An absolute giant of bull went down in Alaska, and though it wasn't the new world record moose, the antlers sure were something else.
Sometimes, even when it doesn't officially score high enough, a set of antlers are enough to flabbergast the most experienced hunters and outdoorsmen.
That was the case when this specimen, a bull moose killed in 2017 in Alaska, caught the attention of the outdoor world.
The news of the moose broke and got folks real excited.
Israel Payton, an Alaskan, harvested the animal with a successful hunt on this whopping bull. After measurements, the bull reached an incredible score of 80 inches.
In an article and interview with KTUU, Israel gave some insight on the hunt.
"We tried to stand it up with cow calls, bull rakes, and grunts," said Payton over the phone. "I guesstimated it was about a 70 inch rack from the field, and finally after 2 hours it stood up and offered a clean kill, harvested it."
"You always get a big adrenaline rush right before you harvest an animal, anyway I do," said Payton. "When I got up next to the animal I realized how big and massive it truly was."
He also stated that he had originally saw the bull from about 600 yards away and closed the distance to 200 yards to get in range for a shot. But the bull then bedded down and made the hunters wait two hours before presenting an ethical opportunity.
There aren't many more details on the hunt, but it seemed a little strange that more photos aren't being presented of the moose. Though it didn't qualify for world record status, it was enough to gain plenty of attention.
One other photo that has been circulating is from an individual who got to score and touch the rack. Below is the photo and his comments regarding the giant of a trophy. Also is the quote from his Facebook post on the magnificent moose.
I was honored tonight to measure what may truly be the most impressive moose ever killed on earth. It has too many extras to approach the B&C WR and no scoring system appreciates the weight and thickness of palms. This will score VERY high SCI, if my math holds up but numbers don't do it justice other than the weight. It weighs #115!!! A clean moose skull weighs about 15#, that means there is close to 100# of antler on this thing... unprecedented! Those of you that buy and collect moose sheds know that a 30# shed is almost unheard of. This guy has a couple of them in the 40s! It has it all, 80" wide, long and wide palms, and just enough junk. It is a couple inches thick in some areas of the palms! I have been in the same room with #1-3 B&C over the years and none of them come close to impressing like this thing! Thanks Israel for letting me spend some time with it!
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