Fair Chase Summer 2016 by Boone and Crockett Club

SUMMER 2016 | $9.95

Please join us in conservation, education and protecting huntersâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; rights.

Next DSC Convention January 5-8, 2017 biggame.org

G R E A T E S T H U N T E R S C O N V E N T I O N O N T H E P L A N E T TM

THE OFFICI A L PUBLICATION OF THE BOONE A ND CROCK ETT CLUB

Volume 32 n Number 2 n Summer 2016

TABLE OF CONTENTS 6

FROM THE EDITOR

FROM THE PRESIDENT | Conservation Funding

CAPITOL COMMENTS | It’s Time for Answers

BOOK REVIEW: INSIDE THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT

WHAT DOES FAIR CHASE HUNTING MEAN TO YOU?

ACCURATE HUNTER | Going Prone

ONLY IRONS

THE RELUCTANT GUIDE | 1886

29TH BIG GAME AWARDS - YOU'RE INVITED

MICHIGAN’S LEARN TO HUNT DEER PROGRAM

APPLIED WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE HONORED BY BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB

34. 29th Big Game Awards

24. ONLY IRONS

44. Michigan's Learn To Hunt Deer Program

Doug Painter

Morrison Stevens, Sr. Hannibal Bolton and James L. Cummins

Steven Williams

John F. Organ

Associates' Survey

Craig Boddington

Wayne van Zwoll

Excerpt from The Legendary Hunts of Theodore Roosevelt John Seerey-Lester

Johanna Dart and Jordan Burroughs

Press Release

SCIENCE BLASTS | Why Numbers Matter: The Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center at Michigan State University John F. Organ

70. Big Daddy VS. Big D

EDUCATING THE NEXT GENERATION OF CONSERVATION LEADERS

Michigan State University

61 WILD GOURMET | My Favorite Recipe For Success, Part Four Daniel Nelson 66

TROPHY TALK | The NCHH from Jack Reneau’s Perspective

BEYOND THE SCORE | Big Daddy VS. Big D

GENERATION NEXT | 29th Awards Youth Trophy List

RECENTLY ACCEPTED TROPHIES AND TROPHY PHOTO GALLERY 29th Awards Program Entries | Sponsored by Realtree Xtra Green

50. Applied Wildlife Research Institute Honored by Boone and Crockett Club

Jack Reneau

David Dent

COVER . Trio of desert bighorn rams in Northwest Arizona. © DONALD M.

JONES

@BooneAndCrockettClub #BooneAndCrockettClub

87 THE ETHICS OF FAIR CHASE | Common Ground Daniel A. Pedrotti, Jr.

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6

ABOUT THE BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB

FAIR CHASE PRODUCTION STAFF

CONSERVATION HAD A BEGINNING, BUT HAS NO END A LEGACY TO BE PROUD OF n

Oldest wildlife conservation organization in North America—founded in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell; Initiator and champion of the first National Parks, including Yellowstone, Glacier, Denali, and Grand Canyon; Initiator and champion of the first legislation for wildlife, including the Timberland Reserve Bill, Yellowstone Protection Act, Lacey Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and Alaskan Game Laws; Champion of the earliest science-based wildlife management efforts and legislation, including the National Wildlife Refuge System Act, and the creation of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units;

Champion of the first legislations funding wildlife conservation, including the Wildlife Restoration Act (Pittman-Robertson), and the federal Duck Stamp Act;

Pioneered and established the principles of responsible, ethical, and sustainable use hunting known as fair chase; Created the first big game scoring and data collection system to objectively measure and evaluate species and population health and habitat quality to improve state and federal wildlife polices and management; Initiator and champion of all of the principle federal land management agencies, including the US Forest Service, National Park Service, Bureau of Land Management, and the US Fish and Wildlife Service;

Spawned and supported key wildlife conservation organizations, including the New York Zoological Society (1895), National Audubon Society (1905), Wildlife Management Institute (1911), National Wildlife Federation (1937), Ducks Unlimited (1937), and American Wildlife Conservation Partners (2000) to name a few; Recognized, respected, and trusted authority on big game wildlife and habitat conservation for 129 years, thus far.

This is an excerpt from a message to members and guests from Simon Roosevelt at the Boone and Crockett Club’s annual black tie dinner, December 1st, 2012.

BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB BOARD OF DIRECTORS FOUNDED IN 1887 BY THEODORE ROOSEVELT CLUB

Club President – Morrison Stevens, Sr. Secretary – Tom L. Lewis Treasurer – C. Martin Wood III Executive Vice President – Administration Timothy C. Brady Executive Vice President – Conservation James F. Arnold Vice President of Administration Marshall J. Collins, Jr. Vice President of Big Game Records Eldon L. “Buck” Buckner Vice President of Conservation James L. Cummins Vice President of Communications CJ Buck Foundation President – B.B. Hollingsworth, Jr. Class of 2016 Ned S. Holmes Class of 2017 Anthony J. Caligiuri Class of 2018 Mary Webster

FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

FOUNDATION

Foundation President – B.B. Hollingsworth, Jr. Secretary – Tom L. Lewis Treasurer – C. Martin Wood III Vice President – R. Terrell McCombs Vice President – Paul M. Zelisko Class of 2016 John P. Evans Steve J. Hageman R. Terrell McCombs John P. Schreiner C. Martin Wood III Class of 2017 Remo R. Pizzagalli Edward B. Rasmuson James J. Shinners John A. Tomke Leonard J. Vallender Class of 2018 Gary W. Dietrich B.B. Hollingsworth, Jr. Ned S. Holmes Tom L. Lewis Paul M. Zelisko

Editor-in-Chief – Doug Painter Managing Editor – Karlie Slayer Conservation and History Editor Steven Williams Research and Education Editor John F. Organ Hunting and Ethics Editor Mark Streissguth Assistant Editors Keith Balfourd Jim Bequette CJ Buck Kendall Hoxsey Marc Mondavi Jack Reneau Tony A. Schoonen Julie L. Tripp Editorial Contributors Craig Boddington Hannibal Bolton Jordan Burroughs James L. Cummins Johanna Dart David Dent John Seerey-Lester Daniel Nelson John F. Organ Daniel A. Pedrotti, Jr. Jack Reneau Morrison Stevens, Sr. Steven Williams Wayne van Zwoll Photographic Contributors Tony Bynum John Hafner Donald M. Jones Fair Chase is published quarterly by the Boone and Crockett Club and distributed to its Members and Associates. Material in this magazine may be freely quoted and/or reprinted in other publications and media, so long as proper credit is given to Fair Chase. The only exception applies to articles that are reprinted in Fair Chase from other magazines, in which case, the Club does not hold the reprint rights. The opinions expressed by the contributors of articles are their own and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the Boone and Crockett Club. Fair Chase (ISSN 1077-3274) is published for $35 per year by the Boone and Crockett Club, 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801. Periodical postage is paid in Missoula, Montana, and additional mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to: Fair Chase, Boone and Crockett Club, 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801 Phone: (406) 542-1888 Fax: (406) 542-0784

NATIONAL ADVERTISING

Bernard + Associates, 767 Mill St. Reno, NV 89502 Jeff@bernardandassociates.com Phone: (775) 323-6828

B&C STAFF

Chief of Staff – Tony A. Schoonen Director of Big Game Records – Justin Spring Director of Publications – Julie L. Tripp Director of Marketing – Keith Balfourd Director Emeritus – Jack Reneau Office Manager – Sandy Poston Controller – Abra Loran TRM Ranch Manager – Mike Briggs Development Program Manager – Jodi Bishop Digital Strategies Manager – Mark Mesenko Creative Services Manager – Karlie Slayer Conservation Education Programs Manager – Luke Coccoli Customer Service – Amy Hutchison Records Dept. Assistant – Wendy Nickelson Records Dept. Data Specialist – Kyle M. Lehr

THANKS FOR THE RIDE The iconic Winchester brand celebrates 150 years of legendary excellence in 2016—a historic milestone representing a steadfast commitment to the hunting and shooting sports traditions and future generations of sportsmen. Thank you to our loyal customers who’ve trusted us in the great outdoors, at the range, on patrol and in combat. A world leader in delivering innovative products, Winchester is The American Legend, a brand built on integrity, hard work and a deep focus on its most loyal customers.

JOIN US AS THE LEGENDARY RIDE CONTINUES.

winchester.com/safety f irst © Olin Corporation 2016

FROM THE EDITOR It’s long been said on Madison Avenue that it’s more about the pitch than it is about the product. For example, the first low-calorie beer that came on the market, back in the mid60s, was Gablinger’s Diet Beer—from a taste standpoint, not, apparently, a bad beer at all. Gablinger’s, however, was a complete flop in the market. It seems that beer drinkers were simply not interested in a beer that advertised itself as having fewer calories than regular beer. A few years later, Miller came into the market with a very similar beer— Miller Lite—but with a very different approach. The Miller Lite ads never mentioned the words diet or calories. Instead, using a bunch of rough-and-tumble ex-jocks as their spokesmen, the Miller Lite campaign featured the two famous phrases,

“tastes great” and “less filling”. In other words, forget the calories, here was a beer that not only tasted good, but one you could also drink more of! To say the least, Miller Lite was not only successful, but spearheaded a whole new category in the brewery business. As so often is the case, how a product is positioned can make all the difference in attracting customers—or turning them off. So, where does hunting fit into this equation? It could be argued, of course, that hunting has never had to sell itself, that it has always been something, not unlike a family heirloom, that was simply passed from one generation to the next. That’s undoubtedly true, and over the years, family introduction has, and continues to be, the primary pathway for hunter recruitment.

It could also be argued that we can no longer put all our “recruitment” eggs in that one basket. The latest research I’ve seen shows that for every 100 hunters that drop out, only 70 new hunters are taking their place. A key question today for all of us in the hunting community is how can we broaden our appeal? In short, how can we position hunting in ways that might attract those outside our traditional customer base? In recent years, we’ve seen two such examples. The locavore movement, for example, has and continues to bring in non-traditional hunters whose prime hunting motivation is in obtaining organic, sustainable and locally sourced protein. I recently read a story about three “farm/field-totable” chefs who were on a goose hunt together. Sure, there was a lot of talk about recipes, but also plenty of back and forth about spending time outdoors with friends and the challenge of the hunt itself. While these three chefs came into our sport from a new direction, they seem to have quickly found the place we old-timers have been all along. A second group of new hunters is emerging from the fitness boom that has fueled a significant rise in triathlon and marathon races as well as

Doug Painter EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

similar “extreme” sports. Big game hunts in remote areas are now seen by some fitness buffs as a rewarding and natural test of stamina and endurance. If you missed it, check out the article in the Saturday/Sunday, December 19-20 Wall Street Journal, “Trophy Hunting’s Unlikely Boom.” As one hunter in this article mentioned, he enjoyed those hunts when he didn’t come home with a trophy as much as those when he did— a new hunter, perhaps, but not a new mind-set. As we develop new programs and new editorial within our organization and publications, let’s keep in mind ways we can stimulate growth in our ranks from nontraditional sources. Locavores and fitness buffs are a great start. Who’s next? Back when the Miller Lite commercials were popular, there were those who favored the team that yelled, “Tastes great!” Others sided with the team that proclaimed, “Less filling!” At the end of the day, it didn’t matter. We all enjoyed the same beer. Hope to see you down the trail. n

Students of the a pilot program designed to attract new adult audiences to hunting learn how to process game meat. The Learn to Hunt Program provides participants with an opportunity to learn in a hands-on, safe environment the skills necessary to hunt deer in Michigan. Participants were exposed to concepts such as how hunting contributes to conservation, deer biology, hunter ethics and responsibilities, and safe crossbow handling. LEARN MORE ON PG. 44.

FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

IN T R ODU CING

SIG SAUER ELECTRO-OPTICS

BE YOND THE BOUNDARIES W I T H T HE W HIS K E Y 5 5 X S UP E R Z OOM R IF L E S C OP E .

WHISKEY5 1-5x20mm

3-15x44mm

2-10x42mm

3-15x52mm

2.4-12x56mm

5-25x52mm

Built to perform in the toughest conditions, the new WHISKEY5 superzoom 5X riflescope line from SIG SAUER brings the hardest of targets into sharp focus. Featuring our proprietary HDX™ optical system for extreme clarity and low light performance, HellFire™ fiber optic illuminated reticles and a FREE SBT™ Sig Ballistic Turret calibrated to your unique ballistics and environmental conditions. GO BEYOND THE BOUNDARIES WITH THE REVOLUTIONARY WHISKEY5 RIFLESCOPE.

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6

CONSERVATION FUNDING I want to thank Hannibal Bolton, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, one of the Club’s new professional members, and James Cummins, our Club’s vice president of conservation, for their article about the status of conservation funding in the U.S. Their leadership and perspective on the current model of securing funding for the conservation of our wildlife and natural resources is always appreciated. If our nation is to continue to maintain healthy wildlife habitats and populations, we must make sure that conservation programs are not only well-funded, but costeffective; in other words, we must continue to do all we can to produce the most bang for our buck! Our nation is on an unsustainable fiscal path, and it is important for us as a Club to work with the current and changing administration and Congress to develop a comprehensive approach to address our nation’s fiscal problems. Many elected officials only focus on discretionary spending, but if we are to attempt to get our fiscal house in order, we must make changes in entitlement and tax programs, as well as changes in federal contracting procedures and cost-effectiveness of certain programs. Discretionary spending, which goes through the appropriations process, represents about 30 percent of the annual federal budget. Mandatory spending (i.e., social security, welfare payments, farm program payments, etc.) represents the balance.

FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

By solely focusing on discretionary spending programs, which include spending on conservation, we as a nation are disproportionately targeting programs, which results in poor fiscal policies overall and frustration among the public. For example, in 1982, approximately 4 percent of the federal budget was dedicated to natural resources, environmental, and conservation programs. This 4 percent was allocated to all of the federal agencies that had a conservation mission (e.g., Bureau of Land Management, Environmental Protection Agency, U.S. Forest Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, National Park Service, Natural Resources Conservation Service, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, etc.). Currently, our nation spends less than 1 percent on natural resources, environmental, and conservation programs. While budget cuts are inevitable, we must reflect on all federal government spending—including discretionary, entitlement and tax programs—if we are to continue to prosper financially. Additionally, we must consider adjustments in federal contracting procedures and increase the cost-effectiveness of certain programs. The U.S. government distributes or allocates funds for conservation through a variety of mechanisms: conservation trust funds, such as the Pittman-Robertson Act; discretionary spending programs such as those in the annual appropriations process; mandatory spending programs, such as some of the

FROM THE PRESIDENT

conservation programs in the Farm Bill; fines and settlements, such as those from the Exxon Valdez and the Deepwater Horizon; and, tax programs such as those for conservation easements. In the following article, Hannibal and James have provided a thorough description of the Pittman-Robertson Act and how it functions. Boone and Crockett Club members were instrumental in establishing the Wildlife Restoration Act, commonly referred to as the PittmanRobertson Act, almost 80 years ago. The Club was also involved in many of the amendments to the act. These amendments include: n making the funds perma-

nent and indefinite (1951);

increasing the excise tax from 10 percent to 11 percent on ammunition and firearms (1954); adding the excise taxes from pistols and allowing the use of these funds for hunter education (1970); creating an 11 percent excise tax on archery equipment and allowing the use of these funds for hunter education (1972); changing the tax formula on arrows and arrow components (1997);

n setting aside $8 million for

hunter education and shooting range development (2000); and

exempting certain small manufacturers from paying excise taxes on firearms (2005).

Morrison Stevens, Sr. PRESIDENT

Of special significance—which Hannibal and James discuss in the conclusion of their article—is the partnership behind the U.S. system of wildlife conservation funding. The core of this model is intact; that is, hunters, anglers, and the industries that outfit them comprise the funding engine for fish and wildlife conservation in America. As hunter-conservationists, we are pleased to do whatever we can to fund wildlife research and management efforts. However, we need to do a better job of communicating our story to other members of the public who may not be as interested as we are in contributing financially to conservation. Communicating our relevancy and value to the more general public is essential, especially in these times of cutthroat competition for available conservation funds. Regarding discretionary spending for conservation, the Omnibus bill that passed in December 2015 makes significant investments in conservation and begins to reverse a decades-long decline in funding for fish and wildlife, as well as hunting and fishing. Whether you hunt public or private lands, fish freshwater or saltwater, or just enjoy one of our nation’s wonderful national parks, this is good news. This is also good news for our nation’s economy, as so much of it is directly

related to our quality of life and the outdoors. Our public lands, like our national forests, have been underfunded for decades. In fact, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has lost 12 percent of its workforce in the last four years alone. The forest service has had to cut 39 percent of its personnel working on land management, timber production and recreation since 1998. With funding increases across the board—12 percent for the forest service and 5 percent for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service—our land managers finally have the resources they need to improve habitat for a diversity of animals. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which is home to the National Marine Fisheries Service, will receive $325 million in 2016 through the Omnibus bill. That’s a 6 percent boost to improve fisheries data collection and management, a significant benefit to the nation’s marine fisheries and our seafood industry. The spending bill also includes a three-year reauthorization of the Land and Water Conservation Fund—a hugely successful tool for improving access to national, state, and local lands—and boosts its funding next year by $100 million. These are dollars that forest rangers and state fish and wildlife agencies can use to purchase in-holdings and easements to create better access for our sportsmen. This fund also helps improve parks in our own neighborhoods. The Boone and Crockett Club has recently convened a

Thought Leadership Council to do some long-range strategic thinking about critical problems in the hunting and conservation world. The longterm funding of conservation is one area I have tasked the council to work on together. We must think about the future of hunting, fishing, and wildlife viewing, and reflect on a future system of conservation in the U.S.—one that can be maintained by a consistent, reliable funding source. This system will have to be supported by a growing and diverse population, incorporate both public and private lands/waters, and funding (e.g., excise taxes, appropriations, mandatory spending, tax credits and deductions, other forms of tax policy, energy-derived revenue, ecoassets such as species credits, water quality credits, and wetland/stream credits, etc.). This system will also have to account for efficiency and cost-effectiveness, which are often overlooked. On March 2, 2016, the Congressional Sportsmen’s Foundation issued a press release on the results of the Blue Ribbon Panel on Sustaining American Fish and Wildlife Resources, which was initially assembled in 2014. It was co-chaired by David Freudenthal, former governor of Wyoming, and John Morris, noted conservationist, founder of Bass Pro Shops and a regular member of the Boone and Crockett Club. The panel includes representatives from the outdoor recreation retail and manufacturing sector, the energy and automotive industries, private land owners,

As hunter-conservationists, we are pleased to do whatever we can to fund wildlife research and management efforts. However, we need to do a better job of communicating our story to other members of the public who may not be as interested as we are in contributing financially to conservation. Communicating our relevancy and value to the more general public is essential, especially in these times of cutthroat competition for available conservation funds.

educational institutions, sportsman’s conservation organizations, and state fish and wildlife agencies. The panel has excellent representation and perspective on what funding level is necessary for the states to manage our wildlife and natural resources going forward. The panel’s recommendation would redirect and dedicate $1.3 billion (out of $10 billion) each year from energy development (both renewable and traditional) and mineral development on federal lands and waters. The panel’s recommendation would help pave the way for our state fish and wildlife agencies to have access to the resources they need to manage wildlife and our natural resources properly. Sam Walton once said, “Capital isn’t scarce; vision is.” Your Club had a vision in 1887 that forever changed the world. Almost 130 years later, that vision has not changed. And it is still the right vision. We just have to make sure the capital continues to be there. n

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6

EVOLUTION OF THE AMERICAN SYSTEM OF WILDLIFE CONSERVATION FUNDING HANNIBAL BOLTON ASSISTANT DIRECTOR, WILDLIFE AND SPORT FISH RESTORATION PROGRAM, U.S. FISH AND WILDLIFE SERVICE JAMES L. CUMMINS EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR, WILDLIFE MISSISSIPPI

10 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Conservation of fish and wildlife in the United States is unlike conservation anywhere else in the world. Like many nations, we began our conservation story in the throes of wildlife depletion. Rapid settlement of lands in the 19th century, booming population growth by the turn of the 20th century, unregulated harvest of wildlife across the centuries, and the depths of the Depression and the Dust Bowl culminated in accelerating loss of habitat and near-extermination of America’s most iconic wildlife. By 1937, whitetail deer were almost non-existent, having been extirpated from Indiana as early as 1893. Further west, pronghorn and bighorn sheep populations were on the precipice of collapse. Nationwide, beavers had almost disappeared, and wild turkeys were at the edge of extinction. Fortunately for conservation, 1937 marked not the end of wildlife but the beginning of the greatest story in wildlife restoration. On September 2, 1937, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed into law the Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration Act, which is commonly known as the Pittman-Robertson (P-R) Act—an act strongly supported by the Boone and Crockett Club and one that would set the precedent for future wildlife conservation in America. The act established an excise tax on guns and ammo and directed those moneys to be used by the states for restoration and scientific management of wildlife. P-R was later supplemented by excise taxes on fishing equipment for sport fish restoration by the Federal Aid in Sport Fish Restoration Act of 1950, which is commonly known as the Dingell-Johnson (D-J) Act, by adding bows and arrows,

motorboat fuel, and other sporting products. What makes the 1937 act and its successors so remarkable is not the sheer amount of excise taxes collected for conservation but the conservation funding model and partnership it spawned. State fish and game agencies existed in 1937 but were, without exception, strapped for cash. Hunting and fishing fees and fines collected for violations were barely enough to cover the cost of enforcing hunting and fishing laws. In South Carolina, for example, a game warden’s salary was 50 percent of whatever he collected from fines. Budgets for scientific management of wildlife, not to mention recovery of depleted iconic species, were effectively zero. After 1937 everything changed. Funding to implement the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation (North American Model) was set in motion by establishing a dynamic partnership between: (1) the hunters and anglers who pay hunting and fishing fees and who purchase sporting equipment subject to excise taxes; (2) the industries that produce those products and pay the excise taxes on them; (3) the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s (USFWS) Wildlife and Sport Fish Restoration Program (WSFR) that administers and distributes funds from the excise tax to all 56 states and territories; and (4) the states and territories that use those fees and excise taxes to conserve wildlife in America. The dollar figures are impressive. Since 1937, the Wildlife Restoration Fund has distributed over $15 billion to wildlife management, and hunters have paid $6.4 billion in hunting fees toward the same. Since 1950, the Sport Fish Restoration Fund has distributed over $12 billion to

fisheries management and boating, and anglers have paid more than $6.5 billion in fees to complement those funds. In all, over $40 billion has been invested in fish and wildlife restoration and management—a conservative figure that does not include other fee and revenue sources available to individual states for fish and wildlife management. Success of the PittmanRoberson Act and the partnership it enabled is dramatic. In the first 10 years of P-R, 38 states acquired almost a million acres of land for use as wildlife management areas, most of which were dedicated to habitat reclamation and wildlife relocation. By 1951, Indiana had 5,000 whitetail deer; by 1970, 50,000. Pronghorn populations recovered to 1.1 million and beavers returned in abundance to their historic range. Waterfowl hunting days increased from no season in 1937 to between 50-150 days in the 50 states. Similar trends over this same period occurred for turkey and whitetail deer in the East and elk and mule deer in the West. In the past 25 years, 41 percent of P-R dollars have gone toward habitat development and management, 5 percent for acquisition (purchase or lease), 14 percent for wildlife surveys, 14 percent for research and technical assistance, 14 percent for program planning and coordination, and 12 percent for hunter and archery education. Fisheries in America reaped similar benefits from the Dingell-Johnson Act and the partnership that stands behind it. Over the past 25 years, 14 percent of D-J dollars have gone toward fisheries research and technical assistance, 24 percent for fisheries surveys, 5 percent for aquatic education, 20 percent for boating and fish access and operations, 24 percent toward fish stocking and development, 8

percent for program planning and coordination, and 5 percent toward improvement of fish habitat. More significantly, almost half of the cost of inland fisheries conservation nationwide is covered by D-J dollars. Together, P-R and D-J funds have provided the financial resources that state and territorial fish and game agencies need to fulfill their conservation mandate to restore and scientifically manage a diversity of species. Despite its notable success, the Wildlife and Sports Fish Restoration Program is not stagnant. It is evolving to meet the changing circumstances and needs of wildlife conservation in America. The most notable change is that of focus. After almost 80 years of reversing the legacy of the past, the Program and its partners are shifting from restoration to management of wildlife and fish to meet multiple-use objectives that include sustainability of all species and the integrity of supporting ecosystems. This shift is not surprising. With few exceptions, big game species are no longer at threatened levels. Indeed, the explosion of whitetail deer populations in the East and elk populations in the West has created a new set of conservation challenges. The priority is no longer to save deer and elk, but rather to balance their populations with the needs of hunters and, in Aldo Leopold’s terminology, the land communities where they dwell. Management of species, whether terrestrial or aquatic, means preserving all of the parts of the underlying ecosystem. None of this is inconsistent with the original intent of the Wildlife Restorat ion a nd Spor t Fish Restoration acts. Imbedded in both is the acknowledgement of the importance of non-game prey species and

habitat to the health and sustainability of hunted and fished species. Nowhere is this more evident than in a 1939 letter Aldo Leopold wrote to Albert Day, chief of federal aid in wildlife restoration, Bureau of Biological Survey (predecessor to the USFWS and WSFR) to ask if P-R funds could be spent on bird and mammal species “without any gunpowder value.” Within six days of Leopold sending the letter, Day responded affirmatively: P-R funds could indeed be spent on “wild birds and mammals which do not have any hunting value…” The Program continues to evolve in the direction of inclusivity for all species and their habitats. In 2000, Congress authorized the State Wildlife Grant Program (SWG), under WSFR administration, and authorized the first appropriation of $77 million in 2002 for the conservation of state-determined species of greatest conservation need (SGCN). Since then, more than $800 million in state wildlife grants have been allocated to the states and territories by WSFR for SGCN conservation. In part, the SWG program is an acknowledgement of the ongoing shift in how Americans perceive and engage in wildlife recreation. The National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, and Wildlife Associated Recreation reported in 2011 that 90.1 million Americans (38 percent of the U.S. population) engaged in some aspect of wildlife recreation. Hunters accounted for 13.7 million and anglers 33.1 million. Significantly, the overwhelming majority of wildlife recreationists neither hunted nor fished: instead, they viewed wildlife for pleasure. Changing American attitudes toward uses of wildlife explain, in part, the evolution in the implementation of the North American Model

toward more comprehensive wildlife and habitat management. Nonetheless, internal changes within the WSFR program are also having significant impacts by strengthening the Model and nudging it in new directions. For example, WSFR recently inaugurated a project performance reporting system called TRACS to give the U.S. funding partnership a better handle on how well conservation dollars are being spent on projects at the state level and the species and habitat outcomes achieved. This information is essential for the Program and its partnership to thrive. Associated with outcome reporting, WSFR is also inaugurating five-year reports on the overall performance of the program in promoting and achieving programmatic goals. In effect, these five-year interval reports will shed light on the effectiveness of the WSFR state, federal, private, and industry parternship in achieving the wildlife values sought by the American people. Finally, WSFR, at the urging of Congress, is working with the states and territories to direct increasing amounts of SWG funding to address the needs of imperiled species

designated “candidate species” under the Endangered Species Act. The importance of this cannot be overstated. Keeping species common should be a goal of all of us. Once listed, often adversely, hunters and anglers, the sporting industry, the USFWS, and the state and territory agencies are often left with the greatest burden. All of these changes are important and understandable, but they do not diminish the spirit or the partnership that stands behind the WSFR funding system—or its continuing importance today. Despite dramatic shifts in public uses and perceptions of wildlife, the core of the American system of conservation funding is intact: hunters and anglers, and the industries that outfit them, are and will remain the funding engine for fish and wildlife conservation in America. Wildlife viewers watch but do not pay. Hunters and anglers do—as do the industries that manufacture guns, ammo, rods, reels, and boat fuel. Serendipitously, this means that the contributions of a few will continue to sustain the public benefits of abundant wildlife and healthy landscapes for all Americans for decades to come. n

Since 1937, the Wildlife Restoration Fund has distributed over $15 billion to wildlife management, and hunters have paid $6.4 billion in hunting fees toward the same. Since 1950, the Sport Fish Restoration Fund has distributed over $12 billion to fisheries management and boating, and anglers have paid more than $6.5 billion in fees to complement those funds. In all, over $40 billion has been invested in fish and wildlife restoration and management. FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 11

IT’S TIME FOR ANSWERS The current presidential primary season has certainly been an emotional roller coaster for the candidates—and for each of us. As former Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice once stated, “Democracy is noisy.” Apparently it is also disrespectful, deceitful, and disruptive. I have always been keenly interested in presidential campaign politics, not an expert by any means, but an observant spectator. From my view, we have never experienced anything like what we have seen this year. As a result, I have never been more disappointed in our leaders and pessimistic about our nation’s path forward. For the first seven decades of the last century, conservation issues played a major role in national politics and congressional debates. Conservation appears to have lost much of its luster in our nation’s dialogue. The wideranging issues debated during presidential campaigns generally revolve around substantive and important responsibilities of the federal government. Unfortunately, during this primary season, we have seen little debate in the true sense of the word. “Debate” comprises “a formal discussion of subjects before a public assembly.” Rather, what we have seen is namecalling, obfuscation, and outright misinformation (at best, lies wrapped in half-truths). Immigration, terrorism, and the economy are the issues that have dominated much of the discussion. Jobs, foreign policy, health care, 12 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

taxes, and the deficit have shared the stage with the candidates and the media. These issues are clearly critical to our nation and our standing in the world. The social issues of same-sex marriage, abortion, and the role of religion in government do not directly influence the sustainability of our nation’s domestic tranquility, defense, general welfare, or liberty. They are emotional hot buttons that drive voters to one political camp or the other but do little to support the major dedications of our Constitution. Politicians latch on to these issues because they resonate with base voters. They provide fodder for distinction and division but they are not top-ofmind issues for the majority of our citizens. We have seen parades and protests from proponents and opponents of each issue. What we have not seen is parades or protests for the conservation issues that directly affect our domestic tranquility and general welfare. More disturbing, I have not heard any candidate discuss the conservation issues that are critical to our nation’s future—issues that should be fundamental to Boone and Crockett Club members. Most of these issues focus on the lands where we recreate, the lands that sustain our lives and livelihoods, and the lands that provide homes to thousands of fish and wildlife species. These are significant issues that deserve straight talk: talk about the proposed transfer of federal lands, conservation funding, enhancing federal land

CAPITOL COMMENTS

management activities, mitigating energy development impacts, private land conservation incentives, reauthorization of existing conservation laws, water management plans, and Endangered Species Act improvements. Each of these issues has a direct impact on our economy. Why don’t political candidates talk about these issues? We don’t require them to. We get caught up in political issues identified by candidates or the media that promote division between ideologies. It would be in the public interest to stop wasting time talking about social issues, and rather, debate conservation issues. Our natural resources are the foundation on which our country has been built and are the reasons for our position as a world power. Food, fiber, energy, air, soil, and water are the commodities that sustain life. We have them in ample quantities, and they drive our economy. However, we do not account for the damage or alteration of these resources in our gross domestic product. Many of these resources have been diminished in principal and interest; however, that cost does not show up on our nation’s economic balance sheet. Does anyone believe that our natural resource landscape has improved in the last 250 years? It takes one window seat plane flight across the country to see humans’ impact on the land. The loss of wetlands and grasslands, development of infrastructure, mining of groundwater, and the impacts of energy and water development projects

Steven Williams, Ph.D. B&C PROFESSIONAL MEMBER PRESIDENT Wildlife Management Institute

demand action. All of these activities come at the expense of the nation’s natural assets. We need an accounting of debits and a conservation plan for credits to become transparent and sustainable. In all fairness, many of the candidates have no experience or knowledge of how to fix terrorism, immigration, foreign policy, healthcare, or the deficit. They, like all of us, have opinions and unproven proposals. What they need to understand is the equal importance of natural resource conservation to our nation and the world. We have proven solutions to conserve natural resources. We can demonstrate the return on investment. The lack of political discourse about natural resources demonstrates a lack of understanding of the role they play in our economy and in our well-being. As the campaigns play out this summer and fall, we need answers—and we deserve answers—from the candidates on how they view the importance of natural resource conservation to the nation and to ourselves. The conservation leaders of the past demanded this discussion. What’s wrong with us? n

The T/C® Venture Weather Shield® Some guns don’t come in from the rain. With the corrosion resistant T/C Venture Weather Shield, the reasons to get out there will always outweigh the excuses not to. M OA G UA R A NTEE : 5 R R IF L ING : A DJ USTA B L E TR IG G ER : 1 6 CA L IB ER S

#THEHUNTNEVERENDS : TCARMS.COM

* Scope and Rings Sold Separately

MAXIMUM AFFECTIVE RANGE: THAT LIGHT THAT GOES OFF THAT SAYS, "I got this" OR

"I would feel better being closer."

14 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Beyond the bench, prone is the steadiest shooting position. The biggest problem is that low vegetation and the slightest roll in terrain often prevent view of the target from the prone position. That means you have to get some elevation. PG 20. THE ACCURATE HUNTER by Craig Boddington FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 15

INSIDE THE EQUAL ACCESS TO JUSTICE ACT:

BOOK REVIEW

Environmental Litigation and the Crippling Battle over America’s Lands, Endangered Species, and Critical Habitats Recently, a state fish and wildlife agency director asked me if I would introduce him to Lowell Baier, adding that Baier is “an intellectual giant.” The director’s descriptor is appropriate, as Baier has recently produced an intellectual tour de force with the publication of Inside the Equal Access to Justice Act. The focus of this book is the need to reform the Equal Access to Justice Act (EAJA) because of unintended provisions that incentivize and reward environmental litigants for filing suit against federal regulatory and land management agencies, and consequentially hinder proactive cooperative conservation efforts. EAJA is a relatively obscure law. I suspect most Americans do not know it exists, nor what its intended purpose was when it was first introduced in Congress in 1975 and eventually signed into law in 1980. Baier, a seasoned lawyer, political scientist, historian, and one of America’s leading conservationists (including president emeritus of the Boone and Crockett Club), peels back layers of proverbial onion to reconstruct a fascinating story about how this law came into existence and the twist of fate that led to a seemingly minor provision being inserted that eventually opened the floodgates for environmental

16 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Lowell E. Baier. Rowman & Littlefield, Lanham, Maryland. 2016. 648 pp. $75.00 Hardback. ISBN 978-1-4422-5744-3.

litigation. Baier tells how the politics surrounding the 1980 presidential election resulted in Rep. Robert Kastenmeier, chairman of the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Courts, Civil Liberties, and the Administration of Justice, allowing this provision to get into the law. Baier, the consummate and thorough historian, went directly to the source and interviewed Kastenmeier before his death. The story that unfolds is on

one hand a tutorial on the process of lawmaking, and on the other a suspense thriller of political intrigue. Baier’s writing throughout is superb. To tell this story, and hammer home the significance and urgency of the need for EAJA reform, Baier begins the book with the history of the growth of federal regulations in the United States. This sets the stage for the narrative describing the development of EAJA as a means for small

JOHN F. ORGAN B&C PROFESSIONAL MEMBER

businesses and veterans— stakeholders without deep pockets—to be able to contest regulatory wrongdoings. Baier describes the implementation of EAJA and its successful, appropriate applications. His historical reconstruction is captivating. Baier then chronicles the history of the development of private conservation organizations in the United States. He categorizes this into three eras: the first generation (1886-1936), second generation (1947-1970), and the third generation (1970-2000). Again, this is fascinating history with original and novel interpretation by Baier wherein he illustrates the very different approaches of the first and third generations. The first generation includes organizations such as the Boone and Crockett Club and the National Wildlife Federation whose political approaches can be described with terms such as collaboration, negotiation, and relationshipbuilding. The third generation is characterized by groups such as the Center for Biological Diversity whose approach is litigation. Baier devotes a chapter to the third generation, who he terms “Eco-Warriors.” He then goes into depth to describe the crisis beset by environmental litigation and how it has been spawned by the EAJA. He brilliantly

natural resources and livelihoods connected to the land, and the primary litigant groups, who want more species listed and kept on the list so that regulations prevail. The difference is upstream or proactive conservation with people being part of the solution versus downstream or reactive conservation where people are the problem. The final two chapters of the book discuss abuses of EAJA and provide pragmatic recommendations for its reform. When I first saw this book, I was a bit intimidated by its girth, wondering how long it would take me to plod through it. Once I read the preface by Congressman John Dingle, Jr. (retired), and Baier’s introductory chapter, I could hardly put the book down. Baier is a wonderful writer who can take complex legal and political subjects and weave a spellbinding story. This is a must read for serious conservationists and anyone who wishes to understand how the three branches of our government work. Baier’s bottom line is that we need to reform EAJA so the professionals can do their job and we can capitalize on recent successes such as cooperative pre-listing conservation efforts for the greater sage grouse and New England cottontail. In closing, I found a few passages within the 645 pages of this book where I did not agree with Baier’s perspectives or opinions, although his objectivity and balance throughout is superb. I alluded to this in a recent conversation with Lowell, and I suspect it derives from different pathways we navigated throughout our respective careers. I commend him for this brilliant and timely work, and I look forward to further illuminating discussions on these and other conservation challenges with this intellectual giant. n

demonstrates how EAJA enables major environmental groups to litigate Endangered Species Act procedural issues— repeat, procedural issues—forcing the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) into settlement whereby the environmental groups force the agenda while other stakeholders become excluded from the process. Baier details how the sheer volume of litigation sets up the FWS for procedural failure, and hinders its professional experts from being able to exercise their skills. Baier analyzes several case studies of cooperative conservation efforts designed to muster the public-private conservation institution (a legacy of North American wildlife conservation) to take the necessary steps to preempt the need for Endangered Species Act listing. Also known as “pre-listing conservation,” Baier illustrates how these efforts achieve much greater conservation outcomes than litigation. This further illustrates the sharp dichotomy between mainstream conservationists, who strive to engage partners in conservation of

SPECIA RA

Baier, a seasoned lawyer, political scientist, historian, and one of America’s leading conservationists (including president emeritus of the Boone and Crockett Club), peels back layers of proverbial onion to reconstruct a fascinating story about how this law came into existence and the twist of fate that led to a seemingly minor provision being inserted that eventually opened the floodgates for environmental litigation.

CO DE BC

The Art of the Gun Magnificent Colts Two-Volume Book Set

Classic Cloth Edition $

LIMITED TO 5000 SETS

318 75 $375

Deluxe Leather-Bound Edition

SIGNED/NUMBERED/LIMITED TO 500 SETS

2465 $2900

Call to order today...

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 17

WHAT DOES FAIR CHASE HUNTING MEAN TO YOU? Thank you to everyone who participated in the most recent Fair Chase readers survey! Your feedback is what helps us better serve you, and provide the articles you are looking for. We asked you "What does fair chase hunting mean to you" and we wanted to share some of your responses. Thank you for all the support of the Boone and Crockett Club and fair chase hunting! Be sure to follow us on Facebook to stay up to date on the latest promotions and updates on what the Boone and Crockett Club is working on to promote fair chase and conserve our hunting heritage.

JOIN THE CONVERSATION. TELL US WHY YOU ARE A FAIR CHASE HUNTER!

18 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

IT MEANS GIVE A LITTLE EXTRA. IT MEANS PREPARE PHYSICALLY, MENTALLY AND EMOTIONALLY FOR THE HUNT. THE ANIMALS, COUNTRY, YOU AND YOUR HUNTING PARTY DESERVE IT.

HUNTERS LIFESTYLE AND ETHICS CODE TO LIVE BY.

EVERYT ENCOUNTERS IN THE WILD! IT MEANS BEING IT MEANS HUNTING WITHIN THE ABLE TO TAKE MY LAW OR YOUR OWN ETHICS, KIDS, FRIENDS & NEIGHBORS WHICHEVER IS MORE STRINGENT. HUNTING WITH Hunting game on its own ME AND TEACHING THEM terms, recognizing a THAT ETHICS ARE WHAT responsibility to be fair and humane to the prey. Knowing GOVERN HUNTING, NOT that a hunter who goes home NECESSARILY THE empty-handed after hunting fair chase has accomplished LETTER OF THE LAW more than one who kills an SINCE OUR ETHICS MOST enormous trophy unfairly or illegally. Fair chase hunting ALL OF THE TIME ARE gives hunters the privilege of MORE STRINGENT THAN going back to our roots by becoming part of nature. THE LAW.

THE ONLY WAY TO HUNT.

Doing what is best for the critters we all have so much respect for, and doing it with peace in our soul and truth in our heart. Being outdoors and free.

THING! HUNTING WITHIN ETHICAL AND LEGAL STANDARDS THAT GIVES THE GAME PURSUED AN EVEN CHANCE OF ESCAPING. TAKING THE SHOT WHEN YOU KNOW IT IS THE RIGHT ONE.

Scouting hunting area away from hunting pressure. Pursuing game on foot, tracking, stalking, clean kill, care of game and following all game rules and living by my code of ethics.

MEETING THE GAME AS CLOSE TO THEIR LEVEL AS POSSIBLE.

DECLARE YOU ARE A FAIR CHASE HUNTER! Fair Chase Hunter decals are now available for purchase. Show your support with one of these decals. They make great gifts for your fellow hunters.

ITEM CODE: FCHD | $10

And, as always, encourage your friends to join the Boone and Crockett Club. Associates receive: n

Four issues of Fair Chase magazine (print and digital)

Associates card

Boone and Crockett window decal

Access to the on-line Associates community: Searchable field photos from the B&C Records database. Individual scoring database where you can score your trophies on-line. Electronic archives of past Fair Chase feature articles. A 20% discount on select Club publications and B&C branded merchandise.

JOIN TODAY FOR $35!

JOIN AS A SPONSOR OR SPORTSMAN ASSOCIATE AND RECEIVE THESE ADDITIONAL BENEFITS:

Sponsor Associate B&C Hat and Keychain

Sportsman Associate B&C Hat and Cooler

Already a Sportsman Associate? Renew and receive our B&C camp mug plus a B&C key chain.

CALL TOLL-FREE 888-840-4868 OR VISIT WWW.BOONE-CROCKETT.ORG FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 19

CRAIG BODDINGTON PROFESSIONAL MEMBER Photos Courtesy of Author

ACCURATE HUNTER GOING PRONE

When daughter Brittany took her Rocky Mountain goat, I crawled up with her, put the pack into place, and she came in behind me and lay prone with the rifle over the pack. Her hand position is different from what I would use, but it’s a matter of what works best for you! 20 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

In the field, the prone position can be easily and endlessly augmented. Prone is good, but it’s even better if the fore end is supported by a solid rest.

I used a prone position with hasty sling (left) to take this Stone's ram back in 2004. Creating isometric support, the hasty sling is invaluable in many field positions.

Without question the most accurate

shooting can be done from a steady benchrest. Prairie dog shooters take portable benchrests to the field, but big-game hunters can’t do that. Well, some can: A whole lot of treestands allow bench-like shooting! But if you’re a stalking hunter, you don’t have the luxury of a set-piece position. You must do the best with what you have to work with, and I believe the basics for almost all extemporaneous field shooting are found in the formal NRA positions: Prone, kneeling, sitting, standing. All have their uses. And, importantly, there are no range rules in the field, so all of these positions can be augmented with natural rests or stuff you carry with you: backpacks, bipods, sticks, and more. That’s fine, but it’s also good to start with the basics. So let’s concentrate on the prone position—quite simply, lying on the ground. As a rule of thumb, the closer you can get to the immovable ground the steadier you can be. Beyond the bench, prone is the steadiest shooting position. The biggest problem is that low vegetation and the slightest roll in terrain often prevent view of the target from the prone position. That means you have to get some elevation. In subsequent columns we’ll talk about higher positions—sitting, kneeling, and standing—but for now, let’s stick with prone; its utility depends on where you are. In brushy, flat country you can almost never go prone;

in prairie and tundra, sometimes; in mountains, one ridge to the next, often. If you can, you should! In days of yore the prone position had the shooter’s body at a 45-degree angle to the rifle-target line—to the left for right-handers, to the right for left-handers. This worked then, and can work now. All field positions are negotiable! The problem with the 45-degree prone position is that it almost inexorably places the rifle butt on the outside of the shoulder, where heart palpitations are more visible and slippage more likely. The modern prone position has the shooter more directly behind the rifle, with the shooting knee (left for lefties, right for righties) drawn up a bit and the rifle butt snugged to the inside of the shoulder. See what works better for you—and practice. W hat ever work s, there’s more. Being a bit oldfashioned, I like to use a sling

to tighten a prone position. These days few of us even know what a target sling is, but it’s detached from the rear swivel and tightened around the supporting arm to create isometric support. The hasty sling is almost as good, created by thrusting your supporting arm between rifle and sling and wrapping your supporting hand—clockwise for right-handers and counterclockwise for left-handers —around the sling. The supporting hand is snugged in behind the sling swivel stud, and the strap tightens across the chest for isometric support. The hasty sling is helpful in many field positions! These are the basics, but there are a couple of tricks. First, the supporting elbow should be under the rifle, not out to the side. With or without a sling, the more directly the supporting elbow is under the rifle the less wobble there will be. Second, in a perfect world, the

shooting elbow is also solidly grounded. The angle of your elbow doesn’t actually matter because that depends on terrain and the angle of the shot, but the shooting elbow should be firmly stabilized. Since we aren’t on a level shooting range and there are no coaches or referees, how this is done doesn’t matter, but under the shooting elbow is a good place for a hat or daypack. One thing has paramount importance, what my sadistic Marine Corps Drill Instructors used to call “good body alignment.” When you go prone and line up on a target, the rifle-target line and your body must be in sync. Lie down in your steadiest position, aim at the target, and close your eyes. Now open them. If you have to scrunch or shift to get back on target, then you do not have good body alignment. A more graphic demonstration: Get into position, rifle on target, rif le empty, action open, FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 21

AH fingers off trigger. Close your eyes, and have someone go in front of you and forcefully push the rifle rearward. Open your eyes. If the sights have shifted off target you do not have good body alignment. When I was shooting small-bore competition, prone was the easiest position. It was also the most unforgiving but most precise. And it was my worst because it was boring: It was necessary to hit the pinhead-sized dot inside the ten-ring every time, or game over. What little success I had was secured by lesssteady positions where perfection wasn’t as critical. But a good prone position remains the foundation for steady position shooting.

In the field, the prone position can be easily and endlessly augmented. Prone is good, but it’s even better if the fore end is supported by a solid rest. A bipod added to the prone position is marvelous. In open country I will often add a Harris bipod. I don’t use one all the time because it adds gun weight—and in brush is just one more thing to snag. Also, it’s nearly impossible to put a rifle with bipod into a saddle scabbard. However, I almost always carry a pack of some kind. This is actually my default setting for field shooting: Resting the rifle over the pack. If the situation allows, simply setting the pack on the ground, resting the rifle, and going prone behind it is usually a marvelously steady position. Often you need to get higher to gain visibility of the target, so the pack can be placed on a rock or log. If you aren’t hunting alone, you can pile up additional packs.

There are two cautions. First, in the heat of the moment it’s easy to forget that the scope sits a couple inches above the line of the barrel. This applies generally, but the lower you are the more likely the problem. You know the line of sight is clear because you can see the animal…but you also must make absolutely certain that the bullet’s path is equally clear. Sooner or later most of us will make this mistake at least once! Twenty years ago, in Turkmenistan, I had a shot at a fantastic urial sheep down a little draw. I can still see the crosshairs on his shoulder, and I can still see the explosion of dirt when my bullet hit a little berm 10 feet in front of the muzzle! The other caution is two-fold. First, never rest the rifle barrel directly on anything. Contact with the barrel can affect the barrel’s vibration, so only rest the fore end, and make sure the barrel stays

clear. Second, whatever you rest the fore end on, make sure the rifle is level and securely rested. Ground is rarely precisely level, so I prefer bipods with adjustable legs and flexibility to straighten the rifle on uneven ground. When using a pack (or anything else), make sure the fore end is securely rested. A few years ago I laid the rifle over the pack to shoot at a whitetail in western Oregon. Just as I squeezed the trigger, the rifle slipped off the pack. I felt it go, but I couldn’t call the shot back, and the bullet hit about 3 feet right and 3 feet low! To a great degree I did that to myself. Prone over a pack or with a bipod, I usually don’t grip the fore end with my supporting hand. Instead, I replicate good benchrest technique, using my supporting hand underneath the toe of the stock both to adjust elevation and snug the butt into my shoulder. This is sound technique and, for me, steadier than gripping the fore end. But in that situation, it got the better of me because I failed to make sure the free-resting fore end was really secure! If you can lie down to shoot, you should. Nothing gives more stability than good old Mother Earth. Often you can’t, because you need more elevation to get a clear view of the target. In order of stability, next comes the sitting position, so that will be our subject for the next issue of Fair Chase. n TOP TO BOTTOM: FORMAL: A good prone position, aided by the hasty sling. Important that the supporting elbow be as directly under the rifle as possible. PACK: Given a choice, this is my default setting. Rifle over the pack, prone position behind the rifle is the position I used to take a tropical whitetail in Peru. BIPOD: A low bipod is a tremendous aid to the prone position. Here I am using my supporting hand to snug the butt into my shoulder. This is sound and is my preference, but it’s essential to make sure the rifle is securely rested and can’t slip.

22 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Master the challenge. New ZEISS VICTORY V8

// PRECISION MADE BY ZEISS

New ZEISS VICTORY速 V8 The most sophisticated, precision hunting solution from ZEISS. Unsurpassed in its versatility and unrivaled in its optical performance, the new VICTORY V8 from ZEISS gives hunters everything without compromising anything. The brightest optics combined with 8x zoom enable fast, intuitive reaction time and flexibility at any distance, under any light situation, no matter the hunting scenario or style. This one-of-a-kind masterpiece of engineering is available in four models: 1-8x30, 1.8-14x50, 2.8-20x56 and 4.8-35x60. All models include TALLEY Signature Rings and a coupon for free TALLEY速 Steel Bases. 速

www.zeiss.com/victoryv8

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 23

O NLY WAYNE C. VAN ZWOLL

B&C PROFESSIONAL MEMBER Photos Courtesy of Author

Scabbards prefer open sights to scopes. Carbines like this Winchester 94 have killed many animals!

24 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Spared optical glass, a rifle is naked, intimate. Shots come close, life glinting in the animalâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s eye. Bully!

IRONS Her trail had threaded places that pressed tightly upon him. Fatigue shortened his step; still, his senses held an edge honed by constant threat. Other hunters might have missed the eggs; he did not. They were of a rare bird; he picked them up. In a sandy wash farther on, he stepped clear of a rock, turned and “looked straight into the tigress’s face.” She was eight feet away. In his left hand Jim Corbett still held the eggs. They may have prevented the reaction, he wrote, that would surely have triggered a charge. Slowly he pushed the Mauser across his chest. “My arm was now at full stretch and the weight of the rifle was beginning to tell....” The tigress had not taken her eyes from his. It seemed “that my arm was paralyzed, and that the swing would never be completed….” At last the muzzle covered the beast. Corbett fired. The .275 bullet splintered the cat’s spine and pulped her heart. The Chowgarh tigress had killed 64 people.

ABOVE: This late-production Marlin 1894 is bored to .357 Magnum, a shortrange round suited to iron sights. BELOW: Iron sights still make sense for whitetails hunted with shotgun slugs and traditional deer cartridges.

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 25

Now owned by Rigby, that rifle shows the scars of hard use by one of the world’s most celebrated hunters. I’ve shouldered it. Reverently. It points with a life-like will; its sights dutifully follow your eye. Glance down the silvered ribbon of barrel…. It comes hot to the hand under India’s sun. It gleams dimly, sights lost to the dark over tethered bait coaxing silent death. These days, rifles are borne like potted plants. Sportsmen grip them with both hands, arms out so tall that scope knobs and jutting bipod legs clear folds of branded camo. When game appears, machinery must be wrestled onto a support that will rein in a recalcitrant reticle. The animal is pulled from afar by strong lenses. Killing—clean or botched—is an effort in assassination. OK. That’s painting with a broad brush, cynicism in the palette. But haven’t you ever felt the urge to wrap one paw around the slim waist of a lever rifle and stride into the

forest—or, palm on the barrels of a big-bore double riding your clavicle, part Africa’s long grass? Haven’t you wanted to slip a carbine into a scabbard, hop aboard a pony and gallop onto the prairie, reins in your teeth? Got a pulse, Pilgrim? Many shooters think iron sights crude because they date back hundreds of years. But scopes share much of that history. In 1702 German author Johann Zahn describes a scope with a reticle etched on one of the elements. Shortly thereafter, Frederick the Great, King of Prussia, shot with a scope. Hunting sights got more attention than military sights in that day. Excepting the likes of Danish infantry rifles (during the 1600s!), most issued arms were smoothbores without sights. Aim was taken down the barrel, perhaps with the bayonet stud lining up on the target. When in the mid-19th century bullets replaced balls and buckshot in battle, notched rear sights and blades up front became standard

equipment. The advantages of long-range hits inspired sights that made precise aim possible. By the 1870s British LeeMetford rifles had sights calibrated to 2,800 yards. On the American frontier, Sharps breechloaders wore folding vernier tang sights. Meanwhile rif lemen retired to ranges in the northeastern U.S. to compete in Scheutzen matches. Iron-sighted Ballard, Stevens, Winchester, Maynard, Sharps, and Remington-Hepburn single-shots cut 200-yard groups tight— even by today’s standards! The introduction of smokeless powder in the 1890s hiked bullet speeds and extended reach. The 1892 Krag was fitted with sights adjustable first to 1,900, then 2,000 yards. In 1901, the Buffingtonstyle Krag sight offered an aperture in addition to a Vnotch. The 1903 Springfield succeeding the Krag boasted sight calibrations to 2,850 yards. Military sights suddenly offered more precision than the sights standard on

Your eye naturally finds the bright center of a big aperture. Ghost ring sights like this are very fast.

26 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

The tang sight on this early Winchester 92 makes hitting easier. A popular option back in the day!

most sporting rifles, reversing the earlier trend. But superb hunting sights soon appeared. Folding, spring-loaded tang peep (or aperture) sights for lever-action rifles collapsed under the bolt’s rearward thrust, then flipped up when the bolt slid home. The stem also folded forward, to protect the shooter’s face in recoil. A tang peep is as far from the front sight as is practicable; that long sight radius enhances accuracy. Close to the eye, a tang peep is fast, even with the tiny apertures affording precise aim. Receiver-mounted peep sights are sturdier and don’t get in the way of your trigger hand. The bolt peep on Winchester’s M71 was neat and effective; ditto Lyman’s 1A cocking piece sight for Springfields and the “Little Blue” folding peep threaded onto the back of a Redfield scope base. Bolt sleeve sights with the auspicious tags of HoweWhelen, Belding-Mull and Marble-Goss were beautifully machined to match the classic lines of Griffin and Howe and Sedgely sporters. Bill Weaver’s 330 scope ($19, including mount, at its

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 27

Williams open sights are adjustable, affordable. Wayne installed one with a shallow V on his SMLE.

The “bolt peep” on this Bighorn rifle was popular on Winchester’s 71. A neat, close-to-the-eye sight.

John Browning’s single shot (Winchester 1885) had vertical sliding lugs later adapted to lever rifles.

Remington’s 81 autoloader was fast and accurate enough for the deer woods with this aperture sight.

This 1894, well seasoned in British Columbia’s bush, is still hunting, having downed many animals.

28 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

1930 introduction) gave shooters of modest means access to an optical sight. Still, even costly scopes in those days were unreliable. Improvements such as fog-proofing, coated lenses, constantly centered reticles, and positive quarter-minute adjustments lay many years in the future. But after WW II, iron sights gradually vanished from boltaction sporters. Why charge customers for sights they won’t use? By the 1970s, “clean” barrels were nudging out those with sights. Even a scope that doesn’t magnify helps you hit. It puts the target in the same apparent plane as the reticle. At dawn and dusk, good optics brighten the target image. Magnification sharpens your view of the sight picture. But iron sights can deliver surprisingly fine accuracy. In rimfire prone competition, it’s no trick in calm air to drill .4inch five-shot groups at 50 yards with irons—a must, indeed, to have any chance of winning! My Anschutz 1413 and Remington 37 have chewed quarter-inch knots in the X-ring. Resulting ironsight prone scores have often equaled any-sight tallies fired with my 20x scope. “Aw, c’mon!” you say. But it’s true. A flat black bull’seye centered in a globe front sight in a tiny rear aperture affords very precise aim! Of course, afield such sights are useless; I swap them for fat beads in gaping apertures for quick, easy aim on indistinct targets in dim light, with recoil-proof eye relief. The unaided human eye can distinguish about a minute of angle (one inch at 100 yards)—and that’s if the light is favorable and the image well defined. Front sight and rear sight, the target and background all affect how well you see and how fast and accurately you can aim. An aperture rear sight

on the receiver (or tang) is easier to use than an open sight, as you needn’t see the disk sharply. Your eye naturally seeks the aperture’s bright center. The target must be acceptably sharp, if not as crisp as the front sight. Barrelmounted open sights task your eye with the impossible job of seeing sharp images in three planes. In aperture sights, I like aperture diameter to match rim thickness at 2mm or 3mm, depending on eye relief. Small holes help you aim precisely, but limit field, brightness, and eye relief. Even huge apertures on “ghost ring” sights yield precision enough to kill big game at ordinary distances. My .375 M70 wears a Redfield receiver sight minus its disc. The huge hole is guidance enough. The deck of a receiver sight for hunting is best uncluttered by knobs. You won’t adjust it in the field. A shallow V is my favorite open-sight design. It’s very quick, and more accurate than it looks. A light-colored vertical line, pyramid or diamond can pull your eye to the notch. A variation is a flat-topped leaf with no notch, only that rib. Deep notches, like big sight ears, deny you a clear look at the target. To my mind, multipleleaf open sights are bad business. An open-sight zero that sends bullets to the top of a big bead at 100 yards will bring them near bead’s center at 200, depending on the load. Shots will strike inside the bead as far as you can aim accurately. A hazard of multiple leaves is their habit of presenting the wrong leaf. Recoil can collapse and erect leaves. Better: one sturdy, drift-adjustable notch. As for front sights, crisp black blades that appear as flat-topped posts work fine with six-o’clock holds on black bull’s-eyes; but they’re hard to use on game, especially

against mottled backgrounds and in shadow. Globe sights (open discs inside front tubes) in which you center bull’s-eyes are also ill-suited for hunting. My pick for a front sight is a gold or ivory bead. Only snowy backgrounds hide the latter. When ivory beads were real ivory, riflemen removed dirt and discoloration by washing them with grain alcohol and placing them in the sun. Whatever the color, a bead should be concave or flatfaced, and angled up to catch light. Convex beads reflect light toward the sun, showing a false center. I’m sweet on the Sourdough, a square brass or plastic insert angled up. As wide as its supporting blade, the Sourdough is sturdier than a bead. Precision and complexity exact a cost in durability. Double rifles for royalty in colonial days commonly had a small silver bead for daytime shooting, a flip-up ivory bead for night. Big beads are easy to see, small beads more precise. Barrel length influences proper bead size. On a 22-inch-barrel, a 2mm bead appears about as wide as a deer’s chest at 100 yards. Hoods protect beads but also shade them and clutter your

view. The Dockendorff sight of the 1930s featured a hood that opened like an automobile sunroof so you could control light on the sight. Brownells, the iconic gunsmithing and shootersupply house, has a phonebook-thick catalog with myriad sights, including those from New England Custom Gun for specially machined receivers like Ruger 77s. NECG has apertures for grooved rimfire rifles, Weaver scope bases and special applications. Another go-to source for irons: Midway USA. Recently, a Montana-based firm, Skinner Sights, has impressed me with excellent sights for a wide range of rifles. They’re appearing on Marlin’s new custom-shop lever-actions. More than 45 autumns ago, a whitetail sped past me through Michigan aspens. It somersaulted 90 yards off, over a Williams open sight on a war-surplus SMLE. Years later an Oregon thicket disgorged a blacktail buck. Three fast shots felled him in the open aperture of a Winchester 94. I bet an Alaskan sheep hunt on irons, killing a ram and a bull moose with a 1903 Springfield and its Redfield receiver sight. I’m sweet on

Wayne bellied inside 60 yards for a shot with that iron-sighted 99 in .300 Savage. Why shoot far?

Targets for iron sights You can’t hit what you can’t see, so big targets make sense when zeroing iron sights. You must see target around the bead! At 100 yards, a target 20 inches across is not too broad. D’Arcy Echols, who builds custom rifles and routinely equips big-bores with irons, developed a target for open-sight shooting to 100 yards: It’s an inverted T, black on white. Center the intersection, or aim at six-o’clock. His targets measure 15 x 22½, with bars 7½-inches wide. (echolsrifles.com). For aperture sights I prefer black bull’s-eyes on manila paper or brown backing. I avoid fluorescent targets and bright white backers. Reflection softens the edges of bead and bull’s-eye. Fluorescence in sights or target can burn a sight picture into your eye; if the rifle moves, you can miss that shift.

Iron sights can produce fine accuracy. Wayne fired these 50-yard and 50-meter knots in competition.

The aperture sight on this reproduction M71 Winchester, now in .348 Improved, yields fine groups!

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 29

O NLY IRONS hunting pronghorns with irons. Pushovers with scoped bolt rifles, pronghorns demand that you hunt to get a 100-yard chance. Naked rifles in .250, .300 and .303 Savage, .348 Improved and .308 Marlin Express, and 6.5x55 have delivered my most memorable prairie hunts. In Africa, open sights remain popular on “stopping” rifles. Many visiting sportsmen use scopes. But professional hunters prefer the durability of irons, and their shotgun-quick jab at the buzzer. Iron sights add sport to a hunt that with glass offers little. Last fall in Namibia, squinting over an open sight on a borrowed Mauser, I sent a 9.3x62 bullet toward a whopping gemsbok bull. Earlier sneaks had been scuttled by fickle winds. Then Jamy and I spied a group feeding away at distance, undisturbed. We sprinted in a long arc and climbed a dune. Prone atop a ridge, we watched the herd string out below. They paused at 130 yards. A bit far for irons. But sling taut, my forward fist on sand, the rifle steadied. At the blast, the great bull slumped. His herd mates dashed off. I cycled the bolt, kept the bead trained. Soon I was stroking 42-inch horns,

most cherished because they’d been taken over irons. With one day left on that Kalahari hunt, I again took up the Mauser. Dawn’s chill still gripped the desert when we spotted four eland bulls ringed by an alarm system of foraging gemsbok. Swinging wide, we came up behind a hillock inside 200 yards—a chip shot for a scoped rifle. The bulls hung tight, as did we. After an interminable wait, the gemsbok drifted off. Singly, the eland climbed a nearby dune. Three eased over the top; the last halting against the sky, a sentinel. When at last that bull vanished, we dashed across the flat and scrambled up the slope. Out of breath, we came upon two of the animals suddenly. “On the left!” hissed Jamy. I fired quickly, twice. The passing of an eland unsettles me—as if the loss of even one of these enigmatic creatures sucks a breath from the bush. I gave thanks. The human eye is remarkably adept at aligning sights. It wants to fix offcenter images. Young eyes can best detect and correct fine errors in sight pictures. But if you can see game, you can use irons. Once, visiting a hunting camp without a rifle, I was invited to use a Mauser in 7x57. Prevailing upon my host to remove the scope, I was dismayed when we found the rear base soldered in place. It hid the rear sight. “I’ll get a hammer,” he said. I restrained him, lest he damage the bridge. At the camp’s rifle

range, I centered the bead over the scope base. Four bullets landed in a 3-inch group at 100 yards—much better accuracy than expected! One stubborn problem: point of impact was a long jack handle above point of aim! Keeping the bead below briskets would prove a mental challenge. But soon thereafter, in a brushy wash, a pig appeared at 60 yards. I dropped prone and aimed at a clump of grass hiding a hoof as the boar faced me. The 160-grain softpoint drove through the brain. So easy, thought I. My elation proved premature. After battling through dark thickets one day, my host and I chanced upon a fine bushbuck at 40 steps. My 7mm softpoint again clipped its back. “Tough shot,” Andrew said, charitably. I repeated that error on two more animals. Then one evening good fortune returned. A duiker flicked an ear across a wash. With but a sliver of shoulder visible, I braced my arm on a tree, added inches to the long jack handle between bead and brisket—and fired. The tiny antelope dropped, perfectly shot. I find naked rifles ever more appealing. Nimble as upland guns, they point reflexively. Their iron sights ride snug to the steel, ignoring heat, cold and moisture. They slip eagerly into scabbards. And even when a scope base hides the rear sight, you can wrap your hand around such a rifle and carry it like John Wayne. What’s not to like, Pilgrim? n

A prone position steadied the ironsighted 9.3x62 on this superb gemsbok bull. It died at the shot.

Wayne found this Swedish Mauser in a gun shop, used it with iron sights. Yes, that was a cold day!

An open-sighted Savage rifle in .338 Magnum downed this Australian buffalo for Wayne at 27 yards. A receiver sight keeps this Marlin 1894 slim, quick to point. It’s accurate to the reach of .44 bullets.

30 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

660 S. LOCHSA ST. | POST FALLS, ID 83854 | 800-326-2825 www.Facebook.com/BuckKnives

www.Twitter.com/EdgeOfALegend

www.Instagram.com/BuckKnives

32 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

An excerpt from our newest book, The Legendary Hunts of Theodore Roosevelt by John Seerey-Lester. Special B&C Edition now available.

he fresh-faced young man from New York was eager to hunt mountain goats and was doing his best to persuade the rugged man from Missouri to act as his guide. The Missourian was Jack Willis and the tenderfoot was 28-year-old Theodore Roosevelt, who was with a companion, William Merrifield. TR had just bought a ranch in the Dakota Territory and fancied himself as a hunter. He was also very good at pleading his case. Unfortunately, Willis was not easily impressed and soon had the young Easterner pleading for his help. Willis eventually agreed to take the two men along as his guests into the sprawling wilderness of northern Idaho, though he refused to serve as their guide. Apparently he was skeptical about Roosevelt’s hunting abilities. However, once on the hunt, he soon realized that his initial skepticism was completely unfounded, and the two men became good friends as their adventure progressed. Willis seemed to scramble over the rocks with the speed and agility of a mountain goat. Though TR struggled to keep up, Willis was surprised by how the bespectacled “dude” stayed with him on the rugged mountain terrain. Every now and then Roosevelt would pause and wipe the moisture from his glasses, then follow his guide with renewed enthusiasm. There seemed to be no stopping him and the hard-to-please Willis was impressed. On the afternoon of the first day the men came upon a herd of goats. Within minutes a billy appeared and after cautiously checking for danger, wandered down to within 200 yards of the hunters. TR raised his rifle and fired, somehow missing the goat, which bolted and pranced uphill away from the hunters. TR fired again and this time a bit of hair flew off one foreleg. Willis noticed that the goat was favoring his leg as he vanished among the rugged peaks. The hunting party followed the

THE RELUCTANT

GUIDE 18 8 6

blood trail until dark, which forced them back to camp. Coming down was almost as hard as going up, and TR’s disappointment seemed to cast even more darkness over the trio. That night Merrifield nursed his sore feet while TR nursed his injured pride. Ignoring the encouragement of his fellow hunters, TR could not be consoled; he was determined to find the wounded animal. At first light Willis and TR set off in search of the goat, while Merrifield bathed his feet in camp. They found the blood trail again, which led them to where Willis spotted a lone billy atop a rock outcrop a quarter-mile away. The gusty canyon winds would make the shot extremely difficult if not impossible, according to Willis. But TR decided to shoot anyway. To Willis’ absolute amazement, the goat took one leap and fell dead. The .45-75 bullet had smashed straight through his heart. Once again impressed with the “dude,” Willis offered his hearty congratulations. TR could not contain his excitement and right then offered Willis a hundred-dollar bill for his expert guiding. Willis, true to form, refused the money. When the two men reached the trophy, TR was especially pleased to see it was the goat he had wounded the previous day. Roosevelt’s high country adventure was far from over. While Merrifield continued to nurse his sore feet, TR and Willis headed out the next day in search

of a second billy. What ensued was a moment of terror they would never forget. With the silent, sure-footed Willis leading the way, the men walked carefully in single file along a narrow, slatecovered pass that traversed the side of a high cliff. On one side was a sheer drop of some 60 feet. The men clung to the rock wall as they sidestepped along the slippery ledge. Willis heard a sliding noise and turned to see TR tumbling headfirst into the canyon toward the sharp rocks at the bottom. Buy your B&C Edition of Willis felt The Legendary Hunts sure TR would be of Theodore Roosevelt! killed. But as he www.boone-crockett.org/TRhunts peered over the ledge to watch his companion’s deathly fall, he was amazed to see TR hit the top of pine tree, breaking his initial fall, bounce into the branches of a second tree, and then roll into a third tree before miraculously landing on a mosscovered ledge. “I am not hurt a bit! Wait till I find my glasses,” TR shouted up to the shocked Willis. Amazingly, the future president— and his glasses—were unharmed. This harrowing incident was one of many in TR’s life that ultimately led to the legend of “Roosevelt Luck.” When he returned from out West in the autumn of 1886, he had become not only an accomplished hunter, but also a complete man. n

Want More TR Stories?

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 33

YOU’RE INVITED!

On behalf of the Boone and Crockett Club and the Records Committee, I would like to personally invite you to attend the Boone and Crockett Club’s 29th Big Game Awards Banquet and related activities July14-16, 2016, in Springfield, Missouri. The Club began its trophy exhibits and Awards banquets in 1948, and this one is shaping up to be our largest event ever. What originally started as a way to recognize the achievements of fair chase sportsmen and their trophies, has grown over the last 68 years into a celebration of successful wildlife conservation and management. Nowhere will you be able to see over 100 of the largest record-book trophies entered over the last three years from across North America, including some the largest in recorded history. Invited trophies include the current and one potential new World’s Record Alaska-Yukon moose, two pronghorn exceeding the 2002 World’s Record of 95-inches, and the two largest hunter-taken grizzlies of all time. Also on display will be a special exhibit of outstanding Boone and Crockett record-book trophies taken by youth hunters 16 years old and younger. All attendees are welcome to luncheons, and banquets all celebrating hunting and conservation.

Please join us in Springfield, Missouri, at the greatest gathering of big game enthusiasts and conservationists ever assembled, where everyone is a hunter.

PUBLIC EXHIBIT OF INVITED TROPHIES The trophy exhibit will be at Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri. The exhibit will be open to the public beginning May 9, 2016, and will close July 31, 2016.

34 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

WWW.BIGGAMEAWARDS.COM

29TH AWARDS SCHEDULE OF EVENTS Thursday, July 14

6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

Friday, July 15

9:00 a.m. – 10:30 a.m.

WELCOME RECEPTION - tickets required.

Attendees and guests will enjoy a selection of hors d’oeuvres while viewing the trophy exhibit in privacy, swapping hunting stories, comparing photographs and visiting with each other. Bring your camera.

B&C OFFICIAL MEASURER OPEN MEETING

Free of charge and open to all registered guests. Sit in on a discussion of scoring procedures and questions commonly addressed by records staff in Missoula. This will be continuing scoring education for official measurers, but will be of interest to all who attend.

12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. FIELD GENERALS LUNCHEON - tickets required.

Luncheon honoring Boone and Crockett Club’s dedicated Official Measurers.

5:30 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.

JACK S. PARKER GENERATION NEXT RECEPTION AND BANQUET tickets required. Special dinner honoring youth hunters who have accepted trophies in the 29th Big Game Awards Entry Period.

Saturday, July 16

8:30 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.

PLANNED GIVING SEMINAR by Winton Smith JD

Coffee will be served. Open to all interested.

12:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m. LIFETIME ASSOCIATE APPRECIATION LUNCH - tickets required. Luncheon honoring Boone and Crockett Club’s Lifetime Associates.

1:30 p.m. – 3:00 p.m.

29TH AWARDS BENEFIT AUCTION

The 29th Awards Auction will feature representatives of some of the best hunts in the best lands across North America offered by guiding operations committed to the principles of fair chase.

6:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m. 29TH AWARDS PROGRAM BANQUET AND RECEPTION - tickets required. The Awards for invited trophies on display will be presented to the trophy owners following dinner. Appropriate attire – slacks, dress shirts, suits, dresses, etc.

REGISTRATION DEADLINE MAY 27

Completed registration form and payment sent to Boone and Crockett Club. On-line registration is also available on the official website of the 29th Big Game Awards at www.biggameawards.com and go to the Event Registration.

HOTEL RESERVATION Contact the University Plaza Hotel directly to make your reservations at 1-417-864-7333. The Club has set aside a block for rooms with special discounted pricing for attendees $94/night, plus tax. Be sure to mention Boone and Crockett for special rates.

29TH BIG GAME AWARDS SPONSORS

Where Hunting Happens, Conservation Happens™

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 35

TAKE YOUR COMMITMENT TO THE NEXT LEVEL AND BECOME A LIFETIME ASSOCIATE

Anyone who is interested in providing greater support to B&C’s endowment and helping to further the work of our mission-based programs—like hunter ethics, conservation education, big game records keeping— should consider signing up. The cost is a one-time fee of $1,500, with $500 of that going directly into the Boone and Crockett Club’s endowment.

ATTENTION: CURRENT AND FUTURE LIFETIME ASSOCIATES WHO ATTEND THE LUNCHEON ARE ELIGIBLE TO WIN THIS HUNT

Please take this opportunity to join our group of dedicated, ethical hunters whose common interest and participation in their sport demands the respect of everyone who takes to the field. Along with your financial support of the Boone and Crockett Club, you will also receive this impressive package of benefits.

LIFETIME ASSOCIATES, ATTEND THE 29TH AWARDS LIFETIME ASSOCIATE LUNCHEON AND YOU WILL HAVE A CHANCE TO WIN THIS HUNT! 5-DAY BRITISH COLUMBIA BLACK BEAR HUNT This hunt will take place 1½ hours Southeast of Prince George, British Columbia in May 2017. Lobo Peak has more than 2,000 square miles of hunting territory. The three main watersheds within this territory are the Bowron, Fraser and Willow. Fishing is also very good.

LIFETIME ASSOCIATE BENEFITS: n n

Lifetime subscription to Fair Chase magazine Long-sleeve, button-down B&C Lifetime Associate shirt with embroidered B&C logo

Leather and canvas hat with B&C logo

B&C Lifetime Associate plaque

A 20% discount on select B&C books and merchandise

A significant tax deduction

Invitations to special B&C events

NEW! A one-year introductory subscription to B&C’s Trophy Database Search A Boyt Harness Company scoped rifle case (while supplies last)

ATTENTION: REGISTER FOR THE 29TH AWARDS LIFETIME ASSOCIATE LUNCHEON AND RECEIVE TWO FREE TICKETS TO THE EVENT!

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION You have three payment options when you sign up—full payment, monthly installments or quarterly payments. If you are 65 and over, and would like to become a Lifetime Associate you can now support the Boone and Crockett Club at the discounted rate of $1,250. For more information regarding the Boone and Crockett Club’s endowment please call the office at 406/542-1888.

36 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Lobo Peak Guides and Outfitters offers guided spot and stalk big game hunting adventures. Owned and operated by Cody Payne, he and his group of first-class guides will share their knowledge of hunting and the area with you to give you the most enjoyable, memorable and successful hunting experience possible. From the beautiful scenery of northern British Columbia and the excellent hunting to the home-cooked meals and the comfortable cabins this is a trip that you will not forget. There is a high population of bears in our area so each hunter is allowed to take two. We hunt bears in the spring where the grass gets green first. These bears are right out of hibernation and their coats are thick and at their very best. We have a high success rate on this hunt with most hunters taking two bears. Bears can be hunted with bow, muzzleloader or rifle. Our bears come in all color phases including black, chocolate, cinnamon and blond. Our bears range from 6 - 7 feet with many going over the 7-foot mark.

THE BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB WILL BE AUCTIONING OFF THE #1,000 LIFETIME ASSOCIATE SPOT AT THE 29TH BIG GAME AWARDS AUCTION. Learn more about the auction on the next pages.

BELIEVE MONSTERS IN

THEY’RE OUT THERE. FIND THEM, WITH THE NEW LEUPOLD® VX®-3i. The VX®-3i with Leupold’s exclusive Twilight Max™ Light Management System does more with light when you need it most: dawn and dusk. No scope is better at stripping out glare, optimizing contrast, and transmitting light across the entire visible spectrum, including the wavelengths present at first and last light. With a VX-3i, you’ll be counting tines on a monster, while other hunters count the minutes ’til sun up. The VX-3i. Believe in monsters.

LEUPOLD.COM/VX-3i

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 37

29TH AWARDS BENEFIT AUCTION For the past year the 29th Awards Program Committee has been gathering a great offering of select auction items befitting of the trophies and fair chase hunts being celebrated at the 29th Big Game Awards.

10-DAY YUKON DALL'S SHEEP HUNT DONATED BY RUBY RANGE OUTFITTERS

Like all non-profit conservation organizations, the Boone and Crockett Club can only be as effective as the money it can raise and put to work to further its mission. Proceeds from live and silent auctions provide a vital boost in funds available to support the Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s missionbased programs. Whether you are a donor or a bidder, on behalf of the Boone and Crockett Club,we hope you'll be able to participate in our 29th Awards celebration and we thank you for your continued support.

5-DAY COLORADO MULE DEER HUNT

DONATED BY WORLDWIDE TROPHY ADVENTURES

5-DAY CALIFORNIA COLUMBIA BLACKTAIL DEER HUNT

DONATED BY PACIFIC GHOST OUTFITTERS

38 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

WWW.BIGGAMEAWARDS.COM

BID ONLINE IF YOU ARE UNABLE TO JOIN US IN SPRINGFIELD YOU STILL HAVE THE OPTION TO BID ONLINE.

5-DAY OREGON ROOSEVELT'S ELK HUNT DONATED BY EDEN RIDGE OUTFITTERS

DONOR HUNT Eden Ridge Outfitters

5-Day Oregon Roosevelt's Elk Hunt

Fehr Game Outfitters

5-Day BC Youth Black Bear Hunt

Giuseppe Carrizosa Spain

Spain Hunt

God's Country Outfitters

3-Day Florida Osceola Turkey Hunt

Jim Shockey's Hunting Adventures

7-Day Yukon Grizzly Bear Hunt

Lost Creek Outfitters

4-Day Alberta Mule Deer/Whitetail Hunt

Mossback Guides & Outfitters

5-Day Utah Mountain Lion Hunt

NW Big Game Outfitters Ltd

8-Day Canada Moose & Wolf Hunt

Pacific Ghost Outfitters

5-Day Calif. Columbia Blacktail Deer Hunt

Ruby Range Outfitters

10-Day Yukon Dall's Sheep Hunt

Salt River Outfitters

5-Day Kansas Whitetail Deer Hunt

Sonny's Guiding Service

5 1/2-Day BC Black Bear Hunt

Stikine River Guide Service

7-Day Alaska Mountain Goat Hunt

Vancouver Island Guide Outfitters

5-Day Vancouver Island Col. Blacktail Hunt

Worldwide Trophy Adventures

5-Day Colorado Mule Deer Hunt

8-DAY CANADA MOOSE HUNT

DONATED BY NORTHWEST BIG GAME OUTFITTERS

VISIT WWW.ICOLLECTOR.COM AND SEARCH FOR BOONE AND CROCKETT

THE BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB WILL BE AUCTIONING OFF THE #1,000 LIFETIME ASSOCIATE SPOT. You have the opportunity to be a part of the history of the Boone and Crockett Club by purchasing the 1,000th Lifetime Associate spot. This would make a life-long gift for your child or grandchild.

5 1/2-DAY BC BLACK BEAR HUNT DONATED BY SONNY'S GUIDING SERVICE

Where Hunting Happens, Conservation Happens™

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 39

SPRINGFIELD REVISITED TULE ELK - 351 POINTS HUNTER - QUENTIN HUGHES LOANED TO B&C NATIONAL COLLECTION BY FLO SPARKS

Bass Pro Shops in Springfield, Missouri, hosted the 24th Awards Judges Panel, Trophy Display, Welcoming Reception and Buffet, as well as the Club’s Wildlife Workshop and scoring clinics. It’s estimated that over 130,000 people viewed the Club’s 24th Awards trophy exhibit in May and June while on display at Bass Pro Shops Outdoor World.

QUENTIN HUGHES' TULE ELK WILL BE ON DISPLAY IN SPRINGFIELD WHEN THE NEW NATIONAL COLLECTION OF HEADS AND HORNS DISPLAY OPENS. LEARN MORE ABOUT THE TROPHIES ON PAGE 66.

40 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

On the way home one Friday afternoon, my husband and a friend from work decided to purchase a couple of lottery tickets. Quentin said they should put in for the Grizzly Island elk drawing since they were in a lottery mood. Several days later, both applications were placed in the same envelope and mailed. The notification of the drawing was mailed in mid-June and both had been selected for the third hunt for a branch antlered bull. This was the first time in 18 years that tule elk could be hunted, and excitement was high. On August 24, 1990, Quentin arrived at Grizzly Island, attended the required orientation for hunters, and scouted for a big bull until dark. His hunting partner insisted that Quentin was to take the first bull the following morning. As dawn was breaking across the marsh, the two hunters headed to the area where the large bulls were seen the night before. After some time, a large antler top was seen above the tules. They checked the wind and planned a route to get within 150 yards of the bull. Just after 9 a.m., the feeding bull stepped out of the tall grass and continued to feed on the lower salt grass. The crosshairs on Quentin's 7mm Magnum settled behind the shoulder area and the shot was made. The bull crumpled. Within a short time, the giant bull was in the back of a truck and headed for hunting camp. Quentin's partner deposited the bull and set off on his own quest. The temperature began to rise and the bull had to be caped and skinned. Quentin didn't know how to cape the bull, but there was a person in camp who did, and it was done quickly as the thermometer read 85°F at 11 a.m. Various measurements were taken and tallied. It was said at the time that it was the largest hunter-killed tule elk known. At the end of October, J.J. McBride came to Park Merced and officially measured the elk and praised it. Since it was one of the best specimens known, he had a request. On June 21, 1991, the Boone and Crockett Club celebrated the opening of the National Collection of Heads and Horns at the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody, Wyoming. It was one of the proudest days in Quentin's life to see his tule elk hanging among some of the greatest trophies ever taken in North America. Quentin loaned his trophy to the National Collection to share it with other sportsmen, and still resides there and today it can be seen in America's Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri, due to open later this year.

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 41

FOR YOUR HUNTING PARTNER THIS FATHER’S DAY! Who was there for you when you harvested your first deer? Dad? Buy him a gift from B&C this year!

SHIRTS, HOODIES AND HATS

Show your support for the Boone and Crockett Club and Fair Chase Hunting by wearing our newest shirts and hats. Deadeye Outfitters is a unique line of apparel developed for the outdoorsman by outdoorsmen. 42 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

B&C BOOKS

Carefully selected books for the outdoorsman who loves to read—from modern-day hunts back to the adventures from the 1800s, there is something for everyone.

ORDER ONLINE AND RECEIVE 30% OFF YOUR PURCHASE.

Use Promo Code FORDAD30 - Now through June 13. (Associates discount does not apply)

BOONE-AND-CROCKETT-CLUB-STORE.MYSHOPIFY.COM FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 43

JOHANNA DART LEARN TO HUNT PROGRAM COORDINATOR

Michiganâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s

Learn to Hunt Deer Program

Students learned about hunter ethics and responsibilities, proper equipment needed to hunt deer, and basic deer biology and management. Two Michigan DNR conservation officers joined the class for lunch and discussed hunting rules and regulations.

44 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

JORDAN BURROUGHS B&C WILDLIFE EXTENSION SPECIALIST PROFESSIONAL MEMBER Photos Courtesy of Author

For several decades, hunting recruitment programs nationwide have focused their efforts largely on youth. At the same time, hunter numbers have continued to decline across the country. Recently, a national hunting recruitment, retention, and reactivation (R3) discourse has sought to expand the demographic groups that hunting programs target. A pilot program designed to attract new adult audiences to crossbow deer hunting was launched in Michigan in fall 2015. The Learn to Hunt Program provided participants with an opportunity to learn in a hands-on, safe environment the skills necessary to hunt deer in Michigan. Participants were exposed to concepts such as how hunting contributes to conservation, deer biology, hunter ethics and responsibilities, and safe crossbow handling. One young woman, aided by her mentor, harvested her first deer.

Hunter safety instructors covered basic principles related to conservation and hunting, safe handling of a firearm and crossbow, purchasing a hunting license, and provided participants with range time for both .22s and crossbows.

Traditionally, hunters have been recruited to hunting by family members, but the changing population demographics of the nation, urbanization, and other time commitments are leading to fewer hunters being recruited in this way. Reaching new audiences of adults interested in learning to hunt can be challenging. Many have grown up in urban areas or may have been exposed to negative perceptions of hunters. Some may have been interested in hunting but did not have a hunting mentor available to teach them. There are now growing interests in healthy, sustainable wild proteins among adults, and taking up hunting can be a logical link. The Michigan Learn to Hunt program was developed for these audiences and modeled after other efforts targeting new adult hunters, such as Minnesota’s and Wisconsin’s Learn to Hunt for Food programs and Kentucky’s Hunter’s Legacy program. In addition to covering the fundamentals of deer hunting, the Learn to Hunt curriculum was designed to teach participants about conservation, how hunting contributes to the economy, and how ethics and responsibility relate to hunting. Participants became certified in hunter and bowhunter safety and participated in a mentored deer hunt on the final evening of the session. Three men and seven women participated in the program, ranging in age from 18-34. While seven of the participants had previously participated in target shooting, only three had ever hunted (less than three times as an adult). The first day of the session was held on a Friday evening at the Demmer Shooting Sports, Education, and Training Center on the Michigan State University campus. Hunter safety instructors covered basic principles related to conservation and hunting, safe handling of a firearm and crossbow, purchasing a hunting license, and provided participants with range time with both .22s and crossbows. The second program session was held the following Saturday at a Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) field office and adjacent shooting range. Students learned about hunter ethics and responsibilities, proper equipment needed to hunt deer, and

Participants were able to watch a field dressing of a previously harvested doe and then engaged in a hands-on processing demonstration (both led by the owner of a local butcher shop). Students enthusiastically helped to butcher the deer and learned about the different cuts of meat.

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 45

Samantha Loscalzo (right) became certified in hunter and bowhunter safety and participated in a mentored deer hunt on the final evening of the session. Sam came to hunting as an adult with attitudes and values in place. Learning technical skills is one thing; handling attitudes and values quite another.

basic deer biology and management. Two Michigan DNR conservation officers joined the class for lunch and discussed hunting rules and regulations. After, participants transitioned to the shooting range with the hunter safety instructors and received instruction on sighting in and safely shooting their crossbows. They were also introduced to firearms handling and safe methods of field carries. The last session was held at Michigan State University’s Kellogg Biologi-

cal Station in southwest Michigan. Participants were able to watch a field dressing of a previously harvested doe and then engaged in a handson processing demonstration (both led by the owner of a local butcher shop). Students enthusiastically helped to butcher the deer and learned about the

46 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

different cuts of meat. Program participants met their mentors and conversed over lunch, which included a wonderful array of wild game dishes prepared by the program instructors and mentors. After a demonstration in the field of deer scouting and tracking, mentors and mentees dressed in camo and headed out to preassigned hunting blinds with

their crossbows. Coming into the program, the majority of the participants felt they knew “a little” or “nothing at all” about hunting ethics, how hunting contributes to conservation funding, deer population and management, the state agency that manages hunting, and how to safely prepare game for consumption. After the class, all of the students felt they knew either a moderate amount or

a great deal about all of the aforementioned topics. Before the program started, participants filled out a survey and perceived the most important benefits of learning to hunt were to 1) take a more direct role in obtaining the meat I eat, 2) learn about nature, 3) to feel closer to the land, 4) to know where my meat comes from, 5) find solitude, 6) get away from a usual routine, and 7) to feel self-sufficient. After the program, participants also stated the added virtues of teaching others about nature, feeling good doing a traditional activity, and testing their outdoor skills. Lastly, coming into the course, students felt they knew the least about 1) operating a crossbow safely, 2) hunting safely, 3) selecting the proper equipment for deer hunting, 4) finding a suitable place to

hunt deer, 5) using the Michigan DNR Mi-Hunt website to find a hunting spot, and 6) processing a deer myself . After the program, the majority expressed increased confidence in all areas (either moderately or extremely confident). As a result of the knowledge and confidence gained during the program, two program participants were able to successfully harvest their first deer. The hunting experience of one young woman who harvested her first doe with the help of her mentor is detailed in the following article. This Learn to Hunt Program demonstrated the desire of adults from nonhunting backgrounds to learn how to hunt, their acceptance of new concepts, and their ability to apply program knowledge to positive hunting experiences. n

LEARNING TO HUNT BY ALFRED J. GEMRICH LEARN TO HUNT PROGRAM MENTOR

Samantha Loscalzo—call her Sam for short—is a remarkable young woman. She has a degree in ecology and natural resources from Rutgers and is working on a master’s in community sustainability at Michigan State University (MSU). She is an athlete, scholar, lover of animals and all things outdoors, a Korean orphan adopted by wonderful parents from the Bronx, New York; hence, her Italian last name. She’s roamed the Rockies, traveled the Americas and Southeast Asia and wintered above the Arctic Circle, refueling helicopters, snowshoeing, dogsledding, and watching the aurora borealis. But she had never hunted. Reading about hunting in Aldo Leopold’s Sand County Almanac and Wendell Berry’s works on sustainable agriculture, Sam saw a connection between hunting and sustainability. But she knew no hunters. With her equally curious and adventurous roommate Alana Rosen, a second-year doctoral performance music major from New York, Sam signed up for a Learn to Hunt course, a collaboration between three prestigious institutions: Michigan State University (MSU), Michigan Department of Natural Resources (DNR) and Boone and Crockett Club. The intensive, three-day course was the brainchild of Jordan Burroughs, MSU’s wildlife outreach specialist, and gradassistant Johanna Dart. Enrollment was limited to 10 persons. Seventy percent who enrolled were women. Graduates got a hunting safety certificate, a Michigan deer license and a crossbow hunt on MSU’s 1,500-acre Lux Arbor

Reserve, located 65 miles from MSU’s East Lansing campus. Mark Williams, MSU’s Kellogg Biological Station’s Physical Plant Manager, and Reserve Manager Mark Manuszak recruited hunter mentors for each participant. Hunting is far more than mastery of equipment. It’s the ultimate experiential education that can challenge one’s worldview. In two earlier outings Sam resolved her doubts about proficiency with a crossbow with a “mixture of disappointment, relief, and gratitude”—disappointment at not getting a deer, but relief and gratitude for not having to do something for which she was not sufficiently mentally prepared. Sam came to hunting as an adult with attitudes and values in place. Learning technical skills is one thing; handling attitudes and values quite another. Initially, Sam thought she’d have no hesitancy shooting an animal given the opportunity. But she discovered

the truth of the biblical wisdom, “Where your treasure is, there will be your heart also” (Mathew 6:2, NIV). Hunting was simple and complex. Simple because a hunter confronts fundamental issues of life and death; complex because the heart has reasons the mind knows not of. The mind is unable to understand the heart’s reasons for they speak different languages. Sam had to find her treasure and her heart. Sam loves animals. How could she kill what she loves? Her parents were city types and friends vegetarians. She’d considered giving up meat. How could she explain her actions to them? She was studying sustainability. How could she justify hunting when other adequate sources of protein were available? Was hunting her ultimate hypocrisy? But hunting on agricultural lands to control animal damage helps farmers. Avoiding meat was largely her reaction to the environmental

impacts and unethical practices associated with the meat industry. By hunting, she controlled her meat source. License fees support conservation. Hunting was wholesome adventure, contact with nature, an exercise in independence and self-reliance, and providing one’s own food is an honorable tradition—all values she believed in. Maybe she could straddle the fence like one of her hunter safety instructors and pay for permits to support conservation and hunting, but refrain from actually killing an animal. Mid-December in Michigan is not for the faint of heart. When I first met Sam at Lux Arbor, the sky was slate grey, temperature 34 degrees, winds barreling out of the northwest, and the wind chill down around our boottops. I knew nothing of her turmoil and little more than her first name. We had a “blind date”—I was mentor while the two of us sat in a deer blind warmed by the hope Sam might fill a deer

The Learn To Hunt Program students and mentors.

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 47

LEARNING TO HUNT damage permit. Anticipating a long, cold sit, I was dressed for a high-plains blizzard. Sam was young, athletic, attractive and stylish, but weighing less than her quarry and looking more like a model on an L. L. Bean outdoor apparel catalog than one prepared for a bone-chilling four-hour sit in a wooden variation of a wind tunnel. She wore a lightweight camo jacket—a “$3 drugstore find.” As the only hunter in the course who never saw a deer on the first outing and the only one to return for a third try, she obviously had determination and grit. Sam hunkered down as the wind laid siege to the blind; cold hours passed. Just as darkness was about to devour the remaining light, four mature does and a yearling appeared. Waiting for the right shot and grateful there was no pressure to shoot—but still conflicted—Sam, with a hammering heart, committed herself, took aim, pulled the trigger. Nothing happened. In the excitement she’d forgotten to release the safety. She concentrated once again. Now came responsibility for her decision and an emotional rollercoaster ride. At her shot, deer ran in every direction. In the pandemonium of venison on the hoof Sam experienced a typical case of hunter’s a mnesia—she couldn’t recall just what happened. Excitement gave way to uncertainty. Finding a bloody arrow brought relief, hope, and a growing sense of pride. It was fully dark when Mark Manuszak arrived with Janet Hsiao, a master’s student at MSU in the Fisheries and Wildlife Department and fellow Learn to Hunt graduate. Mark’s floodlight took us down a blood trail to Sam’s prize. On knees in reverential grace,

48 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Sam touched the deer. How warm it felt. Her emotions were her own, known only to her as hunter. Sam replayed the event many times in her mind in the coming days until her internal reality caught up with the external reality. Though not a “picture person,” photos were taken—not to glorify the act, but to honor the animal and document the experience and occasion. Her next lesson: The fun stops when the buck drops. Mark went for the John Deere gator, Janet held the flashlight and with remarkably little coaching, Sam field dressed the deer, great teamwork in the finest tradition of the hunt. As the first person in the new program to harvest a deer, Sam made modest history, demonstrating the merit and success of the Learn to Hunt program. A Michigan DNR deer hunter patch, beatup arrow, photos and venison are tangible evidence of her accomplishment. She proved an experiment in sustainability is possible and practical. There are intangible benefits yet to harvest; a new tradition is in the making. She’d like to continue hunting and pass it along to children that may come someday. In the process, Sam may have found her treasure and where her heart is. n Al Gemrich earned a BA in economics from Kalamazoo College and magna cum laude, JD Yale Law School, along with an MA in Communications Arts and Sciences with honors Western Michigan University. As a lawyer he was designated “Super Lawyer in MI” before retirement. He has been a traditional bowhunter for more than 60 years. He is a member of P&Y and Professional Bowhunters Association.

ABOVE: As the first person in the new program to harvest a deer, Sam made modest history, demonstrating the merit and success of the Learn to Hunt program. BELOW: With remarkably little coaching, Sam field dressed the deer, great teamwork in the finest tradition of the hunt.

TRANSFER WEALTH TO YOUR HEIRS TAX-FREE!

Create a Charitable Lead Trust that pays income to the Boone and Crockett Club Foundation. After a period of years, the trust assets will go to your beneficiaries tax-free. Begin Planning Today! The Boone and Crockett Club Foundation can help with your plan. Call today: Winton C. Smith, J.D. 1-800-727-1040 FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 49

APPLIED WILDLIFE RESEARCH INSTITUTE HONORED BY BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB TUESDAY, APRIL 5, 2016

The Boone and Crockett Club has honored a South Texas university research facility, the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute (CKWRI), with the Club’s second Conservation and Stewardship Award. B&C presented the award April 5, 2016, at a dinner the Club hosts annually during the North American Wildlife Conference, this year held in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. CKWRI was founded at Texas A&M University–Kingsville in 1981 by the Caesar Kleberg Foundation for Wildlife Conservation. During the past 35 years, CKWRI has grown to become the leading wildlife research organization in Texas and one of the best university wildlife research programs in the nation. “What makes Caesar Kleberg unique among research facilities is its focus on the reality that people do live,

work and recreate on the land,” stated Tom Price, chairman of the Club’s Habitat and Multiple Use/Sharing committee. “Study of biotic communities on preserves and national parks is important work, but applying what is learned there falls short of what is needed to be good stewards of working landscapes and shared habitats where wildlife and people interact.” Research at CKWRI is largely focused on the habitat and population ecology of game species in the South Texas ecological region. Its application of research is of high value to land managers, hunters, ranchers and other conservationists who strive to sustain and enhance wildlife populations and their habitats. “It is for Caesar Kleberg’s track record of producing applied wildlife research and defining successful management strategies for both

hunted and non-hunted wildlife across more than 10 million acres of rangelands in South Texas that it has been chosen to receive this award,” Price said. “Compared to many other university wildlife programs that now have a strong focus on conservation biology and the non-consumptive use of wildlife, we are completely unapologetic of our research focus on game species and our avid support of hunters and hunting,” explained Dr. Fred Bryant, director of Caesar Kleberg. “At the same time, however, we also conduct research on threatened and endangered species and other non-hunted species. We respect and embrace the culture and ranching heritage of South Texas.” Graduate students come from all over North America and many other parts of the world to learn how to

B&C president Morrie Stevens (second from right) and professional member Steve Williams (far left) presented the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute with the 2016 Conservation and Stewardship Award at the 81st Annual North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference held in Pittsburgh this March. Accepting the award for CKWRI were professional member Fred Bryant (holding certificate), Tio Kleberg (center) and professional member Dave Hewitt (far right).

50 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

conduct wildlife research. But they graduate also knowing and appreciating how much private landowners care about their land and go on to become leaders in their profession. All Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute scientists believe that “science without publication is recreation.” Since 1981, CKWRI scientists have produced 24 books, with at least three more currently in preparation. More than 800 peer-reviewed articles written by CKWRI scientists and graduate students have appeared in scientific journals published around the world. More than 500 articles for popular literature such as magazines and newsletters have been written by CKWRI scientists. CKWRI represents a unique model for wildlife research because it is largely funded by private donations and endowments but administered within a public university setting. This public-private model of administration and support is what has kept the CKWRI focused on generating reliable knowledge for the informed management and conservation of both private and public lands. n

To learn more about the Caesar Kleberg Wildlife Research Institute, visit www.ckwri.tamuk.edu.

TROPHY CAM HD. NEW 3X FASTER TRIGGER. SAME 1-YEAR BATTERY LIFE. With unprecedented 0.2-second trigger speeds, Trophy Cam HD is now 3x faster. Matched with our famous oneyear battery life and a host of upgrades, the most reliable trail camera in the woods is now more reliable than ever. Only by Bushnell. Available in brown or Realtree® Xtra camo

MICHAEL WADDELL Bone Collector, Realtree Road Trips TV and Bushnell Pro

If we accept that nature has instrumental value – VALUE THAT

CAN ONLY EXIST RELATIVE TO HUMAN NEEDS AND DESIRES –

the appropriate conservation action is to manage and develop natural resources for sustainable and judicious use.

- SHANE MAHONEY

52 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

One of the primary goals of the NCHH has always been to obtain—through donations or loans—the finest specimen available in each of the 38 categories of North American big game recognized by the Club’s records program. When the NCHH display opens to the public at America’s Wildlife Museum and Aquarium in Springfield, there will be 39 specimens in the collection, including at least six trophies that have never been exhibited in the collection before. PG 66. TROPHY TALK by Jack Reneau

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 53

WHY NUMBERS MATTER: THE BOONE AND CROCKETT QUANTITATIVE WILDLIFE CENTER AT MICHIGAN STATE UNIVERSITY Occasionally I go to my bookcase and pick an issue from the first volume of the Journal of Wildlife Management, published in 1937, and peruse it. The wildlife conservation movement in North America began nearly a century before that first issue, but the application of science to wildlife management began in earnest during the 1930s when active restoration programs, fueled by the first university wildlife management programs and Pittman-Robertson Wildlife Restoration Act funding, were established. Being a wildlife scientist in those days must have been like being the proverbial kid in a candy store—the world of inquiry was wide open. There was so much to learn and describe. Much of the early wildlife scientific literature did just that—describe observations of wildlife habitats and populations. Those early years of wildlife science did much to inform wildlife management. For example, Dr. Paul Errington, leader of the first Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit at Iowa State University (est. 1932) pioneered work on northern bobwhites and muskrats. He developed the principle of compensatory harvest mortality, i.e., fall hunting and trapping mortality would compensate for surplus animals added to the population during spring reproduction that would otherwise die during the winter

54 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

period; a zero-sum game. This formed the basis for many hunting seasons and bag limits. Errington developed his theory using empirical data— data derived from observation and simple experiments. Statistical methods—if used at all in those early studies— were quite simple. As wildlife managers and scientists learned more, the questions became more complex. For example, Errington’s theory of the inverse relationship between hunter harvest and winter mortality was based on resident game and furbearer populations subjected to a defined annual harvest season and studied in a relatively small area. What about migratory game bird species who may encounter several “opening days” during their fall migration that takes them across many state and provincial borders? Dr. David Anderson, leader of the Colorado Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit addressed this in a classic paper published in the journal Ecology in 1975, demonstrating that fall harvest of mallard ducks was compensatory to winter mortality up to a point during migration, and then would become additive to the winter mortality. The analyses Anderson did were largely from data derived from the recovery of leg bands from hunterkilled mallards. The statistics were complex and pioneering and led eventually to the system of adaptive harvest management in place today. We

know now that Errington’s theory, pioneering in its time, is not as simple as a direct inverse relationship between hunter harvest and winter mortality. Nature is much more complex, and empirical evidence has its limits in helping us understand wildlife management issues. Open a current issue of Ecology today and you will see quite different papers than those published in 1937—or in 1987 for that matter. The questions driving the research reflect the variety of complex natural resource management issues we face today. The geographic scale of the studies is often orders of magnitude beyond what scientists in the early years could have been able to address. Studying the dynamics of wildlife populations, habitat associations across landscapes, and human interactions is much different than studying, for example, the chemical composition of an organic compound. Wildlife populations cannot be studied on a lab bench and manipulated with nice, neat, controlled experiments. The challenge for wildlife scientists is the tremendous uncertainty that exists in natural systems. Understanding every factor—the inputs, outputs, interactions, random and nonrandom events is daunting and near impossible. Predicting how wildlife populations will respond to management interventions throughout their range or at a landscape

SCIENCE BLASTS

JOHN F. ORGAN B&C PROFESSIONAL MEMBER Director of the Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Units

scale—or to other factors, such as predators, diseases, climate change, and energy development—requires a very sophisticated scientific approach. As such, major advances in statistical methods have resulted from the work of wildlife scientists. That work, though, is far from done, and the challenges we will face tomorrow and into the future will require further innovation. The Boone and Crockett Quantitative Wildlife Center (QWC) at Michigan State University, under the direction of B&C Professor Bill Porter, is a catalyst for such innovation. The Boone and Crockett QWC has a mission built upon research, education, and outreach. QWC is pioneering new tools to help solve critical questions in wildlife conservation. In doing so, a rich learning experience is fostered where students working on a variety of wildlife science challenges interact and collaborate. This fosters their growth as scientists. Promoting the application of the tools that QWC develops facilitates engagement by students with wildlife managers who deal with the most pressing conservation issues of the day and contributes to their development as future conservation leaders. The QWC is currently focused on critical questions

confronting wildlife conservation related to land-use change, climate change, wildlife-borne diseases, and societal values. Studies underway include: n

Estimating black bear abundance in the Lower Peninsula of Michigan using genetic information in order to fine-tune bear management unit boundaries, assess human-bear interactions, and better understand the impact of harvest seasons on the bear population.

prey management. Professor Porter is measuring the success of QWC by assessing: 1) the quality of the students he is bringing into the program (talent); 2) the development of studentsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; quantitative skills, ecological depth, and leadership abilities (growth); 3) the production of science tools and information and how they are received by practitioners and scientists

(contribution); and (4) the success of QWC team members (impact). Based on my visits to the QWC and my interactions with the students, faculty, and wildlife managers involved, the number I use to grade the program is 100! n

Wildlife populations cannot be studied on a lab bench and manipulated with nice, neat, controlled experiments.

n Understanding the role

of disease outbreaks such as epizootic hemorrhagic disease on the population dynamics of whitetail deer.

Enhancing wild turkey harvest management strategies by developing statistical techniques that can be applied to data collected by wildlife managers to close the gaps in our knowledge of turkey population dynamics patterns across space and time.

Understanding why some areas consistently produce Boone and Crockett Club record whitetail deer by applying recent developments in spatial statistical analyses to geographic information systems. These are just a few examples of the work ongoing at QWC. Additionally, there are programs that provide students with experiential opportunities at the interface of science and policy development, such as a course where students travel to Yellowstone National Park and interact with wildlife managers and policymakers on hot-topic issues such as predator and n

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 55

EDUCATING THE

NEXT GENERATION OF

B&C UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS

CONSERVATION LEADERS FROM:

Sonja Christensen, a Ph.D. candidate and Boone and Crockett Fellow at Michigan State University, was presented with the 2016 Graduate Student of the Year Award for the North Central Section of The Wildlife Society

Michigan State University

The Boone and Crockett Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s University Program captured a major feather for its cap at the recent Midwest Fish and Wildlife Conference. Sonja Christensen, a Ph.D. candidate and Boone and Crockett Fellow at Michigan State University, was presented with the 2016 Graduate Student of the Year Award for the North Central Section of The Wildlife Society. She was recognized for her passion for wildlife disease ecology and her strong leadership abilities. Sonja is Coordinator for the National Fish and Wildlife Health Steering Committee, as well as a member of the executive board for both the Michigan chapter of The Wildlife Society and the Wildlife Disease Association chapter, which she helped to form. Her research seeks to understand the recovery of whitetail deer populations following heavy mortality from epizootic hemorrhagic disease (EHD) and the drivers of this disease in emerging regions. In 2012, EHD caused more than 15,000 deaths in deer in localized areas of Michigan during a few weeks in late summer. Originally from Bemidji, Minnesota, Sonja graduated with a biology degree from Minnesota State University. While completing her undergraduate degree, she 56 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

worked for the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources farmland wildlife population research group, focusing on whitetail deer and furbearer species. Sonja earned her M.S. at Pennsylvania State University and the Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, where she evaluated interactions of whitetail deer and exotic sika deer on Assateague Island National Seashore, in Maryland. In 2008, Sonja was appointed the deer/ moose biologist with the Massachusetts Division of Fisheries and Wildlife. She began her Ph.D. research in the Boone and Crockett program at Michigan State University in 2013. n

University of Montana Michigan State University University of Wisconsin at Stevens Point Texas A&M University Oregon State University Mississippi State University SUNY College of Environmental Science and Forestry Texas A&M at Kingsville

B&C UNIVERSITY PROGRAMS LOCATIONS The Boone and Crockett Club University Program is designed to provide sciencebased knowledge from seasoned wildlife professionals

and educators to college graduates in the wildlife field to better prepare the graduates for the responsible and wise management of wildlife in the future.

NEVER COMPROMISE A T

A N Y

D I S T A N C E

• Match accurate hunting ammunition • Featuring ELD-X™ bullets • Doppler radar verified best-in-class BCs • The ELD-X™ bullet reliably expands at conventional and extended ranges • Best extended range terminal performance available

Featuring the new ELD-X™ bullet with Heat Shield™ tip, Precision Hunter™ ammunition delivers match accuracy and superior terminal performance at both conventional and extended ranges. Proven with Doppler radar, the Heat Shield™ tip defi es the effects of aerodynamic heating and retains its shape to maintain highest-in-class BCs over its entire trajectory. The secant ogive profi le and optimized boattail design of the ELD-X™ bullet, combined with AMP® bullet jacket and weight retaining InterLock ® ring, deliver reliable expansion at ALL practical ranges. To see how the Heat Shield™ tip and ELD-X™ bullet will change hunting forever, go to hornady.com/heat-shield.

HORNADY.COM

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 57

MEMBERS OF THE WILDERNESS WARRIOR SOCIETY The Wilderness Warrior Society is the Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s premier major gifts society. It is named after Doug Brinkleyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s historic book about Theodore Roosevelt and his Crusade for America and was launched in 2011 to celebrate the 125th anniversary of the Boone and Crockett Club. With your gift of $125,000 or more, you will be honored by being named a member of the Wilderness Warrior Society. You will be presented with your own numbered limited edition bronze of Theodore Roosevelt on horseback, a custom Hickey Freeman Blazer, as well as other gifts to recognize and honor you for your contribution. Funds raised from Wilderness Warrior contributions are placed in the Boone and Crockett Club Foundation endowment where the principal remains intact, and the annual interest income generated provides permanent funding for vital conservation programs. We added four new members in 2014, bringing our total to twenty-four members of the Society. This translates to more than $3 million for the endowment and has been a major portion of the growth of these funds. It has been a huge success by any measure. Please join us in this grand effort. Contact the Boone and Crockett Club today to find out how you can become a member of the Wilderness Warrior Society.

Trevor L. Ahlberg James F. Arnold Rene R. Barrientos Marshall J. Collins Jr. William A. Demmer Gary W. Dietrich John P. Evans Steve J. Hageman B.B. Hollingsworth Jr. Ned S. Holmes Tom L. Lewis Jimmy John Liautaud R. Terrell McCombs Jack S. Parker* Paul V. Phillips Remo R. Pizzagalli Thomas D. Price Edward B. Rasmuson Morrison Stevens Sr. Ben B. Wallace Mary L. Webster C. Martin Wood III Leonard H. Wurman M.D. Paul M. Zelisko * Deceased

2015 Annual Meeting, San Antonio, Texas

Contact Ben Hollingsworth at 713/840-1508 for more details. Boone and Crockett Club www.boone-crockett.org 250 Station Drive, Missoula, MT 59801 406/542-1888

58 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

YOU CAN FIND OUR PRODUCTS AT AUTHORIZED DEALERS AND ONLINE AT WWW.SWAROVSKIOPTIK.COM.

SLC 42

ONE FOR ALL

Come rain or shine, day or night, SWAROVSKI OPTIK’s slim, compact SLC 42 binoculars provide maximum comfort regardless of whether you are carrying them or glassing with them, and even on lengthy hunting trips. They also impress with their outstanding optical quality. Their perfect contrast, high color fidelity, and large field of view make them a pleasure to use when dealing with diverse challenges faced while hunting. Reliable, multipurpose binoculars that will accompany you for many years. SWAROVSKI OPTIK – allows you to determine the moment.

SEE THE UNSEEN WWW.SWAROVSKIOPTIK.COM

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 59

MY FAVORITE RECIPE FOR SUCCESS

MORE FROM WILD GOURMET

PA RT FOU R

Once you have successfully brought your game out of the woods, you should begin work on butchering and storing this unique gift of nature as quickly as possible. If you again follow the recipe for success by controlling microorganisms, exposure, fat, and temperature, you will be able to produce delicious wild game capable of being substituted for domestic meat in many of your favorite recipes with great success.

The first step to home processing is to have an area dedicated to processing your game. This area should have: n A large, hard-surfaced table at a height that is comfortable to use while standing. I prefer stainless steel because, with good care, it will provide a safe and durable work surface for as long as you want to keep it. n Another area with a table that is comfortable

for working while sitting down as some processing jobs require a lot of repetitive motion. n Access to clean, running water and a large sink. n Access to a chemical sanitizer such as bleach. n Access to all the necessary equipment for processing that particular game. n A well-lit work area. n All smooth surfaces that are easy to clean.

MORE TIPS FOR PROCESSING GAME MUSCLE GRAIN

Daniel Nelson CO-AUTHOR Wild Gourmet n Access to a large refrig-

erator and deep freezer.

n Both an outdoor and an

indoor processing area so you can capitalize or avoid the advantages and disadvantages of the weather. Some jobs like skinning game, scaling fish or plucking ducks are just too messy to do inside. n Ample plastic wrap, butcher paper and labeling tape.

Muscles are comprised of long fibrous grains that run in the direction that the muscle pulls or pushes. These fibers are very similar to those found in a tree. Imagine a 2x4, its strength comes from the long fibers of wood grain that run the length of the board. If we cut a quarterinch strip lengthwise (with the grain), it cannot easily be broken in half, but if we cut a quarter inch off the end of the board (against the grain), it can be broken with ease. The same holds true for the muscle fibers and grain of meat. When carving roasts, you want to find the grain of the muscle and slice across them. The smaller the length of grain in your slice of meat, the more tender it will feel in the mouth. The same perfectly cooked piece of meat can be rendered unimaginably tough by cutting it with the grain, because your teeth and jaw muscles will have to do the work that should have been done by the carving knife. I use this same concept when cutting raw meat for quick-cooking methods. Using slightly frozen, uniform-grained, whole-muscle sections, you can thinly slice raw game meat across the grain to produce very tender petite filets perfect for hot-searing recipes like stir fry. I even cut the meat for grilling and kabobs in a similarly thin manner; two or three of these delicate slices are much easier to chew than one three-quarter-inch cube. Sliced kebab meat versus cubed meat. 60 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Wild Turkey Processing Tool Kit—bone saw, game shears, and boning knife. Wild turkey is generally harvested when temperatures are warm, ice packs will help cool your meat without the liquid mess from melting ice.

MICROORGANISMS

Always keep the flesh

Processing Turkey When processing birds, even those that I pluck and plan on serving whole, I always separate the chest from the back and legs of the bird. These are two very different types of meat and they require different cooking temperatures and durations to be done well. The light protein of the breasts should DOWNLOAD THE COMPLETE only be cooked to an internal TURKEY PROCESSING GUIDE temperature of 155°F for 15 seconds and no more. The rest of the dark protein should be roasted long enough to reach the crucial 170°F for one to two hours, which breaks down the tougher connective tissues found in the meat. When roasting whole birds, I will fill the cavity with stuffing as normal and set the breast plate on top. That way I can take the breasts out to rest and avoid overcooking, while the rest of the bird finishes. To avoid drying out birds that have no skin, I recommend that you soak cheesecloth in rendered fat and lay this over the bird while roasting.

FOR FREE!

FREE DOWNLOAD – 14-Page step-by-step guide to processing your turkey!

EXPOSURE

covered tightly with plastic film when processing. Exposure to air is a surefire way to degrade the quality of your game meat. Air will draw moisture out of your game meat and can often dry out the exposed surfaces so much so that they need to be trimmed and discarded. Contact with air will also start the oxidation process, which heightens the unwanted metallic taste of wild meats, discolors the meat to an unappetizing shade of reddish-brown, and can increase the development of rancidity in fat. It is also extremely important to minimize exposure in the freezer. Using a high-quality vacuum-sealing machine is the most effective way to seal out air and freezer burn. However, plastic wrap and butcher’s paper do a better job than a cheap vacuum sealer. Always wrap your finished cuts tightly in plastic wrap, then wrap again in butcher’s paper. The plastic wrap protects the meat from exposure to air and freezer burn, and the butcher’s wrap will protect the integrity of the plastic wrap. To further reduce the possibility of freezer burn ruining more delicate meats like fish and fowl, I will often add 2 to 3 cups of lightly salted water to a heavy freezer bag along with the meat. When you remove the air from the bag and seal it, the brine will form an even better barrier between the f lesh and the freezer. n

Go to http://tinyurl.com/hp575u4 to download the PDF today.

The last vestige for dirt, debris, pests, and contaminants is the hide, skin, or feathers of your game. Take care to remove it/them in an area far away from your final processing table, as hair, scales, and feathers are incredibly difficult to remove from the flesh of an animal. The necessary care for skin removal is covered in the individual game processing sections in Wild Gourmet. Now that you have access to running water and a large sink, it is acceptable to rinse your game of any debris or contaminants it may have picked up in transport or while skinning. You should take particular care in cleaning the wound channel from your kill shot. Large-caliber and even small shot will drive hair, bone fragments and bacteria into the flesh of your game. Thoroughly inspect the wound for any contaminants and rinse well. Always rinse your game from top to bottom under running water, that way any bacteria will wash down and off the meat. Never use a tub of water to rinse game in, as the standing water will only serve to increase the risk of crosscontamination. Once the flesh of your game is completely rinsed clean, you will want to pat it dry with clean disposable towels and place it under refrigeration until you are ready to process it.

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 61

62 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

The bark of a shagbark hickory tree (Carya ovata) is very distinctive and once shown it is easily recognizable, they like to live in the flood plains of the Midwest. The nut of a shagbark hickory is sweet and delicious, but very hard to harvest from the tough shells. It is however, very easy to collect the bark from these trees and it can often be found on the ground under the canopy, simply wiggle loose-looking pieces until you find ones that are ready to fall off. Hickory cider syrup is best made using a clean percolator, a

Hickory Cider Glazed Wild Turkey HICKORY CIDER SYRUP 1 Gallon apple cider 2 Quarts Shagbark Hickory bark broken into small pieces

at hot but not boiling temperatures. If you boil shagbark hickory

2 Quarts sugar

bark the tannins will release from the wood fibers and turn the juice

bitter. I use a 90-cup percolator for a double batch of this recipe.

8-12

DA NIEL NEL S ON

percolator is important because it runs the cider through the bark

SERVES

If shagbark hickory trees are not available in your region, you can

GLAZED TURKEY 1 Wild turkey breast

crush whole hickory nuts or even acorns and use this nut/shell meal

Salt and blended pepper

in the drip tray of the percolator.

6 Cups hickory cider syrup, divided

PREP TIME: The several percolation cycles will take several days. Marinate 12–48 hours. COOK TIME: 20 minutes

HICKORY CIDER GLAZE: YIELD 4 QUARTS 1. Add the cold cider to the percolator and the bark pieces to the filter. 2. Turn on percolator and run a complete cycle. Remove the liquids and remove the filter chamber of bark, keep separate and cool in refrigerator.

3. Once cooled, set the percolator back up and run the liquids through again. Repeat this process 5 to 10 times.

4. After the last run you will need to strain the liquids; the finer the strain the clearer the resulting

syrup. I will often put a layer of coffee filters between two china cups and filter the liquid through.

5. Once strained, mix the 2 quarts of sugar into the hickory cider and bring to a near boil. Cool

hickory cider syrup and store in refrigerator. If air tight the syrup can be stored for several months. The syrup can re-crystallize but a quick heat through in the microwave will dissolve any crystals.

FOR THE HICKORY CIDER GLAZE WILD TURKEY 1. Turkey breast has very long grains of muscle fiber, running in three distinct manners. Trim and divide the breast following these long running grains, removing the inner silverskin as well. I typically cut my turkey breasts into 3 to 5 smaller portions for grilling.

2. Season the raw, trimmed turkey breast with salt and pepper and add to a heavy plastic bag,

cover with 4 cups hickory cider syrup, remove all air and set in refrigerator to marinate for 12 to 48 hours, turning every 12 hours.

3. Remove turkey breast sections from marinade and drain. 4. Preheat grill to 500°F being sure to create a cool zone for slower grilling. Have a basting brush

with 2 cups of the hickory cider syrup available for basting. Grill for 3 to 4 minutes on all sides, basting between sides, if turkey breast hasn’t reached 145°F, move it to a cooler section of the grill to finish slowly. Once the breast has reached 145°F in the center of the mass, remove it from direct heat to rest.

5. Rest for 20 minutes. To serve tender pieces of turkey it is important to thinly cut these sections, across the long grain of the muscle fiber. The shorter the fiber pieces of each slice cut from the loin, the more tender the meat will be to the palate.

SUGGESTED WINE VARIETALS

TO SERVE

WHITE

Serve in a variety of ways such as on a toasted hickory nut and apple spinach salad; with roasted sweet potatoes and sautéed fiddleheads; or on toasted baguette with sliced apple and Brie cheese.

Chardonnay \ Riesling (dry) \ Rosé

RED Pinot Noir \ Rhone Blend \ Syrah \ Zinfandel

WANT MORE? Check out Boone and Crockett Club’s award-winning cook book, Wild Gourmet!

Includes dozens of recipes for wild game, fish, and fowl, plus wine pairings and a detailed chapter on meat preparation. A must-have for every sportsman. Order directly from B&C to receive your Associates discount at 888-840-4868 or boone-crockett.org. Regular price is $34.95. B&C Associates pay only $27.95.

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 63

64 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 65

THE NCHH FROM JACK RENEAU’S PERSPECTIVE

TROPHY TALK

JACK RENEAU B&C PROFESSIONAL MEMBER Director Emeritus

Back in 1975 I was attending graduate school at Eastern Kentucky University in Richmond, when I was seriously thinking about my future. I was married, no kids, no job—and jobs for wildlife biologists were few and far between. Frequently, there were hundreds of qualified applicants for each job. Near the end of the fall semester, I was completing my coursework and research on incidences of lead shot ingestion by waterfowl in Kentucky when I noticed a job announcement on a bulletin board in the biology department for a hunter information specialist with the National Rifle Association (NRA) in Washington, D.C. I had no idea what a hunter information specialist was or did, but it sounded interesting and exciting to me. I was concerned, however, that I didn’t know anyone associated with NRA to give me a proper introduction and get me in the door for an interview, let alone land the job. A few months later, however, a District of Columbia bus dropped me off a few blocks from NRA’s headquarters at 1600 Rhode Island Ave., NW, spewing a billowing, black cloud of diesel fumes on me as it pulled away. I stood there a moment wondering what I had gotten myself into. Harold Nesbitt, the director 66 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

of the hunting activities department selected me to fill the position. When I walked through the doors at NRA’s headquarters that day, little did I know that I was taking my first step in a career spanning nearly 40 years with Boone and Crockett Club’s records program and eventually with Boone and Crockett Club (B&C) itself. I was aware of B&C, but I didn’t realize it at the time that NRA and B&C were cosponsoring the Club’s records program under an umbrella agreement known as the North American Big Game Awards Program or its acronym, NABGAP, a shortlived cooperative agreement between the two organizations that spanned the years 1973-1981. Over the years since, I have processed and accepted tens of thousands of trophies for B&C’s Awards Program, communicated with countless hunters and outdoor writers on the phone and via email, trained nearly 1,400 Official Measurers, and edited or contributed to more than 40 B&C books and publications. One of the most exciting aspects of my job, however, has been the opportunity to work with the National Collection of Heads and Horns (NCHH), established by Club members William T. Hornaday and Madison Grant at the Bronx Zoo in New York City in 1906.

I’m not going to repeat any more historical information already covered by Lowell E. Baier and Harold Nesbitt in the last four issues of Fair Chase. However, I was asked to briefly review the history of the NCHH from my perspective and involvement. Truthfully, I had never heard of the National Collection of Heads and Horns (NCHH) until 1978 when Harold Nesbitt asked me to go with him to the Bronx Zoo to salvage the remnants of this historical collection that played such a prominent role in recovering the populations of America’s native big game species that were nearing extinction at the end of the 1800s. Harold said we would meet Lowell at the Bronx Zoo. Harold also told me that Boone and Crockett Club was taking over ownership of the 34 remaining North American big game heads in the collection and delivering them to Washington, D.C., where they were going to be displayed in the museum at NRA’s headquarters. The remaining 198 international trophies were

Between the years 1973 and 1981 the NRA and B&C cosponsored the Club’s records program under an umbrella agreement known as the North American Big Game Awards Program or its acronym, NABGAP.

going to Safari Club International’s headquarters and museum in Tucson, Arizona. It turned out to be a very exciting day for me. From the start, it was obvious that the display and trophies were in a sad state of neglect and disrepair. The NCHH displays behind glass had been boarded up and closed to the public for years. In reality, and according to the original log books we received with the collection, several thousand trophies, sadly, had passed through and disappeared from the NCHH. Included in this number was a magnificent collection of 23 shouldermounted trophies, including two bison, nine elk, and 11 moose, donated by C.H. Mackay. None of these trophies remained in the collection when Harold and I picked up the remaining trophies.

Coincidentally, an elderly Bronx Zoo security guard approached us while we were loading the North American trophies into the U-Haul Harold and I drove to the Bronx Zoo and told us that he wondered when they were going to finally dispose of the remaining trophies. Sadly, he reported that the zoo had been hauling truckloads of trophies to the New York City dump for years. If B&C, with the help of NRA, hadn’t stepped in to salvage the NCHH in 1978 when they did, the specimens that were removed that day, including a still-standing, World’s Record (WR) Stone’s sheep taken by L.S. Chadwick in British Columbia in 1936 would have been deposited in the storage bins of the American Museum of Natural History in New York City and never again seen the light of day. When we returned to Washington, D.C., the North American trophies we picked up were displayed in the NRA’s museum where I refilled the humidifier weekly for several years to preserve the trophies. The NCHH was moved to the Buffalo Bill Historical Center in Cody,

Wyoming, in 1983. It remained there until 2015 when a long-term agreement was signed to move the NCHH to the America's Wildlife Museum and Aquarium (AWMA) in Springfield, Missouri. Beginning in 1991, the collection was displayed in a magnificent Adirondack log cabin especially built to tastefully display the collection. It cost Club members nearly a quarter million dollars to hire a contractor to build the cabin using real logs and reconstructing it in the museum. One of the primary goals of the NCHH has always been to obtain—through donations or loans—the finest specimen available in each of the 38 categories of North American big game recognized by the Club’s records program. When the NCHH display opens to the public at the AWMA in Springfield, there will be 39 specimens in the collection, including at least six trophies that have never been exhibited in the collection before. I have had the pleasure and privilege of being involved with acquiring a number of trophies for the NCHH over the years. The first, the former

The former World’s Record mountain caribou (466-3/8) that was taken by G.L. Pop in the Babine Mountains, British Columbia, in 1923. When we were remounting back in Dumfries, Virginia, in the mid-1980s, we discovered that it had a split skull. It was determined that the mount was ineligible for entry in B&C and was dropped out of the records book.

Andrew Daum’s non-typical mule deer (304-5/8) was harvested in Elk Creek, Colorado, in 1886. It had been stolen from the NCHH at the Bronx Zoo in 1974 along with 12 other trophies. On June 24, 1998, Jack received a call from an individual who had acquired it and wanted to return it to the NCHH.

World’s Record Rocky Mountain goat accepted in the Fourth Competition, was taken by E.C. Hass in British Columbia’s Babine Mountains in 1949. I was sitting at my desk one day when the phone rang. It was Mr. Hass’s daughter on the other end to ask me if we would accept her father’s World’s Record mountain goat. She said her father was in ill health, and it was his desire to donate his trophy mount to the collection before he passed. I told her absolutely yes, and the head arrived in Cody a few days later. Perhaps, the most spectacular big game mount I was involved with acquiring is Andrew Daum’s non-typical mule deer (304-5/8) that was harvested in Elk Creek, Colorado, in 1886. It had been stolen from the NCHH at the Bronx Zoo in 1974 along with 12 other trophies. On June 24, 1998, I received a call from an individual who had acquired it and wanted to return it to the NCHH. Needless to say, I enthusiastically told the caller that we wanted it back. The Daum head is one of only 22 bucks in the non-typical category that scores 300 points or more. It was one of the

original heads in the NCHH that had been depicted in some very early B&C books before the Club created the non-typical categories and was actually referred to as a “freak head” with the hunter unknown. Interestingly, my wife and I found an original field photo of this outstanding rack at the Denver Public Museum in the mid-1990s, taken on the day it was killed in 1886. The head and antlers are perched on the side of a wall tent. As best I can tell, it is the oldest field photo of any trophy in B&C’s records books. In 2001, I again answered the phone when Roger D. Syrstad introduced himself and told me he wanted to donate to the NCHH a typical whitetail deer (1922/8) he had taken in Pope County, Minnesota, in 1989. He had my immediate attention because we didn’t have a good whitetail in the collection at the time. All we had to do was provide him with a replica of his antlers. It was a no-brainer. Jack Comp made the replica and Tom Sexton painted it with the original antlers in hand. When Tom was done, you couldn’t tell the replica from the original mount. FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 67

TROPHY TALK In 2008, we received another incredible trophy, a Dall’s sheep (182-2/8) taken by Earl J. Thee at Moraine Lake, Yukon Territory, in 1948—the World’s Record Dall’s sheep at the time. When I located the original score chart prepared by Samuel B. Webb, I found a notation in Sam’s own handwriting that indicated Mr. Thee wanted his sheep to go to the NCHH upon his death. While it took 58 years to get there, we are truly glad to have it in the collection. Since it was decided to move the NCHH to America’s Wild life Museum a nd Aquarium, we have made a

concerted effort to upgrade some of the categories that were not adequately represented. Table A lists those trophies that have been generously donated to the NCHH or received on a long-term loan basis. Another interesting but little-known chapter in the NCHH is that two trophies Harold, Lowell, and I picked up at the Bronx Zoo in 1978 were dropped out of the records book after the Club acquired the collection when we determined that both were ineligible for entry in B&C. The first trophy, which was accepted in B&C’s Seventh Competition in 1955, was the former World’s Record mountain caribou (466-3/8) that was taken by G.L. Pop in the Babine Mountains, British Columbia, in 1923. When we

were remounting it back in Dumfries, Virginia, in the mid-1980s, we discovered that it had a split skull. The second trophy was a typical American elk (3971/8) listed in our records books as taken by Robert Swan in Montana in 1912. When we were remounting it in Missoula, Montana, for display in Cody, Wyoming, a number of years ago, we discovered that it was actually a set of shed antlers held together with steel rebar. We’ll never know how these two trophies managed to be accepted into the NCHH, but we obviously had to follow our own policy concerning such trophies with our own heads as soon as we discovered something was wrong with them. Both were mounted before B&C acquired the

collection in 1978 and long before the current scoring system was adopted in 1950. So, there was no intentional effort to deceive B&C. It is presumed that the antlers on the G.L. Pop caribou were split to get them out of the field, a common practice still done today. That pretty well sums up much of my involvement with the NCHH to date. However, we’re not done yet. We are always in the process of upgrading trophies in the national collection. In fact, we are in the process of acquiring two very unique and exciting trophies that I can’t mention at this time. So, stay tuned and I’ll be announcing more acquisitions when all the paperwork is completed. n

NEW TROPHIES ADDED TO THE NATIONAL COLLECTION OF HEADS AND HORNS CATEGORY

SCORE

HUNTER

LOCATION

DATE OF KILL

Alaska brown bear*

28-14/16

Larry F. O’Brian

Pumice Creek, AK

2001

grizzly bear**

27-3/16

Rodney W. Debias

Unalakleet River, AK

2007

American elk (typical antlers)***

410-5/8

Dan J. Agnew

Gila County, AZ

2003

American elk (non-typical antlers)***

409-5/8

Dan J. Agnew

Gila County, AZ

2011

mountain caribou+

453

C. Candler Hunt

Prospector Mt., YT, CAN

1998

desert sheep****

188-4/8

Picked Up

Grant Co., NM

1992

*Mount only donated by hunter. **Mount and skull donated by hunter. ***Loaned to NCHH by Dan J. Agnew and harvested on the San Carlos Indian Reservation. +Mount donated by hunter. ++Loaned to NCHH by New Mexico Dept. of Game and Fish.

New trophies have been added to the National Collection in Springfield. LEFT TO RIGHT: Larry F. O'Brian's Alaska brown bear, C. Candler Hunt's mountain caribou, and Dan J. Agnew's typical American elk.

68 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Survival of the Flattest The 30 caliber category has gotten crowded over the last hundred years, so we decided to add something more evolved into the population. Introducing the 30 Nosler, a 30 caliber round that fires a 210 gr. AccuBondÂŽ Long Range bullet at 3,000 fps from a standard length action. Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s survival of the flattest. And now we wait for the others to drop. Flat out. Lights out.

30Nosler.com

800 . 285 . 3701 FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 69

BIG DADDY VS. BIG D I remember thinking to myself, “In the event you have to hoof it, just pace yourself. Derik will walk you right into the ground. Then when it is time to take the shot the crosshairs won’t stand a chance, and you will for sure take a bad shot and miss.” I wasn’t tired because Derik paced my steps for me, but still I managed to miss the 200-plus yard shot that I know Derik could make with his eyes shut. You can say all you want, but for a rookie big game hunter like me, your guide can make all the difference if you’re right up front with him.

BEYOND THE SCORE

David A. Dent B&C TROPHY OWNER

I missed that shot not because I wasn’t capable or because of buck fever—and by all means, not because I was winded. I missed it because of a rookie mistake; I failed to tell Derik that taking any shot with my body parallel to the ground just wasn’t going to work. Having injured my neck in sports when I was much younger doesn’t allow me to lie down and take that kind of shot. I should have let him know right away, and we may have ended the day much earlier than we did. My first pronghorn might be my last, but what a specimen he turned out to be. Derik had been scouting him

for some time. He had learned his patterns and studied his horn growth, so he knew he was onto something pretty special. As it turns out, he, Derik, my future son-in-law had now turned guide because he unfortunately did not draw a tag. But I did—lucky me, but it meant work for him. We had loaded our gear into the truck the night before the hunt, so when morning came, we were ready to grab coffee and hit the road. Surprisingly, the area we were hunting was not loaded with headlights or the rattling of restless, excited hunters. In fact, there was not a soul to be seen—good news, we said to

each other. A quick yawn, a stretch, and a last sip of coffee, and off we went. It wasn’t long before a few goats showed themselves, but not Big Daddy—not the one Derik had been scouting. Not yet anyway. Spottingscope-out, eyes-wide-open Mini Daddy showed himself. That’s the critter that if you didn’t look hard enough and got impatient, you might shoot him and be very disappointed. He looked just like the one we were after—but smaller. However, Mr. Patience himself knew better, and said, “Nope, not him.” “Darn it.” “Patience,” said Derik.

I survived the eight-mile walk, cactus attack, disappointment in the first missed shot, Derik’s relentless tracking and the 20 years I have on this guy. He did it. He got me a goat—a recordsbook pronghorn—a big boy. He got me Big Daddy.

Derik is a dedicated well-educated hunter of large game. His knowledge of firearms, landscape, animal and safety are outstanding. Derik teaches P.E. at his local elementary school in Rawlins, Wyoming. Combined the two together and you can see why physically he is up for the challenge of any hunt. Not to mention the challenge of educating our youngsters. Derik is a graduate of the University of Wyoming and former firefighter.

70 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

This column is dedicated to the system that supports the public hunting of public wildlife for all fair chase sportsmen, and the stories and trophies that are the result. Theodore Roosevelt strongly believed that self-reliance and pursuing the strenuous activities of hunting and wilderness exploration was the best way to keep man connected to nature. We score trophies, but every hunt is to some extent a way of measuring ourselves.

“He will show himself.” Sure enough, not long after Mini Daddy wandered off, Big Daddy showed himself in the area that Derik had been scouting. Adrenaline flowing, the anticipation of the hunt was on. I never knew these animals were so smart. Following Derik’s lead and trying to match his steps with mine to minimize the noise is hard when his gate is longer than mine. Finding our way through the brush as quietly as we could, stopping when we had to, and then moving when Big Daddy allowed was fun, exciting, and a bit unnerving. Needless to say Mr. Pronghorn had no clue we were there because Derik tries to always put himself in a position that helps him, not the quarry. I think we were in

My first pronghorn might be my last, but what a specimen he turned out to be. Derik, my future son-in-law, now turned guide, had been scouting him for some time. He had learned his patterns and studied his horn growth, so he knew he was onto something pretty special.

firing range a couple of times, but Derik took his time, studied the goat, the wind, and any other animals that might give us away, and we moved closer. What a blast to watch this guy work. He had put us in perfect position when the pronghorn decided he wanted to backtrack and disappear over the hill. Missed opportunity? I don’t think so. Derik knew we were still in a good position, knew the goat had still not winded us, and knew he still could get me closer—and he did just that. He got me within 50 yards. That’s when it happened. In barely a whisper,

Derik said, “Lie down right here and get your scope on him. He is just over the top of the brush at 50 yards.” Never got the shot off. Never got him in my scope. Never mind, he’s gone. “Darn it!” Again, Derik said, “Patience. He will stop and turn to look. Get ready.” Lying down again, neck hurting, I got him in my scope—barely. Bang! Missed. That is when I finally said to a very patient, future son-in-law, friend, and guide, “I can’t make that shot FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 71

BEYOND THE SCORE B&C PRONGHORN TAKEN IN SWEETWATER COUNTY YEAR

TOTAL

2015

2014

2013

2012

2011

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

2005

BELOW: The author took this pronghorn in Sweetwater County, Wyoming, in 2015. The pronghorn was scored by Official Measurer Brent Wilkes and scored 85-2/8 points. RIGHT: Guide,future sonin-law, and friend Derik Chandler with David's buck.

72 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

lying down. I will need to use your spotting scope tripod in order to have a chance.” He simply said, “Okay,” and got back to work. By now you have probably guessed that the goat made a beeline out of there and the chance of getting him got a lot harder. We still had pretty good daylight and enough time if we could track his whereabouts. We walked and glassed and glassed; walked, repeat. Time and time again we found pronghorn but not Big Daddy. Derik decided enough time had passed that we should backtrack to see if he had returned to where we first spotted him. Again, spotting scope out, a few goats glassed and…nothing. Nope, not him. This went on for a while. Then I heard Derik say, “You have got to be kidding me. I think I have Big Daddy in my spotting scope, and I think he has us as well.” Yep, sure enough, that’s him, and sure enough, he had backtracked. It’s a standoff, and the pronghorn had the

upper hand. And he knew it. At that moment, my wife sent me a text message asking if we had harvested a big boy. I responded that I should have had him earlier, but now he has us pinned down, and there’s not much we can do about it. Being the rookie I am at big game hunting and not knowing how long the standoff was going to take told me a lot about Derik. He was not about to let the pronghorn win that battle. He said to me, “Some hunters would give up after just a few minutes, but I will stay here 20, 30 minutes or longer if I have to.” We made our move, took the long walk around to get out of his sight and wind, got in position and started to glass. He must have seen us, because he was way up the hill, opposite of where he was when we made our move. The look on Derik’s face was priceless, and I knew what he was thinking. The wind is right and he is about to go over that hill. He did—and we did, as well. Almost eight miles of walking and not one cactus

had gotten me until that last jaunt up the hill—our last effort in getting what we thought was a Booner. Not wanting to tell Derik that I may have a slight problem, I sucked it up and made the effort to finish what he had started out to do, and that was to get me a shot at what we hoped was a records-book pronghorn. Once again he got us into position. The wind was right; the goat had no idea we were there. Bang! A 125-yard shot, and down Big Daddy went. Derik’s patience, knowledge of hunting, landscape and animal had paid off. Big Daddy’s official score is 85-2/8. I survived the eightmile walk, cactus attack, disappointment in the first missed shot, Derik’s relentless tracking and the 20 years I have on this guy. He did it. He got me a goat—a records-book pronghorn—a big boy. He got me Big Daddy. He got me the pronghorn that should have been his trophy had he drawn a tag. Big Daddy was smarter than I thought, but not as smart as Big D, Derik Chandler. n

THE

BEST CASE SCENARIO In business and in life, you work hard every day to achieve the best case scenario. When it comes to protecting your hunting and shooting gear, achieving the best case scenario is a breeze with Boyt Harness Hard-Sided Travel Cases.

Our Hard-Sided Travel Cases are built using a custom formulated, injection molded resin, that holds up to the toughest world wide hunting and travel conditions. ese cases are constructed with the industry ﬁrst all steel draw latches and high density foam to protect and accommodate a variety of ﬁrearm shapes, styles, and sizes. Boyt H-Cases are made in the U.S.A. and are backed by Boyt Harness Company’s famous lifetime warranty.

WWW.SHOPBOYTHARNESS.COM

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 73

JACK STEELE PARKER

GENERATION

NEXT FINAL GROSS SCORE SCORE

LOCATION

HUNTER

DATE MEASURER

BLACK BEAR 21 14/16 21 6/16 20 9/16 20 8/16

Taylor Co., WI Clark Co., WI Pushmataha Co., OK Menominee Co., MI

Joshua J. Niehaus Trevor D. Bush Kaylin S. Russell

2015 B. Tessmann 2015 T. Heil 2011 D. Polk

Aaron A. Beyer

2015 D. Wellman

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER 179 7/8 176 3/8 165 2/8 160 7/8 160 4/8

196 181 3/8 174 3/8 186 164 1/8

McIntosh Co., OK Micalah L. Millard Randolph Co., MO Alyssa N. Helmich La Crosse Co., WI Preston A. Lyon Shell River, SK Corbin J.R. Long Palo Pinto Co., TX Kayman L. Culley

The Boone and Crockett Club would like to celebrate young hunters who have embraced the outdoor way of life and embody the spirit of fair chase hunting. The following is a list of the most recent big game trophies accepted into Boone and Crockett Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 29th Big Game Awards Program, 2013-2015, that have been taken by a youth hunter (16 years or younger). All of the field photos in this section are from entries that are listed in this issue and are shown in bold orange text.

2015 2014 2014 2015 2015

G. Moore J. Detjen C. Pierce R. Delorme L. Kirby

This listing represents only those trophies accepted since the Spring 2016 issue of Fair Chase was published.

Morgan K. Wynne

NON-TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER 222 6/8 234 2/8 211 7/8 222 2/8 200 1/8 204

Stafford Co., KS Clayton D. Brummer 2015 L. Desmarais Christian Co., KY Brooke D. Bentz 2015 D. Weddle Guthrie Co., IA Reid A. Rumelhart 2014 J. Ream

PRONGHORN 86 4/8 83 80 2/8

87 2/8 84 3/8 81 3/8

Navajo Co., AZ Aaron J. Cook Carbon Co., WY Bryson S. Spilski Rosebud Co., MT Brayden J. Fulton

2015 R. Stayner 2015 B. Wilkes 2015 F. King

Alyssa N. Helmich 74 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

Corbin J.R. Long

Aaron J. Cook

Luke C. Bossuyt

Clayton D. Brummer Joshua J. Niehaus

Troy B. Pompeo

Preston A. Lyon FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 75

RECENTLY ACCEPTED TROPHIES The following pages list the most recent big game trophies accepted into Boone and Crockett Clubâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s 29th Big Game Awards Program, 2013-2015, which includes entries received between January 1, 2013, and December 31, 2015. All of the field photos in this section are from entries that are listed in this issue and are shown in bold green text. This listing represents only those trophies accepted since the Spring 2016 issue of Fair Chase was published. SPONSORED BY

76 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

BIG GAME TROPHIES LISTING AND PHOTO GALLERY B&C Official Measurer Ryan B. Hatfield took this typical American elk, scoring 361-7/8 points, on a hunt in Park County, Wyoming, in 2012. He was shooting a .300 Winchester Mag.

TOP TO BOTTOM

BEAR & COUGAR FINAL SCORE

LOCATION

HUNTER

DATE MEASURER

BLACK BEAR - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 23-10/16 22 12/16 Rusk Co., WI 22 11/16 Porcupine Forest, SK 22 6/16 Taylor Co., WI 22 Rusk Co., WI 21 15/16 Tioga Co., PA 21 14/16 Hyde Co., NC 21 13/16 Polk Co., WI 21 10/16 Santa Barbara Co., CA 21 7/16 Assiniboine River, MB 21 7/16 Whitefish Lake, AB 21 6/16 Bayfield Co., WI 21 6/16 Gila Co., AZ 21 6/16 Navajo Co., AZ 21 4/16 Gila Co., AZ 21 4/16 Navajo Co., AZ 21 4/16 Rio Blanco Co., CO 21 1/16 Orange Co., NY 21 Graham Co., AZ 21 Sevier Co., UT 20 13/16 Mercer Co., WV 20 11/16 Tyrrell Co., NC 20 10/16 Oconto Co., WI 20 9/16 Prince of Wales Island, AK 20 9/16 Swan River, SK 20 8/16 Le Flore Co., OK 20 6/16 Routt Co., CO 20 6/16 Whatcom Co., WA 20 5/16 Crawford Co., AR 20 5/16 Grace Lake, ON 20 4/16 Missoula Co., MT 20 4/16 Outagamie Co., WI 20 4/16 Tioga Co., PA 20 3/16 Polk Co., WI 20 3/16 Shasta Co., CA 20 2/16 Pearl Creek, SK 20 1/16 Eagle Co., CO 20 1/16 Valley Co., ID 20 1/16 Washburn Co., WI 20 Gooding Co., ID 20 Polk Co., WI

Scott C. Stintzi Steven A. Christie

2015 W. Bowman 2012 G. Sellsted

Stuart M. Mews Bruce A. Olson John L. Thrush Philip G. Clegg II George J. Hansford Bruce Larson

2013 2015 2014 2013 2015 2007

William B. Minshull

2015 D. Bamford

T. Heil C. Gallup R. Kingsley H. Atkinson J. Lunde K. Lehr

Terry L. Maier 2015 John R. Vojta 2013 Alana S. Stark 2015 Keith M. Leiseth 2015 Danny W. Mehaffey 2015 Reid T. Epps 2015 Christopher J. McHale 2014 Brendan J. Whelan 2013 John D. Vivian 2015 Lannce Sudweeks 2015 Justin D. Adkins 2011 Philip G. Clegg II 2011 Ryan J. Desterheft 2014 Trina S. Nation 2009

C. Kozitka A. Loomans E. Buckner B. Dupke C. Goldman B. Dupke D. Doerr F. Giuliani P. Dalrymple K. Leo T. Dowdy H. Atkinson P. Gauthier P. Carlson

Garth H.D. Breitkreuz Clay Newcomb Mack Spitellie Shane M. VanderGiessen Ryan L. Greb Kevin K. Leonard Alexander S. Hiday Picked Up Raymond C. Weisner Todd E. Emerson Robert A. Reynolds Matthew E. Hauser Eric A. Smith Terry A. Tindall Michael F. Borelli Jared S. Legg Collin R. Wicklund

2015 2015 2014 2013

H. Dreger J. Ford G. Glasgow J. Reneau

2015 2015 2015 2013 2014 2015 2014 2015 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015

C. Newcomb R. Kingsley J. Spring S. Zirbel D. Lynch J. Lunde S. Boero K. Somogyi T. Archibeque B. Penske L. Zimmerman K. Hatch J. Lunde

This black bear, scoring 21-7/16 points, was taken by B&C Associate William B. Minshull along the Assiniboine River, Manitoba, in 2015. In 2013,Kevin A. Loeppky harvested this 14-8/16-point cougar while on a hunt near Lost Knife Creek, Alberta. He was shooting a .270 Winchester. B&C Associate Brad R. Plaga took this grizzly bear, scoring 23-14/16 points, in 2015 while hunting near Ungalik River, Alaska.

GRIZZLY BEAR - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 27-13/16 27 2/16 26 15/16 25 15/16 25 8/16 25 1/16 25 24 9/16 24 7/16 24 6/16 24 24 23 15/16 23 14/16 23 3/16 23 1/16

Kuskokwim River, AK Baldwin Peninsula, AK Pine River, BC Mount Fairplay, AK Unalakleet, AK Yukon River, AK Cathedral Bluff, AK Golsovia River, AK Squirrel River, AK Long’s Creek, YT Squirrel River, AK Golsovia River, AK Ungalik River, AK Duck Lake, BC Ootsa Lake, BC

John H. Hatch

2015 T. Spraker

Jared B. Cummings

2014 K. Lehr

Allen Bolen Michael T. Warner Richard N. King Trina S. Nation Michael T. Warner Robert D. Springer Chad E. Aldridge John J. Schumacher Chad E. Aldridge Cole H. Springer Brad R. Plaga Terry A. Domres Rick Warren

2015 2015 2015 2010 2013 2013 2014 2015 2015 2013 2015 2015 2015

K. Leo S. Bayless F. King D. Eider S. Bayless M. Asleson D. Nickel M. Bloch D. Nickel M. Asleson R. Rippentrop T. Kalsbeck J. Arnold

1993 2013 2014 2010

D. Widby Y. Patterson G. Moore D. Boland

ALASKA BROWN BEAR - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 30-12/16 28 5/16 28 4/16 27 1/16 26 11/16

Unimak Island, AK Red Lake, AK Uganik Bay, AK Zachar Bay, AK

Robert N. Schuh Pat Hancock Charles V. Long, Jr. Steven E. Gentry

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 77

RECENTLY ACCEPTED TROPHIES

COUGAR - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 16-4/16 15 12/16 McLeod River, AB Curtis Clausen 2014 L. Verbaas 15 1/16 Asotin Co., WA Jason J. Daniels 2015 D. Morris 15 Washoe Co., NV Nigel P. Macomber 2015 C. Lacey 14 10/16 San Miguel Co., NM Timothy E. Hickel 2015 J. Westfall 14 8/16 Bannock Co., ID Nicholas A. Simpkins 2013 T. Mortenson 14 8/16 Lost Knife Creek, AB Kevin A. Loeppky 2013 D. Skinner

PACIFIC WALRUS - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 147-4/8 133 2/8 134 7/8 131 2/8 132 2/8 120 121 2/8 117 4/8 122 4/8 116 4/8 117 7/8 109 2/8 120 3/8

St. Lawrence Island, AK Ilnik, AK Unknown Hagemeister Island, AK Cape Seniavin, AK Tongue Point, AK

Charles A. Lane, Jr.

2012 C. Cook

Picked Up Roy Hatfield Picked Up

2008 F. Noska 1963 G. Villnow 2006 F. Noska

Picked Up Picked Up

2005 F. Noska 2001 F. Noska

HUNTER

DATE MEASURER

ELK & MULE DEER FINAL GROSS SCORE SCORE LOCATION

TYPICAL AMERICAN ELK - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 442-5/8 413 424 4/8 Twin Falls Co., ID Michael J. Shetler 2015 R. Hatfield 400 6/8 406 3/8 White Pine Co., NV Michael T. Kinney 2015 C. Lacey 398 3/8 411 2/8 Union Co., OR John D. Anderson 2015 D. Morris 395 2/8 409 7/8 Unknown Unknown 1943 G. Villnow 394 4/8 401 7/8 Sanpete Co., UT Carl A. Cox 2015 R. Hall 387 4/8 397 2/8 Kootenay Lake, BC Shawn W. MacDonald 2015 D. Patterson 383 4/8 400 5/8 Big Muddy Terry J. Perkins 2015 G. Sellsted Valley, SK 382 4/8 404 4/8 Uintah Co., UT Adam C. Millburn 2015 D. Ream 381 3/8 393 4/8 Sevier Co., UT Scott M. Hodson 2015 W. Phifer 379 4/8 385 3/8 Cibola Co., NM John V. Goebel 2015 R. Madsen 377 7/8 392 2/8 Sevier Co., UT Robert A. Thomas 2015 W. Bowles 376 3/8 383 1/8 Box Elder Co., UT Larry V. Freeman 2015 R. Hall 374 6/8 385 2/8 Moffat Co., CO Cary O. Green 2015 T. Archibeque 373 6/8 392 3/8 Chelan Co., WA Benjamin D. Wiley 2015 J. Wiggs 373 6/8 384 4/8 Fergus Co., MT Dennis V. Rehse 2015 K. Lehr 372 7/8 388 1/8 Coconino Co., AZ Wendy D. Winn 2015 M. Zieser 372 379 5/8 Madison Co., MT Howard T. Kelsey 1968 F. King 369 2/8 379 Woody River, MB Klaus F.A. Wille 2015 A. Safiniuk 368 374 4/8 Coconino Co., AZ Dennis H. Dunn 2015 M. Golightly 367 6/8 375 6/8 Carbon Co., WY Justin C. Maze 2015 K. Dana 367 4/8 380 5/8 Salt Lake Co., UT Steven D. Jeffs 2015 M. Fowlks 361 7/8 381 7/8 Park Co., WY Ryan B. Hatfield 2012 B. Farley 361 1/8 369 5/8 Adams Co., ID Ryan B. Hatfield 2014 B. Farley

NON-TYPICAL AMERICAN ELK - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 478-5/8 434 6/8 409 4/8 404 1/8 400 2/8 399 3/8 396 6/8 395 4/8 387

452 2/8 415 2/8 413 5/8 414 4/8 413 2/8 428 2/8 412 2/8 402 3/8

White Pine Co., NV Bannock Co., ID Dillberry Lake, SK Sandoval Co., NM Las Animas Co., CO Mohave Co., AZ Sierra Co., NM Cavalier Co., ND

Sue A. Kinney Daniel T. Truchot Clinton J. Rissling Wesley R. Frazier Daniel T. Burzon Clayton E. Leonard Dillon K. Baloun Dustin A. Hardy

2015 2015 2015 2015 2014 2014 2015 2015

C. Lacey H. Morse B. Rehman K. Tator J. Ream D. Brimager N. Lawson R. Dufault

ROOSEVELT’S ELK - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 404-6/8

TOP TO BOTTOM:

Wesley R. Frazier took this non-typical American elk, scoring 400-2/8 points, in 2015 while hunting in Sandoval County, New Mexico. He was shooting a .300 Weatherby. This typical mule deer, scoring 187-4/8 points, was taken by B&C Regular Member Ben B. Wallace, in Sonora, Mexico, in 2013. John H. Gilliland was on a hunt in Del Norte County, California, when he harvested this Roosevelt's elk, scoring 337-3/8 points. He was shooting his 7mm Remington Mag. 78 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

337 3/8 346 7/8 335 2/8 339 6/8 333 6/8 340 6/8 329 6/8 337 2/8 326 2/8 334 6/8 314 1/8 340 7/8 308 3/8 314 5/8 283 4/8 288 5/8 276 1/8 284 3/8 275 2/8 280 3/8

Del Norte Co., CA Humboldt Co., CA Grays Harbor Co., WA Humboldt Co., CA Del Norte Co., CA Vancouver Island, BC Yamhill Co., OR Humboldt Co., CA Del Norte Co., CA Afognak Island, AK

John H. Gilliland Larry L. Grunert T. Franklin Stinchfield, Jr. Terry G. Burley Dustin L. Gann Mark W. McKinnon

2015 S. Nasby 2015 G. Hooper 2015 R. Mayton

Jed A. McMullen Thomas D. Lundgren David E. Evanow Mark L. Carter

2015 2015 2015 2015

2015 G. Hooper 2015 G. Hooper 2015 R. Petrie T. Rozewski M. Dowse K. Evanow M. Opitz

RECENTLY ACCEPTED TROPHIES

TULE ELK - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 379 305 6/8 331 6/8 Mendocino Co., CA Renaldo J. Marin 304 2/8 317 2/8 Solano Co., CA Rick Warren

2015 D. Biggs 2014 J. Arnold

TYPICAL MULE DEER - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 226-4/8 200 6/8 207 3/8 Emery Co., UT Fred W. Thompson 2015 197 7/8 208 1/8 Rio Arriba Co., NM Unknown 1970 195 2/8 200 Clearwater Allan C. Endersby 2004 Creek, BC 195 198 3/8 Unknown Unknown 1940 193 6/8 198 7/8 Jackson Co., CO Anthony S. Bates 2015 193 5/8 198 7/8 Washington Co., ID Darrell Tonn 1976 193 2/8 203 4/8 Frenchman River, SK Klint S. Brownridge 2013 192 198 Fiske, SK Michael Ma 2015 191 199 2/8 Ravalli Co., MT Louis J. Royce II 2015 190 4/8 198 1/8 Great Sand Hills, SK Kellen J. Murch 2015 190 2/8 206 2/8 Sandoval Co., NM Michael L. Caltabiano 2015 188 2/8 191 1/8 Baca Co., CO Jonathan C. Freeman 2015 187 4/8 196 1/8 Chelan Co., WA Chad R. Georgell 2015 187 4/8 196 Sonora, MX Ben B. Wallace 2013 187 2/8 204 Las Animas Co., CO Benjamin W. Rainey 2015 186 6/8 190 5/8 Custer Co., CO David P. Backus 2015 184 2/8 190 6/8 Eagle Co., CO Raymond E. 2013 Shorette, Jr. 183 1/8 184 7/8 San Juan Co., NM Ted A. Black 2015 183 205 2/8 Utah Co., UT David B. Garlick 2015 182 7/8 191 5/8 Great Sand Hills, SK Scott W. Soyka 2014 181 5/8 186 1/8 Carbon Co., WY Caleb D. Owens 2014 181 3/8 184 3/8 Cheyenne Co., KS Matthew D. Kirchner 2015 181 3/8 189 1/8 Elko Co., NV Russell M. Phillips 1977 180 3/8 197 4/8 Carbon Co., WY Gregg S. Rothenberger 2015 180 3/8 183 1/8 Gooding Co., ID Ian R. Hastie 2009

J. Newport T. Watts L. Hill R. Selner R. Black R. Selner H. Dreger B. Seidle J. Spring J. Clary R. Madsen O. Carpenter R. Spaulding N. Ballard M. Thomson T. Walmsley R. Newman J. Willems D. Nielsen H. Dreger B. Wilkes S. Le Var G. Hernandez B. Wilkes R. Addison

NON-TYPICAL MULE DEER - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 355-2/8 252 6/8 249 242 240 6/8 238 1/8 235 1/8 231 2/8 230 229 2/8 228 6/8 223 7/8 220 5/8 218 4/8 216 5/8 215 2/8

254 5/8 262 6/8 246 3/8 243 2/8 248 5/8 238 235 6/8 235 1/8 238 232 230 1/8 224 3/8 231 3/8 220 3/8 219 6/8

La Plata Co., CO Okanogan Co., WA Idaho Co., ID Valley Co., ID Converse Co., WY Unknown Sublette Co., WY Garfield Co., UT Muddy Lake, SK Goshen Co., WY Sublette Co., WY Carbon Co., UT Mohave Co., AZ Wibaux Co., MT Lemhi Co., ID

Michael T. Kinney 2015 Frank E. Crow 2009 Unknown 1970 Monte B. Dick 1969 Dick L. Rohrer 1970 Unknown Clint A. Condos 2015 Donald T. Solomon 2015 Bradley B. Petzel 2015 William R. Lake 2015 Bill J. Haeck 2015 Thomas J. Lasslo 2015 Duane R. Richardson 2014 Unknown 1956 Roland Wilson 1964

C. Lacey R. Spaulding R. Addison R. Selner R. Selner D. Boland R. Hall R. Hall H. Dreger R. Burtis V. Dana K. Leo P. Dalrymple B. Zundel R. Selner

TYPICAL COLUMBIA BLACKTAIL - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 182-2/8 142 146 1/8 Clark Co., WA 141 5/8 146 7/8 Humboldt Co., CA 140 2/8 155 3/8 Humboldt Co., CA 136 3/8 141 5/8 Whatcom Co., WA 132 136 Mendocino Co., CA 128 4/8 132 3/8 Humboldt Co., CA

Justin R. Gaudet Daniel R. Nored Picked Up Shane M. VanderGiessen Paul J. Trouette III Thomas K. Cartwright

2015 2015 2014 2015

T. Brown G. Hooper G. Hooper J. Reneau

2013 G. Hooper 2015 G. Hooper

NON-TYPICAL COLUMBIA BLACKTAIL - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 208-1/8 168 5/8 173 6/8 Trinity Co., CA 162 5/8 168 3/8 Klickitat Co., WA

Richard A. Garrison Scott I. Lyons

2015 G. Hooper 2013 D. Waldbillig

TYPICAL SITKA BLACKTAIL DEER - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 133 105 111 3/8 Viekoda Bay, AK 100 103 Prince of Wales Island, AK

Christopher C. 2013 T. Spraker Scudder Nicholas S. Schmuck 2015 J. Baichtal

Share your field photos with us! Follow: @BooneandCrockettClub Tag: #booneandcrockettclub

TOP TO BOTTOM:

This typical Sitka blacktail deer, scoring 100 points, was taken by Nicholas S. Schmuck, on Prince of Wales Island, Alaska, in 2015. He was shooting a 30-06 Springfield. Shane M. VanderGiessen was on an archery hunt in Whatcom County, Washington when he took this typical Columbia blacktail deer, scoring 136-3/8 points, in 2015.

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 79

THIS PAGE: TOP TO BOTTOM

Scott M. Hodson was on a hunt in Sevier County, Utah, when he harvested this typical American elk scoring 381-3/8 points. He was shooting a .270 Winchester Short Mag. B&C Regular Member Robert Model was on a hunt with B&C Regular Member Eldon L. 'Buck' Buckner in Chihuahua, Mexico, during the 2015 season, when he harvested this typical Coues' whitetail scoring 100-1/8 points. Landon Michaels took this Rocky Mountain goat, scoring 47-2/8 points. He was hunting in Summit County, Utah, in 2015. This bighorn sheep, scoring 182-1/8 points, was taken by B&C Associate Jonathan E. Martinez in Mora County, New Mexico in 2015. He was shooting a .300 Winchester Mag. In 2015, Greg L. Poley was on a hunt when he harvested this 115-2/8-point bison in Park County, Wyoming. He was shooting a .300 Winchester Short Mag.

OPPOSITE PAGE:

While on a 2015 hunt in Barron County, Wisconsin, B&C Associate Tyler J. Florczak took this 171-5/8-point typical whitetail deer.

80 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

WHITETAIL DEER FINAL GROSS SCORE SCORE LOCATION

HUNTER

RECENTLY ACCEPTED TROPHIES

DATE MEASURER

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 213-5/8 1185 6/8 191 1/8 Melville Lake, SK Lyndon D. Hicks 2014 H. Dreger 181 189 3/8 Kiowa Co., KS Richard L. Drake 2015 G. Moore 180 1/8 198 5/8 Chippewa Co., MI Mr. Robinson 1946 G. Villnow 175 6/8 181 3/8 Richland Co., WI John R. Nachtigal 2012 E. Randall 174 7/8 181 3/8 Piapot, SK Travis Armstrong 2012 R. Schaal 173 3/8 181 1/8 Maverick Co., TX William L. Raba, Jr. 2014 D. Brimager 172 6/8 184 Buffalo Co., WI Mitchell A. Palmer 2015 S. Godfrey 172 5/8 177 5/8 Pheasant Creek, SK Robert W.C. Currah 2013 K. Somogyi 172 4/8 184 2/8 Hocking Co., OH Robert E. Sisler 2015 J. Hill 172 4/8 179 3/8 Morehouse Co., LA Joe S. Rolfe 1900 S. Durham 172 3/8 176 1/8 Cold Lake, SK Anthony J. Alford 2012 J. Bordelon 172 179 4/8 Allamakee Co., IA Michael A. Jones 2014 L. Miller 171 5/8 185 1/8 Barron Co., WI Tyler J. Florczak 2015 R. St. Ores 171 5/8 188 4/8 Johnson Co., TX Hubert R. Martin III 2014 K. Witt 171 3/8 174 7/8 Buffalo Co., WI Randy J. Schoeneck 2015 D. Boland 171 1/8 178 2/8 Orange Co., NC David L. Smith 2009 P. Camp 170 6/8 191 1/8 Fulton Co., KY Ty S. Parker 2015 J. Hamlington 170 6/8 186 5/8 Outagamie Co., WI Steve A. Gonnering 2015 S. Zirbel 170 3/8 172 3/8 Gosper Co., NE George F. Sund, Jr. 2014 C. Taylor 169 6/8 191 Obion Co., TN Dalton T. Lewis 2012 B. Elkins 169 6/8 178 2/8 Miquelon Lake, AB Michael J. Hopkins 2005 D. Bromberger 167 181 6/8 Lincoln Co., MO Charles W. 1995 J. Hindman Schieffer, Jr. 166 174 5/8 Buffalo Co., WI Frank J. Jilot 2015 S. Zirbel 164 6/8 176 1/8 Maverick Co., TX Steve E. Holloway 2014 D. Draeger 164 2/8 168 7/8 Polk Co., WI Loyal Lunde, Sr. 1938 J. Lunde 164 1/8 169 2/8 Polk Co., WI Aaron M. Koshatka 2014 J. Lunde 163 2/8 173 Marathon Co., WI Justin L. Switlick 2015 T. Heil 162 6/8 170 1/8 Coffey Co., KS Michael K. Thompson 2015 K. Wells 162 6/8 167 6/8 Marquette Co., WI Michael A. Anderson 2015 J. Ramsey 162 3/8 172 Erie Co., OH Gary N. Latteman 2014 W. Ogden

THIS IS NO COUNTRY FOR AMATEURS.

MOAR™

NXS™ 2.5-10 x 42

Since 1992, Nightforce NXS™ riflescopes have been proven in conditions that make most riflescopes beg for mercy. Their superb optics and virtually indestructible construction have served the U.S. military, professional shooters and extreme hunters the world over. If you haven’t experienced the joys of an NXS™, this would be an excellent time to see what you’ve been missing.

NXS™ 3.5-15 x 50

IHR™

NXS™ 5.5-22 x 50/56

Also available in 1-4 x 24, 2.5-10 x 32 and 8-32 x 56 models.

336 Hazen Lane, Orofino, ID 83544

208.476.9814

NightforceOptics.com

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 81

RECENTLY ACCEPTED TROPHIES

TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER CONTINUED 162 1/8 161 3/8 160 3/8 160 3/8

181 1/8 169 4/8 172 6/8 175 7/8

Manitowoc Co., WI Richland Co., WI Polk Co., WI Waupaca Co., WI

Grant R. Wedepohl James P. Kadousek Scott R. Hansen Steven G. Quella

2014 2011 2006 1995

S. Zirbel E. Randall J. Lunde T. Heil

NON-TYPICAL WHITETAIL DEER - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 333-7/8 242 6/8 246 7/8 Brookings Co., SD Austin R. Earley 2015 S. Rauch 222 7/8 229 7/8 Lyon Co., KS Picked Up 2012 R. Bergloff 213 1/8 220 2/8 Vernon Co., WI Nicholas W. Bauman 2015 R. Case 211 2/8 215 Licking Co., OH Grant D. Garber 2015 E. Robinson 208 6/8 225 3/8 Rice Co., KS Caleb D. Gillespie 2013 G. Moore 205 7/8 214 5/8 Osage Co., OK James B. Stacy, Jr. 2015 G. Moore 205 1/8 211 4/8 Caldwell Co., MO Rodney L. Owen 2015 D. Hollingsworth 205 216 7/8 Washington Co., MN Andrew L. Hobbs 2015 J. Lunde 204 5/8 211 5/8 Bates Co., MO Jeffrey C. Markel 2014 J. Cussimanio 201 1/8 207 6/8 Livingston Co., IL Dennis L. Griswold 2015 A. Shofner 199 205 5/8 Meade Co., KS Brent L. Wallace 2015 A. Baugh 196 7/8 201 7/8 Russell Co., KS Wendell L. Wilson 2015 J. Barrow 195 4/8 210 3/8 Collin Co., TX Cody R. Griffin 2015 K. Witt 195 1/8 200 2/8 Dade Co., MO Danny Slatten 2009 D. VanDerhoef 193 7/8 207 4/8 Kiowa Co., KS Anthony J. Alford 2014 K. LaCaze 192 6/8 196 1/8 Shoshone Co., ID Larry L. Stillwaugh 2014 J. Wiggs 188 196 2/8 Pettis Co., MO Byron M. Knight 2014 K. Zielke 187 2/8 190 7/8 Ramsey Co., ND Thomas G. Fossen 2015 L. Wahlund 186 1/8 191 1/8 Silver Lake, SK Ryan R. Onufreychuk 2015 H. Dreger 185 3/8 195 3/8 Henry Co., IA Craig R. Belknap 2013 D. Pfeiffer

TYPICAL COUES’ WHITETAIL - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 144-1/8 125 4/8 112 110 2/8 100 1/8

134 3/8 115 5/8 120 4/8 109

Gila Co., AZ Gila Co., AZ Gila Co., AZ Chihuahua, MX

James S. Armstrong Ray J. Pawlik Jason K. Browning Robert Model

2014 2015 2015 2015

C. Goldman R. Stayner V. Howard E. Buckner

HUNTER

DATE MEASURER

MOOSE AND CARIBOU FINAL GROSS SCORE SCORE LOCATION

CANADA MOOSE - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 242

TOP TO BOTTOM:

Grant D. Garber took this non-typical whitetail deer, scoring 211-2/8 points, in 2015 while hunting in Licking County, Ohio. This Alaska-Yukon moose, scoring 232-4/8 points, was taken by B&C Associate Richard L. Drake, near the Ogilvie River, Yukon Territory, in 2012. He was shooting a .270 Winchester. Kevin M. Kenney was on a hunt near Swift River, Alaska, when he harvested this barren ground caribou, scoring 440-5/8 points. He was shooting a .300 Weatherby. 82 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

230 236 Tuya Lake, BC Keely M. Kibala 2015 D. Patterson 222 4/8 230 4/8 Blanchard River, BC Freddy Dodge 2015 D. Doerr 213 214 2/8 Dease Lake, BC John D. Simons 2015 R. Spring 209 4/8 211 1/8 Atlin, BC Richard P. Price 2015 R. Pawluski 205 2/8 209 7/8 Iosegun Lake, AB Kenneth L. Kingma 2015 R. Spaulding 203 3/8 214 3/8 Cassiar Mts., BC Arthur M. Salanski 2015 E. Swanson 201 6/8 205 6/8 Moosomin Lake, SK S. Smith & M. Smith 2015 P. McKenzie 199 4/8 202 Dease Lake, BC Brad D. Johnson 2015 R. Berreth 195 2/8 199 5/8 Skinny Lake, BC Kenneth J. Rimer 2015 C. Zuckerman 195 1/8 207 3/8 Lac Matte, QC Andre Benoit 2012 J. Provost 195 199 3/8 Bigstone River, MB John E. McDonald 2015 A. Safiniuk 195 197 3/8 Caribou Depot, NB Wendy M. 2015 D. Aumen Rabert-Heatley 193 195 1/8 Aroostook Co., ME Darren J. Compton 2015 B. Sippin 192 3/8 194 3/8 Blackstrap Graham Perry 2012 J. McJannet Reservoir, SK 192 3/8 197 2/8 Tucho Lake, BC Terry A. Domres 2015 T. Kalsbeck 188 191 5/8 Hook Lake, BC Richard N. Schofer 2015 P. McKenzie 186 4/8 193 5/8 Kluatantan Duane G. Mefford 2015 M. Opitz Lakes, BC 186 3/8 192 4/8 Cook Co., MN Unknown 2003 K. Zimmerman

ALASKA-YUKON MOOSE - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 263-5/8 270 6/8 275 6/8 247 6/8 259 4/8 232 4/8 242 4/8 223 6/8 230 6/8 221 224 4/8 219 6/8 224 6/8

Lower Yukon Rex J. Nick River, AK Hess Mountains, YT Kyle L. Koster Ogilvie River, YT Richard L. Drake Hess Mountains, YT Brian J. Cuperus Shiliak Creek, AK Gary G. Higby Mosquito Flats, AK Brian M. Meyer

2010 D. Widby 2015 2012 2015 2015 2015

J. Gordon G. Moore J. Gordon M. Golightly A. Jubenville

ALASKA-YUKON MOOSE CONTINUED 218 222 2/8 Ross River, YT Clint D. Walker 2015 R. Ratz 216 5/8 220 5/8 Yukon River, YT Peeler G. Lacey, Jr. 2014 D. Rippeto 216 229 6/8 Squirrel River, AK Michael A. Schwartz 2015 B. Vandeloecht 214 4/8 218 4/8 Kitchatna River, AK Raymond E. Dyer 2015 R. Deis

RECENTLY ACCEPTED TROPHIES

SHIRAS’ MOOSE - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 205-4/8 194 196 Park Co., CO Robert S. Hebert 2015 J. Legnard 189 2/8 194 5/8 Mesa Co., CO Steven M. Azcarraga 2015 R. Black 182 7/8 188 Twin Falls Co., ID Bradley H. Visser 2015 R. Hatfield 175 6/8 180 4/8 Gunnison Co., CO Thad A. McCool 2015 J. Legnard 175 4/8 178 5/8 Lincoln Co., MT Robert S. Tallerico 2015 J. Pallister 172 4/8 177 1/8 Lincoln Co., MT Darrick J. Judkins 2015 J. Brown 171 5/8 177 4/8 Teton Co., WY Eugene D. Royer 2015 R. Burtis 163 6/8 166 Flathead Co., MT Robert A. Pearson 2015 L. Coccoli 163 5/8 167 Weber Co., UT M. Chad Marriott 2015 R. Hall 163 2/8 170 Bonneville Co., ID Jeremy B. Barry 2015 T. Stanosheck 161 1/8 165 6/8 Sublette Co., WY Kristy D. Jones 2015 R. Anderson 158 3/8 163 4/8 Glacier Co., MT Jennifer E. Roark 2015 J. Brown 157 1/8 162 1/8 Caribou Co., ID Amanda J. Frandsen 2015 H. Morse 155 2/8 159 Grand Co., CO Jeffrey J. Bode 2015 J. Legnard 152 2/8 159 5/8 Jackson Co., CO David J. Brown 2015 R. Rockwell 152 1/8 156 5/8 Grand Co., CO Ronald C. Rockwell 2015 B. Smith 149 3/8 151 5/8 Albany Co., WY Gary C. Burgener, Jr. 2012 B. Dampman 149 158 5/8 Bear Lake Co., ID Andrea J. Wilson 2015 T. Mortenson 147 4/8 150 7/8 Gallatin Co., MT John M. Wallace 2014 F. King 144 4/8 146 6/8 Sublette Co., WY Ted W. Miller 2015 R. Newman 144 3/8 147 7/8 Eagle Co., CO Eric C. Messmer 2015 J. Legnard 143 5/8 145 2/8 Park Co., MT Norman J. Rock III 2015 F. King 142 144 3/8 Fremont Co., ID Rulon J. Hemingway 2001 D. Duchow 141 1/8 150 2/8 Carbon Co., WY Robert D. Springer 2013 M. Asleson 141 1/8 144 6/8 Madison Co., MT Peter P. Gierke 2015 B. Zundel

MOUNTAIN CARIBOU - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 459-3/8 404 400 7/8 398 3/8 378 2/8

409 420 6/8 410 1/8 389

Hook Lake, BC Rorie D. Hoyt Hess Mountains, YT Kyle L. Koster Pelly Mts., YT Mike J. Coelho Sanpete Creek, YT Charles E. Shewen

2015 2015 2015 1994

D. Patterson J. Gordon C. Pierce R. Ratz

WOODLAND CARIBOU - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 419-5/8 348 3/8 341 3/8 339 7/8 320 2/8 296

353 4/8 354 3/8 352 340 2/8 305 6/8

Middle Ridge, NL Sam’s Pond, NL Sam’s Pond, NL Great Gull Lake, NL Conne River, NL

Kyle S. Williams Kevin L. Countryman Douglas E. Wilson Alan H. Anglyn Richard N. King

2015 2014 2014 2015 2015

J. Anstey J. Anstey C. Banfield S. Le Var F. King

BARREN GROUND CARIBOU - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 477 440 5/8 457 2/8 Swift River, AK Kevin M. Kenney 2015 S. Kleinsmith 394 402 4/8 Talkeetna Mts., AK Frank S. Noska IV 2015 C. Brent 385 2/8 399 1/8 Hart River, YT Charles E. Shewen 1995 R. Ratz

HORNED GAME FINAL GROSS SCORE SCORE LOCATION

HUNTER

DATE MEASURER

PRONGHORN - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 96-4/8 94 6/8 93 2/8 90 4/8 90 89 4/8 89 4/8 88 6/8 88 2/8 88 87 6/8 87 4/8 87 2/8 86 6/8 86 4/8 86 2/8 86

95 7/8 94 1/8 90 7/8 91 4/8 90 1/8 90 89 7/8 89 89 2/8 88 2/8 88 1/8 88 5/8 87 88 86 4/8 86 6/8

Yavapai Co., AZ John K. Koster Socorro Co., NM Duane R. Kramer Coconino Co., AZ Rene J. Dube, Jr. Lincoln Co., NM Steve Habarka Carbon Co., WY Geoffrey S. Denton Yavapai Co., AZ R. Shane Wright Socorro Co., NM Robert A. Kramer Lander Co., NV Tyler K. Hunt Sweetwater Co., WY Nathan E. Smith Socorro Co., NM Duane R. Kramer Washakie Co., WY Brad DeSaye Lincoln Co., NM Ralph R. Sollie Navajo Co., AZ Harold L. Gilliam Hot Springs Co., WY David L. Hussey Coconino Co., AZ Michael V. Gould Coconino Co., AZ Mathew J. Petrucci

2015 2014 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015 2015

R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner D. Nielsen D. Nielsen R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner R. Stayner

Anthony J. Alford was on a hunt near Cold Lake, in Saskatchewan, during the 2012 season, when he harvested this typical whitetail deer scoring 172-3/8 points. PRONGHORN CONTINUED 86 86 4/8 Navajo Co., AZ Jade Rencher 2015 R. Stayner 85 6/8 86 4/8 Socorro Co., NM James K. Lines 2015 R. Stayner 85 4/8 86 Eureka Co., NV Brian L. Biehl 2015 J. Edwards 85 4/8 87 Johnson Co., WY James M. Sheterom 2015 R. Deis 85 4/8 86 Mora Co., NM Don E. Miller 2015 D. McBride 85 2/8 85 7/8 Sweetwater Co., WY David A. Dent 2015 B. Wilkes 85 86 1/8 Carbon Co., WY Larry S. Hicks 2015 B. Wilkes 85 86 6/8 Socorro Co., NM Robert A. Kramer 2014 R. Stayner 84 6/8 85 2/8 Carter Co., MT Auston J. Butt 2015 B. Zundel 84 6/8 85 5/8 Goshen Co., WY Robert C. Fertsch 2015 R. Burtis 84 6/8 86 3/8 Minidoka Co., ID Michael H. Ferrera 2015 T. Boudreau 84 2/8 85 2/8 Hudspeth Co., TX Dan E. McBride 2014 O. Carpenter 84 84 6/8 Carbon Co., WY Timothy W. 2015 E. Stanosheck Stanosheck 84 84 5/8 Washoe Co., NV Timothy H. Humes 2015 L. Clark 83 6/8 84 3/8 Carbon Co., WY Sheldon D. Alver 2015 R. Stayner 83 6/8 84 Luna Co., NM Garland E. Sawyers 2015 B. Wiese 83 4/8 84 Mora Co., NM Jason A. Baker 2015 O. Carpenter 83 4/8 84 2/8 San Miguel Co., NM Gerald D. Banks 2015 D. McBride 83 2/8 84 1/8 Hudspeth Co., TX Roger W. Steward 2015 D. McBride 83 2/8 84 1/8 Roberts Co., TX Danny B. Williams 2015 E. Stanosheck 83 83 2/8 Nye Co., NV Paul A. Lautner 2015 B. Zundel 83 83 3/8 Pershing Co., NV Roger M. French, Jr. 2015 T. Humes 82 6/8 84 2/8 Mora Co., NM Jeffrey D. Fisher 2015 O. Carpenter 82 6/8 84 5/8 Yavapai Co., AZ Rick Warren 2014 J. Arnold 82 4/8 83 6/8 Catron Co., NM Allen A. Ehrke 2015 B. Abele 82 4/8 83 6/8 Mora Co., NM D. Heath McBride 2015 O. Carpenter 82 4/8 84 6/8 Sweetwater Co., WY Gary W. Zunino 2015 G. Hernandez 82 4/8 82 6/8 Washoe Co., NV Cody W. Cate 2015 C. Lacey 82 2/8 82 6/8 Golden Valley David R. Lautner 2015 B. Zundel Co., MT 82 2/8 83 3/8 Socorro Co., NM Anthony J. Caligiuri 1999 D. Augspurger 82 82 4/8 Fremont Co., WY John M. Workman 2015 B. Wilkes 82 83 Humboldt Co., NV Charles E. Rader 2015 J. Maslach 82 82 3/8 Mora Co., NM Mark A. Erspamer 2015 D. McBride 82 82 5/8 Platte Co., WY Dan L. Reynolds 2015 J. Mraz 82 82 7/8 Sweetwater Co., WY J. Mike Clegg 2015 B. Wilkes 81 4/8 84 1/8 Hudspeth Co., TX Ernie Davis 2015 D. McBride 81 4/8 82 2/8 Moffat Co., CO Ted W. Miller 2015 R. Newman 81 81 5/8 Albany Co., WY John D. Ickes 2015 D. McBride 81 82 6/8 Carbon Co., UT Jenalee E. Moynier 2015 K. Leo 81 82 3/8 Quay Co., NM Christopher J. Tracy 2015 J. Pennington 80 6/8 81 3/8 Campbell Co., WY Marc F. Larese 2015 J. Mankin 80 6/8 82 2/8 Cherry Co., NE James A. Hardy 2015 L. Meduna 80 4/8 80 7/8 Huerfano Co., CO Timothy K. Rushing 2015 L. Guldman 80 4/8 81 4/8 Mora Co., NM Christopher G. Kennon 2015 D. McBride 80 4/8 81 1/8 Sweetwater Co., WY Clinton A. Neer 2015 T. Humes 80 81 1/8 Converse Co., WY Casey A.R. Bounsall 2015 D. Biggs 80 80 2/8 Quay Co., NM Gregory M. Prussak 2015 J. Edwards 80 80 3/8 Stillwater Co., MT Chris G. Sanford 2015 B. Milliron

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 83

RECENTLY ACCEPTED TROPHIES

BISON - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 136-4/8 121 4/8 122 2/8 Aishihik Lake, YT Charles Nadeau 2010 S. Buchanan 120 2/8 125 1/8 Park Co., MT Frank L. Orton 2015 J. Zins 116 116 3/8 Garfield Co., UT Nicholas A. DiJoseph 2012 B. Christensen 115 2/8 117 1/8 Park Co., WY

Greg L. Poley

2015 D. Hart

ROCKY MOUNTAIN GOAT - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 57-4/8 56 56 6/8 Revillagigedo Marvin H. McCloud III 2015 J. Baichtal Island, AK 53 6/8 54 Revillagigedo David L. Jacobs, Jr. 2015 D. Larsen Island, AK 52 2/8 52 3/8 Hoy Lake, BC Tyler J. Lisonbee 2015 S. Davis 51 2/8 51 4/8 Unknown Unknown 1990 G. Villnow 50 2/8 50 5/8 Teton Co., WY Will C. Russell 2015 V. Dana 49 2/8 49 3/8 Terrace, BC Allen Bolen 2007 K. Leo 48 6/8 49 2/8 Toad River, BC Roger T. Bratrud 2013 D. Skinner 48 4/8 48 7/8 Baker Co., OR Jerad R. Croswell 2014 D. Morris 48 4/8 49 1/8 Gallatin Co., MT K. Scott Keyser 2015 F. King 48 2/8 48 7/8 Grant Lake, AK Ronald D. Isaacs 1990 L. Lewis 47 6/8 48 4/8 Tumbler Ridge, BC Evan D. Hauk 2014 D. Turchanski 47 2/8 47 5/8 Summit Co., UT Landon Michaels 2015 D. Shirley 47 47 4/8 Crab Lake, BC Allen Bolen 2013 K. Leo 47 47 6/8 Deadman Bay, AK Frank S. Noska IV 2015 C. Brent MUSK OX - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 129 113 4/8 113 7/8 White Sandy David K. Amundson 2015 J. Pallister River, NU 106 4/8 108 1/8 Shishmaref Inlet, AK Michael W. Mida 2011 T. Spraker

BIGHORN SHEEP - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 209-4/8 194 6/8 194 6/8 Fergus Co., MT Michael T. Kinney 2015 193 1/8 193 7/8 Unknown Unknown 1900 190 1/8 190 3/8 Chouteau Co., MT Gregory L. Smith 2015 189 6/8 190 2/8 Fergus Co., MT Robert L. Anderson 2015 183 183 2/8 Baker Co., OR Jerad R. Croswell 2015 182 7/8 183 2/8 Sanders Co., MT Armand H. Johnson 1993 182 1/8 182 5/8 Mora Co., NM Jonathan E. Martinez 2015 181 7/8 182 2/8 Valley Co., ID Blake O. Fischer 2015 181 4/8 181 6/8 Lemhi Co., ID William M. Naillon 2015 181 2/8 182 5/8 Idaho Co., ID James D. Fowler 2015 180 7/8 181 3/8 Taos Co., NM Dennis C. Deaver 2015 180 6/8 180 7/8 Fergus Co., MT Jeffrey H. Sprague 2015 180 180 5/8 Chelan Co., WA Jimmy L. Clary, Jr. 2015 180 181 1/8 Nez Perce Co., ID David A. Bratcher 2015 180 180 2/8 Fording River, BC Tanis R. Barkman 2015 178 6/8 180 3/8 Fergus Co., MT Eric A. Barclay 2015 178 5/8 179 2/8 Leyland Mt., AB Franciscus M. 2013 Diepstraten 175 4/8 176 3/8 Red Deer River, AB Terry W. Safron 2011 175 2/8 175 5/8 Forbidden Creek, AB Roger T. Bratrud 2015

F. King D. Boland J. Pallister J. Pallister D. Morris P. Wright J. Caid T. Boudreau T. Boudreau J. Peek L. Rominger J. Pallister D. Morris P. Cooper D. Patterson F. King D. Skinner D. Skinner D. Skinner

DESERT SHEEP - WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 205-1/8 178 3/8 178 7/8 Coahuila, MX Dillon K. Baloun 2015 N. Lawson 177 2/8 179 1/8 San Bernardino Michael J. Carpinito 2015 D. Waldbillig Co., CA 174 2/8 175 3/8 Pima Co., AZ Anthony J. Caligiuri 1990 D. Augspurger 170 4/8 171 Washington Co., UT Ryan G. Foutz 2014 R. Hall 170 2/8 170 4/8 Mohave Co., AZ Nicholas L. Bozenich 2013 C. Goldman 165 5/8 166 3/8 Kane Co., UT Zachary K. Zimmerman 2015 R. Hall

TOP TO BOTTOM:

B&C Regular Member and Official Measurer Dan E. McBride took this pronghorn, scoring 84-2/8 points, in 2014 while hunting in Hudspeth County, Texas. He was shooting a .280 Remington. This Dall's sheep, scoring 160-5/8 points, was taken by B&C Associate James R. Sebastian, on Sheep Mountain, Alaska, in 2015. He was shooting a .300 Winchester Short Mag. Michael J. Carpinito was on a hunt in San Bernardino County, California when he harvested this desert sheep, scoring 177-2/8 points. He was shooting a .300 Weatherby. 84 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

DALL’S SHEEP- WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 189-6/8 173 6/8 170 7/8 165 5/8 165 5/8 165 4/8 164 5/8 F. Noska 160 6/8 160 5/8

174 171 166 3/8 165 7/8 166 3/8 165 2/8

Chugach Mts., AK Edward C. Joseph 2015 Knik River, AK Steven J. Baldwin 2014 Ruby Range, YT Gerald E. Miller 2015 Wrangell Mts., AK James P. Stager 2015 Slana River, AK Steven E. Gentry 2015 Kuskokwim River, AK Kory L. Blake

D. Larsen C. Brent L. Fulmer D. Razza D. Boland 2015

161 1/8 Dezadeash Lake, YT Cindy L. Carey 2015 C. Walker 160 5/8 Sheep Mt., AK James R. Sebastian 2015 P. Allen

STONE’S SHEEP

- WORLD’S RECORD SCORE 196-6/8 171 171 4/8 Muncho Lake, BC Patrick A. Whidden 2015 S. Krossa 166 1/8 166 4/8 Muskwa Area, BC Thomas L. Teague 2015 F. King

FAIR CHASE | SUM M E R 2 0 1 6 85

B&C IS NOT YOUR DADDY! When you consider the phrase fair chase literally, it is nonsense. There is nothing fair about chasing animals with the advantage of our human reasoning and knowledge, not to mention our weapons. So, when we say fair chase, we imply and intend that the situation is fair and square, that no cheating is involved and that honesty and character is brought to bear. Ultimately, honor and respect underlie the fair chase hunt. That is to say, we are willing to face adversity and uncertainty in our pursuits because the taking of a life deserves such investment, toil and tribulation. We are being fair by not taking advantage of the animal and by making sure the situation is not controlled or contrived. In the end, the animal can get away; so be it. In fact, hunting fair chase means that killing the animal is actually not the most important part. Additionally, antler inches, horn length and all the “mine’s bigger” stuff is actually secondary to an honest pursuit. B&C defines fair chase as “The ethical, sportsmanlike and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an improper or unfair advantage over the game animals.” This deceptively simple definition leaves the door wide open to interpretation through myriad possibilities and “what-if” scenarios. The fact is that any more precise definition or any less definition would be far worse and we

86 FA I R CH A S E | SU M M E R 20 1 6

would be left with allegations and arguments. Consider the notion that fair chase is actually an ideal and not a set of rules or limits. In this perspective, it is rooted in honor and respect, effort and knowledge and the best of intentions toward the species we pursue and the places we hunt. It is not a law, nor a rule. It is much more personal than that. I call it a credo, and it is a guiding force for me whenever I go afield. It is not a blunt instrument anyone should use to beat you about the head and neck if they think you are not hunting the right way. While there are some practices that clearly cut against the ideal of fair chase (frankendeer, extreme longrange shooting, canned or putand-take shooting, etc.), the distinction in almost all of the other legal hunt scenarios is much more about intent than it is about circumstance. And, while there are hunters that will never see some of the regional practices of legal hunting as fair chase (baiting, use of dogs, etc.), we are all free to leave generations of custom and history play out without our participation. Most of the time, they didn’t ask for your or my opinion anyway. On a higher plane, fair chase is rooted in the principles of wildlife conservation. The unpredictable nature of hunting, where there is ample opportunity for escape, means that most of the time, that is exactly what happens and therefore, there are still wild game animals to pursue. Additionally, legal limits are

THE ETHICS OF FAIR CHASE

generally set according to the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, which intends to promote sustainable populations and wild spaces. At the same time, there is a much more fundamental benefit, which is a love and appreciation of the wild animals and the wild places they call home. Personally, I have never met the person that has chased wild game that has not been affected in a profound way. Paying witness to all that nature is and considering what it all means and how it is connected is deeply humbling and exceedingly compelling. I submit that it is impossible to engage in fair chase without being transformed or affirmed, in a positive way, in the very marrow of your bones. This is where the hunterconservationist is born. The apparent conflict between being a taker of life and a steward of wildlife is undone, and the wild animals and wild places are the beneficiaries. The scale is balanced when you are influenced by this premise, and fair chase exists. In the end, B&C is not your daddy. You are the only

Daniel A. Pedrotti, Jr. B&C REGULAR MEMBER Chair, Hunter Ethics Sub-Committee

one that can determine if you hunt fair chase or not. B&C should seem more like your hunting buddy. We should be thought of as helping and supporting you, not judging you. We are here to share your stories and to talk about hunting—past, present and future. The term servant leader is a better definition of our role in the hunting community and our service is borne out of our commitment to fair chase hunting and the hunter-conservationist way of life. We intend to lead by example not by edict or rule. And while we are best known by the records book we keep, we are just hunters. In the end, we are so blessed to participate in the hunt it would be a damn shame to trivialize the wonder of it all by getting hung up on the details. n

Fair Chase is rooted in honor and respect, effort and knowledge and the best of intentions toward the species we pursue and the places we hunt. It is not a law, nor a rule. It is much more personal than that.

783 Scoped

It’s Not Dressed to Impress. It’s Dressed for Work. It’s a tool. Designed by America’s bolt-action experts. Assembled by American workers engineered with the precision, durability and performance enhancing technology to get the job done. Get your Instant Quote today at www.galleryofguns.com. Order today and your new 783 will be delivered to your selected local retailer in as little as 48 hours! Now grab some ammo, check your zero at the range, and you’re ready to hunt.

Remington 783 Scoped Features • Premounted and Bore-Sighted 3-9x40mm Scope • Modern But Classical Design Pillar Bedded Synthetic Stock • Dual Pillars Free Float the Barrel for Optimal Accuracy • Carbon Steel Magnum Contour Button Rifled Barrel • Steel Detachable Magazine with Steel Latch • CrossFire Trigger with 2-position Safety - Factory Set at 3-1/2 lbs - User Adjustable from 2-1/2 to 5 lbs • SuperCell Recoil Pad

Item#

Caliber

Capacity

BBL

85840

223

5+1

22”

85842

243

4+1

22”

85844

270

4+1

22”

85845

22-250

4+1

22”

85847

308

4+1

22”

85848

7MM

3+1

24”

85849

300

3+1

24”

In Stock Now at

All firearms purchased from GalleryofGuns.com are covered by

the Davidson’s GuaranteeD® Lifetime Replacement Warranty.

OWN THE ASCENT STAND AT THE TOP WITH THIS LIGHT-WEIGHT KIMBER RIFLE.

kimber mountain ascent™ starting at 4 pounds 13 ounces | 22-26 inch barrel available in .308 win, .270 win, .280 ack imp, .30-06 sprg, 300 wsm, 270 wsm, .300 win mag, 7mm rem mag

SUB MOA

a c c u r a c y s t a n d a r d

made in a merica

what all guns should be™

(888) 243-4522 kimberamerica.com