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Outdoor Life’s Nov. 2, 2026, report tells how Las Vegas firefighter and experienced bowhunter Dave Snyder shot a huge bull elk while hunting Montana’s Belt Mountains. The supplied account describes his hunt and record-setting status, but does not provide the bull’s final score, the record category or a confirmation from the Pope & Young Club.
Outdoor Life reported Nov. 2, 2026, that Las Vegas firefighter and bowhunter Dave Snyder shot a bull elk in Montana’s Belt Mountains that the report describes as a world record. The account recounts a close-range encounter during a hunt the previous year, but the supplied material does not state the bull’s score or identify the specific record category.
According to Outdoor Life, Snyder first heard elk bugling while hunting from a tree stand. He expected a smaller, immature bull, based on the calls, and was preparing to use his 73-pound compound bow when a large bull appeared behind him. The animal was less than 30 yards away, the story says. Snyder initially could not draw because he was turned awkwardly toward it.
The report says Snyder had hunted the Belt Mountains seven times before and had killed an elk on each trip. Two earlier animals were large enough to enter the Pope & Young Club record book, according to the article. It describes the new bull as larger than any he had encountered, but the excerpt provided does not say how Snyder resolved the difficult position, when he released his arrow, or how the animal was recovered.
Outdoor Life presents Snyder’s achievement within a long record of bowhunting elk. It says he began bowhunting about 20 years before the interview referenced in the story and had pursued game across the American West. The supplied report also recounts earlier Belt Mountains hunts, including one bull with antlers that scored 357⅞ points under the Pope & Young measuring system; that earlier animal ranks No. 17 in the club’s record book, the article says. That score is not given as the score of the newly reported bull.
A Record Claim From the Belt Mountains
The report highlights a notable achievement in bowhunting for elk, a pursuit that requires hunters to get close to an animal and make a shot with a bow rather than a firearm. Snyder’s prior experience in the same mountain range, including repeated successful hunts and record-book animals, gives readers a sense of how the reported bull fits into his hunting history.
The account also carries a claim that readers may want to distinguish from a formal record listing. Outdoor Life calls the bull a world-record elk, but the source material provided does not include a measurement sheet, the record class, or a statement from the Pope & Young Club confirming the designation. Those details matter because record status depends on the applicable category and scoring rules, not simply on the size described in a narrative.
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Snyder’s Years Hunting Elk
Snyder’s connection to elk hunting began before his Montana trips. Outdoor Life says he killed his first bull, a five-pointer, in Colorado in 1972. His first Belt Mountains hunt came in 1974, after a truck problem brought him and fellow Las Vegas firefighter Mike Freeman into contact with local logger Dee Hills. Hills, who knew where elk were found but was new to bowhunting, invited them to hunt the area.
The article describes that first trip as the start of a tradition. It recounts Snyder taking an elk with a bow and explaining to Hills that an animal struck by an arrow may travel before it falls. Later hunts, the story says, reflected Snyder’s careful observation of elk behavior, including how a herd bull may move around cows. This background helps explain why the report emphasizes his experience and patience as well as the close encounter with the reported record bull.
““I’m just confident.””
— Dave Snyder, quoted by Outdoor Life
Record Score and Verification Details
The supplied Outdoor Life material does not give the bull’s official score, explain which world-record category applies, or include a record-keeping organization’s confirmation. It also does not specify the exact date of the hunt beyond saying it took place the previous year, nor does the excerpt describe the shot and recovery in full. The report’s record description should therefore be attributed to Outdoor Life unless further documentation is available.
The source excerpt ends during a discussion of Snyder’s earlier hunting choices, so it does not contain the complete account of the latest hunt. It is unclear from the provided material whether the bull has been formally measured or entered in a record book.
Formal Scoring Would Clarify Status
The next useful confirmation would be a published score and the relevant record category, along with documentation from the organization that maintains that category. The supplied report does not state whether an official measurement or record-book decision is pending, so no timetable or next step can be confirmed from this material.
Until those details are available, readers can rely on the reported hunt and Snyder’s earlier record-book history while treating the new bull’s world-record label as Outdoor Life’s description, rather than as a separately documented ruling in the source provided.
Key Questions
Who shot the elk described as a world record?
Dave Snyder, a Las Vegas firefighter and experienced bowhunter, is identified by Outdoor Life as the hunter.
Where did Snyder shoot the bull?
The report places the hunt in Montana’s Belt Mountains. It does not give a more precise location in the supplied material.
When did the hunt happen?
Outdoor Life published the account on Nov. 2, 2026, and says Snyder shot the bull the previous year. The excerpt does not provide the exact hunt date.
What was the bull’s score?
The supplied report excerpt does not state the new bull’s score. It gives a score of 357⅞ points for a different Snyder bull, which the article says ranks No. 17 in the Pope & Young Club record book.
Has an organization confirmed the world-record claim?
No confirmation is included in the source material provided. Outdoor Life calls the bull a world record, but the excerpt does not identify the record category or provide formal scoring documentation.
Source: outdoorlife.com
