Have you made plans yet to attend March Rack Madness? While it does involve points and scores, it has nothing to do with the nationwide college basketball tournament. It’s the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation’s free antler scoring event, set from 1 to 4:30 p.m. Friday, March 9, 2018, at the Department’s interim headquarters, 2145 NE 36 St. in Oklahoma City.
This is a scoring opportunity for the public. Anyone wanting to have a rack of deer antlers scored by a certified scorer is invited to register and bring their antlers, both of which must be attached to the skull plate whether mounted or unmounted. Also, antlers must have gone through a 60-day drying period. (All bucks harvested before Jan. 9, 2018, should meet the drying period requirement.) Scorers also will be able to measure elk antlers and pronghorns.
The scoring service is always free, but everyone who plans to bring an item for scoring is asked to sign up ahead of time for planning and organizing purposes. To sign up, go to https://www.wildlifedepartment.com/march-rack-madness. Registrations are due March 2. Anyone who doesn’t pre-register is welcome to bring a rack to be scored, as time permits, on a first-come, first-served basis. Please be aware that some of these racks might not be measured due to time constraints.
The event will employ certified deer measurers from the Wildlife Department who will be able to interact one-on-one with each rack owner. The score certified by the Wildlife Department will be the score used to qualify the rack for the state’s Cy Curtis Awards Program, which recognizes hunters and the trophy big-game animals they harvested in Oklahoma.
A number of outstanding deer racks are expected to be on site. Oklahoma hunters have reported some impressive racks from the 2017-18 hunting seasons on social media, with many racks green-scoring in the 200s. It’s quite possible a new Cy Curtis state record could be revealed during March Rack Madness!
This past deer season has produced not only a large number of good quality bucks, but also a good quantity of them. Department officials are expecting a surge in the number of Cy Curtis entries in the next few months. Cy Curtis qualifying scores are 135 points for typical deer and 150 points for nontypical deer. For more information about how to apply for a Cy Curtis Award, go online to www.wildlifedepartment.com and search for “Cy Curtis.”