About Boone and Crockett Club - Hunting and Conservation

The Boone and Crockett Club may be best known for keeping track of the biggest horns, heads and antlers, but the true lifeblood of the organization is built firmly on a bedrock of conservation principles. From the Club’s inception in 1887, conservation of our nation’s wildlife was and continues to be the reason we exist.

B&C Founder, Theodore Roosevelt, with John Muir on Glacier Point, Yosemite Valley, California, in 1903.

Today, the Boone and Crockett Club leads the conservation community by example. Through programs like Poach and Pay, we continue to take a stand against wanton waste of our wildlife. In addition, our support of wildlife research and conservation education ensures future generations of game managers and biologists have the tools they need. Even in the halls of Congress, you’ll find members of the Boone and Crockett Club advocating for conservation legislation.

Everything we do builds upon the legacy of our founders. And with the continued support of our members and others who care about wildlife, we’ll continue to conserve well into the future. Learn more about our conservation programs and efforts below.

Boone and Crockett Club's Poach and Pay Project

Sportsmen and women know hunting is not poaching, and that poachers are thieves not hunters. But there is a public perception problem—and perceptions can become reality. Poachers must be held accountable and pay for their crimes. This is what the Boone and Crockett Club’s Poach & Pay Project will address.

Forest Health

B&C has a long history with wildland forest management. In the early 1900s, we worked to develop and pass legislation that created the National Forest System and the U.S. Forest Service to manage these forests. More recently, we are working with Congress to give the federal government new tools and direction to implement activie forest management—healthy forests mean healthy game habitat.

Collaborative Conservation as Part of 30 by 30

Theodore Roosevelt noted that, “Conservation means development as much as it means protection,” and embracing a balance of both approaches through collaboration and partner engagement will be critical to meeting Hunt Fish 30 x 30 goals. Collaborative conservation efforts are already being embraced by local communities while making a difference for biodiversity and land conservation.

American Wildlife Conservation Partners

In August of 2000, B&C was instrumental in organizing an historical conservation summit that has already proven to have a profound effect on the future of wildlife. This landmark meeting resulted in the foundation of the American Wildlife Conservation Partners (AWCP)—a coalition of wildlife organizations representing more than 4.5 million hunter-conservationists.

History of the Boone and Crockett Club

The Boone and Crockett Club’s history is a 134-year long tale of measured and thoughtful commitment to wild land and wildlife conservation. This commitment balances human and wildlife needs and sees deep value in preserving the hunting tradition. It’s a commitment shaped by visionaries and a common-sense, science-based approach to natural resource management. It’s an effort that has saved many wildlife species from extinction and it’s considered one of our nation’s greatest accomplishments.

Boone and Crockett Club and Conservation

B&C has a history of measured and thoughtful commitment to conservation, beginning in 1887. It is a commitment that balances human needs with wildlife needs; a commitment that sees deep value in preserving the hunting tradition, as well as in conserving wildlands and wildlife; a commitment that grows out of a powerful love of wildlife, but that is also shaped by a common-sense, business-like approach to managing natural resources.

North American Model of Wildlife Conservation

Natural resources, including wildlife represent the health and wealth of a country and its people. We are fortunate in North America to have a proven system that not only recognizes these values, but also provides for and directs the proper use and management of these resources. Read more about the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation, Sportsmen, and the Boone and Crockett Club.

Chronic Wasting Disease

Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) may define the legacy of our generation to conservation. The occurrence of CWD and its continuing spread challenges the foundations of wildlife conservation, both in the short term and perhaps more significantly in the longer term. B&C considers CWD research a major part of our current commitment to conservation.

As the oldest wildlife conservation organization in the United States, the Boone and Crockett Club still considers conservation our highest priority.