Casey Brooks has officially etched his name into the record books. A panel of officials from both Pope and Young and Boone and Crockett officially announced Tuesday that his bull elk was the largest nontypical ever taken with a bow. After carefully reviewing rack measurements, the bull’s official Pope & Young score was 478 2/8 inches.
That score bests the previous archery nontypical record of 449 4/8 inches, held by Alberta farmer Shawn O’Shea since 2020. Brooks’ bull also came close to rivaling the all-method world record, the famed Spider Bull (478 5/8 inches), missing by just 3/8 of an inch.
“This elk represents the heart, dedication, persistence, and respect for the hunt,” Pope and Young Director of Records Tim Rozewski said in a press release. “It’s an incredible achievement, not only for Casey, but for the entire bowhunting community.”
B&C and P&Y Measuring and Scoring the New Record Nontypical Elk Together
In earlier measurements, some scorers believed the bull might exceed even 482 inches. But potential world-record animals must go through a panel scoring process involving critics, rule checks, and consensus.
This scoring session also marked the first time a joint panel from both Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young reviewed an animal together for world-record status.
“From a scoring and verification standpoint, this bull was remarkable in every way,” said Roy Grace, Records Chairman for Pope and Young. “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.”
In Brooks’ case, the only adjustment made between the initial and panel scores centered on a G-4 tine. Scorers debated whether that tine was split (two points) or a single projection off another point.
The unified panel ruled it didn’t meet the “common base” rule, making it count as one point. That decision clipped 4 1/8 inches from earlier estimates.
Because of that shift, Brooks’ bull falls just short of overtaking the Spider Bull.
The Hunt
Brooks arrowed the record-breaking bull on December 31, 2024, on a 40-acre private tract in Kittitas County, Washington.
“Dad and his friends had been tracking this bull for years, finding sheds and keeping tabs on him,” Brooks' son Beau Brooks, a popular hunting personality, wrote in a Facebook post. “The season allowed him to pursue the bull from September 1 through December 31, and he hunted relentlessly, day in and day out, through the entire period. On the very last day of the hunt, Dad’s instincts and perseverance paid off.”
Beau called his dad the King of Elk Hunting and said Casey has killed 86 bull elk in his hunting career.
Not surprisingly, questions swirled online about whether the bull was taken legally. Washington’s Department of Fish and Wildlife investigated and found no violations. Brooks passed muster.
The Hunter's Reaction
Brooks wasn’t present during the panel scoring. He downplayed the tension, calling himself a hunter and consumer of game, not a rules scholar. “I just hunt elk and eat them,” Brooks said in an interview. “I got what I was after, and it’s going to be very hard to beat.”
Bowhunters understand that on big game, margins are brutal. A single tine, a slight rule nuance, or a panel call can mean the difference between first place and second.
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