Why one hunter in Fort Smith thinks the largest trophy bison came from the N.W.T.

A park ranger from Yellowstone National Park has held the world record for the largest bison skull in the Boone and Crockett Club's official record book for a century. But Kenny Hudson, a lifelong hunter from Fort Smith, N.W.T., believes the true champion may have come from the North.

"I'm retired now and got all kinds of time in the world to cause trouble," he said with a laugh. "So I looked into it again recently."

Hudson said the second-largest skull was recorded in Fort Smith from a hunting camp near the community. He questions whether the Yellowstone skull should still qualify based on one of the club's core requirements for trophy eligibility: fair chase.

Boone and Crockett, a wildlife conservation organization, has fair-chase standards that state animals must be taken in a wild, unfenced environment without the use of vehicles, bait or other unfair advantages. These rules ensure the animal has a fair chance to escape.

Today, all entries must include a signed affidavit confirming that the animal was taken in accordance with these standards.

The Yellowstone bull, which scored 136 and 4/8 inches, was killed in 1925 by Yellowstone park ranger Sam Woodring, not during a hunt but as part of a government-led cull to manage herd populations.

The second-place entry from the Fort Smith area — scoring just a fraction less at 136 and 2/8 inches — was shot by American hunter Samuel Israel at a hunting camp once run by Frank Laviolette. It was entered into the club's record books in 1961. 

"It bothered me that a head game warden in that park had the number one registered. It's like he went out and killed it. It actually was killed in a cull of animals in that ranch-type operation," Hudson said. 

Rules have evolved over time

Kyle Lehr, the Boone and Crockett Club's director of big game records, said while today's process is more rigorous, the Yellowstone bison was accepted based on the standards in place at the time.

"Our fair-chase set of conditions has evolved as technologies and stuff has come available," he said. "We originally didn't have to sign an affidavit which included our conditions of fair chase."

Lehr said reviewing the 1925 file would require pulling archived documents, a process that could take time due to staff availability and upcoming events.

In Fort Smith, Hudson said Laviolette's hunting camp was staffed by local Indigenous guides and was a well-known destination for American trophy hunters. Several massive bulls were taken from the area during that time, but few were ever officially measured or entered.

Some were so large, Hudson said, they barely fit through the chutes at local handling facilities.

"They'd hook a chain on the buffalo and then pull them," he said. "There was smoke coming off the horns from rubbing on the side of the chute to get them through."

Even with some large bison going undocumented, based on the Boone and Crockett big game records, several bison entries have been recorded from Fort Smith over the years.

Hudson said he'd like to see the record corrected if it turns out to be wrong, but added that most local hunters in the region aren't chasing trophies anyway.

"Normally, we wouldn't kill big animals like that. We don't want a big bull to take home," he said. "We're meat eaters, so we kill for the food."