Hu
nting GPS Maps is underwriting a special Hunt Fair Chase Award as part of a larger sponsorship 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. The triennial event will be held at the Silver Legacy Hotel in Reno. It features a public exhibition of World’s Records, Top 5 trophies from the 28th Awards, and records-book specimens taken by hunters age 16 and under during the past three years.
“Boone and Crockett began hosting public exhibitions of big game trophies in 1947,” said Club President Bill Demmer. “It’s an opportunity for people to see the trophies that we honor as symbols of America’s incredibly successful conservation system. It’s a system led and funded primarily by hunters, but it benefits all wildlife as well as all citizens who appreciate wildlife and wild places.”
One trophy owner from the participants in Reno will be selected for the Hunt Fair Chase Award. The award honors special grit, determination and preparation in a do-it-yourself hunt that embodies the tenets of fair chase. This new award will highlight the strengths of both Hunting GPS Maps and the Boone and Crockett Club.
Demmer said, “Fair chase is one of the core values that Theodore Roosevelt himself weaved into the fabric of our Club. We formalized that ethic in 1960 when we began requiring a signed statement of fair chase along with each trophy entry into Boone and Crockett records. In 1974, that requirement changed to include a notarized statement of fair chase. Today, the Hunt Fair Chase Award is one more way to underscore a sporting ethic that is just as important to conservation today as it was during Roosevelt’s time.”
“Our maps specialize in allowing the do it yourself hunter to access land ownership information, hunting units, and other features right in the field to confidently hunt public lands and make ethical decisions,” explained Matt Seidel, Director of Marketing for Hunting GPS Maps. “It’s a perfect fit. The practice of hunting public land and public wildlife through extensive scouting and personal effort exemplifies the do it yourself, fair chase hunter and we’re honored to be part of this prestigious award,” Seidel continued.
Demmer added, “By sponsoring our 28th Awards, Hunting GPS Maps is helping us spread the word that America’s conservation system continues to work well today. In fact, most big game herds are healthier and world-class trophies are more plentiful now than ever before, thanks to hunters.”
In addition to the trophy exhibition, the event offers registered attendees a chance to enjoy raffles, an auction featuring hunts in top trophy regions across the continent and evening awards banquets and presentations.
More info on the Boone and Crockett Club 28th Big Game Awards is available at www.biggameawards.com.
In October, the Club will release its newest record book, 28th Big Game Awards. The next edition in its popular and collectible book series will feature nearly 5,000 new Boone and Crockett qualifying trophies entered and accepted during the 28th awards period (2010-2012) in 38 different categories of North American big game, from whitetail to walrus.
Boone and Crockett Club began keeping trophy records in 1906 as a way of detailing species once headed for extinction. Today, trophy data reflect population health and habitat quality. Biologists compare and contrast records to improve local management strategies as well as state and federal wildlife polices.
To date, the growing list of sponsors for the Boone and Crockett Club 28th Big Game Awards, July 17-20 in Reno, includes Cabela’s, Aimpoint, Federal Premium Ammunition, Buck Knives, Leica Sport Optics, Boyt Harness Co., Hornady, Leupold, Realtree, Schnee’s, MINOX, Wild Sheep Foundation, Dallas Safari Club, Redfield, Hunting GPS Maps and Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation.
About the Boone and Crockett Club
Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club promotes guardianship and visionary management of big game and associated wildlife in North America. The Club maintains the highest standards of fair-chase sportsmanship and habitat stewardship. Member accomplishments include enlarging and protecting Yellowstone and establishing Glacier and Denali national parks, founding the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, fostering the Pittman-Robertson and Lacey Acts, creating the Federal Duck Stamp program, and developing the cornerstones of modern game laws. The Boone and Crockett Club is headquartered in Missoula, Mont. For details, visit www.boone-crockett.org.