Oh how I love pronghorn

So while we are on the subject of pronghorns, I am reminded of a wonderful story. I was returning home from a trip into the White Mountains in east central Arizona looking for Mexican Grey Wolves. Although no luck with wolves, I came across two large bighorn sheep rams (my first bighorns in the Arizona wilderness). Anyway, I had read about Eagle Creek, so I took the 22 mile (one-way) trip on a dirt road. When I reached the site -- well, not a drop of water in the creek and not even a sparrow to photograph. Feeling as if the extra four hours was going to be a waste, I started back on this dusty old road coming through a large field (maybe 500 acres) of grass. I started thinking this would be good pronghorn terrain. Low and behold, I look out the window and about 200 yards away I see something other than grass. I stop, look through my binoculars and see a male pronghorn lying down with just head and antlers showing. So I start walking toward the pronghorn taking photos every 30 steps or so, thinking well this might be the last photo -- but no, he doesn't move. When I am 30 yards away I see a young colt lying down behind the adult.

Now I am really excited, and I start taking photos of the little guy too. Dad then gets up and starts walking away (more photos), but the colt just lays there. Dad, who is now about 50 yards away makes a sound; a low deep sound. The colt stands up but instead of walking towards Dad, walks toward me. (Typical defiant teenager I guess). When Dad makes another call, the colt starts running away as does Dad. I say "thank you very much" to each of them and walk the 200 yards back to the Jeep, get in, turn on the engine, put the transmission in drive, look out the window and notice that the young pronghorn has followed me all the way back, and was now only 10 yards from the car. So, transmission back to park, engine off, out of the car again, and many more photos. I relived the (90 minute) experience the remaining five hour trip home being so lost in thought, it went by in a blink.