Neat thing, this big boy is possibly still alive.

Near-record antlers on display at Elk Refuge sale


JACKSON — A near-record set of antlers found on the National Elk Refuge will be on display but won't be for sale at an auction in Jackson.

The antlers scored nearly 432 on the Boone and Crockett system. Boone and Crockett's website says the world record for typical antlers is just under 443.

The score is based on various measurements of the antlers. Boone and Crockett's registry is only for elk killed by hunters. This set was found on the northwest Wyoming refuge after an elk shed them and cannot be registered.

The antlers were going to be sold at Saturday's auction but organizers decided to withdraw them and possibly sell them later.

The auction raises money for Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts.

Not a "typical" set of elk horns.
Bull has drop tine and extras.

When the 46th annual Elk Antler Auction starts Saturday morning the usual tons of antlers will include something out of the ordinary.

Some antlers.

You wouldn’t think one pair would stand out, but the offering of one bull this year is special. While sorting this year’s National Elk Refuge antler hoard, the crew of Boy and Cub Scouts and their leaders found a pair that’s not far off championship status.

The 6-by-8 antlers made a gross score of 431 7/8 using the Boone and Crockett system, which can put a number on any animal antlers. Boone and Crockett’s website says the world record for “typical” antlers is 442 7/8, and the “atypical” record is 478 5/8.

So the elk refuge score isn’t a record, but it’s up there.

“He’s certainly a very large elk,” said Rob Anderson, who did the scoring. “He’s the biggest bull by far I’ve ever measured on the refuge.”

The 30-pound antlers, originally set for sale Saturday, are now being withheld, though they will be shown at the auction, said Lori Iverson, spokeswoman for the National Elk Refuge. The antlers are so unusually big for the refuge that they are receiving special treatment.

“They might be in next year’s auction, or maybe we’ll see if they can be sold through the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation,” Iverson said.

Prices for unusual pairs can vary greatly — it’s an auction and prices depend on the “I like that” factor. In 2011, one 6-by-6 pair weighing 33 pounds went for $321.75, a relatively low $9.75 a pound. A 7-by-7 pair weighing 26 pounds went for $676, a rich $26 a pound.

On the other hand, Scout leader Cliff Kirkpatrick suggested the antlers might look good in the visitor center.

Scouts, who put on the auction every year as a fundraiser, will be out Saturday setting up at Jackson Town Square before 6 a.m. Registration begins at 9 a.m., bidding at 10 a.m.

Last year’s auction sold more than 7,000 pounds of antlers for an average price of $12.15 per pound. In 2012, the auction raised more than $90,000. The Scouts keep 20 percent and the rest goes to the refuge.

The antlers can’t be registered in the Boone and Crockett book because separate shed antlers aren’t eligible. To be recorded, antlers must come from an elk that was hunted. There’s a non-official category for non-hunted mounts, skulls with attached antlers that are found after a bull’s natural death.

The scoring system starts with a measurement in inches from the base to the top of the main beam of the antlers. That’s added to the total length of the tines, and four measurements of antler circumference at various parts of the antler. The final measure is of spread, the distance between antlers, which can only be estimated on separate shed antlers.

Anderson said the big antlers would bring a premium price, more than the usual price per-pound. He said selling the set wouldn’t be the end, and the bull will most likely be back “and drop another pair next year.”

pictures, man, we need pictures!

Great reporting - good story.

Thanks!

friar

I have been looking, I am sure they will surface on M.M.

I thought he was going to tell us the sheds were found outside of St. Louis.

Don't get us all greased up and no pictures. Not fair. Pictures speak a thousand words Dude.

I am sure it is on Monster Muleys some where, I just haven't found it yet. I don't spend much time on that site.