Pronghorn

Big Game Research

Overview

The Chihuahuan Desert Borderlands are home to a diversity of big game animals that is unparalleled, including desert mule deer, pronghorn, desert bighorn sheep, Carmen Mountains white-tailed deer, and elk. Despite this variety of large game and their economic importance, there is relatively little information available regarding their management. Learning more about these big game animals is a priority for our researchers.

Desert Bighorn

Desert Mule Deer

Pronghorn

Exotic Game Species

Desert Bighorn

Desert bighorn, one of three living subspecies of bighorn sheep, once roamed 16 Texas mountain ranges. Historically, Texas populations of desert bighorn were thought to number between 1,000 and 1,500 individuals in the late 1800s. By the 1930s population numbers fell to around 300 individuals in only four ranges and by 1960, desert bighorn sheep were gone from the state. Their restoration success is important to the ecology of the Trans-Pecos region. Therefore, partnerships with agencies and private landowners to provide restoration efforts is the driving force behind the successful management of desert bighorn sheep in Far West Texas.

Current Research

NICHE PLASTICITY OF DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP IN THE TRANS-PECOS

DIETARY OVERLAP OF AOUDAD, DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP, AND MULE DEER

TEMPORAL RESOURCE PARTITIONING OF AOUDAD, DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP, AND MULE DEER

Previous Research

Desert Bighorn Affect Habitat Utilization

DOES RELEASE METHODS AFFECT HABITAT UTILIZATION?

FACTORS INFLUENCING AOUDAD, BIGHORN, AND MULE DEER SURVIVAL

COMPARING RELEASE METHODS

FEMALE BIGHORN AND AOUDAD HABITAT UTILIZATION

HABITAT SELECTION OF AOUDAD, DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP, AND MULE DEER

HISTORY OF TEXAS BIGHORNS

Recent Bighorn Sheep Restoration Efforts

DIETS OF BIGHORNS

USE OF SUPPLEMENTAL WATER

USE OF ESCAPE COVER

BIG BEND RANCH STATE PARK RESTORATION

Desert Mule Deer

Desert mule deer are one of the cornerstone wildlife species of the Chihuahuan Desert Borderlands. The Borderlands Research Institute strives to be a national leader in desert mule deer research and management.

Current Research

DIETARY OVERLAP OF AOUDAD, DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP, AND MULE DEER

TEMPORAL RESOURCE PARTITIONING OF AOUDAD, DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP, AND MULE DEER

Previous Research

FACTORS INFLUENCING AOUDAD, BIGHORN, AND MULE DEER SURVIVAL

Unravelling Antler Progression in Desert Mule Deer: Implications for Common Management Practices

ANTLER PROGRESSION AND MANAGEMENT PRACTICES

SURVIVAL, MOVEMENTS, AND HABITAT USE

HABITAT SELECTION OF AOUDAD, DESERT BIGHORN SHEEP, AND MULE DEER

NUTRITIONAL CONTENT OF BROWSE USED BY MULE DEER

POPULATION TRENDS

Effects of Spike 20P on Mule Deer Habitat

SPIKE 20P AND MULE DEER HABITAT RESTORATION

SURVEY TECHNIQUES

SEASONAL HOME RANGES

USE OF FEED AND WATER

RESTORATION IN MEXICO

Pronghorn are the last members of a unique family of North American mammals (Antilocapridae). Neither a deer nor a true antelope, pronghorn are icons of the western prairies. They are the second-fastest land animals and have the only true horns that fork, which they shed and regrow annually. However, pronghorn populations of this unique mammal have declined in previous years. In 2010, concerned landowners partnered with the Texas Parks & Wildlife Department and the Borderlands Research Institute to investigate the causes of pronghorn decline and take actions to reverse this trend.

Previous Research

MODELING TRANSLOCATED AND RESIDENT DYNAMIC PRONGHORN HABITAT SELECTION IN A LANDSCAPE WITH OIL AND GAS

MODELING PRONGHORN BEHAVIOR AND MOVEMENT USING RANGE SIZE ACROSS TIME

LIVESTOCK GRAZING EFFECTS ON PRONGHORN PREFERRED FORBS DURING THE WINTER

PRONGHORN DIETARY SELECTION AS A RESPONSE TO LIVESTOCK GRAZING SYSTEMS

SEASONAL AND ACCLIMATION PERIOD MOVEMENTS

The Effects of Livestock Grazing on Forb Quality and Quantity: Implications for Pronghorn Habitat Management

PRONGHORN CARRYING CAPACITY ESTIMATES

HABITAT FRAGMENTATION AND GENETICS

DISEASES AND PARASITES

FAWN SURVIVAL

RESTORATION EFFORTS AND SURVIVAL

Pronghorn Movements Following Restoration

MOVEMENTS FOLLOWING TRANSLOCATION

Exotic Game Species

Texas is home to dozens of exotic big game species, several of which can be found in the Trans-Pecos. These include African species (such as scimitar-horned oryx, gemsbok, and aoudad), Indian species (such as blackbuck antelope and axis deer), elk, and feral hogs. The Borderlands Research Institute strives to understand the environmental effects between exotic and native species.