Dawson City hunter Heinz Naef shot a huge bull moose last month that he thinks might be the largest one ever harvested.

Hunter Heinz Naef shot what he believes could be the largest moose ever harvested in Yukon last month. (Photo courtesy Brian Naef)

Naef shot the giant moose where the Stewart River meets the Yukon River on Sept. 25.

He says it took him a while to realize just how big the animal was. But after measuring it, he now believes it just might have set a world record.

"It didn't set in until we were in the midst of butchering the animal," Naef says. "It's not the first big moose we have but we didn't realize how big it actually was until I put the tape on him and measured him, then it was really big."

560 kilograms

Naef estimates the moose weighs more than 560 kilograms — that's more than 1250 pounds.

The current world record, as judged by a series of antler measurements, is held by a moose that was shot on the Alaskan side of the border.

He measures the antlers at 75 and 1/4 inches (191 centimetres), which would be a record. But they often shrink in the drying process. Official measurement rules say the antlers have to be dried for two months before they can be officially recorded.

Heinz says he hunts for meat and has no interest in the antlers, so if they turn out to be a world record size, Naef would like to see them displayed in public.