Master outdoorsman J. Wayne Fears discussed the importance of habitat management and the role hunters have played in the survival of the North American Pronghorn Antelope.
In fact hunters helped stave off extinction of the once abundant pronghorn. Conservation groups along with a tax on hunting arms and ammunitions helped fund recovery efforts.
In the 1700's there were nearly 40 million pronghorn antelope roaming the plains of North America. By 1900 wildlife conservation groups determined that extinction of the pronghorn was probable.
Although restocking efforts started around 1910, by 1920 the population had plummeted to about 14,000.
In 1927 a 2900 acre Antelope Refuge was established in northern Nevada that soon grew to 30,000 acres. By January 26, 1931 President Hoover got involved with Boone & Crocket and others to expand the refuge to a 549,000 acre track. This marked the beginning for pronghorn recovery in North America.
Thanks to these efforts pronghorn numbers have recovered to an estimated population between 500,000 and 1,000,000.
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