Pronghorn antelope aren’t silent animals. They communicate constantly with each other through a set of distinct vocalizations — and once you learn to recognize and reproduce them, you have a real tool for closing the distance on a wary buck.
1. The Short Snort
This is a buck’s way of announcing his presence. Watch a mature buck long enough on open range, and you’ll see him stand on a rise, issuing short snorts just to let every other antelope in the area know whose territory this is. It’s a low-stakes, everyday call — but it’s also useful for stopping a buck that’s walking off or leaving the country. A sharp snort at the right moment can freeze him in his tracks, giving you the window you need to draw or settle in for a shot.
2. The Snort Chuckle
This is the challenge call — a snort followed by roughly five quick notes, the “chuckle.” Bucks use it to warn off rivals, and it can trigger genuinely aggressive behavior in a territorial alpha buck. Paired with a decoy, the snort chuckle can pull a dominant buck in fast, spoiling for a fight he thinks is already happening in his backyard.
3. The Hum
Not a natural antelope vocalization, but a sound that reliably gets their attention. Antelopes are curious animals, and a soft hum can stop a nervous buck in his tracks or draw a distant animal in close enough for a shot — even from several hundred yards out.
4. The Wheeze
The danger call. When one antelope wheezes, every head in the group goes up — and more often than not, the herd moves out. It’s a defensive alarm call and knowing it matters as much for what to avoid as what to use; a poorly timed wheeze on a stalk can end your hunt instantly.
Learning to move between these four sounds — reading the situation and knowing which call fits — is what separates calling that works from calling that just makes noise. The Dominator Call® is built to reproduce all four with the same accuracy that’s made it a trusted tool for antelope hunters for over 30 years.
Ready to add authentic antelope vocalizations to your hunt? Visit Hancockoutdoors.com to get your Dominator Call® before the season opens.