Clayton Miller (holding the new World Record ram) is flanked by the special panel of judges that finalized the ram’s score. From left to right: Justin Spring, Ricky Krueger, Stan Rauch and Ed Fanchin.
On Jan. 24, 2019, the Pope and Young Club convened a special panel of judges in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, to consider a potential P&Y World Record Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. The hunter, Clayton Miller, arrowed a massive ram that is now recognized by both P&Y and the Boone and Crockett Club as the largest hunter-killed bighorn sheep. (The largest B&C Rocky Mountain bighorn scored 216 3/8; it was found dead in Montana.)
Miller shot the ram in Pennington County, South Dakota on Oct. 30, 2018. With a final score of 209 1/8 inches, Miller’s ram was confirmed as the new P&Y World Record Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep. And while new records aren’t common, what makes Miller’s sheep so special is this ram surpasses the previous P&Y World Record Rocky Mountain ram shot by Todd Kirk in 1998 by almost 10 inches.
"The Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep is such an American icon,” said Ed Fanchin, records chair for P&Y. “To have the privilege to be part of a special panel of judges to authenticate its final score was a special treat. This ram exceeded the previous Pope and Young Club Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep World Record by almost 10 inches, a record that stood for the last 20 years. Congratulations to Clayton and the South Dakota Department of Game Fish and Parks for practicing sound wildlife management. This ram will be on display at the Pope and Young Club Convention in Omaha, Nebraska, in April 2019; it's a must-see."
Said Miller: “I couldn’t believe it when I got the phone call that my name had been drawn for the first and only bighorn sheep unit in the Badlands of South Dakota! I have been dreaming of the opportunity to draw a tag like this since I started applying religiously at the age of 12. I went into this hunt knowing that there were some spectacular animals in the area, but it was beyond my wildest dream that I would be after the new Pope and Young Club World Record! Thank you to everyone that helped along the way, mostly to my wife, Becca, for taking care of the family while I made dozens of scouting trips. What an honor and a privilege it was for me to be able to watch these incredible animals all year long a short road trip from my backyard!”
For more information on the Pope and Young Club, visit www.pope-young.org.
