A 1925 publication cited that only 10 small bands totalling 187 animals remained from the thousands of antelope which once roamed the Nebraska plains. In 1955 the population was estimated at 3,500 antelope, and by 1974 there were about 10,000 pronghorns in the state. From the mid- 1970s the population declined for various reasons. Major losses were attributed to the 1978-79 winter when some herds suffered mortalities of 60 to 100 percent. Today, the number of antelope in the state is estimated at about 6,000.
Antelope occur primarily in the western half of the state with their major range in the Panhandle.
Highest densities are in northern Sioux and Dawes Counties. The northwestern Nebraska rangeland typifies the state's best antelope habitat. The low rainfall of 17 inches or less, mostly occurring from April to July, results in thin vegetative cover that encourages forbs and some types of shrubby growth, rangeland that is well suited to the antelope. A pronghorn depends on its vision to alert it to danger and its speed to outrun predators and to survive in the open landscape. Low precipitation, extremes of seasonal low and high temperatures, and windy, harsh winters characterize the Great Plains and Basins area.