The Largest Pronghorn Ever Harvested in Oregon

Hunting can be a divisive sport: Many people either love it entirely or don’t understand it at all. Throughout the United States, Oregon is one location where the residents can’t get enough of it. This state has roughly 34 million acres of hunting land available to those who choose to participate in this sport, and a variety of animals are legal to hunt. Among these is the pronghorn, a mammal native to America that has populations throughout the West. Let’s explore the story of the largest pronghorn ever harvested in Oregon and discuss other record-breaking mammals.

Pronghorn in Oregon: A Brief Overview

Although these animals might be called American antelope and look like deer, pronghorns are in a category all their own. According to the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, “Most authorities consider them the sole modern member of the Antilocapridae family, while all other horned ungulates (mammals with hooves) in North America belong to the Bovidae family.”

There are roughly 25,000 pronghorns living in Oregon currently, and hunts usually take place during the month of August. These small animals are quick, alert, and agile, so hunting them is quite a challenge. This gives hunters a fun and exciting goal to strive toward.

How Large Was the Biggest Pronghorn Harvested in Oregon?

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 the pronghorn.

When it comes to determining what garners a trophy record for pronghorn, 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:

• Tip-to-tip spread
• Inside spread of the horns
• Length of both horns
• Circumference of the base of both horns
• Length of each prong

These measurements are calculated according to a formula outlined on the score chart to provide a final score. A score above 82 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 Harvested Pronghorn in Oregon

The largest pronghorn ever harvested in the state of Oregon scored 94-6/8 inches, beating the previous record by 2 inches. The man responsible for breaking the previous record set by Sam Barry 20 years earlier in the year 2000 was Gabriel J. Gambleton, who bagged his pronghorn on August 1, 2020, in Union, Oregon.

Who Holds the Record for the Largest Pronghorn Ever Harvested?

The largest pronghorn ever harvested in the world belongs to a New Mexico hunter, Mike Gallo. His record-setting pronghorn scored 96-4/8, just shy of two inches more than Gambleton’s Oregon state record. Gallo bagged the animal in 2013 while hunting in Socorro County, New Mexico.

Pronghorn Hunting Requirements in Oregon

Individuals who would like to hunt for pronghorn in Oregon should prepare accordingly before the season begins. According to the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife, “ODFW offers about 2,500 tags each year spread across rifle, archery and muzzleloader hunts, plus some youth-only hunts. All hunts are controlled (limited entry) and it can take several years of accumulating preference points to draw a tag.” Hunters must submit their applications by May 15 in order to ensure that they can secure a spot during a controlled hunt.

Final Thoughts

There’s no denying that hunting pronghorn is a challenging sport. With that in mind, these records are even more impressive! Although it seems like these records might be impossible to top, hunters from far and wide try their hand at it each year. Who knows, with so many impassioned individuals, we might just see another world-record pronghorn soon.