History of Boone and Crockett Club

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.

B&C Member Spotlight - Belmore Browne

Artist, Explorer, Hunter, Writer, Mountaineer – “The game’s up: we’ve got to get down.” With these words to his two companions, Belmore Browne conceded defeat only 125 feet from the summit of Mount McKinley, North America’s highest peak at 20,335 feet. A fierce gale, 55 miles per hour, along with blinding visibility and the temperature at –15° made it impossible to continue. They came so close to the summit while setting an altitude record for climbs in North America. A short time later, as they retreated, a major earthquake rattled the mountain.

B&C Member Spotlight - C. Hart Merriam

The United States Fish and Wildlife Service was created in 1940 by merging the Bureau of Biological Survey with the Bureau of Fisheries. This is the story of the early years of the Biological Survey, ...

B&C Member Spotlight - Carl E. Akeley

Although the original intent of the Boone and Crockett Club was “to work for the preservation of the wild animal life of this country,” members have not confined themselves to America. Carl Akeley was an African adventurer, explorer, and conservationist who twice nearly lost his life battling African game. 

About Boone and Crockett Club - Timeline

Nearly devoid of wild game, North America’s landscape in the late-1800s was a very different place. Bison, elk, and even deer were nearly wiped from the continent to supply a growing demand for meat, hides, and heads. To provide feathers for fashionable hats of high-society ladies, migratory birds were annihilated—sometimes by the hundreds with one shot from a massive “punt” gun. Only a handful of bison remained, and even whitetail deer were hard to find. Wildlife populations were spiraling toward extinction until a handful of influential hunters decided to end the slaughter. 

About the Boone and Crockett Club

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. 

About Boone and Crockett Club

Pioneers of Conservation, Our Legacy for Generations: The Boone and Crockett Club’s history is a 130-year long tale of measured and thoughtful commitment to wild land and wildlife conservation....

B&C Conservation Heroes

Politicians, Industrialists, Businessmen, Writers, Artists, Explorers, Scientists, Doctors, and Others Band Together to Support Hunting and Wildlife The Boone and Crockett Club is a non-profit orga...

National Collection of Heads and Horns

Sportsmen of the late 1800s were witness to the “Era of Extermination” of the nation’s wildlife and were the first to demand change. Most citizens were largely unaware that after unregulated and re...

Boone and Crockett Club Loses Member Jack Ward Thomas