NEW #2 RECORD FOR ROCKY MOUNTAIN ELK IN OREGON


by OR Department of Fish & Wildlife Staff
11-22-2021
Website

The antlers of a Union County bull elk have been officially scored at 406 6/8 which would make it the second place record for a typical Rocky Mountain elk in Oregon.
The bull’s skull and antlers were found by a cone collecting crew on private timberland in the Catherine Creek Unit during the summer and turned in to ODFW.
Mark Penninger, a certified scorer for Northwest Big Game Inc., officially scored the elk in early November after waiting the required 60 days. (An animal must undergo a minimum of 60-day drying period before it is officially scored as skulls and antlers will shrink some after their first “green” score immediately after harvest or pick-up.)
“Bull elk of this caliber are incredibly rare in Oregon but it’s great to see that they are still around,” said Penninger, who described the antlers as “jawdropping.”
“This bull is testament that age, good genetics, and high-quality habitat can produce truly world class elk,” he said.
ODFW does not track trophy records but will be submitting the score to Northwest Big Game Records for official placement. Northwest Big Game Records is one organization that keeps records of game animals including both those that are harvested by hunters and those that are found dead.
The last time an elk with typical antlers scoring higher than 400 was found or harvested was 1984 by Randy Ryerse in Crook County, an elk now bumped to the #4 record with a 400 0/8 score.
The #1 Rocky Mountain elk was a 418 2/8 bull taken in Crook County in 1942 or earlier and attributed to Hugh Evans.
Until now, the second largest was a bull taken in Grant County by Jim Sproul with antlers measuring 401 1/8. This bull was displayed in the John Day Elks Lodge until it was lost in a fire when the building burned down, according to Penninger. The bull had the longest main beam of any bull anywhere for a long time, he says.
With this Catherine Creek elk, the top four Rocky Mountain elk will all score higher than 400. After that, antler scores drop into the high 300s.
Learn more about this bull and about scoring in this week’s Beaver State Podcast with Mark Penninger, https://myodfw.com/articles/beaver-state-podcast-season-2
See https://www.nwbiggame.com/top_10.cfm for Rocky Mountain elk and other big game records.
ODFW hopes to eventually display the bull’s record antlers in one of our offices and thanks taxidermist Brody Turner for working with us to get them ready for display.




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Ana Reservoir: Trolling lures or flies will also do a great job catching fish
Ana River: Tui chub are abundant in the river
Upper Klamath Lake: The lake is very turbid from recent wind and storms
Klamath River - Upper - OR: Klamath River Fishing Report
Sky Lakes Wilderness Lakes: All lakes were stocked this summer by helicopter
Sun Creek: Fishing not recommended at this time
Fish Lake : Lake is filling nicely
Lost Creek Lake: Trout fishing should be good
Rogue River - Middle: Summer steelhead fishing has been very good
Rogue River- Upper: Upper Rogue River Fishing Report
Rogue River- Upper (Above Lost Creek): Winter weather is still holding off but not for much longer
Kilchis River: Chinook salmon should be in the Kilchis and throughout the fishery
Miami River: There should still be Chinook in the river
Necanicum River: Still no reports of early winter steelhead yet
Nehalem River: The mainstem Nehalem River is high and off color
Nestucca River: The Nestucca is still high and off color
Three Rivers: Three Rivers should be fishable throughout the weekend
Siuslaw River: The majority of the Fall Chinook run is above the estuary
Trask River: The Trask is high and off-color
Wilson River: There should be Chinook throughout the fishery on the Wilson
Detroit Reservoir: The reservoir elevation is about 30 feet above the bottom of Mongold boat ramp
Green Peter Reservoir: Best Bet For Fishing is where Quartzville Creek enters the reservoir
Junction City Pond: Recently Stocked
Quartzville Creek: The river is currently running very high
Santiam River ( North Fork) : Santiam River North Fork Report
Timber Linn Lake: Will Be stocked this week
Walling Pond: Pond is regularly stocked throughout the winter and spring
Crane Prairie Reservoir: Closed to fishing until April 22
Davis Lake: Water level is extremely is low
East Lake: The lake is low for this time of year
Fall River: Anglers report good fishing throughout the river
Haystack Reservoir: The water level will remain low for now
Hosmer Lake: Anglers report good fishing
Lake Billy Chinook: Lake Billy Chinook Fishing Report
Lava Lake: The Cascade Lakes Highway closed for the winter Nov. 16
Paulina Lake: Anglers report good fishing for kokanee and brown trout
Pine Hollow Reservoir: Recently Stocked
Wickiup Reservoir: Closed to fishing until April 22
Grande Ronde River: With cooling water, fishing for trout steelhead and coho has slowed significantly
Imnaha River: Steelhead season is opened on the Imnaha
Wallowa River: Fishing for trout has been good on the Wallowa