pronghornantelopeBISMARCK, N.D. (AP Jul 16, 2013) – North Dakota’s pronghorn population is growing again after five years of steady decline, but there still will not be a hunting season again this year.
 
     The state Game and Fish Department says numbers are still below population objectives and not high enough to warrant a hunting season for the animals commonly referred to as antelope.
 
     A recent survey indicates about 5,400 pronghorn in the state. That’s 49 percent higher than last year but still 62 percent below 2008, the last year a hunting season was held.
 
     Big Game Supervisor Bruce Stillings says another mild winter this year should encourage future population growth, but challenges remain with the loss of pronghorn habitat in the west because of energy development and the conversion of grasslands for crops.