camera into play before poof, you see a white butt heading out. It’s better now in the fall that the animals are starting to recognize me. They may or may not bolt at all for the next month before they all migrate to south. They head to the Thunderbasin National Grassland where they herd up for the winter.

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Posted on October 4, 2019September 28, 2019 by Bliss

Pronghorn Woman’s Club on Yonder Ridge Line

Pronghorn Woman's Club on the Ridge Line

These 5 pronghorn were having a Ladies club meeting up on yonder ridge line. From my vantage point and just reading lips, they certainly were covering diverse and world important subjects. It’s my interpretation of “Pronghorneese” lip reading that I’m not entirely trusting just yet.🤔
There is actually a lot of communicating going on right here between a mom and her yearling who was lagging behind.🤣

This is beautiful country up here in the borderlands of Montana/Wyoming anyway but accentuated by the sun being low and the shadows long. The rolling hills and parallel ridges cascading lower each mile carved by the Little Powder River hundreds of feed and miles across the landscape. 180 mile horizon to horizon skies are seen from the ridge just above my place. 👁👁

I often find groups of Pronghorn “running” ridges as their highway to where ever they are going. (Like the grass is better there than here. lolol). Native Americans tended to walk ridge lines along the “military crest” of a hill (google look up) so they weren’t back lit at the normal crest by the sky. It’s easy to see movement so “ridge lining” anything photographically is difficult. Animals instinctively stay off of ridge tops and won’t linger long there. Usually they are traveling between water and pasture they prefer. .

Location: Bliss DInosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

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Posted on October 4, 2019September 27, 2019 by Bliss

Pronghorn Buck Ridge Lined

I was collecting Game Trail Camera “Chips when I pulled out my big lens and caught this nice enough Pronghorn Buck walking Ridge Lined (on the top of the ridge) backlighting himself. I’ve watched this guy all summer. He’s filled out nicely. It’s been a good year and he’s living in a very nice pasture with live water so he’s having a good year. He’ll be a monster next year if he comes back after the migration before the winter. They aren’t going to be up here much longer. The males are currently rutting and a little snotty to me at times. You’d think THEY owned the place lolol.

Location: Bliss DInosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Posted on October 2, 2019September 27, 2019 by Bliss

Pronghorn Quorum

A Pronghorn Quorum is when ever there is a buck present. He usually makes herd decisions on which way to go, is bossy as heck and generally likes to lag behind letting his girls see what’s “over the hill crest” first lol. This one had these girls all corralled but I was putting a kink in his style I believe.

I drove away and left them alone with out them running from me. My preferred way to end an encounter. The still watch me but don’t necessarily run from me if I stay in a vehicle. If I get out and they see my human shape….they are a blur and you see their butts…. I’m talking out in the backcountry of course where they don’t see many vehicles but mine.

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Posted on September 23, 2019November 6, 2019 by Bliss

Pronghorn Buck Portrait

This Pronghorn bucks straight on look was a good portrait opportunity. Taking the time to turn the camera side ways can loose a capture like this one lol. They tend to be a bit “flighty” at times and you get their white butts running away as a photo…🤣

This is a big ol’ boy too. You don’t see many with horns taller than this.

Location: Bliss Dinosaur Ranch, Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Posted on September 16, 2019September 13, 2019 by Bliss

Are We There Yet?

Good Early Monday Morning from the Bliss DInosaur Ranch..

We’ve all heard our kids ask “Are We There Yet?” a time or two. I suspect the long walk across a few miles of grassy fields would engender the same reaction no matter who is in the back seat with no view lololol

Yup, the grass is tall this year. No wonder the herds are spending lots of time up on the windswept and relatively barren ridge lines.🤔

LOTS of rain this year. We got more yesterday than the monthly average. This = high grass + high fire danger if it stops raining or even a drought next spring will be challenging ….

Location: Bliss DInosaur Ranch, grassy washes……Wyoming/Montana borderlands.

Posted on September 10, 2019September 10, 2019 by Bliss

Pronghorn Nursery Up on the Ridge Line

This Pronghorn nursery was way high on a remote backcountry ridge up in the borderlands of Wyoming/Montana about 10 minutes before local sunrise and it’s a backshot from the sunrise show to our right.

They were patient with me and allowed me to move away without spooking them. I prefer not to pressure animals so I can approach easier next time.
I know this group having seen them every day for the summer so far lol. There are a dozen other groups of antelope on our ranch I follow/see in my travels.

Location: Bliss DInosaur Ranch, Wyoming Montana.