Bowhunting is tougher than gun hunting; when your maximum range is under 60 yards and you're after big game like the Sitka blacktail deer, it can be quite a challenge. It's even more of a challenge on a fair-chase hunt for a trophy-sized animal. Those challenges were no match for Chuck Adams, an ardent archer who has just set two new Pope & Young world records ... one for a "typical" velvet buck and one for a "non-typical" velvet buck.
If you're not familiar with Pope and Young, it's America’s leading bowhunting conservation organization, dedicated to the spirit of fair chase. If you're not familiar with the typical/non-typical terminology, the thumbnail version is that a typical buck will have symmetrical antlers that follow that animal's normal morphology. Non-typicals may have asymmetrical antlers or tines that follow unusual patterns. "Velvet" is a special category for deer who haven't yet shed the epidermal covering that appears on new antler growth. It's soft and velvety--hence the name. A "velvet" buck, therefore, is usually taken in the early season.
Says Adams, “Amazingly, the very first deer I saw on my 2021 Alaskan bow hunt was a giant 5x5. I had been hiking for an hour and spotted big antlers above a ridge. I told myself it might be the largest Sitka rack I had ever seen. After a long crawl, I shot the buck from 36 yards. This is the best scoring typical blacktail I have ever taken during 18 trips to Kodiak, and a Pope and Young World Record!” 
Adams broke the record with his Typical Sitka Blacktail in the Velvet category with his giant 5x5 buck he shot in 2021 scoring an incredible 109 7/8”. The buck was shot on Kodiak Island, Alaska on August 12, 2021, and with the score being verified by a special panel of measurers, it is now recognized as the new world record.
Chuck also topped the charts with the giant Non-Typical Sitka Blacktail that he shot in velvet on August 22nd, 2022, also on Kodiak Island. Adams shot this buck, scoring an incredible 117 7/8” after 26 long days on Kodiak Island. Adams’ non-typical Sitka Blacktail was confirmed at the February 2023 Pope and Young Panel Verification in Reno, Nevada.
“After 26 do-it-yourself days on Kodiak, I spotted a huge non-typical Sitka buck,” stated Adams. “I circled to get the wind right and crawled between tundra humps until the bedded buck’s oddball antlers appeared. Finally, the giant 5x7 stood up and presented a 33-yard shot. This is by far the largest Sitka I have ever seen, and I consider it the single best animal I have ever taken with a bow.”
“Chuck is no stranger to our membership and the archery world and has set the benchmark many times in many Pope and Young trophy categories,” stated Pope and Young Director of Records, Tim Rozewski. “I don’t know another person that puts in as much effort as this man to achieve his hunting goals. Both world record bucks have an incredible story, and the success is a credit to his tenacity and drive. He believes in the mission of Pope and Young and supports it with all his heart. The Typical Sitka Blacktail in Velvet surpasses the previous world record by just 6/8 of an inch, while his Non-typical Sitka Blacktail in Velvet is 28 2/8 inches larger than the previous world record.”
Congratulations to Chuck! To learn more about Pope & Young, click here.
