Launched back in 1972, Oklahoma’s Cy Curtis Awards Program was originally created to recognize state records for whitetail and mule deer harvested within the state’s borders. In a change of plan, the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation added elk to the program and going a step further, made it a retroactive program.
For those that are curious, to even be considered for Cy Curtis recognition, expect your typical kill to measure larger than 270. For non-typical kills, your elk should exceed the 310 range.
Since the announcement, elk hunters across the state have rushed to their trophy rooms and the walls of their homes adorned with bulls from years past, with hopes of eclipsing a state record.
A Sooner state claim to elk hunting fame.
The most recent two entries to be crowned state records in both typical and non-typical categories come from Muskogee-area hunters.
Taken an astounding 22 years prior, Bob Hamlin’s 7 x 6 bull elk was measured at 338 4/8 by official scorer and Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation biologist James Perry. This new typical elk record eclipsed the previous record of 332 1/8 held by Rush Springs resident Wayne Munn.
The non-typical category crowned Jerry Jaynes, also of Muskogee, as a new record holder, whose bull measured 325 7/8, again measured by Perry. While not quite as historical as Hamlin’s typical elk, the elk taken by Jaynes was harvested back in 2005 on the final day of his controlled hunt.
In addition to elk, the Cy Curtis Awards Program also added bears and back in 2014. To learn more about the program or controlled hunt opportunities in Oklahoma, visit wildlifedepartment.com.