New Oklahoma state record...
Contributors to this thread:Elk
From: EmbryOklahoma
06-Mar-19
Killed in NW Oklahoma by Bowhunter Tyson Hiebert. Scored 346-7/8 non typical. Pretty solid animal. Nice to see a Bowhunter kill him.
From: Ucsdryder
06-Mar-19
Awesome! Why do all the elk west of the Rockies seem to have trashy crowns? I thought I saw that most were Rocky Mountain transplants, but you never see the big crowns on RM elk.
Never Eat Shredded Wheat
Damnit, you’re right treeline! I meant east! ;)
From: Treeline
06-Mar-19
Good bull. Free range?
From: EmbryOklahoma
06-Mar-19
Tavis... I'd put money on it that it was free range. Plus the state would NOT recognize it if it was a penned elk.
Ucs... Oklahoma is east of the Rockies. :)
From: JohnMC
06-Mar-19
NW? Not SW as in Wichita Mountains?
From: LINK
06-Mar-19
There’s some good herds in the tIp of the panhandle. There are pockets of small herds in several areas of the state as well. I’m surprised to see a bull that size as a state record. The first year that elk hunting outside of the Wichita mountains was legalized there were a couple killed with crossbows that would have easily outscored this one. Those two weren’t killed near the Wichita’s or in the panhandle. I guess not everyone wants the attention.
From: Treeline
06-Mar-19
Pretty awesome to have free range elk in Oklahoma! Didn’t know y’all had them over in the panhandle. Guess I will need to slow down hauling butt thru there in the middle of the night headed to Texas....
Hopefully you can get one over there someday Rick!
From: Bowboy
06-Mar-19
Very nice bull,
From: crestedbutte
06-Mar-19
Back in the late 80’s while on a controlled deer hunt at Cookson Hills and hiking in before light, I walked up on a big 6x6 plus that was bedded below my deer stand. Had to shoo that big SOB up and out of the way just to get to my tree.
It was the first time I had ever seen an elk in the wild and 5-10 yds away at that. They are dang big when essentially standing next to one in the dark with flashlight.
He eventually moved on about 30 yds away and laid back down. I watched him from my perch above for most of the morning before he finally stood up and went on about his day.
From: t-roy
06-Mar-19
How are the tags allocated now? I used to put in every year for the Wichita Mtns draw when I lived there in the 80s and 90s, but quit when I moved back home in ‘97. (I still have an Oklahoma lifetime license. Best $400 bucks I ever spent) Is it all resident only or are nonresidents eligible? Seems like nonresidents could apply back then, but I’m not certain about that.
From: BigOk
06-Mar-19
From: BigOk
06-Mar-19
The quality of the above pic sucks. T-roy your lifetime license is good. The hunting is private land only, with a quota for each zone. You are required to call in before each day to check if the quota for the zone you are hunting has been filled.
Info can be found at: Wildlifedepartment.com
From: Shug
06-Mar-19
Very nice
From: t-roy
06-Mar-19
Thanks BigOk. My buddy that ranches in Dewey county might be owing me a favor......if he wants to keep coming up here to whitetail hunt! ;-)
From: PushCoArcher
06-Mar-19
We have a herd in Pushmataha county also in the SE. It was part of the controlled hunts for awhile until the herd took a dive. Nice bull could've sworn I've seen a couple at least that size come off the Wichita mtns.
From: EmbryOklahoma
06-Mar-19
I've had a run in with elk in Oklahoma too. Some transplanted elk that were put on Cherokee WMA in NE Oklahoma years ago. My stepson was on a youth turkey hunt there and I was the accompanying adult. We walked right up on 4/5 cows and 3 bulls. They looked ragged and unhealthy. Polar opposite of the elk in the mountains. They weren't fearful at 40-50 yards. They finally bounced off as we approached. I know this is not the norm, just an experience. I've witnessed elk at the Wichita mountains and they looked a lot more healthy and fearful of man.
From: BULELK1
07-Mar-19
Dang nice Bull for sure
Thanks for the info
Good luck, Robb
From: swampokie
07-Mar-19
Non residents can put in for any draw hunt in Oklahoma. Must have a small game license. We restrict non rez numbers in no way like most states. 100% of the tags could go to non rez. As a matter of fact we have some legislation in the works right now to lower a lot of the non rez prices and allow them to hunt a lot of large private lands without buying a license at all.
From: LINK
07-Mar-19
Pushco, those bulls you saw from the refuge were shot with guns, they don’t allow archery for those. Tyson’s was a bow kill. About three years ago there was one killed on the Ok side of the NM border that supposedly broke 400, I thought he looked more like 380 :). I believe he was a bowkill but coulda been rifle. I had first hand knowledge of it and kept waiting to see something in the state news but never did. The guy that shot it was a guided hunter from Texas, I’m sure he didn’t want it getting out as his guided elk hunt might have tripled in price.
From: LINK
07-Mar-19
Out of all the pictures I’ve seen of refuge bulls I don’t know if any broke 310” and that’s being generous. I spend a few days every Oct hiking around the refuge. Every year I see a dozen different bulls. I’ve only seen one that would sure enough break 300 and he was probably 330”, right next to Mount Scott. I’ve seen a few 5-10 miles outside the park on private that from a distance looked to break 330”. I think the refuge bulls get over hunted imo.
From: JohnMC
07-Mar-19
I also have a OK lifetime licences. I just looked it was also $400 at the time said issued on 1/15/1993. I agree on best money ever spent. I think you can put in as a resident if you got one when you lived there.
On a side not I would love to hunt whitetails in the refuge. I know they put out a few tags and hard to get. But I have seen some dandies in there.
From: PushCoArcher
07-Mar-19
Link when I killed my Oklahoma antelope in 2017 the check station was at a ranch in Cimarron county. I talked with the couple that owned the ranch they also offered guided elk and mule deer hunts. The owner talked about a giant a client killed just north of their ranch which would be in the area you mentioned.
From: Tlhbow
07-Mar-19
Crested Butte I had a cow cross in front of me West of cooksenhills between burnt cabin and qualls in the early 80's.
From: LINK
07-Mar-19
Pushco the one I remember was a big one. Supposedly that ranch owner managed his bulls where he just took 1-2 per year and the age class of bulls on his ranch was pretty good. I haven’t seen any pictures from out there in a few years though.
From: crestedbutte
07-Mar-19
Tlhbow...I was on east side of Cookson Hills WMA near Bunch, OK and was hunting just north of Hamlin Hollow when I ran into that bull in the dark.
How do I remember the name of that hollow. Well my girlfriend at the time...her mother’s maiden name was Hamlin (for which the hollow was named) and they owned that whole section of land on that side that juts into the Cookson Hills WMA...but later on the girlfriend broke up with me because of all my hunting....so that was the end of that!
