Kittitas County Elk Declared New Pope & Young World Record Nontypical Bull

A ginormous bull arrowed New Year’s Eve 2024 on a Washington raffle tag has officially been declared the new world record nontypical American elk by a bowhunting organization.

A press release from the Pope and Young Club of Austin, Texas, said a special panel of certified measurers from both P&Y and the Boone and Crockett Club that met earlier this week in Lacey taped Casey Brooks’ bull at 478 2/8”, topping the previous high mark by 26 6/8″, and that it came within half an inch of the B&C world record for the species.

“This elk represents the heart, dedication, persistence, and respect for the hunt,” stated Tim Rozewski, Pope and Young director of records. “It’s an incredible achievement, not only for Casey, but for the entire bowhunting community.”

It’s THE feather in the cap of Brooks, who has now killed 89 bulls overall, including at least a dozen over 400 inches.

“I just love hunting elk. There’s no secret to that,” Brooks said for a just-released P&Y podcast about his world record.

It was also covered earlier this year in a Cameron Hanes podcast and an Outdoor Life article.

Brooks, of La Center near Vancouver, was hunting on a $7 raffle tag with a season running September 1-December 31.

His bull’s final score was lower than initial net and gross scores as measured at the Central Oregon Sportsmen’s Show last March.

“The loss of 4 1/8 inches in the bull’s final score was due to one of the bull’s G-4 tines, according to P&Y CEO Justin Spring,” Outdoor Life reported today.

The magazine also reported that it was the first time that a possible world-record critter had been measured by a special joint panel from P&Y and B&C

The location of the kill in a small patch of woods in the upper Kittitas Valley sparked innuendo, photoshopping and a brief WDFW investigation that found “no violations.” OL reported that a man who had stirred controversy about it was investigated or cited by state game wardens four times last decade.

“From a scoring and verification standpoint, this bull was remarkable in every way,” said Roy Grace, P&Y records chair, in the press release. “The mass, tine length, and overall configuration made it clear early on that we were witnessing something special. It’s a true testament to the conservation success of bowhunting and wildlife management.”