Records Program FAQ

Why are there two minimum entry scores—Awards and All-time?
What is the difference between the All-time book and the Awards book? 
Does Boone and Crockett Club accept trophies taken with a bow or any other method of harvest?
How can I locate Boone and Crockett Club Official Measurers in my area? 
Are the tip to tip and greatest spread measurements added into the final score?
What is the drying time for antlers, horns, and skulls before they can be officially measured?
What is the deadline for entering a trophy into the book? When can I purchase the book?
How can I access trophy data? 
How and when is a trophy declared an official World's Record? 
Do elk and deer always get four circumference measurements? What about eight-pointers? What about twelve-pointers? 
Understanding Spread Credit

WHY ARE THERE TWO MINIMUM ENTRY SCORES—AWARDS AND ALL-TIME? 

At either level, your trophy is a certified Boone and Crockett record book animal. All trophy owners who have a trophy that scores at or above the Awards minimum will receive a wall certificate, have their trophy listed in one issue of Fair Chase magazine, and corresponding records book publications. The All-time minimum score is the higher of the two minimum scores and the only difference is that meeting that minimum qualifies a trophy for the All-time book, Records of North American Big Game. Trophies that qualify for the Awards minimum, but not the All-time minimum, will appear in only the Awards book they are entered in, which is published every three years.

BACK TO TOP

WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN THE ALL-TIME BOOK AND THE AWARDS BOOK? 

The All-time books, such as Records of North American Big Game, 15th Edition, are published every six years and have all trophy listings that meet the All-time minimum score. The Awards books, such as Boone and Crockett Club's 31st Big Game Awards, are published every three years, and have listings of trophies accepted during one, individual, three-year Awards period. The Awards books are considered supplements to the prior editions of the All-time books. 

BACK TO TOP

DOES BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB ACCEPT TROPHIES TAKEN WITH A BOW OR ANY METHOD OTHER THAN A RIFLE?

Yes, our Records Program includes trophies taken by compound or recurve or longbow, crossbow, rifle, shotgun, hand gun, and muzzleloader, as well as picked-up or found trophies. 

BACK TO TOP

HOW CAN I LOCATE BOONE AND CROCKETT CLUB OFFICIAL MEASURERS IN MY AREA? 

The fastest and easiest way to find a measurer is to use our on-line OM Search. Follow the instructions on the screen and a list of measurers within your state will be generated for you. 

BACK TO TOP

ARE THE TIP-TO-TIP AND GREATEST SPREAD MEASUREMENTS ADDED INTO THE FINAL SCORE?

No. They are only supplemental data required for entry and used by our office to confirm overall appearance of the trophy and positively identify each entry.

BACK TO TOP

WHAT IS THE DRYING TIME FOR ANTLERS, HORNS, AND SKULLS BEFORE THEY CAN BE OFFICIALLY MEASURED?

A trophy must air dry at room temperature for 60 days before it can be officially measured for Boone and Crockett. 

BACK TO TOP

WHAT IS THE DEADLINE FOR ENTERING A TROPHY INTO THE BOOK? WHEN CAN I PURCHASE THE BOOK?

The next entry deadline, which is for the 32nd Big Game Awards Program, is December 31, 2024. Trophy owners who are listed in new books are notified by mail and/or email when the book they are listed in is available for sale. Our two regular records books—the Awards book and the All-Time Awards book—are published on three-year and six-year schedules, respectively. Boone and Crockett Club's 32nd Big Game Awards book is due out in November 2025. The most recent All-time records book will be released in the fall of 2023. 

BACK TO TOP

HOW CAN I ACCESS TROPHY DATA? 

Boone and Crockett Club offers an on-line subscription—called Trophy Search—that gives you access to our trophy data. With a current subscription you can query and sort all of the Club's trophy information based on location, dates, trophy type, etc. You can also purchase any of our records books.  

BACK TO TOP

HOW AND WHEN IS A TROPHY DECLARED AN OFFICIAL WORLD'S RECORD? 

The final score of a potential Boone and Crockett World's Record must be verified by either an Awards Program Judges Panel or a Special Judges Panel before it is declared a new World's Record. Awards Program Judges Panels are assembled once every three years following the close of one of the Club's triennial Awards Programs. Special Judges Panels are convened during the interim between Awards Program Judges Panels with the sole purpose of verifying and declaring new World's Records. In either case, two teams of two judges each measure a potential World's Record. If the scores of both teams verify the original measurement, the panel will declare it a new World's Record. If a potential World's Record is not sent in for verification by one of these two panels, it will never be declared a Boone and Crockett World's Record.

BACK TO TOP

DO ELK AND DEER ALWAYS RECEIVE FOUR CIRCUMFERENCE MEASUREMENTS? WHAT ABOUT EIGHT-POINTERS? WHAT ABOUT TWELVE-POINTERS? 

Yes, elk and deer trophies ALWAYS get four circumferences. In the case of an eight-point whitetail, the G-4 is missing. Instead of looking for the smallest location between the G-3 and the G-4, the measurement is taken at the halfway point between the G-3 and the tip of the main beam. Similarly, on a mule deer with no G-3, the H-3 circumference measurement would be taken at a point halfway between where the G-2 measurement begins and the end of the G-2. For deer and elk, no matter how many normal points it has, four circumferences per side will always be the exact number of circumference measurements. 

BACK TO TOP

UNDERSTANDING SPREAD CREDIT

On the vast majority of trophies, the number that is entered into the spread credit box on a score chart is the inside spread measurement itself. The only exception to this is any time that the inside spread is a larger number than the longest main beam measurement. In this rare case, the longest main beam measurement is put into the spread credit box instead. For example: If Inside Spread=23" and Main Beams=24" and 25", then Spread Credit is 23 (inside spread measurement). If Inside Spread=26" and Main Beams=24" and 25", then Spread Credit is 25 (longest main beam). 

BACK TO TOP