MISSOULA, Mont.—A celebration of conservation, hunting and extraordinary big game trophies is set for June 24-26, 2010, in Reno, Nev. Hosted by the Boone and Crockett Club, the event is a free public exhibition of world-class antlers, horns and mounted specimens from across North America.
Free attractions include displays of Top 5 trophies taken during the past three years in 36 categories of native North American big game species, plus a variety of seminars and exhibits.
Registered attendees also can enjoy raffles, an auction featuring hunts in top trophy regions across the continent and an awards banquet and ceremony on June 26.
The entire triennial event, the Boone and Crockett Club 27th Big Game Awards, is slated for the Grand Sierra Resort in Reno.
“This tradition dates back to 1947. That’s when Boone and Crockett Club began inviting the public to see the trophies that we honor as symbols of the world’s most successful model for wildlife conservation,” said Eldon Buckner, chairman of the Club’s Records of North American Big Game Committee.
“The exciting fact is that we are receiving four times the trophy entries that we received 30 years ago. This means wild, free ranging, trophy class animals are more plentiful today than ever before. And that is a tribute to those who manage our wildlife and the sportsmen who participate in that management,” added Buckner.
The Boone and Crockett system of scoring big game trophies originated in 1906 as means of recording details on species thought to be disappearing because of rampant habitat loss and unregulated hunting. Science-based conservation efforts led and funded by license-buying hunters brought those species from vanishing to flourishing.
Major outdoor news outlets are picking up on this conservation success story. InterMedia Outdoors, which owns Sportsman Channel and several publications including Petersen’s Hunting, is the Boone and Crockett Club’s media partner for the event.
“InterMedia Outdoors is proud to be a part of this story about conservation success and history,” said Jeff Paro, president of InterMedia. “We want to make sure our audience of avid sportsmen and women know about this celebration and the critical role they have played in the most successful wildlife management system in the world.”
Boone and Crockett records remain a classic gauge of habitat and management programs.
In addition to its prestigious history and tradition, the Boone and Crockett scoring system is strongly associated with the highest tenets of fair chase and hunting ethics.
