In 1962, the Pope and Young Club introduced the idea for a special bowhunting award, named in honor of Ishi since he had instilled in Saxton Pope and Art Young the love of the bow and its use as an efficient hunting tool. This honor is awarded only when a truly outstanding North American big game trophy animal is deserving of recognition.

“The Ishi Award is one of bowhunting’s highest honors, said Ed Fanchin, Records Chairman for the Pope And Young Club. “The Pope and Young Club only presents this award out when a truly outstanding North American big game trophy animal is deserving of recognition. This year the Pope And Young Club awarded the honor to the Typical American elk taken by Stephen Felix. The massive bulls score, the Fair Chase hunt on public land and the story behind how Stephen Felix harvested this exceptional animal all make this incredible trophy truly deserving of the Ishi Award.

Fred Bear designed the award with assistance from Chuck Kroll. The Ishi award plaque was originally made from very fine, select grade rosewood nearly perfect in color, grain and texture donated to the Club by Fred himself. When that supply was depleted, the Club selected pieces of fine Yew and Osage Orange wood from Glenn St. Charles’s personal wood box to form the plaque. The final touch is the specially made obsidian spear point, fashioned by past Pope and Young Club President, Roger Atwood. The hand chipped point is mounted on the Yew and Osage plaque and trimmed with genuine goatskin, along with an engraved metal plate to complete the treasured Ishi Award.

Steve’s newly crowned World Record American Elk is truly an outstanding animal with a score of 430 0/8; this monarch is over 17″ above the previous World Record taken in 2005 and very deserving of bowhunting’s most rare and distinctive award.

The Pope and Young Club is a non-profit North American conservation and bowhunting organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of our bowhunting heritage, hunting ethics and wildlife conservation. The Club also maintains the universally recognized repository for the records and statistics on North American big game animals harvested with a bow and arrow.

Contact the Pope & Young Club office at:
www.pope-young.org or P.O. Box 548, Chatfield, MN 55923, Ph: 507.867.4144
Media contact Rick Mowery at: rick@pope-young.org, Ph: 989.884.3800

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