Ever wonder how the deer, elk, pronghorn or black bear you bagged might stack up against the best of the state’s Cy Curtis Award winners? You can find out March 1 as Rack Madness returns live and in-person to the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation headquarters.
This event welcomes anyone to bring in their antlers, horns or skulls for professional scoring by ODWC personnel. Registrants who bring an item for scoring might end up winning a prize drawing, including the grand prize: an Oklahoma Lifetime Combination Hunting and Fishing License valued at $775, provided by the Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Foundation.
This year, the grand-prize winner will not need to be present to win but must be eligible to hold a lifetime license and will have the option to transfer the prize to someone else who is eligible.
Rack Madness will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tuesday, March 1, at 1801 N. Lincoln Blvd. in Oklahoma City. Attendees will be able to see the Operation Game Thief trailer with its “Oklahoma Wall of Shame” display, show off their trophies to other hunters, and experience some great camaraderie among fellow sportsmen and sportswomen!
Participants should pre-register at license.gooutdoorsoklahoma.com/Event/ViewEvent.aspx?id=105787. Scoring will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. There is a two-item scoring limit per participant. To qualify, antlers must both be attached to the skull plate, whether mounted or unmounted. In addition to white-tailed and mule deer antlers, scoring will be available for elk antlers, antelope horns and bear skulls. Harvest must have occurred in Oklahoma.
Hunters whose officially scored items meet the minimum score and drying period requirements will be eligible for the ODWC’s Cy Curtis Awards Program, which recognizes trophy Oklahoma mule deer, elk, antelope and black bear as well as the hunters who harvest them. The program began in 1972 and is named for a former Department wildlife biologist who is recognized as the person most responsible for restoration of white-tailed deer populations in Oklahoma.
Cy Curtis qualifying scores are 135 points for typical deer and 150 points for nontypical deer. Elk, black bear and pronghorn are also eligible for the Cy Curtis Award record book. For more information about how to apply for a Cy Curtis Award, visit www.wildlifedepartment.com and search for “Cy Curtis.”