Many hunters would be happy shooting just one buck pronghorn big enough to make the Boone and Crockett Club record books. Larry Hicks of Baggs has bagged 16, including 14 from Wyoming.<\/p>\n
The key was figuring out how to consistently and accurately \u201cfield judge\u201d whether a buck is one for the books, he told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n
In other words, he had to tell by looking at pronghorn, commonly called antelope, through binoculars or spotting scopes, and then decided on sight which bucks had trophy-class horns.<\/p>\n
\u201cAfter 20 years of trying, I finally got to the point where I cracked the code\u201d for spotting record book antelope, he said.<\/p>\n
Hicks\u2019 accomplishment is phenomenal, prominent outdoorsman Guy Eastman of Cody told Cowboy State Daily.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s got everybody I know beat,\u201d said Eastman, who represents the third generation of the famous outdoor multimedia family that launched Eastman’s Hunting Journal, along with a television show and YouTube channel.<\/p>\n
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This was the first Boone and Crockett record book buck pronghorn that Larry Hicks ever shot, in 1999, and is still his biggest buck to date. Its horns were 16 \u00be inches long, with a 7-inch circumference below prong, and 6-inch prongs. Its official score is 88 inches gross, 87 inches net. (Larry Hicks)\u2018We So Under-Value Antelope\u2019<\/p>\n
Hicks, who serves as a Republican Wyoming state senator, regards antelope as a Wyoming icon.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe so under-value antelope,\u201d he said. \u201cWe are tremendously blessed in Wyoming.”<\/p>\n
Antelope live in several Western and Southwestern states, but Wyoming has the most abundant populations. So, there\u2019s plenty hunting opportunity here, Hicks said.<\/p>\n
Moreover, antelope hunting is highly accessible. It doesn\u2019t require the expensive gear, time and physical effort of backcountry elk hunting, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf you\u2019ve got a two-wheel-drive pickup and a .30-06 with a four-power Weaver scope on it, you can go antelope hunting,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
And while the absolutely huge monster bucks come from New Mexico and Arizona, the sheer number of antelope in Wyoming means there are more trophy-sized bucks by volume here, Eastman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cStatistically, Wyoming is the best place to kill a Boone and Crockett (B&C) record book antelope buck,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
“If you remove New Mexico from the list, we have more B&C antelope bucks than all the other states combined,\u201d Eastman said.<\/p>\n
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Larry Hicks of Bags has bagged 16 record-book trophy antelope bucks, including 14 in Wyoming. \u201cHe\u2019s got everybody I know beat,\u201d said prominent Western trophy game hunter Guy Eastman. (Courtesy Larry Hicks)By The Numbers<\/p>\n
The B&C record books are considered the\u00a0gold standard for fair-chase trophy hunting.<\/p>\n
Animals are scored by inches. For antlered or horned game, scores are compiled from numerous length and circumference measurements taken at different spots on the horns or antler racks.<\/p>\n
For antelope, that includes measurements of the horns\u2019 overall length, plus circumference at four spots on each horn.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Also taken into account is the size of the prong protruding from the front of each horn \u2014 for which the species is formally named.<\/p>\n
Green score, gross score and net score are also terms to bear in mind.<\/p>\n
Green score refers to initial measurements taken right after the animal is killed, and the horns might still contain some moisture.\u00a0<\/p>\n
An official score can\u2019t be taken until after a mandatory 90-day drying period, during which there might be some shrinkage.<\/p>\n
The gross score is the compilation of all the measurements after the drying period. What really counts is the net score, which is calculated after deductions are made for any asymmetry in the horns.<\/p>\n
B&C has awards record books, which are issued every few years, and then the all-time records book.<\/p>\n
An antelope\u2019s net score must be 80 inches to qualify for the awards records, and 82 inches for the all-time records.<\/p>\n
Hicks\u2019 trophy antelope so far include three awards record bucks and 13 all-time record bucks.<\/p>\n
His largest buck so far scored 87 inches net, 88 inches gross. He shot it in Carbon County in 1999.<\/p>\n
![\"Larry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Larry-Hicks-Antelope-3-6.27.26.jpg\")
Larry Hicks shot this Boone and Crockett record book buck pronghorn in 2006. Its horn measurements were 15 inches long, with 7 \u00bd-inch circumference\u2002below the prong, and 6 \u00bc-inch prongs, for a net score of 84 inches. (Larry Hicks)\u2018The Golden Square\u2019<\/p>\n
While antelope can be found just about anywhere in Wyoming, the best place to find B&C trophy bucks is in the \u201cgolden square\u201d at the heart of the Red Desert country in Carbon, Sweetwater and Natrona counties, Hicks said.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s thought that about 90% of a buck\u2019s horn growth takes place during their first three years. Bucks have to be roughly 5 years old before they start to hit true trophy sized, Hicks said.<\/p>\n
The peak years for antelope in Wyoming were from about 2000 to 2008, he said. There were several mild winters during that period.<\/p>\n
However, a harsh winter during the last year of that streak knocked the herd back, he said.<\/p>\n
An absolutely brutal winter hit the heart of Wyoming\u2019s antelope country in 2022-2023. That sent trophy buck numbers plummeting, Hicks said.<\/p>\n
The herds are still in recovery mode, and although there aren\u2019t as many bucks that are old enough yet to be huge, \u201cthey\u2019re out there,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
Eastman agreed that overall numbers are down. This past mild winter, however, with abundant food for antelope probably contributed to robust horn growth.<\/p>\n
Buck antelope shed the black outer sheath of their horns in October and November, and they grow back over the winter, Eastman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe numbers might be down, but I think the quality of the bigger bucks this fall is going to be nuts,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Larry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Larry-Hicks-Antelope-5-6.27.26.JPG\")
Larry Hicks shot this Boone and Crocket record book trophy buck pronghorn in 2018. “I watched this buck for three years; he always had great mass but not much length. He was 6 to 7 years old when harvested,\u201d\u00a0Hicks said. Though the buck\u2019s horns were only about 13 inches long, the mass made up for it, yielding a net score of 80 inches. It\u00a0was the \u201cthird shortest\u201d pronghorn to ever make the record books, he said. (Larry Hicks)Mass Matters<\/p>\n
To the untrained eye, a buck\u2019s trophy quality might be all about the length of the horns, Hicks said.<\/p>\n
When it comes to judging horn length in the field, consider that the top of a buck\u2019s ears is about 7\u00a0inches, he said.<\/p>\n
So, a buck that has as much horn above the tips of his ears as below them might be entering trophy territory, Hicks said.<\/p>\n
But those circumference measurements, or mass of the horns, it what really adds up, he said.<\/p>\n
That can be devilishly difficult to judge in the field, Hicks added. A quarter-inch at each of the four circumference points on a buck\u2019s horns can add an additional 2 inches to the score.<\/p>\n
However, \u201ctrying to determine a quarter-inch difference through binoculars at 400 yards is extremely hard,\u201d Hicks said.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell novice hunters to look for a lot of black,\u201d he said. Or in other words, signs of real mass in the horns. \u201cOur antelope in Wyoming tend to have shorter antlers, and more mass.”<\/p>\n
As are as horn length in Wyoming goes, \u201c16 inches is rare, 17 inches is really rare, and 18 inches is unheard of,\u201d Hicks said.<\/p>\n
Extremely mild winters with plentiful feed are what produces world-record setting monster antelope bucks in Arizona and New Mexico, Eastman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere was a movement at one time to recognize them as their own subspecies, because they\u2019re so ridiculously huge,\u201d Eastman said. “Their horns will be 18, maybe 19 inches long, they\u2019re just insane.\u201d<\/p>\n
The biggest antelope of all time came from the southwest and was in the neighborhood of 97 or 98 inches, Eastman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs far as I know, no antelope has ever broken 100 inches, but they\u2019ve come close,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
![\"Larry](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Larry-Hicks-Antelope-1-6.27.26.JPG\")
Larry Hicks shot this record-book trophy buck pronghorn in 2009. Its horns were 16 inches long and yielded\u00a0a Bonne and Crockett score of 83 6\/8 inches gross, 83 inches net. (Larry Hicks)Wyoming Antelope Are Tough<\/p>\n
Even so, Wyoming\u2019s antelope have bigger bodies than their southwestern counterparts, Eastman said.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur bucks are big, horse-headed animals built for the winters,” he said.<\/p>\n
Wyoming antelope can survive conditions ranging from 50 degrees below zero in the winter, to over 100 degrees at the height of summer, he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cPound-for-pound, they are the toughest animals in North America, in my opinion,\u201d Eastman said.<\/p>\n
Hicks said antelope are perhaps his favorite animals. Even when it\u2019s not hunting season, he loves watching them.<\/p>\n
\u201cI invented distracted driving,\u201d he said. \u201cI\u2019ve probably spotted 100 or more B&C trophy book-class Wyoming antelope bucks, just alongside the highways.\u201d<\/p>\n
Antelope meat gets a bad rap, but Hicks thinks that\u2019s unfair.<\/p>\n
The key is to \u201cmake a clean kill\u201d and get the meat cooled off as soon as possible.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf it\u2019s a really hot day, I\u2019ll get the meat off the bone and into a cooler right away,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
When it\u2019s handled correctly, antelope is some of the best wild game there is, Hicks said.<\/p>\n
And he still hopes to add to his collection of record-book bucks.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe good Lord willing, and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department still providing the opportunity, I\u2019m going to hunt antelope until the day that I can\u2019t walk out of the house,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n