A huge pronghorn buck killed in Socorro County, N.M. in 2013 was recently certified as a world record by the Boone and Crockett Club, the official record-keeping organization for North American big game animals.
The buck, which was judged by a standard formula accounting for horn mass and length, scored 96 4/8 B&C points to break a tie between two Arizona specimens killed in 2000 and 2002. Those two bucks both scored 95 B&C points. Although 1 ½ inches may not seem like much, it is a big jump in the world record for an animal that is considered a Boone and Crockett All-Time Trophy with 82 B&C points.
The hunter, Mike Gallo’s name now sits atop of a list of more than 3,400 other entries for pronghorns that meet the Boone and Crockett minimum score of 80 B&C points.
“Records reflect success in big-game conservation,” said Richard Hale, chairman of the club’s Records of North American Big Game Committee. “Remember, the pronghorn was once nearly lost, much like the bison, until sportsmen led an era of wildlife recovery. Now the species is flourishing. And the fact that such incredible specimens exist today says a lot about how far we have come, and how bright the future might be.”
Gallo’s buck had horns that measured about 18 ½ inches in length each with a total mass of more than 23 inches on each side. The prongs measured about 7 inches.
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