The Boone and Crockett Club is an American nonprofit organization that advocates fair chase hunting in support of

habitat conservation Habitat conservation is a management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore habitats and prevent species extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range. It is a priority of many groups that cannot be easily characterized in ter ...

. The club is North America's oldest wildlife and habitat

conservation Conservation is the preservation or efficient use of resources, or the conservation of various quantities under physical laws. Conservation may also refer to: Environment and natural resources * Nature conservation, the protection and manageme ...

organization, founded in the United States in 1887 by

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. The club was named in honor of hunter-heroes of the day,

Daniel Boone Daniel Boone (September 26, 1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of Kentucky, which was then beyond the we ...

and

Davy Crockett David Crockett (August 17, 1786 – March 6, 1836) was an American folk hero, frontiersman, soldier, and politician. He is often referred to in popular culture as the "King of the Wild Frontier". He represented Tennessee in the U.S. House of ...

, whom the club's founders viewed as pioneering men who hunted extensively while opening the

American frontier The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

, but realized the consequences of overharvesting game. In addition to authoring a famous " fair chase" statement of hunter ethics, the club worked for the expansion and protection of

Yellowstone National Park Yellowstone National Park is an American national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana and Idaho. It was established by the 42nd U.S. Congress with the Yellowst ...

and the establishment of American conservation in general. The Club and its members were also responsible for the elimination of commercial market hunting, creation of the

National Park A national park is a natural park in use for conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state declares or owns. Although individual ...

and National Forest Services,

National Wildlife Refuge National Wildlife Refuge System is a designation for certain protected areas of the United States managed by the United States Fish and Wildlife Service. The National Wildlife Refuge System is the system of public lands and waters set aside to ...

system,

wildlife reserve A nature reserve (also known as a wildlife refuge, wildlife sanctuary, biosphere reserve or bioreserve, natural or nature preserve, or nature conservation area) is a protected area of importance for flora, fauna, or features of geological or ...

s, and funding for conservation, all under the umbrella of what is known today as the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation. The Club is headquartered in

Missoula, Montana Missoula ( ; fla, label= Séliš, Nłʔay, lit=Place of the Small Bull Trout, script=Latn; kut, Tuhuⱡnana, script=Latn) is a city in the U.S. state of Montana; it is the county seat of Missoula County. It is located along the Clark Fork ...

, which is also the home of the

Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is a conservation and pro-hunting organization, founded in the United States in 1984 by four hunters from Troy, Montana (Bob Munson, Bill Munson, Dan Bull and Charlie Decker). Its mission is to ensure the f ...

Background

Key members of the club have included

, George Bird Grinnell, Madison Grant,

Charles Alexander Sheldon Charles Alexander Sheldon (17 October 1867 – 21 September 1928) was an American conservationist and the "Father of Denali National Park". He had a special interest in the bighorn sheep and spent time hunting with the Seri Indians in Sonora, ...

William Tecumseh Sherman William Tecumseh Sherman ( ; February 8, 1820February 14, 1891) was an American soldier, businessman, educator, and author. He served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War (1861–1865), achieving recognition for his com ...

, Gifford Pinchot,

Frederick Russell Burnham Frederick Russell Burnham DSO (May 11, 1861 – September 1, 1947) was an American scout and world-traveling adventurer. He is known for his service to the British South Africa Company and to the British Army in colonial Africa, and for teach ...

, Charles Deering and

Aldo Leopold Aldo Leopold (January 11, 1887 – April 21, 1948) was an American writer, philosopher, naturalist, scientist, ecologist, forester, conservationist, and environmentalist. He was a professor at the University of Wisconsin and is best known for his ...

. Today the Club continues its role as a think-tank, known to the public primarily for maintaining a scoring and data collection system by which native North American big game animals are measured and tracked as a gauge of successful wildlife management. The structure of the Club consists of 17 staff members, 100 Regular Members, 159 Professional Members, and thousands of Club Associates.

Club history

In December, 1887, Theodore Roosevelt proposed the formation of the Boone and Crockett Club at a dinner at his residence in New York City. In January, 1888, the Club was organized with the following officers and members: * President:

* Secretary: Archibald Rogers * Members:

Albert Bierstadt Albert Bierstadt (January 7, 1830 – February 18, 1902) was a German-American painter best known for his lavish, sweeping landscapes of the American West. He joined several journeys of the Westward Expansion to paint the scenes. He was not ...

, Heber R. Bishop, Benjamin F. Bristow, J. Coleman Drayton, D.G. Elliott, George Bird Grinnell, Arnold Hague, James E. Jones, Clarence King, Wm. H. Merrill Jr, Thomas Paton, John J. Pierrepont, W. Hallett Phillips, E. P. Rogers, Elliott Roosevelt, J.E. Roosevelt, J. W. Roosevelt, Rutherfurd Stuyvesant, W. A. Wadsworth, Bronson Rumsey, Lawrence Rumsey and W.D. Pickett.

Education

The Boone and Crockett Club offers many educational camps and workshops through the Boone and Crockett Club Education Programs held at the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch in Dupuyer, Montana. These education programs at the TRM Ranch are not federally funded. They are supported by the Boone and Crockett Club and by private foundations committed to K-12 education. The Club's Lee and Penny Anderson Conservation Education Program is located on the Club's 6,060 acre working cattle ranch, the Theodore Roosevelt Memorial Ranch (TRMR) and bases out of their 5,000 sq. ft. Rasmuson Wildlife Conservation Center (RWCC). RWCC's typical operating season is from April 1 - October 31. A variety of educational programs are offered during this time including but not limited to: K-12 Conservation Education related field trips, the Boone and Crockett Club's own Outdoor Adventure Camps (5-day residential camps for middle school and high school aged youth), a nationally accredited Boys Scouts of America High Adventure Camp called MOHAB (Montana High Adventure Base), a series of hunter education courses, shooting sports events and is available for rental to public, private, NGO, agency and other groups.

References

External links

Boone and Crockett Club's Official WebsiteBoone and Crockett Club's Historical Records
(University of Montana Archives)
Philip L. Wright's Boone and Crockett Club Papers, 1902-1997
(University of Montana Archives) {{Authority control Environmental organizations based in Montana Hunting in the United States Hunting records Non-profit organizations based in Montana Organizations based in Missoula, Montana 1888 establishments in Montana Territory Cultural depictions of Davy Crockett Cultural depictions of Daniel Boone

Background

Club history

Education

See also

References

External links