The Largest Bison Ever Harvested in Oklahoma

Once blanketing North America in the tens of millions, the iconic bison was brought to the brink of extinction by overhunting in the 1890s. Some estimates put the total surviving population at a paltry 300 animals at the beginning of the 20th century. The “Great Slaughter” of the American bison between 1820-1880 changed the landscape of the American West forever.

Today, while about 360,000 plains bison are privately owned as domestic livestock, about 31,000 wild bison roam free in national parks and refuges in the United States and Canada. Oklahoma is home to a few large wild herds. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Comanche County and the Tallgrass Prairie Preserve in Osage County maintain bison herds. The Oklahoma Historical Society also manages a herd near Pawnee in the county of the same name.

Oklahoma paved the way in 1972 when it adopted the bison as its state mammal. In 2016, the United States followed suit and made the bison its national mammal. Perhaps no other symbol is as iconic of the American West as the bison.

Bison Characteristics

The American bison is the largest mammal in North America. Weighing between 1,000-2,000 pounds, males are typically six feet from hoof to shoulder. Females are somewhat smaller at around five feet tall and weigh between 800-1,000 pounds.

Both males and females grow horns. Their horns start to develop around two months old. All bison have long shaggy brown fur. They have big heads and a mane and beard under their chin. Bison use their long tails with a wiry tuft of hair at the end to swat flies and other insects. They are often identified by their short black horns and hump on their shoulders.

The average lifespan for a bison is 10-20 years, although many live to be much older. Females carry their young for nine months before giving birth. Calves stay with with mothers for about a year.

The Largest Bison Ever Harvested in Oklahoma

How Records Are Calculated

In 1887, with growing concerns over the possibility of losing hunting privileges and wildlife populations such as bison and elk being hunted to the brink of extinction, Theodore Roosevelt and others founded the Boone and Crockett Club for the purposes of conservation and wildlife management. This group also sets guidelines for and maintains trophy hunting records for big game animals, including bison.

When it comes to determining what garners a trophy record for bison, the focus is not on the body size or weight of the animal but rather on its horns. Measurements are taken of the individual elements on the horns:

• Greatest spread
• Tip-to-tip spread
• Length of both horns
• Circumference of the base of both horns
• Circumference of the first, second, and third quarters of both horns

These measurements are calculated according to a formula outlined on the score chart to provide a final score. A score above 115 is in all-time record territory.

Consequently, hunters do not always report an animal’s weight as it is not a factor taken into account by Boone & Crockett for the organization’s trophy hunting records.

The Largest Bison Ever Harvested in Oklahoma

The largest bison ever harvested in Oklahoma was killed by H. A. Yocum on December 8, 1943, in Osage. The bison’s greatest spread was 30-3/8 inches, its tip-to-tip spread was 23-4/8, the length of the right horn was 20-3/8, and the left was 20-5/8. At the base of the horn, the circumference was 13-4/8 and 14-1/8 on the right and left, respectively. Its total score was 116 2/8.