Hunting Ethics
Fair Chase Statement
FAIR CHASE, as defined by the Boone and Crockett Club, is the ethical, sportsmanlike, and lawful pursuit and taking of any free-ranging wild game animal in a manner that does not give the hunter an ...
Canned Shoot Statement
The Boone and Crockett Club’s Board of Directors and its membership have unanimously adopted and approved a position statement on “Canned Shoots” because of the growing concern among hunters and the i...
Hunter and Conservation Ethics
The Club has long been recognized for its leadership in hunting and conservation ethics. The Club’s Fair Chase statement was the cornerstone of the establishment of game laws, which included regulated hunting seasons, bag limits, and the abolishment of commercial market hunting practices at the turn of the century. To this day it promotes ethical, fair chase hunting, which is a critical part of a broader conservation ethic.
B&C Congratulates Maryland Hunting Coalition on Passage of the Poaching Restitution Act of 2016
Boone and Crockett Club applauds the Maryland Hunting Coalition for the passage of The Poaching Restitution Act of 2016 in Maryland. The Act has been sent to Governor Larry Hogan for signature in to law. The Maryland Hunting Coalition was instrumental in the creation and passage of the Act, which will make Maryland one of the most punitive states in America for poaching deer.
Boone and Crockett: Canned Shoots Aren't Hunting
The Boone and Crockett Club reiterates its position by firmly stating a canned shoot (aka canned hunt) is not hunting and should not be confused with hunting.
The Club defines a canned shoot as the practice of pursuing and killing any big game animal kept in or released from captivity to be killed in an artificial or bogus hunting situation.
B&C, Leupold Fund Research to Establish New Poaching Deterrents
Poaching, the illegal killing of game animals and other wildlife is a serious problem and a crime. The targeting of trophy, big game animals is a growing concern. Protecting, conserving and regulating wildlife is becoming increasingly challenging, especially with the value of trophy animals on the rise and advancements in technology giving poachers an advantage over wildlife resources and enforcement actions.
Governor's Tags: Ethics Vs. Conservation Funding
Ever more controversial, Governor's Tags have a new official endorsement - as well as a caution - from the Boone and Crockett Club.
In a new position statement, the organization founded by Theodore Roosevelt supports the modern concept of exclusive big game hunting permits sold at auctions to help fund conservation. The inordinate amount of money these permits bring is an acceptable buoy for state, provincial and tribal wildlife agencies' inadequate budgets, the Club says.
Drone use Barred in B&C Records
Trophies scouted or taken with the assistance of drones/unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) are not eligible for entry in Boone and Crockett records, the Club announced today. "These highly sophisticated, remote-controlled aircraft have no place in fair-chase hunting," said Richard Hale, chairman of the Club’s Big Game Records Committee. "The Boone and Crockett Club stands with state wildlife agencies, the Pope and Young Club and hunter-conservationists everywhere who are discouraging the use of drones in hunting."
House Bill will Help Hunters Gain Access to Public Lands
Congressman Steve Daines (R-MT) today introduced legislation—the “Making Public Lands Public Access Act”—that guarantees funding for improving hunter access to existing public lands. This legislation, H.R. 3962, is supported by the Boone and Crockett Club and other hunting organizations. The bill directs the U.S. Forest Service and BLM to acquire rights of way and other land interests from willing-seller landowners to open access to existing public lands where public access for hunting and fishing is closed or impractical.