Two Pushmataha bucks are dueling for state record

One of these deer will be the new state record for typical whitetails. The deer on the left was killed by John Ehmer. The one on the right was taken by Jason Boyett.

Pushmataha county always has been Oklahoma’s best for trophy deer, at least in terms of numbers.

It has grown more Cy Curtis bucks (the state Wildlife Department’s awards program that recognizes exceptional deer) than any other county in the state.

Now, Pushmataha County has produced two potentially state record deer in the same season.

Both deer were taken during the 2007 gun season and will score higher than the state typical record of 185 6/8, which was killed in 1998 in Bryan County by bow hunter Larry Luman of Atoka.

Jason Boyett, 29, who was hunting near his hometown of Rattan, killed one of the new potential state records. The other was taken by John Ehmer, 57, who was hunting near Clayton.

These two impressive sets of antlers are now dueling for the new state record for typical racks.

The Wildlife Department’s policy is that a buck must be scored by a Boone & Crockett panel of judges before it can be certified as a state record.

Alan Peoples, chief of the wildlife division for the state Wildlife Department, said both racks likely will be panel-scored sometime this summer with the results announced at the Oklahoma Wildlife Expo in September.

Both racks unofficially have measured better than 190 and are reportedly only inches apart.

Both deer are on display today at the Backwoods Hunting and Fishing Expo in Oklahoma City. Today is the final day of the show which is being held at State Fair Park in the Travel and Transportation Building.

Boyett said his enthusiasm is not tempered by the fact that another hunter’s buck might keep his from being a state record.

“I’m still excited about it,” he said. “I’m happy either way, but it’s always a plus if he is (the state record).”

Ehmer, who admits he is primarily a meat hunter, expressed similar sentiments.

“It’s a once-in-a-lifetime buck,” he said. “It’s something you don’t expect to happen.”

By Ed Godfrey
Outdoors Editor