During the fall rut, you will likely hear them before you see them. As two bighorn rams battle for dominance, the crack of their horns will echo through the canyons some call home. If you’re lucky enough to have a tag for one, maybe you’ll see one of these brutes featured below.
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NUMBER ONE — Hunter: Milo Hansen Score: 213-5/8 points Location: Saskatchewan Year: 1993 It all started with a school bus driver. On the last day of Saskatchewan’s 1992 deer season, the driver told some locals that a monster whitetail was feeding in Milo Hansen’s alfalfa field. Once word got around...
With racks akin to century-old twisted trees at timberline, these bucks are true monsters. They are hardly the stuff of nightmares, though. Visions of seeing these deer afield give us the energy to hike over just one more ridge. Be careful, though. A buck with headgear like this can come with...
They may not be the prettiest specimens on the planet, but then again, beauty is in the eye of the beholder. And we’re willing to bet you wouldn’t pass up any of these bucks because they were a tad asymmetrical. Some of these deer were taken by hunters who didn’t mind a lot of junk. One deer’s...
Handsome, pretty, dashing—whichever word you choose—these muleys look downright gentlemanly with their nearly perfect symmetrical racks. “Nets are for fish,” you say. Well, okay, we’ll get you the stories behind the biggest mule deer ever (non-typicals) soon. Until then, we hope you like what you...
Anyone who has ever hunted pronghorn understands the magic that surrounds hunting them. You see a herd on the horizon, plan a stalk, and belly crawl through cactus to get into range. Then the wind shifts, and the herd makes for the next county. You smile, ready to do it all over again at dusk...
Native to California, tule elk are the beach bums of the elk world. In 2021, one North Dakota hunter was able to break a nearly 20-year old record and fill his tag with the largest hunter-killed tule ever recorded. Check out these stories. Only found in California , tule elk are named after the...
This subspecies of whitetail deer make a living in the arid, mountainous regions of the America’s Desert Southwest and south into Mexico. What they lack in size, they more than make up for in sheer toughness and adaptability. And their racks can range from dainty to downright devilish. Coues’ deer...
The echo of their bugles through the aspen is the quintessential sound of fall. When heard on the hunt, those screams trigger a primordial drive. The hunters in the following stories know that drive. They are cowboys, miners, Army medics, and a maintenance guy from the highway department. These are their stories of elk hunting legend.
The stories behind the biggest Alaskan-Yukon moose in the Boone and Crockett Records A mature Alaskan-Yukon bull moose can stand more than six feet tall at the shoulder. Its antlers alone can easily weigh more than 60 pounds. During the fall rut, their lonely call echoes through the boreal forests...
These stories of the biggest elk in the Boone and Crockett records are not what most hunters consider typical hunts. They are, after all, non-typical elk. Terrible puns aside, these are tales of near death, unsolved killings, mistaken identity, lethal mud holes—and one typical story about a lady from Canada.
As you read these tales of hunting mountain caribou, you soon realize these animals don’t come easy. Most hunts require backcountry camps reached only by foot or horseback. According to the B&C scoring manual , their range extends north into southern Yukon Territory, south into British Columbia, and east into Alberta. Find mountain caribou, and you will find adventure.
A specially curated selection of items for the hunters on your shopping list this holiday season. Most items are available exclusively from the Boone and Crockett Club and not available anywhere else. SHOP the B&C Store! If you're not already a member of Boone and Crockett, sign up with your...
As the father of wildlife ecology and a driving force behind the creation of a wilderness system, Aldo Leopold left a monumental legacy for conservation.
Seven timber companies and four conservation organizations are joining together to fight the spread of chronic wasting disease (CWD) among deer, elk, and other species of the deer family (known as “cervids”). The new CWD coalition will promote practices that help discover, manage, and mitigate the...
A revolver belonging to Boone and Crockett Club co-founder and U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt sold for more than $750,000 at a recent auction.
Roy Chapman Andrews was a hunter but not necessarily for big game. He hunted the past for bones and adventure. Hollywood rumors claim that he was the inspiration for Harrison Ford’s character in the Indiana Jones saga. Both men were archaeologists, fought bandits, hated snakes, and explored far-off lands. The parallels are uncanny, but there was one big difference. Indiana Jones was never a member of the Boone and Crockett Club.
Hunters wait a lifetime or spend a fortune at a chance to hunt record-book bighorn sheep in the Missouri River Breaks or the cliffs of western Montana. Nearly as impressive, Montana’s elk hunting features a shot at some trophy bulls, too. Then, of course, you can always try hunting for cougars, bison, pronghorn, the list of species to hunt in Montana seems limitless.
Modern fish and wildlife conservation is based on the public trust doctrine (PTD), which establishes a trustee relationship whereby the government holds and manages wildlife for the benefit of the public. Fundamentally, it posits that natural resources are universally important, and that the public should have an opportunity to enjoy these resources, including activities such as fishing, hunting, and trapping. Prior to the adoption of this philosophy, wildlife was often treated as an inexhaustible commodity, with little thought or concern for long term sustainability. As a result, many species suffered under this “limitless supply” philosophy, with some becoming extirpated or even driven to extinction.
Nature can be freaky. Because hunters spend plenty of time out in nature, we experience the freak first-hand. The stories and images you are about to encounter are real, fascinating, and a bit on the spooky side.
Every October, baseball fans and hunters have reason to rejoice. Between hunting season and the playoffs, what’s not to be excited about? Babe Ruth, the Yankee slugger and Hall of Famer from the 1920s and ‘30s, loved hunting and baseball. Along the way, he killed at least one mighty fine whitetail...
Sidekicks never get the accolades they deserve. Boone and Crockett member Horace Albright is one of them. As the second director of the National Park Service (NPS) and assistant to the agency’s first director, Stephen Mather, Albright was an honest and devoted employee of the newly created agency...
Because basketball stars making millions of dollars still miss free throws Excerpt from Fair Chase Magazine By Wayne Van Zwoll, regular contributor, photos courtesy of author Approach ready to fire again, from behind the animal, rifle up front. Save congratulations for later. Why is there time to...
Explorer, legislator, public servant, duck lover, and businessman, Frederic C. Walcott was an early member of the Boone and Crockett Club who served as Club president. His conservation achievements still resonate today, especially when it comes to waterfowl and wildlife refuges.
Yellowstone’s Rock Star – As a founding member of the Boone and Crockett Club, this quiet geologist wasn’t a hunter, but he was a force for conservation, especially when it came to Yellowstone.
As one of the original members of the Boone and Crockett Club, Albert Bierstadt documented the disappearing landscape of the American West—people and wildlife included. For that reason, he was recruited to help save it. In 1864, the United States had already endured three gruesome years of the...
Henry Fairfield Osborn was admitted in 1899 as an Associate Member (now called Professional Member) and by 1913 had been elected as an Honorary Life Member. As of 2021, only 42 Members have been so honored. Osborn was the preeminent vertebrate paleontologist (one who studies ancient life forms) of...
Much like Wyoming, Colorado is a sporting paradise. Roaming those sage-covered hillsides, record-book mule deer were quite numerous, especially in the top 20. A few pronghorn and black bear make an appearance in the top 100. The antlers belonging to John Plute’s famous “meat bull” were pulled out of Dark Canyon after the locals didn’t believe him when he told them how big the antlers were. While the state’s elk are numerous, there aren’t that many record bulls running around anymore. Then again, you can just wait a lifetime to draw a tag in one of their trophy units and see if you can find one yourself.
Even though he suffered from severe mental illness, early Boone and Crockett Club member Stephen Mather led a crusade to create the National Park Service, where he eventually served as the agency's first director. This is the abbreviated story of a most fascinating American. By PJ DelHomme A trip...
A new bighorn state record in Nebraska showcases the state’s ongoing big game restoration efforts. Auction and raffle tags are helping foot the bill. By PJ DelHomme A new bighorn state record in Nebraska showcases the state’s ongoing big game restoration efforts. Auction and raffle tags are helping...
At four in the afternoon, the three men started cutting up the massive musk ox. Six hours later, they had it quartered and stuffed into their packs. After all, this is how these guys pack their Dall’s sheep out of the Northwest Territories every year. They left behind a front shoulder and hindquarter but placed the head and hide on top of the meat so the grizzlies and wolves would get that first. After a three-mile hump across the muskeg, they got back to camp at one in the morning. At dawn, they returned for the rest.
A new state record gets one sheep hunter closer to his first Grand Slam By PJ DelHomme Growing up an Indiana boy, Grant Smith chased the state’s abundant whitetails and turkey. When he was all grown up, Smith took a trip to Colorado with his wife and discovered bighorn sheep. “I was just fascinated...
We look forward to seeing you in Springfield, Missouri, this summer for a conservation double-feature – July 21-23.
MISSOULA, Mont. – The Boone and Crockett Club’s 31st Big Game Awards celebration begins tonight with three days of activities at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium and the White River Conference Center in Springfield, Missouri. Since 1947, the triennial Big Game...
MISSOULA, Mont. (July 12, 2022) – Elkhorn Coffee Roasters is the official coffee and beverage sponsor of the Boone and Crockett Club’s upcoming 31st Big Game Awards and will also be supporting the Club’s hunting conservation efforts through sales of a special Boone and Crockett blend. The Bozeman, Montana-based organic coffee producer will be the sole provider of coffee during all events during the Awards program. Elkhorn Coffee Roasters developed this Boone and Crockett blend to help support hunting conservation efforts and is donating $1 for every pound sold.
In the near future, we will be hearing more about record-book whitetails coming out of Indiana. Have hunters and wildlife managers there found a sweet spot for the state’s herd? By PJ DelHomme In case you missed it, a 27-year-old Indiana hunter named Dustin Huff recently shot the second biggest...
Whether you’re looking for record-book whitetail deer or the biggest moose to come out of your state, look no further. Here, you can search the Boone and Crockett database for state records for big game from Alaska to Mexico.
Reflections on Wildlife and the 2nd Amendment Excerpt from Fair Chase Magazine, Summer 2013 By Valerius Geist Hunting and the right to bear arms has always been a part of North American heritage. In Hunting Trips of a Ranchman , Theodore Roosevelt (loosely depicted above), recounted his hunting...
MISSOULA, Mont. (May 25, 2022) –May 25, 2022, marked the centennial anniversary of the opening of a building housing the National Collection of Heads and Horns at the Bronx Zoo in 1922. Organized by several Boone and Crockett Club members, the Collection was intended to raise visibility for declining wildlife species and was officially dedicated “In Memory of the Vanishing Big Game of the World.” The collection, now housed at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri, will be getting a new addition to the Collection—a bighorn sheep ram that was found by Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks on Flathead Lake’s Wild Horse Island. The ram scored 206-3/8 during the recent 31st Big Game Awards Judges Panel and now ranks #9 all time.
This past November, Dustin Huff shot a massive Indiana whitetail with a crossbow. All he really wanted was a buck over 135. By PJ DelHomme Huff with his incredible Indiana typical whitetail deer. While Dustin Huff sat in his treestand last November, all he was hoping to do was kill a deer big...
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...
With an official score of 455, this is the biggest elk ever recorded in Pennsylvania. Duane Kramer lives in Bellingham, Washington, and he bought a few raffle tickets last year (okay, a lot of raffle tickets) for the 2020 Keystone Elk Country Alliance (KECA) Raffle. The lucky winner would get the chance to hunt one of Pennsylvania’s monster bulls. And you guessed it, his name was drawn.
The Lord Rendlesham bison is part of the Nucleus Collection. Unfortunately, no additional information is available. The original score chart indicates it was remeasured with the new system by Grancel Fitz on May 23, 1951, with a final B&C score of 124-6/8 points. The mount now resides in the...
Boone and Crockett Club Member William T. Hornaday was the brainchild of the National Collection of Head and Horns. In a letter dated March 20, 1907, Hornaday appeals to “The Sportsmen of America” to donate their best specimens to be considered for display with the “Nucleus Collection” that he, along with Madison Grant and John M. Phillips had already pulled together. Six of the big game animals currently on display in the National Collection exhibit at Johnny Morris' Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium are from that original Nucleus Collection formed over 100 years earlier. They include:
The Reed-McMillan Collection was detailed in the 1908 release of The National Collection of Heads and Horns Part II . Boone and Crockett Club Member William T. Hornaday was the brainchild of the National Collection of Heads and Horns . In a letter dated March 20, 1907, Hornaday appeals to “The...
An early view of the National Collection before the new building was contstructed in 1922. Boone and Crockett Club Member William T. Hornaday was the brainchild of the National Collection of Heads and Horns . In a letter dated March 20, 1907, Hornaday appealed to “The Sportsmen of America” to...
Officially designating the world’s first national park is a milestone achievement. Conserving and protecting its wildlife for future generations is another story altogether. That mission would become the Boone and Crockett Club’s first major success as North America's oldest wildlife conservation organization.
The bison featured in the logo for the 31st Big Game Awards lived more than a century ago in the Peace River Country of northern Alberta. And you will find the story behind how the bison head became part of the National Collection of Heads and Horns is as wild as the country it called home.
There is a place on Montana’s Rocky Mountain Front that attracts all that is wild. It just so happens that this place is on the Boone and Crockett Club’s Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch . The place is called The Campsite, and it’s truly special. Here, grizzly bears chase moose, mature mule deer bucks plow through snow drifts, mountain lions slink by at night, bull elk literally run into trees, and so much more. And perhaps the most beautiful thing? It’s all caught on video.
After hanging over a couch for more than 70 years, New Jersey’s biggest whitetail ever recorded finally gets its day in the book. Norman with his 1947 non-typical whitetail, which now proudly sits atop the records for New Jersey after more than 70 years. By PJ DelHomme Back in 1947, Norman Taylor...
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-Theodore Roosevelt
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