New World Record for Crossbow Elk Confirmed by SCI
OutdoorHub Reporters 02.04.15
Wyoming’s Shoshone National Forest is widely considered one of the best public lands in North America to hunt elk, yet few people expected a world record to emerge from those woods. Albert Henderson of Burlington did not expect it either, yet by the end of his hunt on September 17, he found himself standing over a bull with a rack more than four feet wide. Safari Club International recently confirmed that the elk scored an astounding 426 1/8 points—408 points using Boone and Crockett’s scoring system—and easily took the record for the largest elk ever harvested by crossbow.
“This is an incredible hunting story and we tip our hats to Mr. Henderson,” announced Wyoming Game and Fish Director Scott Talbott in a press release. “Wyoming is home to some of the most impressive wildlife in the world, but not everyone gets to see these animals, let alone hunt them.”
Wildlife officials added that very few elk are ever taken above 400 points, and it is especially noteworthy that Henderson bagged his on public land. The hunter and his party had been stalking through Shoshone for five days before they ran into a good-sized bull accompanied by several cows. It was then that Henderson spotted another, much bigger male at the edge of the group.
“We forgot the 350 bull and went straight after this one,” Henderson told the Casper Star-Tribune. “We didn’t get a really good look at him but knew he was big. We knew he was bigger by quite a bit.”
Henderson stalked closer and at 53 yards, took a perfect broadside shot at the large elk. The bull only traveled a little over 100 feet before it crashed to the ground. As an added bonus, it was only Henderson’s second elk ever taken by a crossbow—his first had been harvested in 2013 after 10 years of hunting. Henderson comes from a family of elk hunters and often visits the Shoshone area during elk season, but he said he has never seen another bull as big as the one he took last September.
Now the problem is finding room for the massive rack in his house. The hunter said he sent in the bull for a full shoulder mount, but a four-feet rack almost demands its own room for display. One thing is certain, though: wherever Henderson decides to put his elk, it is sure to be a conversation starter.
