With its lush green pastures rolling up toward the magnificent peaks of the Three Sisters, Patterson Ranch is one of the most photographed sites in Central Oregon. Yet few know the nature of the elk ranching enterprise that encompasses 363 acres at the west end of Sisters.

Richard and Linda Patterson raise about 300 head of elk on the property, mostly for breeding stock. The goal is simple, Richard Patterson says: “Large antlers. The biggest racks we can get.”

A Patterson Ranch bull went 499.5 points in the Safari Club International rating system — the second largest rack produced in the country.

People use elk antlers for a range of decorative purposes. Some hang them above the mantle; some make furniture of all kinds from the shed antlers.
“I don’t sell them,” Patterson said. “When we sell a bull, I give the racks to the customer.”

Elk ranchers buy elk to improve the bloodlines of their own herds. While antler products are the main presence in the market, there is a growing interest in elk meat, which is often much leaner and healthier than beef.

It’s no small undertaking keeping 300 head of elk well fed. Patterson Ranch grows about 350 tons of hay each year — and feeds 300 tons to the elk.
Richard Patterson was a horse breeder specializing in Polish Arabians when he bought the ranch in 1968. He moved out from Ohio in 1973 and brought the horses and some llamas with him.

Patterson was a pioneer in the booming llama ranching industry and at one time Patterson Ranch was the largest llama ranch in the United States.

“I sold the horses in ’89 and I thought a farmer needs two crops,” he said.
So he started his elk herd. In 1990, the ranch produced its first calves and Richard and Linda have been at it ever since. The llamas are gone now, so elk is this farmer’s only crop.

Visitors are welcome to view the elk from Highway 242. Be sure to be respectful of private ranch property.