On Saturday, December 5th, the Pope and Young Club convened a Special Panel of Judges in Prescott, AZ for a potential New World Record Rocky Mountain Goat. Kaleb Baird’s mountain goat scored an amazing 53 4/8” and is now the largest bow-harvested Mountain Goat in North America. This amazing goat was shot in Alaska, on September 11, 2020.
With a final score of 53 4/8” Baird’s mountain goat was confirmed as the new P&Y World Record. This goat surpasses the previous largest in the records program by 2/8 of an inch, which was taken just 10 short months ago.
“Leading up to this hunt I’d known there was the potential for a truly special billy. I joked with some friends over the summer that the plan was to take a record goat in hopes of enticing a hunting partner”, said Kaleb Baird. However, with a highly unpredictable work schedule and the travel complications 2020 presented I wasn’t able to get any commitments, so I headed up the mountain solo during the second week of September. It just so happened to be the best stretch of weather we had for the entire year in Southeast Alaska. I found this billy on day four and spent the first half of the day ascending to his perch. By the time I got there he’d moved, and I thought I’d lost him for the day. One last pass through his previous hangout and I stumbled right into him and a smaller partner. He stood for a great 31-yard shot but managed to make the edge of the mountain and drop into a nasty avalanche chute for his final dash. When I finally got to him his right horn was buried in some gravel and I thought it was shattered. Lifting up his head I could see he’d only chipped about an inch and, while not an expert, I could tell his left horn was absolutely world class. I think it’s truly awesome to add this billy to the class of 2019 Ketchikan goats taken by Rosey Roseland and Bryan Moody. I hope all three are on display in Reno to showcase how impressive the goat herd currently is in Southeast Alaska!”
“Congratulations to Kaleb Baird on his very special Rocky Mountain Goat, and the Pope and Young Club’s new World Record. The previous record was declared on February 15th, 2020, less than a year ago. This was also the third Rocky Mountain Goat meeting the criteria to go through a special panel in the last 12 1/2 months.” Eli Randall-Director of Records.
This World Record Mountain Goat has been entered into the 32nd recording period representing entries accepted into the P&Y Records Program from January 1st, 2019, to December 31st, 2020. At the close of every biennial recording period, numerical awards and honorable mentions are awarded to the most outstanding bow-harvested animals in each species category that have been entered during this two-year recording period. New World Records are verified and proclaimed, and awards are presented to these outstanding animals during the Pope and Young Club’s Biennial Convention and Awards Banquet.