There is a big wheat bull.
Then there are really big, world-class bulls.
The Pope and Young Club offers the best wapiti kills in North America and sizes in two types: regular or uniform antlers and irregular or irregular antlers.
The average standard score for team qualification is 260 inches.
Arizona claims seven of the top 10 Pope and Young bullpen history.
Six of the top seven snipers killed in the world were taken in Coconino County alone.
Other P&Y records, including informal ones, come from Greenlee, Navajo, and Graham Counties.
Coconino County has about 20% of Arizona’s hunting opportunities.
There is a big difference between the big bulls and the promise of a world record.
Why are there so many P&Y records from this area?
First, Arizona has a warm climate, beautiful habitat, well-managed hunting, and a Goldilocks population: neither too big nor too small.
Second, hunting seasons are more likely to shoot, big time.
Other western states such as Montana, Idaho, New Mexico, and Colorado follow preferred start times.
Third, drawing for an Arizona elk sign is almost like marrying for love and later finding out there’s money, too.
Let’s take a look at the five greatest bullfighters in American bullfighting history:
Related: So You Want to Shoot the Archery World Record?
William Wright with the 404-inch bull record in Coconino County, Arizona, has camo and all.
Score: 404” Location: Coconino County, Arizona Date Taken: 9/15/1992Hunter: William Wright
That was the feeling of the hunt the year William Wright shot this wonderful bull in Coconino County, Arizona.
Wright’s 404-inch bull is one of six archer bulls in the top 10 from this county.
There is no information about the story behind him – we know that he is the No. 1 bull. 1 in the world for eight years until Chuck Adams left a giant in Rosebud County, Montana.
Related: Elk Call: The 3rd Elk Call you need to hunt and kill big bulls
4th – Chuck Adams Bull
Archery legend, Chuck Adams, shot this giant 409 2/8 in Montana.
Not only did he set the record books, but it was also the 200th elk of his hunting career.
Score: 409 2/8” Location: Rosebud County, Montana Date Taken: 9/16/2000 Hunter: Chuck Adams
With 200 Pope & Young Animal records to his name, Chuck Adams is a horror story for good reason.
Adams was the first person to kill any type of North American P&Y game with a bow and arrow.
In the 200, Adams was shooting Easton Full Metal Jacket arrows with a Hoyt bow when he shot his bull 409 2/8 in Rosebud County, Montana; and his story went to another level.
After taking down the Wright Bull, the Adams bull held the No. 1 spot in the record books for six years.
Jed Reidhead’s 410 6/8-inch bull, killed in Greenlee County, Arizona, sits firmly at No. 3 on the P&Y list.
Score: 410 6/8″ Location: Greenlee County, Arizona Date Taken: 9/3/2013Hunter: Jed Reidhead
Jed Reidhead sits at number 3 in the record books with his 410 6/8 bull, killed in 2013.
Reidhead met this bruiser in Greenlee County, Arizona.
Shawn Patterson with a bull from Arizona’s Coconino County.
His 412 1/8 inch giant sits at No. 2 on the P&Y largest elk of all time.
Pope and Young Club
Pope and Young Club
Score: 412 1/8″ Location: Coconino County, Arizona Date Taken: 9/16/2005Hunter: Shaun Patterson
A Coconino County bruiser obliterated Chuck Adams’ record in 2005 when Shaun Patterson, former Arizona State University and Green Bay Packers quarterback, shot this massive 8 x 8 bull.
Moving the bull back into range this time, Patterson took a powerful shot, and the bull landed within 100 yards of the target.
The impressive animal hit at 412 1/8 inches and was honored by Pope and Young.
Related: Hunting Elk on Public Land: How to Build a 3-Year Strategy for a New Place
No. 1 – The Steve Felix Bull
Not only did Steve Felix untie the bull on the world record when he shot his 430 0/8 monster in Montana – he claimed the reigns.
Score: 430 0/8″ Location: Powder River, Montana Date Taken: 9/10/2016 Hunter: Stephan Felix
On a beautiful Montana morning in September 2016, 100 yards stood between Steve Felix and a falling bull.
The gold standard elk – the pinnacle of the world’s best archery bulls – took its sweet time bugging and feeding its way down the bowl to Felix.
With a thick, gnarled tree seemingly out of his range, Felix waited forever before the giant followed the class 310 bull and reached Felix.
A good 60-foot long shot behind the shoulder of this big 430 0/8” (official score) bull was all it took.
After waiting for half an hour, he found the horse not far from where he was going to shoot it, and the rest is world heritage.
Read Next: How to Bull Elk