Stewardship

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Generation Next: Records Held by Youth Hunters

Warning: The following slideshow may evoke mixed emotions. You may smile at first and then scratch your head, wondering how in the world these hunters 16 and younger will ever top these scores that vaulted them into the records. What you shouldn’t feel is jealousy. It’s just not a good look. 

The Boone and Crockett Club began noting the trophies taken by hunters aged 16 or younger in 2010. Today, that tradition continues at the Jack Steele Parker Generation Next Youth Event at the triennial Big Game Awards. This slideshow celebrates the largest trophies on record in 16 categories for youth hunters 16 and under. 

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New Mexico
Typical American Elk  

B&C SCORE: 394-2/8 points
LOCATION: Sandoval Co., New Mexico 
YEAR TAKEN: 2017
HUNTER: Kaylin Davis

With a .50 caliber muzzleloader in hand, 14-year-old Kaylin Davis was hunting the coveted Valles Caldera area in northern New Mexico. One evening in early October, this 6x6 bull gave her a shot at 217 yards, and her 200-grain bullet struck pay dirt. With a smile rivaling the size of those antlers, Kaylin started her elk hunting journey with a true whopper. It’s ranked number nine in the state, and no entry has even come close to bumping her down to number 10.

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New Mexico
Desert Sheep  

B&C SCORE: 191 points
LOCATION: Socorro Co., New Mexico 
YEAR TAKEN: 2012
HUNTER: Chase A. Willis 

In New Mexico’s Ladron Mountains 13-year-old Chase Willis of Texas was hunting sheep with his .300 Winchester Mag. Around mid-morning on December 1, 2012, he spotted this ram at 350 yards. He sent a 180-grain bullet downrange and killed the state’s second-largest desert bighorn in the Boone and Crockett records. It currently ranks number 11 of All-time. 

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Idaho Shiras’ Moose 

B&C SCORE: 166-1/8 points
LOCATION: Clearwater Co., Idaho  
YEAR TAKEN: 2012
HUNTER: Nathan L. Weimer 

After hunting for 30 days, Nathan Weimer was finally able to put the crosshairs on a “book” Shiras’ bull. With his .300 Ultra Mag, Weimer killed this bull on Halloween in 2012. 

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Utah Bison 

B&C SCORE: 115-4/8 points
LOCATION: Uintah Co., Utah  
YEAR TAKEN: 2020
HUNTER: Sydney J. Negus  

At 14 years old, Sydney Negus had a tag for a bison in Utah’s famed Book Cliffs. On public land in mid-September, she set out with .300 Win Mag in hand. At a distance of 347 yards, she connected on this colossal bison, her first trophy animal ever.  

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Yukon Grizzly Bear 

B&C SCORE: 25-7/16 points
LOCATION: Yukon River, Yukon Territory  
YEAR TAKEN: 2015
HUNTER: Kyle Stockley

Hunting on the family farm, Kyle Stockley was with his dad on an unseasonably warm early-November day. They spotted this bear and could tell it was an old boar because it was covered in scars. They got a good look at it because it was only 30 yards away when Kyle pulled the trigger of his .30-06. Kyle’s grizzly currently ranks number three for Yukon Territory. 

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Yukon Dall’s Sheep 

B&C SCORE: 171-5/8 points
LOCATION: Jo-Jo Lake, Yukon Territory  
YEAR TAKEN: 2012
HUNTER: Marcus Deuling

A short write-up will hardly do justice to Marcus Deuling’s Dall’s sheep hunt. He was hunting with his grandfather, who he called Papasheep since he was two years old. On this hunt, Papasheep brought along his golden retriever Molly. After they hiked in and set up camp, Papasheep took a nap. While Marcus went for a walk, he spotted a band of sheep. He went back to camp, and all three headed up the mountain. They found the herd—and one very large ram. Papasheep told Molly to stay, and the men made their approach. Marcus found the big boy, shot, and missed. The rams only moved a couple yards, and then Marcus connected with his .270. The ram collapsed. Marcus loaded up his pack with 80 pounds of meat, and Papasheep carried 60 pounds worth of skull, horns, and meat. We omitted the part about the curious grizzly bear, forgetting the cape and the exploding rifle. If you want to read the rest of the story, check out Boone and Crockett Club's 28th Big Game Awards, 2010-2012. 

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Nebraska
Non-typical Elk 

B&C Score: 426-7/8 points
Location: Sioux Co., Nebraska 
Year Taken: 2016
Hunter: Hannah R. Helmer 

You might recognize this young lady from the slideshow we published featuring state records held by youth hunters. Turns out, Hannah’s non-typical elk is the largest we have on file for a youth hunter in that category, too. After she drew an elk tag for Nebraka’s Hat Creek Unit, Hannah asked permission to hunt on a ranch in that unit. The rancher obliged and mentioned seeing some elk with a really big herd bull. It didn’t take long for Hannah and the hunting party (which included her dad, a Boone and Crockett Club Official Measurer) to find the herd. At 214 yards, Hannah put the crosshairs of the Leupold scope on the elk’s vitals. As the bull was in mid-bugle, she fired her 7mm-08.

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Wyoming Pronghorn 

B&C SCORE: 89-6/8 points
LOCATION: Carbon Co., Wyoming  
YEAR TAKEN: 2019
HUNTER: Ashton Harrow 

The Harrow family lives for hunting, and pronghorn are no exception. When Ashton Harrow was 16, he asked a rancher for permission to hunt his property for a speedgoat they had spotted the previous year after driving home from a baseball tournament. Alongside his dad, Ashton set up his bipod among the Wyoming sage in 2019 and took one shot. Ashton’s pronghorn not only scored nearly 90 points, but his pronghorn is the largest killed by anyone in the Harrow family. Only time will tell how long his bragging rights will last. To read the complete story, check out the spring 2022 issue of Fair Chase magazine. 

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Alaska Brown Bear 

B&C SCORE: 28-9/16 points
LOCATION: Kiliuda Bay, Alaska   
YEAR TAKEN: 2018
HUNTER: Daniel B. Wescott  

Filed under “I think I just nearly died,” the story of 16-year-old Daniel Wescott’s hunt is a doozy. On Kodiak’s Island Unit 8, he was hunting with his dad. On the fourth day of the hunt, they spotted a bear about three miles out. They closed the distance to 1,200 yards and then lost track of the bear in dense alder and willows. Four hours later, it appeared again, and the men planned to set up an ambush, hoping for a 100-yard shot. While creeping to their setup, they heard branches breaking. The bear was itching to charge when Daniel unloaded two 180-grain bullets from his 300 Weatherby. The big boar dropped dead 12 yards from his feet. 

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Alaska Musk Ox 

B&C SCORE: 110-6/8 points
LOCATION: White Mountain, Alaska   
YEAR TAKEN: 2018
HUNTER: Kamylee S. Walters 

At five degrees below zero and a biting February wind, few adults would venture into the Alaska wilds to hunt musk ox. That didn’t stop 10-year-old Alaska resident Kamylee Walters. She and her hunting party rode snowmachines to find a herd of musk ox and then crept over a hill to get into range. At 45 yards, she pulled the trigger of her .243 (that’s not a typo), and killed this great trophy, which ranks number 10 in the state. 

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California Tule Elk 

B&C SCORE: 291 points
LOCATION: Lake Co., California 
YEAR TAKEN: 2021
HUNTER: Bentley D. Wright 

Only a handful of tule elk are killed on public land without a guide, but that didn’t stop youth hunter Bentley Wright. In California’s Cache Creek, Wright set out to fill his tag on October 8, 2021. Six days later, he found this bull in his crosshairs at 230 yards. With a 7mm Remington Mag, he filled his tag with a great bull for the books. 

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Alaska-Yukon Moose 

B&C SCORE: 236-6/8 points
LOCATION: Chekok Lake, Alaska 
YEAR TAKEN: 2012
HUNTER: Kade V. LeKites

Just three days before Christmas, youth hunter Kade LeKites flew into remote Chekok Lake in southern Alaska. With two feet of snow on the ground, winter was in full swing. A day after landing, Kade drew a bead on a fine bull moose with his .338 Winchester Magnum. Under lightly snowing skies, he killed that moose with a 225-grain Barnes bullet. He joined his father in the Boone and Crockett records with this moose that currently ranks number 137 All-time. 

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Oregon
Roosevelt’s Elk 

B&C SCORE: 290-1/8 points
LOCATION: Lane Co., Oregon  
YEAR TAKEN: 2022
HUNTER: McKenzie Spencer

That is an awfully big bull for youth hunter McKenzie Spencer, and it’s going to be hard to beat as she continues hunting Oregon’s thickets. Under overcast skies, she killed this bull with a 6.5 PRC shooting a Hornady 142-grain bullet. 

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Michigan
Typical Whitetail 

B&C SCORE: 187-6/8 points
LOCATION: Ottawa Co., Michigan 
YEAR TAKEN: 2012
HUNTER: William Finkler

A month before he turned 17, William Finkler was hunting Ottawa County, Michigan, just west of Grand Rapids. On a farm, he saw this bruiser cruise by at 75 yards, and he put a one-ounce slug from his 12 gauge right where it counts. It sits at number seven for Michigan's typical whitetails.

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Yukon
Mountain Caribou 

B&C SCORE: 394-3/8 points
LOCATION: Kluane Lake, Yukon Territory  
YEAR TAKEN: 2011
HUNTER: Tyson Hope  

Tyson Hope was 13 years old when he ventured forth for mountain caribou in late August. With a Ruger .308 shooting a Hornady 165-grain SST, he killed this beautiful bull in velvet. Even once the velvet was stripped, it scored high enough to rank in the top 100 for Yukon Territory. 

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Ohio
Non-typical Whitetail 

B&C SCORE: 244-1/8 points
LOCATION: Coshocton Co., Ohio 
YEAR TAKEN: 2010
HUNTER: Joseph Raber   

Joseph Raber had just turned 14 when he was hunting for whitetails in east-central Ohio. There, this absolute monster of a non-typical took a one-ounce slug from Raber’s Mossberg 500 at 30 yards. Look closely at that main beam, and you can see why it ranks as the 16th largest non-typical in the Buckeye State. Boone and Crockett records indicate Raber rode his bike into his hunting spot, but he needed a truck once he pulled the trigger. 

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The Importance of Records in Big Game Management

When you enter your trophy into the Boone and Crockett system, you aren’t just honoring the animal and its habitat. You are participating in a data collection system that started in the 1920s and was refined by Club members in 1950. Today, there are nearly 60,000 trophy records. By establishing a records database more than 70 years ago, the Boone and Crockett Club established a scientific baseline from which researchers can use to study wildlife management. If you’re still  on the fence about entering your trophy, we encourage you to read Why Should I Bother to Enter My Trophy. To the best of our ability, we ensure that the trophies entered into the records were taken in accordance with the tenets of fair chase ethics. Despite what some may think, the Boone and Crockett records are not about a name or a score in a book—because in the end, there’s so much more to the score.

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"The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak. So we must and we will."

-Theodore Roosevelt