Where Hunting Happens, Conservation Happens™
Established in 1887 by Theodore Roosevelt and George Bird Grinnell, the Boone and Crockett Club was founded by hunters who dedicated their lives to the conservation of wildlife. As the turn of the 20th century approached our nation, these men had to make a choice: stand by and watch our cherished wildlife disappear or work for the protection and propagation of our wildlife resource. Thankfully, they rose to the challenge and chose the latter.
Yielding substantial political influence, members of the Boone and Crockett Club initiated the first laws dedicated solely to wildlife conservation—and established the methods with which to pay for it. This includes legislation such as the Lacey Act, Migratory Bird Treaty Act, Wildlife Restoration Act (known as the Pittman-Robertson Act), and the Federal Duck Stamp Act.
Their work spearheaded efforts to protect Yellowstone, create Glacier, Denali, and Grand Canyon National Parks as well as our National Wildlife Refuge System. Their foresight 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 more recently working with other partners in the hunting-conservation community to form the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (2000).
Today, the Boone and Crockett Club continues to build upon the legacy of wildlife conservation established by Roosevelt and Grinnell. While not an exhaustive list, the topics below are the key issues of the Boone and Crockett Club.
As the oldest wildlife conservation organization in the United States, the Boone and Crockett Club still considers conservation our highest priority.
While the Boone and Crockett Club may best be known for celebrating the biggest horns and antlers, there are scientific reasons behind the record book.
The Boone and Crockett Club has been and still is a leader in conservation policy efforts to promote conservation and sustainable management of fish, wildlife, and their habitat.
From fellowships at universities across the country to immersive programs for young adults, the Boone and Crockett Club invests in future wildlife professionals.
Hunters and wildlife conservation continue to face challenges ranging from climate change to the 2nd Amendment. See where Boone and Crockett stands on these issues.
Ever the naturalists, Boone and Crockett Club founders understood the need to study and understand wildlife in the name of conservation. Here’s how we continue those efforts.
Today’s hunters follow the ethics and laws first established by the Boone and Crockett Club. Fair Chase began as a way to save wildlife, today it continues to save hunting heritage.
Men like Theodore Roosevelt, George Bird Grinnell, and others built a foundation for conservation of our nation’s natural resources. And it all started in 1887 when they founded B&C.
"The wildlife and its habitat cannot speak. So we must and we will."
-Theodore Roosevelt