New Record Grizzly Confirmed

At the 32nd Big Game Awards Judges Panel, Boone and Crockett Club Official Measurers recently confirmed the measurements of the largest hunter-killed grizzly ever recorded.    

The hunt for a grizzly started in the spring of 2024, when Brian van Lanen hunted with Freelance Outdoor Adventure’s guide John Rydeen and good friend Milan Marcetta. The goal was nothing short of a special grizzly. 

Knowing that he was coming back in the fall for a moose hunt and still able to use his grizzly tag, Brian was very selective on the spring grizzly he wanted to kill. While they saw and passed on plenty of good bears, Brian flew home to Wisconsin still holding his unpunched tag until fall. Returning to Alaska in September for his moose hunt, Brian was eager to fill both the moose and grizzly tags. 

Brian began his fall hunt near Norton Sound, Alaska. This time, Lance Kronberger would be his guide. The first few days were promising as they spotted a few moose, but again, they were holding out for something exceptional. Late in the evening of the second day, they caught sight of a large grizzly working along an alder patch. Although they agreed the bear was large enough to pursue, it was too late in the evening to make a play on the massive bear. They watched it until it disappeared into the night.

The next morning, Brian and Lance returned to their glassing knob in search of both the big boar and a large moose they had spotted earlier in the same area. Within minutes, they saw what appeared to be a large bear working the riverbank below them. Again, they determined this bear was special enough to make a move on.  As they moved closer, another bear of similar size emerged.  As the two large boars realized there was only room for one of them in the fishing hole, tensions escalated quickly, and one began chasing the other. Realizing they might lose sight of the bears, Brian and Lance hustled to the river bottom in an attempt to keep eyes on them.  Suddenly, at 400 yards, one of the bears emerged out of the riverbank and in range.  “Hurry up, Brian, he’s getting away!” Lance said. With his .338 Lapua, Brian fired, hitting the large boar and rolling him on his side. The grizzly headed to nearby alders despite several follow-up shots. Two final shots near the riverbank sealed the deal. 

 This old boar was was in a river bottom when he chased off of his fishing hole by a younger, stronger bear, Brian said. His teeth were worn down to nubs and guide Lance Kronenberg estimated the bear to be 20-25 years old. It scores 27-9/16. 

Lance quickly got down to the bear. Brain took his time. “When I kill something, though, I really try to slow down and enjoy the moment,” Brian said. “Eventually, I got to the bear, and Lance said something I will never forget.”

“You have no idea what you’ve just killed,” Lance said.

Admiring the size of the bear and its back pad, Brian worked to lift the bear’s head out of the river.  It was massive! The gigantic boar was covered in scar tissue, Brian said. The old boar’s bottom lip was split entirely in half, and its teeth were worn to nubs. Lance estimated the bear to be 20-25 years old.

After skinning the bear and freeing the skull from the body, they took a tape and green-scored the skull, which measured over 27 inches. They knew it would make the top 10, but they had to wait for the 60-day drying period for its final official measurement. After the 60 days, it officially scores 27-9/16, making it the largest hunter-killed grizzly in the Boone and Crockett records.  A record that’s beaten all other entries since the 1920s when Boone and Crockett first started keeping records. It’s second only to Gordon Scott's World's Record at 27-13/16. 

As for that moose tag, Brian connected with a great bull just a couple of days later. A 7-inch wide beast that also made the Boone and Crockett record books. 

Reflecting on his time with Lance and his team, Brian emphasized how much he values his relationship with all of them. “I’ve been hunting with Lance and those guys for several years now, and we’ve all become good friends,” Brian said. “It’s a special relationship—every one of them is more to me than just a guide; they’re my brothers.  Killing that big grizzly was a lifetime achievement, and I feel blessed to have done it with them.”

This is Brian with his Alaska-Yukon moose he killed on the same trip as his grizzly. It scores 233-4/8. 

The Importance of Records in Big Game Management

When you enter your trophy into the Boone and Crockett system, you aren’t just honoring the animal and its habitat. You are participating in a data collection system that started in the 1920s and was refined by Club members in 1950. Today, there are nearly 60,000 trophy records. By establishing a records database more than 70 years ago, the Boone and Crockett Club established a scientific baseline from which researchers can use to study wildlife management. If you’re still on the fence about entering your trophy, we encourage you to read Why Should I Bother to Enter My Trophy. To the best of our ability, we ensure that the trophies entered into the records were taken in accordance with the tenets of fair chase ethics. Despite what some may think, the Boone and Crockett records are not about a name or a score in a book—because in the end, there’s so much more to the score.