It's official: There's a new world record Rocky Mountain goat as recognized by the Boone and Crockett Club, and this one is going to be extremely hard to beat. During a special judges panel at the Wild Sheep Foundation's 2023 Sheep Show in Reno, Nevada, B&C scorers put an official total of 60 4/8 inches on Justin Kallusky's 2022 billy taken in British Columbia.
The Kallusky goat easily bumps Troy M. Sheldon's previous record of 57 4/8 inches down to No. 2 all time. That animal was also harvested in British Columbia, back in 2011. Kallusky bagged his billy on a DIY-style hunt in the northwestern part of the province along the steep canyons carved out by the Stikine River.
What makes Kallusky's harvest so incredible is the length of the horns, which stretch 12 7/8 inches each with 6 4/8-inch bases. There's only a 1/8-inch difference between the two sides. The animal grossed 60 5/8 inches. Kallusky knew there were big goats in the area he was hunting with a buddy, but they never expected to kill a new world record. The hunters watched the animal for four hours before it finally stood up and they got a good look at it. Kallusky says he isn't exactly a trophy hunter, but everyone who sees this goat is in awe of its amazing size.
"I asked my friend, 'Why does his head look so small?' I knew it was a good billy, but not until I walked up to it after the shot did I really understand," the hunter said in a B&C press release.
After checking in his goat with a provincial inspector, Kallusky took the goat's head and showed it to B&C scorer Grant Markoski. Kallusky joked that the sight of the big billy nearly gave the man a heart attack.
"When I saw this thing, I could not believe it," Markoski said in the press release. "It was so much bigger than anything I've ever seen. When you see it, your jaw will drop."
Even the top B&C officials are shocked by the size of this goat. Mike Opitz, the chair of the special judges panel that gave the final score to the Kallusky goat, was certainly impressed.
"The new world's record is truly a sight to behold," he said in the press release. "A Rocky Mountain goat of this caliber is a true testament to continued conservation efforts and one tough hunter."
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