Human-made barriers influence the migration patterns of many species. In the case of the pronghorn (Antilocapra americana), a member of the Order Artiodactyla and native to the central and western prairies of the United States, the presence of fences may completely inhibit movement. Depending on the fence a pronghorn will rarely decide to jump over it, instead preferring to crawl under, if possible, or negotiate around it until the animal finds an opening. Despite having been observed to jump an 8-foot-tall fence in a previous study, some block exists. This study investigated one possible block, being the risk of breakage on the lower extremity bones upon landing. The metacarpals of pronghorn and mule deer (Odocoileus hemionus), a routine jumper of fences that lives in relative proximity to the pronghorn, were tested using a three-point bending test. Upon bone failure, the ultimate force and deformation measurements were collected, and stiffness of the bones was calculated. A comparison of the two species showed that mule deer metacarpals resisted greater forces and flexed more before breaking. This could be the case because the bones need to support a much larger body weight. Both species have nearly equal measures of stiffness in their metacarpal. The strength of the pronghorn leg bone seems to be great enough to allow the jump, which supports the supposition that the jumping block may be strictly behavioral for an ungulate that evolved on open plains.