Federal Ammunition Supports the Boone and Crockett Club’s 31st Big Game Awards as Centennial Sponsor

MISSOULA, Mont. – Federal Ammunition has signed on as the Centennial Sponsor of the Boone and Crockett Club’s 31st Big Game Awards that will be held July 21-23, 2022, in Springfield, Missouri. The event recognizes the biggest heads, horns, and antlers from North America entered into the Boone and Crockett Club’s record book during the last three years. The 31st Big Game Awards coincides with the centennial anniversary of the National Collection of Heads and Horns as well as Federal’s 100-year anniversary as one of the largest ammunition manufacturing companies in America.

“Federal Ammunition is proud to be the Centennial Sponsor of the 31st Big Game Awards to celebrate the synergy between our 100 years in business and the conservation of the nation’s wildlife species,” commented Federal’s Conservation Manager, Jon Zinnel. “Federal has long supported conservation efforts both through the excise taxes we pay on the sale of ammunition as part of the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration program, as well as through philanthropic support of conservation and advocacy organizations,” stated Zinnel. “We are excited to celebrate the successes of hunters having the opportunity to hunt amazing animals only because of extraordinary efforts to conserve them and the habitat on which they depend.”

When the National Collection of Heads and Horns was dedicated in May 1922, Boone and Crockett Club member and the collection’s original curator William T. Hornaday noted that “The National Collection of Heads and Horns was founded and formed as a duty owed to the American people and to the vanishing big game of the world… As wild animal extermination now is proceeding all over the world, it is saddening to think that 100 years hence many of the species now shown in our collection will have become totally extinct.” However, most of those North American species have not gone extinct and, in fact have thrived thanks largely to sustainable wildlife management and the consistent funding provided through the excise tax paid by companies like Federal Ammunition. 

In response to public interest generated by the National Collection of Heads and Horns in the 1920s, and increased interest in the recovery and conservation of big game species, the Club established an official measurement and scoring system for trophy big game. The National Collection and the measurement system were initially conceived to record species of North American big game thought to be vanishing. As conservation efforts began to pay dividends and populations recovered, so did the number of mature male specimens. Wildlife managers and others in the scientific community soon recognized that the system was an effective means of tracking the success of new conservation policies and programs. Trophy entry into the Boone and Crockett Club’s records program now occurs during three-year periods, followed by a public display of the finest trophies entered in each category and the Big Game Awards banquet. Only the top trophies in each category are invited to final awards judging and only invited trophies remeasured by the Judges Panel are eligible to receive awards.

“The nation’s awakening to the conservation crisis a century ago led to the passage of legislation supported by the Boone and Crockett Club, including the excise tax paid by the shooting sports industry that has largely bankrolled our conservation successes,” commented Tony A. Schoonen, chief executive officer of the Boone and Crockett Club. “It is fitting that the centennial of Federal and the centennial of a display that helped to raise that awareness coincide. I have had the pleasure of working with Federal for over 20 years and their commitment to conservation is significant and very real. We are happy to have Federal as our Centennial Sponsor of the 31st Big Game Awards so that we can celebrate our conservation successes together.”

The public display of the 31st Big Game Awards mounts will open on May 1 and will be part of the Bucks and Bulls exhibit within the wildlife galleries at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, MO. Travel and ticket information to view the display this summer can be found by visiting www.wondersofwildlife.org. Information about attending the 31st Big Game Awards events in July will be posted on the Boone and Crockett Club website as event details are finalized.
 

About Federal Ammunition

Federal, headquartered in Anoka, MN, is a brand of Vista Outdoor Inc., an outdoor sports and recreation company. From humble beginnings nestled among the lakes and woods of Minnesota, Federal Ammunition has evolved into one of the world's largest producers of sporting ammunition. Beginning in 1922, founding president, Charles L. Horn, paved the way for our success. Today, Federal carries on Horn's vision for quality products and service with the next generation of outdoorsmen and women. We maintain our position as experts in the science of ammunition production. Every day we manufacture products to enhance our customers' shooting experience while partnering with the conservation organizations that protect and support our outdoor heritage. We offer thousands of options in our Federal Premium and Federal® lines-it's what makes us the most complete ammunition company in the business and provides our customers with a choice no matter their pursuit.