Unit 34A/34B (Las Cienegas and the Sonoita grasslands)

The pronghorn in this hunt are on the Las Cienegas National Conservation Area, in the southwest corner of unit 34B. It's rolling desert grassland with some breaks off to the east — a compact, well-defined piece of country rather than a whole unit to search.

The two entrances

The first is on Highway 83, between mile markers 40 and 41, and it takes you through some pronghorn country on the way in. The quicker route is Highway 82 east from Sonoita to the southern entrance of the conservation area — and the agency says that south access road takes you into the heart of the herd, with good opportunities both east and west of it.

Where in the area the herd sits

By and large the herd is concentrated more towards the south. That's why the Highway 82 southern entrance is the better bet if your time is short.

The broken country, for archers

The agency flags that archers may struggle to stalk herds out on the open grassland, and points to two alternatives: the country in Road Canyon, and the ground east of the southern entrance to the conservation area. Both are more broken and give a better chance of closing on wary pronghorn.

The rut

During the hunt, pronghorn will be in the rut or beginning it. That's what makes decoys work here — some hunters have been successful using them to pull bucks into range.

Maps and rules

A Bureau of Land Management map — the Fort Huachuca or Las Cienegas National Conservation Area access sheet — will help you locate roads and access. Be aware of the rules that apply on BLM land and of any posted private property around the area. Stop at the BLM ramada on the way in for a copy of the area's own regulations.

Muzzleloader success here runs about 60 percent and archery 48. The hunt is compact, the animals are rutting, and both facts shape the method.

Use the rut

Bucks in or entering the rut are distracted and territorial. That's when a decoy works — set up where a buck can see it from a distance, stay low and still, and let him come. It's the most reliable way to turn a sighting into a shot on this hunt.

Glass from the access road, then commit

The southern access road off Highway 82 runs through the middle of the herd's country with opportunities east and west. Drive it before light, glass from a rise, and pick an animal before you start walking. Pronghorn are active most of the day, so keep glassing past mid-morning.

Archers: use Road Canyon and the eastern breaks

Stalking a herd across open grass with a bow rarely works. The agency's own suggestion is the broken country in Road Canyon and east of the southern entrance — relief gives you a route in and a place to draw. Water sits are the other realistic archery play; the area carries plenty of stock tanks.

Muzzleloader discipline

Treat 150 yards as the honest ceiling in open grass and plan the stalk that gets you inside it, using swales and wash banks. Fire three shots from the rest you'll carry, at that distance, before the trip.

Mind the BLM rules and the private ground

Pick up the conservation area's regulations at the ramada on your way in — they differ from forest rules. Watch for posted private property around the area boundary, and keep vehicles on the designated roads.

Scouting pays double

With the herd concentrated in the south of a compact area, a single scouting day tells you which flats hold animals and where you can glass from. That's most of the planning this hunt needs.