Generation Next: State Records Held by Youth Hunters

Recognizing that the future of hunting and conservation rests with young hunters, the Boone and Crockett Club began noting the trophies taken by hunters aged 16 or younger in 2010. At the 27th Big Game Awards, the Club recognized 16 youth hunters who made the trip to Reno, Nevada. Today, that tradition continues at the Jack Steele Parker Generation Next Youth Event at the triennial Big Game Awards. This slideshow celebrates five youth hunters who hold state records nationwide. 

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South Dakota State Record Typical Mule Deer 
B&C Score: 193-4/8
Location: Pennington County, South Dakota 
Year Taken: 2014
Hunter: Simon P. Carlson

For 13-year-old Simon Carlson, his preseason scouting session was a success. Temps were in the 50s, and he had spotted a dandy buck in the alfalfa. Opening day was going to be a breeze. The weather had other plans. The next day, the temperature was about three degrees. A foot of snow fell overnight. No deer browsed the alfalfa. Carlson headed to the nearby coulees. He spotted the antlers of the big buck sticking just above a rise about 500 years away. Carlson used a ridge for cover and then crawled 150 yards through the deep snow for a broadside shot. With a .257 Weatherby, he killed this outstanding typical mule deer. 

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North Dakota State Record Canada Moose 
B&C Score: 205-5/8
Location: McHenry County, North Dakota 
Year Taken: 2015
Hunter: Georgina R. Eidmann

That’s right. North Dakota has a huntable moose population. In fact, in 2017, the state issued 245 moose licenses, mainly for the northwestern portion. In 2015, Georgina Eidmann’s dad convinced her to apply for a moose tag. They had seen moose on their ranch and nearby ranches, where they lived in the eastern half of the state. She balked at applying because she didn’t think she’d have time to hunt. Her dad told her not to worry; there was no chance she’d draw the once-in-a-lifetime tag. She drew it and found a great bull on a sunny October day. With two 180-yard shots from her 7mm-08, Georgina’s moose made the book. 

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Nebraska State Record Non-typical Elk 
B&C Score: 426-7/8 
Location: Sioux, Nebraska 
Year Taken: 2016
Hunter: Hannah R. Helmer 

Less than a year after she shot her first whitetail deer, Hannah Helmer drew an elk tag for Nebraka’s Hat Creek Unit. She asked permission to hunt on a ranch in that unit, but the first scouting mission turned up zero elk. A few weeks later, they headed back to the ranch, and the rancher mentioned seeing some elk with a really big herd bull. It didn’t take long for Hannah and the hunting party (which included her dad, a Boone and Crockett Club Official Measurer) to find the herd. At 214 yards, Hannah put the crosshairs of the Leupold scope on the elk’s vitals. As the bull was in mid-bugle, she fired her 7mm-08. 

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Virginia State Record Non-typical Elk 
B&C Score: 413-7/8
Location: Virginia 
Year Taken: 2022
Hunter: Austin Prieskorn 

Austin Prieskorn’s dad won the Virginia elk tag lottery in 2022 and generously transferred the tag to his son. They live in New Mexico, and it was tough for them to scout. Before the hunt, they befriended a landowner in Virginia and got permission to chase elk on his place. Austin said he didn’t care about the size of the bull; he just wanted to shoot any bull. Instead of any bull, this bull walked in front of him at 160 yards. Austin tagged it with his 30 Nosler and could not have been happier. To read the full story of the hunt, including background on Virgina’s growing elk populations, click here. 

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Oklahoma State Record Typical Elk 
B&C Score: 377-6/8 
Location: Dewey County, Oklahoma 
Year Taken: 2016
Hunter: Olivia Parry 

Having skipped softball practice for one last crack at an elk, 14-year-old Olivia Parry was all in. She headed out on the last evening of the youth gun season. The evening prior, she had passed up a small raghorn hoping for something bigger. She spotted this particular bull at 150 yards, took aim with her .270, and let a Berger bullet fly. According to Big Game Records LIVE, this is Oklahoma’s only typical elk in the Boone and Crockett Club records. Regardless, it’s still a pretty awesome achievement. 

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Were you a youth hunter with a trophy entered in B&C before 2010?

Because the Club has only been keeping track of youth hunters since 2010, chances are that we have a number of trophies taken by hunters 16 or younger that have not been noted in the records. If you believe that to be the case for yourself or a youth hunter you may know, please give us a call at 406-542-1888 and ask for Justin Spring, Director of Big Game Records. That will help us get our historic records up to date.

 

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.