Boone and Crockett Club Hosts Largest Crowd Ever at 32nd Big Game Awards

The Boone and Crockett Club hosted over 550 people at the Buck Buckner 32nd Big Game Awards events in Springfield, Missouri, in late July. The triennial Big Game Awards celebrate the most impressive heads, horns, antlers, and tusks accepted into the Club’s Record Book in all 38 categories. This year’s final banquet was named in recognition of B&C Honorary Life Member Buck Buckner who became an Official Measurer in 1968 and most recently served as Vice President of Big Game Records before stepping back a few years ago to spend more time with his family. In addition, the Club presented two special awards, the Fair Chase Award sponsored by Fiocchi and the prestigious Sagamore Hill Award, that recognized fair chase hunters and the outstanding animals they took.

“The Boone and Crockett Club’s Big Game Awards is more than a gathering of hunters and conservationists—it is a celebration of tradition, ethics, and a shared commitment to the future of our wildlife and wild places,” said Club President Tony Caligiuri in his remarks during the Awards banquet. “This event, held only once every three years, is among the most respected in the world of North American big game hunting. It is not simply about the size of antlers or numbers on a score sheet. It’s about the stories behind those animals—stories of perseverance, patience, and respect. The Boone and Crockett record book stands as a historical record of conservation success, a ledger of what’s possible when we steward our resources the right way.”

Over the course of three days, attendees toured the 32nd Big Game Awards display in Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium. Organized events included luncheons recognizing Official Measurers and lifetime associate members of the Boone and Crockett Club, a Welcome Reception sponsored by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s, the Jack Steele Parker Generation Next Youth Awards sponsored by Buck Knives, all leading up to the Buck Buckner 32nd Big Game Awards banquet on July 26, sponsored by the Wild Sheep Foundation. In addition to the recognition of the top animals accepted into the Records of North American Big Game, the Club presented two special awards during the closing banquet—the Fair Chase and Sagamore Hill Awards.

The Fair Chase Award, sponsored by Fiocchi, recognized Jerry Lees for his Alaskan Dall’s sheep hunt. With roots that go back to the founding of the Boone and Crockett Club, the concept of fair chase hunting was and is a staple of the Club. Essentially, to hunt fair chase means a hunt in which the quarry has a reasonable chance of escape. It’s an ethical approach to sustainable hunting, and one of the foundations of wildlife conservation and game management in North America. In the words of Fiocchi’s Christian Hogg, Lees’ hunt “embodies everything the Boone and Crockett Club stands for—respect for the animal, the challenge of the pursuit, and the deep connection to wild places.”

Left to Right: Boone and Crockett Club President Tony Caligiuri, Fiocchi sponsor Christain Hogg, Jerry Lees, and Big Game Records Committee Chairman Mike Opitz.

Finally, the Club honored Justin Kallusky with the Sagamore Hill Award for his 2022 hunt near the Stikine River in British Columbia that culminated in the World’s Record Rocky Mountain goat. This prestigious award originated in 1947 when several Club members, including Archibald Roosevelt, decided to create a memorial to Theodore Roosevelt. The award recognizes an outstanding animal in the Big Game Awards, as well as the hunter’s skills, conservation awareness, and fair chase pursuit—and honors Theodore Roosevelt’s vision for the Club. The Sagamore Hill Award is only presented periodically and Kallusky is the first recipient in 15 years, joining 18 previous awardees.

Left to Right: Boone and Crockett Club President Tony Caligiuri, Professional Member and emcee Craig Boddington, Justin Kallusky, and Big Game Records Committee Chairman Mike Opitz.

“When I set out on this hunt, I was convinced that I was only chasing goats,” Kallusky wrote in an article on his hunt that ran in Fair Chase magazine in the summer of 2023. “Despite being blessed with the largest goat ever recorded, I realized I had found everything I sought before even pulling the trigger. I found adventure in one of the most intriguing places on earth. The opportunity to test myself against one of the most rugged landscapes in B.C. motivated me. The chance to live amongst and observe one of North America’s most rugged and iconic animals left me humbled. I will never forget being so grateful and reverent that I was inspired to write poetry during a hunt. I wouldn’t have wanted the experience to unfold any other way.”