Boone and Crockett Club's 27th Big Game Awards Book

Boone and Crockett Club’s 27th Big Game Awards, 2007-2009 Edited by Eldon L. “Buck” Buckner, Jack Reneau, and Justin Spring Copyright © 2010, by the Boone and Crockett Club All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book or portions thereof in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the Boone and Crockett Club.

ISSN: 1939-4527 Hardcover ISBN: 978-0-940864-68-9 Paperback ISBN: 978-0-940864-71-9 Published October 2010 Published in the United States of America by the Boone and Crockett Club 250 Station Drive Missoula, Montana 59801 Phone (406) 542-1888 Fax (406) 542-0784 Toll-Free (888) 840-4868 (book or merchandise orders only) www.booneandcrockettclub.com

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BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB’S 27th Big Game Awards 2007-2009 ▼

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A Book of the Boone and Crockett Club Containing Tabulations of Outstanding North American Big Game Trophies Accepted During the 27th Awards Entr y Period of 2007-2009 Edited by Eldon L. “Buck” Buckner Jack Reneau Justin Spring

2010 Boone and Crockett Club Missoula, Montana

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FOREWORD ▼

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Lowell E. Baier President of the Boone and Crockett Club The Boone and Crockett Club’s public recognition of trophy heads and horns can be traced back to 1895 at the 1st Annual Sportsmen’s Exposition in New York City when Club members Theodore Roosevelt, George Bird Grinnell, and Archibald Rogers served as competition judges. A review of their early scoring techniques and challenges is detailed in a chapter of the Club’s 1895 book Hunting in Many Lands titled “Head Measurements of the Trophies at the Madison Square Garden Sportsmen’s Exhibition.”

In 1902, the Club established a Committee on Game Measurements, comprised of Roosevelt, Rogers, and Caspar Whitney, to determine the exact method by which antlers and other dimensions of North American big game should be measured that could become the Club’s official criteria. In 1906, the Club published Big Game Measurements: Game Book of the Boone and Crockett Club, which was authored by Club member James Hathaway Kidder, who later chaired the Committee on Game Measurements. Consisting of 107 unnumbered pages, this pocket-size book provided Boone and Crockett Club’s first criteria for measuring 17 categories of North American big game.

In 1906, Club member William T. Hornaday, who was then director of the New York Zoological Society Park, donated his private collection of 131 heads and horns of the world’s representative species to establish the National Collection of Heads and Horns (NCHH).

Boone and Crockett Club established the New York Zoological Society (NYZS) in 1895, and supported Hornaday’s efforts to establish a world-wide collection of the world’s ungulates arranged zoologically and geographically. By 1912, the collection contained 798 specimens.

Deacquisitioned in 1978, the North American specimens from this collection today are owned by the Boone and Crockett Club and are on display at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. Continually being upgraded, the collection features 38 heads including 4 World’s Record trophies.

In 1932 a new standard of measurement was developed and published titled Records of North American Big Game, a product of the Boone and Crockett Club’s Heads and Horns Committee, chaired by Prentiss N. Gray under the auspices of the NCHH and the NYZS. The measurement system was initially conceived and the book published to record perceived vanishing North American big-game trophies, and to heighten awareness in North America of the plight of wildlife’s declining populations. The 1932 book, and its 1939 successor, were richly illustrated by Boone and Crockett Club member and artist Carl Rungius, and contained 27 and 28 game categories, respectively.

The 1932 records book, limited to 500 copies, was popular and controversial, precipitating much argument and criticism over the scoring system and formulae used. The measurements were quite simple, the length of the skull, or the longer antler or horn, plus a basal

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circumference. Accordingly, Chairman Gray was asked to prepare a more comprehensive treatment of the subject establishing a system of measurement that could secure broad approval. His untimely death prevented this, and the sequel, North American Big Game, was published in 1939 by Boone and Crockett Club’s Records of North American Big Game Committee, with the cooperation of the NCHH, the NYZS, and the American Museum of Natural History. It adhered to the measurement method for scoring trophies Prentiss Gray adopted for the 1932 records book, thus perpetuating the agitation among sportsmen for a universally acceptable formulae of measurement and tabulation, which finally evolved in 1950.

A solution to the two-decades-long measurement controversy was a product of a special Committee on Revisions chaired by Samuel B. Webb, and consisting of Boone and Crockett Club members James L. Clark, Harold Anthony, Milford Baker, and Frederick K. A solution to the two- E. Barbour, and non-member Grancel Fitz. At the decades - long measurement Club’s annual meeting in December 1950, the controversy was a product new scoring system for trophy measurement was adopted for 30 big game categories, which of a special C ommittee remains relatively intact today. Quoting from on R evisions chaired by a 1997 article by the former Director of Big S amuel B. Webb, and Game Records, Emeritus Club Member Wilconsisting of B oone and liam H. Nesbitt: “With the newly established C rockett Club members system in place [and copyrighted], the Club James L. Clark, Harold set about rescoring those trophies previously recognized in the 1932 and 1939 records books.

E. A nthony, Milford The results, along with other trophies qualifyBaker, and Frederick ing under the new system, were published in K. B arbour, and non- 1952 in Records of North American Big Game.

This is then the “first” all-time records book member G rancel F itz . A t that used the Club’s copyrighted scoring the C lub ’ s annual meeting system adopted in 1950.” Successive all-time in D ecember 1950, the records books, the 12th edition published in new scoring system for 2005, have provided the strongest single vehicle the Boone and Crockett Club utilizes to trophy measurement was communicate the ethics and principles of Fair adopted for 30 big game Chase to the American hunter, and given the categories , which remains professional game management and scientific relatively intact today . community an invaluable database to measure animal population trends (from which game seasons and bag limits are set), genetics, nutrition, age, and habitat characteristics unavailable elsewhere in the world.

To encourage hunters to submit their trophies for measurement and to ensure the Club’s records books were accurate and up-to-date, Club President Archibald B. Roosevelt

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(Theodore Roosevelt’s son) began a series of public Big Game Competitions, which later became known as Awards Programs, beginning with the 1st Competition in 1947, to recognize top-ranking trophy heads as determined by the Club’s 1932-39 measurement criteria. These were held on an annual basis from 1947 through 1951; thereafter (utilizing the 1950 scoring system), on a two-year interval for seven competitions, and since 1968 on a three-year basis, all totaling 27 Awards Programs to date.

At the end or each three-year entry period, top-ranking trophies are invited to the North American Big Game Awards Program where they are measured by two separate independent teams of two judges each. Trophy scores are verified by the Judges Panel, and each trophy is examined for split skulls, breakage, repair, etc., utilizing x-rays where necessary, in the final evaluation before awards are presented. If an entry is later discovered to have been illegally taken, it is purged from the records. Boone and Crockett Club’s records today constitute the “gold standard” for records of native North American big game because of its long history of tedious development over the last century, and the disciplines built into the system to protect its integrity and sanctity. To appropriately recognize and honor the awards made every three years, in 1984 following the 18th Awards Program, the Club began to publish a special Awards Record book, listing and ranking only those trophies for the three years of the Awards Entry Period.

The Club’s big-game records-keeping program has been a continuing barometer of wildlife management across the country. Entries in 1980 totaled about 300 per year. The 27th Awards Program celebrated in 2010 in Reno, Nevada, had 4,906 accepted entries over a three-year period from which 98 were recognized with awards in 33 big game categories.

The highlight of any North American Big Game Awards Program is the potential awarding of Boone and Crockett Club’s highest award, the Sagamore Hill Award, for an outstanding trophy worthy of great distinction. This award, which consists of a medal and a certificate, is given by the Roosevelt family in memory of the Club’s founder and first President, Theodore Roosevelt, and two of his sons, Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and Kermit Roosevelt. This year’s 27th Big Game Awards honored Paul T. Deuling with the Sagamore Hill Award for his new World’s Record mountain caribou. Theodore Roosevelt’s great-great grandson, and Kermit’s great grandson, Club member Simon Roosevelt, presented the award on behalf of the Roosevelt family. The Sagamore Hill Award for an outstanding big game trophy has been made only 16 times since 1948, and can only be awarded during a Big Game Awards Program. It remains one of the most coveted honors a hunter can collect in North America. s

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Lowell E. Baier is President of the Boone and Crockett Club, and has been a Club member since 1980. He was recognized by the National Fish and Wildlife Foundation and Anheuser-Busch Companies, Inc. as the 2008 Conservationist of the Year, and similarly recognized by Outdoor Life magazine in 2010. Baier has been an attorney and investment builder in Bethesda, Maryland, for over 45 years, and engaged with the wildlife conservation community at the national level throughout this time.

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RECORDS OF NORTH AMERICAN BIG GAME COMMITTEE Eldon L. “Buck” Buckner, Chair Baker City, Oregon

Gilbert T. Adams Beaumont, Texas

James F. Arnold Austin, Texas

Mark O. Bara

Frederick J. King

Gallatin Gateway, Montana

Kyle C. Krause

Richmond, Texas

Jay A. Lesser

Hemingway, South Carolina

Glenrock, Wyoming

George A. Bettas

William C. MacCarty III

Stevensville, Montana

Vernon C. Bleich

South Boston, Virginia

Butch Marita

Dickinson, North Dakota

High Bridge, Wisconsin

Tommy L. Caruthers

Earl E. Morgenroth

Denton, Texas

Craig A. Cook

Anchorage, Alaska

John O. Cook III

North Bend, Washington

Ernie Davis

Missoula, Montana

Jack S. Parker

Carefree, Arizona

John P. Poston

Helena, Montana

Jack Reneau

Cotulla, Texas

Missoula, Montana

H. Hudson DeCray

David P. Rippeto

Bishop, California

Richard T. Hale Ottawa, Kansas

Robert H. Hanson Wapiti, Wyoming

Kevin Hisey

Chatfield, Minnesota

Fairbanks, Alaska

Mark B. Steffen

Hutchinson, Kansas

Wayne C. van Zwoll

Bridgeport, Washington

Paul D. Webster

Wayzata, Minnesota

Vernon D. Holleman Temple, Texas

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TABLE OF CONTENTS Foreword, by Lowell E. Baier ..................................................................................... v Introduction by Kyle C. Krause................................................................................. xv Review of the 27th Awards Program, by Eldon L. “Buck” Buckner and Jack Reneau..... 3 Award Winning Trophy Stories..................................................................................19

Black Bear — First Award, Robert J. Evans.............................................................................................. 21 Black Bear — Second Award (Tie), Joseph W. Paulo............................................................................... 25 Black Bear — Second Award (Tie), Donald R. Corrigan......................................................................... 29 Grizzly Bear — First Award, Rodney W. Debias...................................................................................... 33 Grizzly Bear — Second Award, Blaine E. Nelson..................................................................................... 39 Grizzly Bear — Third Award, Eugene F. Segrest..................................................................................... 43 Alaska Brown Bear — First Award, Robert J. Castle............................................................................... 47 Alaska Brown Bear — Second Award, Mikkel Sørensen........................................................................ 51 Alaska Brown Bear — Honorable Mention, Peter J. Bausone................................................................ 57 Polar Bear — First Award, James D. Unrein............................................................................................. 61 Cougar — First Award, Rod E. Bradley..................................................................................................... 65 Cougar — Second Award, Gregory W. Wisener....................................................................................... 69 Cougar — Third Award (Tie), Tim R. Gazankas...................................................................................... 73 Cougar — Third Award (Tie), Justin D. DeCroo...................................................................................... 77 Cougar — Honorable Mention, Brice D. Folden....................................................................................... 79 Pacific Walrus — Certificate of Merit, Richard Van Blaricom............................................................... 85 Typical American Elk — First Award, Duane Chapman......................................................................... 87 Typical American Elk — Honorable Mention, Dan J. Agnew................................................................. 93 Non-Typical American Elk — First Award, Denny Austad..................................................................... 97 Non-Typical American Elk — Second Award, John A. Shirk................................................................ 101 Non-Typical American Elk — Third Award, Dan J. Agnew................................................................... 107 Roosevelt’s Elk — First Award, Allen M. Shearer.................................................................................. 111 Roosevelt’s Elk — Second Award, Fred D. Ruggaber.............................................................................117 Roosevelt’s Elk — Third Award, John W. Rodius................................................................................... 121 Tule Elk — First Award, Andrew J. Wood............................................................................................... 127 Tule Elk — Second Award, Thomas B. Gordon...................................................................................... 131 Tule Elk — Third Award, Richard L. Garrison....................................................................................... 137 Tule Elk — Fourth Award, Steven S. Bruggeman.................................................................................. 141 Typical Mule Deer — First Award, Del R. Brady.................................................................................... 145 Typical Mule Deer — Second Award, Jason J. Gisi................................................................................ 151 Typical Mule Deer — Third Award, Warren M. Stadnyk...................................................................... 157 Non-Typical Mule Deer — First Award, Kyle Lopez.............................................................................. 161 Typical Columbia Blacktail — First Award, G. Bland & D. Boddy....................................................... 165 Typical Columbia Blacktail — Second Award, Jerry L. Thissell.......................................................... 169 Non-Typical Columbia Blacktail — Certificate of Merit, Robert Suttles............................................. 173 Typical Sitka Blacktail Deer — First Award, Joseph R. Jeppsen.......................................................... 177 Typical Sitka Blacktail Deer — Second Award, Dan Schulberg........................................................... 179 Typical Sitka Blacktail Deer — Third Award, Darin L. Crayne........................................................... 181 Typical Sitka Blacktail Deer — Fourth Award, Rocky Littleton........................................................... 185 Typical Whitetail Deer — First Award, Charles Q. Rives..................................................................... 187 Typical Whitetail Deer — Second Award, Jason L. Boyett................................................................... 191

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Award Winning Trophy Stories Continued…

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Non-Typical Whitetail Deer — First Award, Kyle M. Simmons........................................................... 195 Non-Typical Whitetail Deer — Second Award, Helgie H. Eymundson............................................... 199 Non-Typical Whitetail Deer — Third Award, Gerald E. Rightmyer.................................................... 203 Typical Coues’ Whitetail — First Award, Brian C. Balmer................................................................... 209 Typical Coues’ Whitetail — Second Award, Frank Lawrence.............................................................. 213 Typical Coues’ Whitetail — Third Award, Jay Jones.............................................................................. 217 Typical Coues’ Whitetail — Honorable Mention, Frank A. Macias..................................................... 221 Non-Typical Coues’ Whitetail — First Award, Gary A. Zellner............................................................ 225 Non-Typical Coues’ Whitetail — Second Award, Joshua J. Manning.................................................. 229 Non-Typical Coues’ Whitetail — Third Award, Thomas L. Thomsen, Jr............................................ 233 Non-Typical Coues’ Whitetail — Fourth Award, John P. Westbrook................................................... 237 Canada Moose — First Award, Keith A. Grant....................................................................................... 241 Canada Moose — Second Award, Ross H. Mann................................................................................... 245 Canada Moose — Third Award, Fred E. Dodge..................................................................................... 251 Canada Moose — Fourth Award, Fred E. Dodge................................................................................... 251 Canada Moose — Honorable Mention, Richard M. Bock...................................................................... 257 Alaska-Yukon Moose — First Award, Craig S. Spencer........................................................................ 261 Alaska-Yukon Moose — Second Award, Rob Springer.......................................................................... 265 Shiras’ Moose — First Award, Del J. Thompson.................................................................................... 269 Shiras’ Moose — Second Award, Rylan Rudebusch............................................................................... 273 Shiras’ Moose — Third Award, Win D. Bock.......................................................................................... 279 Shiras’ Moose — Honorable Mention, Susan A. Remer Shappart....................................................... 283 Mountain Caribou — First Award, R. Bruce Moon............................................................................... 287 Mountain Caribou — Second Award, Jack E. Risner............................................................................ 291 Woodland Caribou — First Award, James C. Johnson........................................................................... 295 Woodland Caribou — Second Award, Roger L. Leach.......................................................................... 299 Woodland Caribou — Third Award, Tom Gallenbach........................................................................... 303 Woodland Caribou — Honorable Mention, Richard W. Smith............................................................. 309 Barren Ground Caribou — First Award, Jack L. Wilson....................................................................... 313 Barren Ground Caribou — Second Award, Joseph C. Bitzan................................................................317 Central Canada Barren Ground Caribou — First Award, Nyla K. Swast............................................ 321 Central Canada Barren Ground Caribou — Second Award, Doran J. Lambson................................ 325 Central Canada Barren Ground Caribou — Third Award, Loren B. Mickelson................................ 329 Central Canada Barren Ground Caribou — Fourth Award, Steven R. Marr...................................... 335 Quebec-Labrador Caribou — First Award, Bret J. Wood...................................................................... 339 Quebec-Labrador Caribou — Second Award, Donald M. Vickers....................................................... 345 Quebec-Labrador Caribou — Third Award, Aaron Kelly...................................................................... 349 Quebec-Labrador Caribou — Fourth Award, Frederick B. Davis........................................................ 353 Pronghorn — First Award, Larry J. Landes............................................................................................ 357 Pronghorn — Second Award, Michael J. Wheeler................................................................................. 361 Bison — First Award, Edward D. Riekens, Jr. ........................................................................................ 365 Bison — Second Award, Art D. Tong....................................................................................................... 369 Bison — Third Award, David W. Baxter.................................................................................................. 373 Bison — Fourth Award, Gerald C. Newmeyer........................................................................................ 377 Rocky Mountain Goat — First Award, A.C. Smid.................................................................................. 381 Rocky Mountain Goat — Second Award, Robert L. Schermer............................................................. 389 Rocky Mountain Goat — Third Award (Tie), Terry E. Meyers............................................................ 393 Rocky Mountain Goat — Third Award (Tie), Don J. Dees.................................................................... 397 Musk Ox — First Award, Ben L. Mueller................................................................................................ 403 BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB’S

Award Winning Trophy Stories Continued…

Musk Ox — Second Award (Tie), M. Blake Patton................................................................................ 407 Musk Ox — Second Award (Tie), James D. Mierzwiak......................................................................... 413 Musk Ox — Third Award, James M. Mazur............................................................................................417 Bighorn Sheep — First Award, Toni L. Sannon...................................................................................... 421 Bighorn Sheep — Second Award, Debby L. Perry................................................................................. 425 Stone’s Sheep — First Award, Don South................................................................................................ 429 Stone’s Sheep — Second Award, R. Terrell McCombs.......................................................................... 435 Stone’s Sheep — Honorable Mention, Michael D. Schauer.................................................................. 441

Tabulations of Trophies Accepted in the 27th Awards Program................................ 447

Black Bear.................................................................................................................................................... 450

Grizzly Bear................................................................................................................................................. 466

Alaska Brown Bear..................................................................................................................................... 468

Polar Bear.................................................................................................................................................... 471 Cougar.......................................................................................................................................................... 472

Pacific Walrus.............................................................................................................................................. 476

American Elk, Typical Antlers.................................................................................................................. 477

American Elk, Non-Typical Antlers.......................................................................................................... 482

Roosevelt’s Elk............................................................................................................................................ 484

Tule Elk........................................................................................................................................................ 486

Mule Deer, Typical Antlers........................................................................................................................ 487

Mule Deer, Non-Typical Antlers............................................................................................................... 498

Columbia Blacktail Deer, Typical Antlers............................................................................................... 503

Columbia Blacktail Deer, Non-Typical Antlers....................................................................................... 508

Sitka Blacktail Deer, Typical Antlers....................................................................................................... 509

Whitetail Deer, Typical Antlers................................................................................................................ 510

Whitetail Deer, Non-Typical Antlers........................................................................................................ 540

Coues’ Whitetail Deer, Typical Antlers................................................................................................... 560

Coues’ Whitetail Deer, Non-Typical Antlers........................................................................................... 562

Canada Moose............................................................................................................................................. 563

Alaska-Yukon Moose.................................................................................................................................. 567

Shiras’ Moose.............................................................................................................................................. 570

Mountain Caribou........................................................................................................................................574

Woodland Caribou...................................................................................................................................... 576

Barren Ground Caribou............................................................................................................................. 578

Central Canada Barren Ground Caribou................................................................................................. 579

Quebec-Labrador Caribou......................................................................................................................... 581 Pronghorn.................................................................................................................................................... 583 Bison............................................................................................................................................................. 598

Rocky Mountain Goat................................................................................................................................. 600

Musk Ox....................................................................................................................................................... 604

Bighorn Sheep............................................................................................................................................. 606

Desert Sheep............................................................................................................................................... 612

Dall’s Sheep................................................................................................................................................. 615

Stone’s Sheep............................................................................................................................................... 617

Boone and Crockett Club’s Official Score Charts......................................................619 Color Field Photographs of Trophies Accepted in the 27th Awards Program.............. 655 Acknowledgments................................................................................................. 686 27TH BIG GAME AWARDS

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B&C Photo Archives

The 27th North American Big Game Awards Program Judges’ Panel and Panel Assistants are pictured above in Reno, Nevada. Standing from left: Paul D. Webster, Justin Spring, William A. Keebler, Patrick H. McKenzie, Mark O. Bara, Glenn E. Hisey, Frederick J. King, Robert H. Hanson, Curtis R. Siegfried, Homer Saye, and L. Victor Clark. Kneeling from left: Eldon L. “Buck” Buckner, Kyle C. Krause, Gilbert Hernandez, Craig A. Cook, Larry C. Lack, Richard T. Hale, and Jack Reneau.

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27TH NORTH AMERICAN BIG GAME AWARDS PANEL OF JUDGES Reno, Nevada – 2010 Chairman Mark O. Bara

Hemingway, South Carolina

Eldon L.“Buck” Buckner

Glenn E. Hisey

Baker City, Oregon

Chatfield, Minnesota

Craig A. Cook

William A. Keebler

Larry C. Lack

Patrick H. McKenzie

Anchorage, Alaska

Happy Jack, Arizona

Thompson Falls, Montana

Richard T. Hale Ottawa, Kansas

Cypress, Texas

Gilbert Hernandez

Curtis R. Siegfried

Regina, Saskatchewan

Homer Saye

Elko, Nevada

Whitecourt, Alberta

CONSULTANTS L. Victor Clark

Frederick J. King

Verdi, Nevada

Gallatin Gateway, Montana

Robert H. Hanson

Paul D. Webster

Wapiti, Wyoming

Wayzata, Minnesota

ASSISTANTS Kyle C. Krause

Richmond, Texas

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Jack Reneau

Missoula, Montana

Justin Spring

Missoula, Montana

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Photographs from B&C Photo Archives

Members of the 27th Awards Judges Panel worked together to verify the scores of the 98 trophies sent to Reno, Nevada, for the event. Above Patrick H. McKenzie (left), L. Victor Clark, and Eldon L. “Buck” Buckner, assist fellow measurer Larr y C. Lack as he takes a base measurement on Toni L. Sannon’s bighorn sheep. Sannon har vested the sheep in Fergus County, Montana. With a score of 204-2/8 points, it’s the largest ram ever har vested by a woman accepted in the Club’s Records Program.

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INTRODUCTION ▼

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Kyle C. Krause

Deputy, Boone and Crockett Club Publications Committee

Welcome to the 27th Big Game Awards book, the 10th edition published since the Boone and Crockett Club’s Awards book series began in 1984. The trophies listed in this book were entered between January 1, 2007, and December 31, 2009, and have not previously been published in an Awards or All-time book. This book is unique because the minimum scores are lower than the minimums set for the All-time records book, and for the trophies that do not make the All-time minimum, this is the only records book in which many are listed.

At the end of 27th Awards Period, all entries that had been accepted were evaluated, and the top-five trophies from each category were identified. These individuals were invited to ship their trophies to Reno, Nevada, to be verified by the Judges Panel and displayed at the 27th Big Game Awards Banquet. A special word of thanks needs to be given to the Reno-area volunteers from the Nevada Wildlife Record Book Committee and Nevada Bighorns Unlimited for helping unload, unpack, and repack the trophies. The 27th Awards Judges Panel, which convened in Reno in April 2010, spent five days verifying and scoring the 98 trophies that are featured within these pages.

The judges and consultants for the panel were selected by the Chairman of the Records Committee, Eldon L. “Buck” Buckner, and the Director of Big Game Records, Jack Reneau.

These gentlemen select from the approximately 1,200 Official Measurers who serve as volunteers for the Boone and Crockett Club, and whose level of experience, record of long-standing service to the Club, and exposure to a variety of big-game animals are an important part of the criteria for selection. Most important is their ability to resolve problems and disputes in a professional manner. The panel consists of a chairman, ten judges and four consultants, typically including at least one representative from the Pope and Young Club and two from Canada, with the rest of the members coming from as broad a geographic variation as possible.

To be chosen as a judge or consultant for a Judges Panel is an incredible honor. The sacrifices made by each of the measurers when they accept a position on the Judges Panel go largely unnoticed by those of us who enjoy using the records book as a snapshot of the past, so we extend our gratitude here. Each member spends a week away from their families and their jobs, and they experience the physical and mental strain of reviewing and scoring trophies for 10-12 hours a day for at least five days. They understand the significance of the decisions they make—their final decisions become set into the records books forever. At the end of the week for the 27th Awards Program Banquet activities, the judges no doubt were tired, but left for home gratified, knowing they had helped preserve and strengthen the validity of big-game records for another triennium.

The 27th Award’s Program Banquet and related activities was a three-day event in Reno,

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Photographs from B&C Photo Archives

Pictured above are the 16 youth hunters who traveled to Reno, Nevada, to be recognized at the Club’s inaugural Generation Next Awards Banquet. Pictured from left to right in the back row: Jordan B. Phillips (non-typical mule deer – 242-4/8), Griffin M. Terrell (non-typical whitetail – 224-2/8), Adam J. Bouch (typical whitetail deer – 162-7/8), Rylan Rudebusch (Shiras’ moose – 180-2/8), Brandon R. Kurkierewicz (black bear – 21-3/16), Kyle Lopez (non-typical mule deer – 306-3/8), Jacob L. Billman (black bear – 20-2/16), Cole M. Martinsen (black bear – 22), James P. Hamik (typical whitetail deer – 172), Cody C. Sanders (Roosevelt’s elk – 307-4/8), Wesley S. Brown (black bear – 21-9/16), and Jakob P. Olsen (pronghorn – 84); Left to right in the front row: Kalee C. Teel (typical mule deer – 191-4/8), Morgan T. Daugherty (cougar – 15-2/16), Jolayne M. Collings (cougar – 15-1/16), and Kelsey A. Smith (typical Columbia blacktail – 135-6/8).

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Nevada, in June 2010. It was the most well-attended Awards Program in Boone and Crockett Club’s history, which is a tribute to the hard work of the Boone and Crockett Club’s staff, committees, committee chairmen, and volunteers who put the show and display together.

One of the most exciting things to come out of the weekend was Friday evening’s inaugural Youth Recognition Awards Program, called the Generation Next Program. These awards were given to young men and women who were 16 years old or younger at the time they harvested their records-book trophies. The level of excitement and satisfaction in the young people’s faces was something special for everyone in attendance at dinner that evening. There were 73 youth entries during the three years of the 27th Awards Program, with 16 of those on hand in Reno to be recognized for their achievements. Of those 16 individuals, two hunters had exceptional trophies that would also be recognized the following evening at the 27th Big Game Awards Banquet. Kyle Lopez was 14 years old when he harvested his award-winning non-typical mule deer. The buck, with a final score of 306-3/8 points, received the 1st Place Award. The other youth hunter recognized at the banquet was Rylan Rudebusch. He was 15 years old when he harvested his Shiras’ moose, scoring 180-2/8 points, earning him a 2nd Place Award.

From January 1, 2010, the beginning of the 28th Awards Program, to July 2010, the Club’s Records Department had already accepted more than 23 youth trophy entries. This is going to be an exciting program to watch grow. As you browse through the trophy lists at the back of this book, keep an eye out for trophies with the special youth logo beside them.

I think you’ll be impressed with what this group of young hunters has achieved.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kyle C. Krause of Richmond, Texas, is a Regular member of the Boone and Crockett Club, as well as one of the Club’s Lifetime Associates. He serves on the Club’s Big Game Records Committee and is the deputy chairman of the Publications Committee. Krause was appointed as an Official Measurer in 2009 and attended the 27th Big Game Awards Judges Panel in Reno, Nevada, as a panel assistant.

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