Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Part of the Boone and Crockett Club's 30th Big Game Awards

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation is the latest to join the growing list of sponsors for the Boone and Crockett Club's 30th Big Game Awards, scheduled for August 1-3, 2019, in Springfield, Missouri.

A triennial event, the 30th Big Game Awards is being hosted by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's and will take place at the Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield. Visitors to the museum will be treated to an exhibition of outstanding trophies taken in fair chase over the past three years, including at least one new World's Record, state records, and Top-Five trophies representing 33 different categories of native North American big game. The exhibit will also feature record book specimens taken by young sportsmen, age 16 and under.

"North American elk are one of our nation's biggest conservation success stories," said Boone and Crockett Club President Timothy C. Brady. "Having healthy and thriving populations of this regal species in North America today is a testament to the value sportsmen place on wildlife and is worth celebrating."

The theme of this year's event is, North American Big Game, More and Healthier Than Ever, under the watchful eye of sportsmen. The public exhibit within the museum is open through August 3. Nearly 150 outstanding specimens are on display.

"RMEF is proud to be a co-sponsor of the Boone and Crockett Club's 30th Big Game Awards celebration," said Blake Henning, RMEF Chief Conservation Officer. "Making these awards and displays available to the public contributes to a greater understanding of how hunting contributes to conservation all across the United States."

Brady explained, "In 1907, not long after Theodore Roosevelt formed the Club, there were only an estimated 41,000 American elk remaining in North American. Today there are well over a million. More and healthier, the numbers tell the tale. We couldn't be more pleased to have the Elk Foundation joining us in this celebration. After all, they are a significant part of this success story."

Boone and Crockett Club began keeping trophy records in 1906 as a way of detailing species once headed for extinction. Today, trophy data reflect population health and habitat quality. Biologists compare and contrast records to improve local management strategies as well as state and federal wildlife policies.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation joins Bass Pro Shops and Cabela's, the Wild Sheep Foundation, Federal Premium Ammunition, Dallas Safari Club, Buck Knives, the Mule Deer Foundation, and the NRA as 30th Big Game Awards sponsors.

More information on the Boone and Crockett Club 30th Big Game Awards is available at www.biggameawards.com.