Conservation

Where Hunting Happens, Conservation Happens™

Big Game Records

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We all know there is more to hunting and conservation than the final score of a big game trophy. However, it is important to take a look at the history of records keeping and celebrate those big game trophies that hold the top spot in their respective categories. These records are part of a large data set that measures conservation success.
Scoring Whitetail Deer
If you are interested in becoming an Official Measurer download the Official Measurer Application at right and return to B&C's Records Department. When completing your application, include information such as: previous measuring experience (state programs, contests, etc.), if you are able to travel to measure trophies, and references.
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All 17 score charts are available as PDF files you can download directly to your desktop. Not sure how to take all the measurements? Good news, each score chart includes complete measuring instructions.
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The Boone and Crockett Club’s history is a 134-year long tale of measured and thoughtful commitment to wild land and wildlife conservation. This commitment balances human and wildlife needs and sees deep value in preserving the hunting tradition. It’s a commitment shaped by visionaries and a common-sense, science-based approach to natural resource management. It’s an effort that has saved many wildlife species from extinction and it’s considered one of our nation’s greatest accomplishments.
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Big Game Records LIVE is the next generation of Boone and Crockett Club's Trophy Search, a hunting research tool. With Big Game Records LIVE, we give you access to the Club’s massive trophy database of North American big game. Our founders devised the records-keeping system more than a century ago to measure the success of conservation efforts across the country. Now, these records are available to you by subscribing to Big Game Records LIVE.
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Saskatchewan hunter Milo N. Hanson harvested the World's Record typical whitetail deer in 1992, on his own land. Working long days as a grain and cattle farmer in Biggar , Saskatchewan, Milo N. Hanson doesn't have the time or money to hunt all over the continent. Then again he hasn’t had to travel...
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by Tony Caligiuri — B&C Regular Member This chapter is featured in Records of North American Big Game , 15th Edition Stories Behind Trophies Never Meant To Be In The Records The portrait photograph of the H.M. Beck pronghorn is featured as the chapter photo in the book. The head was originally...
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Big-game records keeping for both Boone and Crockett and the Pope and Young Club deals only with certain native North American big game animals. For such purposes, the southern boundary is defined as the south boundary of Mexico. Only cougar, jaguar, and whitetail deer of the recognized trophy categories range south of this boundary, and only the first two reach recordable size south of Mexico. The northern limit for trophies such as polar bear and walrus is the limit of the continent and associated waters held by the United States, Canada, or Greenland. Continental limits and held waters define east and west boundaries for all categories.
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Our intention is to provide you with an easy method to "green" score your animal. If the score you come up with is close to or above the minimum score for that category and you want to enter it in Boone and Crockett's records book, we can provide you with a list of Official Measurers for your area . In order for a trophy to be entered in the Boone and Crockett Club Awards Program, it must be scored by one of our designated Official Measurers.
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View the most current records data being processed through B&C's Big Game Records Keeping System. Updated daily!
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If you think you have a record book entry, please review our requirements. Click here. To find an Official Measurer in your area, click on a circle to drill down. As you zoom in, more measurers will appear. Alternatively you can search by state or province abbreviation, or the measurer's name. NOTE...
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The major features that make up a B&C score for a Rocky Mountain goat: C - Length of Horn and D - circumferences It would be hard not to classify any mature Rocky Mountain goat as a trophy considering all that goes into a successful hunt for these cliff dwellers. Nevertheless, as with all...
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See the complete list of the minimum entry scores for all native North American big game animals recognized by the Boone and Crockett Club.
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The first thing you will notice about a large whitetail buck’s rack is the overall height and width, followed by the number of points, and mass. When assessing a potential trophy’s score, we need to look at the lengths of the main beams, lengths of the points, the inside spread of the main beams, and the mass or circumference of the main beams at four locations. Learn more about the different components that contribute to the overall score for a whitetail and other big game animals recognized by B&C.
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The reasons why hunters don’t list their trophy in the records are many. Yet there are perhaps just as many reasons why a hunter should enter their animal.
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Once a trophy has been measured, there are a number of entry requirements that need to be fulfilled to insure the efficient and accurate processing of the trophy entry. Complete Score Chart The most obvious and basic item needed to enter a trophy is a fully completed original score chart, signed...
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Spend enough time outdoors, and you are bound to find something interesting. For some, those interesting things happen to be world record heads, horns, and antlers. Here are the stories behind the biggest “pick ups” ever found.
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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.
Our website uses tags at the bottom of our pages to create collections of related topics. Check out more tags!
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Whether you found an ancient set of antlers in your uncle’s barn or you just killed a massive whitetail, you’re going to have to wait 60 days before getting a true measurement. Allow us to explain why.
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Yes, antlers and horns can and will shrink over time. But there are a few things you can do to help minimize the shrink.
Trophy pictures showing hunters with game they have taken have been the primary means of recording hunting successes since the advent of cameras.
General Policies for the Boone and Crockett Club and Pope and Young Club Record Programs From How to Score North American Big Game , 5th Edition (2021) Altered Trophies Trophies that have been tampered with to gain an advantage obviously are not eligible for entry into the record books. Examples of...
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Pioneers of Conservation, Our Legacy for Generations: The Boone and Crockett Club’s history is a 130-year long tale of measured and thoughtful commitment to wild land and wildlife conservation. This commitment balances human and wildlife needs and sees deep value in preserving the hunting tradition...
1947 Competition
The Boone and Crockett Club maintains the records of native North American big game as a vital conservation record in assessing the success of wildlife management programs. Read about the history of how our program came into existence.
The National Collection of Heads and Horns, Cirica 1910
The intentions of the Club in establishing and popularizing a big game scoring and record keeping system were greater than arriving at a score, and honoring animals and hunters. The beginnings of record keeping had other purposes, conservation and the recovery of our big game species, and insisting on ethical sportsmanship.
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With archives of more than 45,000 big-game trophies dating back to 1830, perhaps no organization sees more field photos, from wow to meh, than Boone and Crockett Club. Trophy data is vital for conservation because it gauges species, population and habitat health. Outstanding field photos are a...
TROPHIES AND TROPHY HUNTING What constitutes a trophy is a matter of personal choice and experience, as is choosing to hold out, hunt longer and harder for a mature animal. B&C has long supported selective hunting for mature animals that have already genetically contributed to overall herd...
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Much debate has occurred through the years over the value and purpose of maintaining records of “trophy” big game animals killed by hunters. This has become magnified in recent years with a focus on trophy hunting in general, spawned in part by the Cecil the Lion episode, and in conflicting reports on the genetic impacts of trophy hunting to big game populations in particular.
Each belt buckle is custom-made for you and your trophy, including a relief of the category, location, harvest date, category name, and score. You can choose from three different styles: Bronze, Sterling Silver, Sterling Silver with Gold Plate, or Hand-Engraved Sterling Silver Belt Buckle with 24K Gold Plated Highlights.
Your B&C record book animal is a testament to the success of our wildlife conservation system and part of big game hunting history. Now you can continue to take pride in and share this accomplishment with family and friends for years to come with a custom designed ring.
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Boone and Crockett Club offers our big game record holders four different plaques and certificates to commemorate their hunting accomplishments.
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The major features that make up a B&C score for mule deer and blacktails are: F - main beam length, G - point lengths, H - circumferences, and D - Inside Spread. Mule deer may not have as much going on above their heads as other members of the deer family, like elk and moose, but judging them...
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Only two measurements make up the final score for a bear skull: A - Length and B - Width (not shown). By Jim Shockey Though some may disagree, black bears are one of the most sought after of all the big game species. Who hasn’t desired a black bear rug? Next to whitetail deer, there is an argument...
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The major features that make up a B&C score for moose are: Greatest Spread, D - Width of Palm, and Length of Palm. By Craig Boddington Of all the living members of the deer family, moose have the greatest amount of antler material. They also show great variation in size, with the smallest racks...
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The major features that make up a B&C score for a pronghorn: C - Length of Horn, D - circumferences, and E - Length of Prong. The unique pronghorn, its population reduced to some 15,000 head in the early 1900s , is one of America's greatest conservation success stories. Now legally hunted in...
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Already a subscriber? Click to Access Big Game Records Live! Big Game Records Live is the next generation of Boone and Crockett Club's Trophy Search. Big Game Records Live gives you searchable access to B&C's entire database of accepted trophies for all species. Included in this new version:...
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Already a subscriber? Click to Access Big Game Records Live! Big Game Records Live is the next generation of Boone and Crockett Club's Trophy Search. Big Game Records Live gives you searchable access to B&C's entire database of accepted trophies for all species. Included in this new version:...
Boone and Crockett Club has translated all of our score charts to French. Each score chart is available as a separate PDF file. You will need Adobe Acrobat Reader to view these files. Click here to download the free Acrobat Reader software . Each score chart includes measuring instructions...
MEMORANDUM TO: BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB BIG GAME RECORDS COMMITTEE FROM: ELDON L. “BUCK” BUCKNER DATE: DECEMBER 23, 2008 SUBJECT: AUSTAD N.T. ELK ENTRY INVESTIGATION As per the committee’s direction, I investigated the circumstances surrounding the harvest of this bull and found no evidence that...
Why are there two minimum entry scores—Awards and All-time? What is the difference between the All-time book and the Awards book? Does Boone and Crockett Club accept trophies taken with a bow or any other method of harvest? How can I locate Boone and Crockett Club Official Measurers in my area? Are...
The Boone and Crockett Club's recent 28th Big Game Awards established several new benchmarks that event organizers say are a reflection of today's hunters' commitment to conservation, fair chase and the future of these traditions.
In just the past 13 years, modern conservation efforts have produced an amazing 62 new state and provincial records--plus over 3,500 other Boone and Crockett-class trophies--for mule deer and elk alone. These special efforts and animals are profiled in two new books from the Boone and Crockett Club...
Boone and Crockett Club is very excited to announce that it recently released a limited edition of the Club’s long-forgotten, very first official scoring manual titled, Big Game Measurements , which was published in 1906. This book is a must-have for B&C book collectors and those especially interested in the history of the Club’s records-keeping activities.
The most popular and collectible book series in the Boone and Crockett Club library, "Records of North American Big Game" is now available in its 13th edition. It is the most complete records book available from the world's foremost authority on native North American big game records keeping.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation has added its name to the growing list of sponsors behind one of North America's longest-running celebrations of big-game conservation and management--the Boone and Crockett Club 28th Big Game Awards, July 17-20 in Reno, Nev.
Boyt Harness Co. will repeat as a sponsor of one of North America's longest-running celebrations of big game conservation and management--the Boone and Crockett Club 28th Big Game Awards, July 17-20, in Reno, Nev.
A resolution passed by the Boone and Crockett Club board of directors has renamed the Club's triennial youth awards and event in honor of former Club president Jack Steele Parker. Parker, who passed away recently, was active in Boone and Crockett for 44 years.

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"The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak. So we must and we will."

-Theodore Roosevelt