Fact Sheets on Pronghorn Migration

Northern Sagebrush Steppe, Saskatchewan, Canada & Montana, USA

Pronghorn in Saskatchewan and northern Montana live at the northern edge of their geographic range, and their populations fluctuate with environmental conditions. In Saskatchewan, numbers declined sharply in the early 1990s due to human settlement, overharvesting, and the severe winter of 1906-07. Conservation efforts helped pronghorn rebound to 15,000 by 1957, but subsequent decades saw repeated declines and recoveries. After a crash in the mid-1990s, pronghorn populations slowly recovered before another sharp decline between 2011 and 2013. Since then, numbers have steadily increased and are now stable at around 15,000-20,000. Montana has experienced similar repeated declines and recoveries over the past decades, with northern Montana trends currently indicating some population decline

Northern Sagebrush Steppe, Alberta, Canada

Pronghorn in southern Alberta live at the northern periphery of the species range, where they make transboundary migrations into Saskatchewan and across the Canada-United States border. Pronghorn numbers were significantly reduced at the beginning of the 20th century due to human settlement, overharvesting, and severe winters, but since then, conservation efforts have allowed pronghorn to gradually rebound, now remaining stable between 16,000-20,000. Their long-term persistence is tied to native prairie habitats. During fall, pronghorn rapidly migrate to areas with more abundant silver sagebrush, their primary winter food source. During spring migration, pronghorn follow the green-up of vegetation, typically northward, to their fawning and summer ranges. Pronghorn also make facultative migrations, adapting to extreme conditions by moving from one winter range to another to access forage. Pronghorn in Alberta do not typically follow established corridors, but instead use multiple pathways that can vary from year to year.