Future of Fair Chase

We know that the future of conservation rests squarely on the shoulders of tomorrow’s hunters. That’s why we’re celebrating the stories of our youth hunters in this section called The Future of Fair Chase. Many of these stories are plucked straight from the pages of our 32nd Big Game Awards Book. Other stories have been submitted by young hunters, who are rightfully proud of their achievement. If you are a young hunter or know a young hunter who might like to submit a story, please email it to [email protected].

First Bucks and Big Dreams

How passing up a really big buck led a 12-year-old hunter to the whitetail of a lifetime.By Dominique P. Girard I was 12 years old, and it was my second year of hunting. My dad and I had driven up th...

The Granola Bar Buck

Sometimes you have to put down your snack long enough to kill a record-book buck. By Archer Eberly On September 1, 2022, the opening day of bear hunting in Minnesota, my uncle Luke, my younger brothe...

Heartbeats, Heavy Hauls, and a Monster Bear

Bear hunting in Minnesota takes patience. But when the woods finally quiet down and a 500-pound bear steps out into the clearing, every second starts to matter.By Kennedy R. Rasmus On September 1, 20...

The Beast of the Power Line

By Nicholas J. Kopp If anyone ever wanted to know what a “perfect hunt” looks like, this was it.The story begins with my dad and me driving a couple of hours from our home state of Kentucky to our go...

Grandpa, a Blizzard, and My First Mule Deer

How a freezing opening day became a lifelong memoryBy Ivy S. Nielsen Sitting next to my grandpa on the opening day of my first deer hunt at 13 years old was uneventful. It was quite warm, and nothing...

A Family Hunt for Arizona Pronghorn

A true family hunting adventure results in one whopper of a pronghorn. By Remmy Beck When my dad drew an Arizona muzzleloader pronghorn tag, he gave it to me so I could shoot my first pronghorn, sinc...

Sick Day

A last-minute decision leads to an opening-day record-book Roosevelt's elk.By McKenzie Spencer A few days before the 2022 rifle elk season opened, my dad asked if I wanted to get my tag and give hun...

Goals

After three seasons of trail cam cat-and-mouse and a gutsy stalk, patience and luck finally played nicely together. By Brandon Hunter Ever since I was a little kid, I have had two major hunting goals...