MISSOULA, Mont. – The public exhibit of Boone and Crockett trophies for the Club’s 30th Big Game Awards opened for public viewing on May 4.
Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium in Springfield, Missouri, will host this public exhibit of recently taken, high-ranking B&C trophies from across North America from May 4 through August 4.
“After 70 years of holding these exhibitions, this is one of the largest one we ever had in terms of the number and quality of animals on display,” said Justin Spring, the Club’s director of Big Game Records. “It’s impressive. This is excellence in nature and what is possible when we commit ourselves to the conservation and stewardship of these species, which is why we continue to see such outstanding specimens and records broken year in and year out.”
Every three years the Club invites the owners of the Top-Five trophies representing 33 different categories of native North American big game to share their success by placing their trophies on public display. The exhibit features the new World’s Record’s bighorn sheep, as well as many of the 43 new state and provincial records taken between 2016 and 2018. The exhibit will also feature record book specimens taken by young sportsmen age 16 and under. In total 128 trophies are on exhibit.
“Wonders of Wildlife is the perfect venue to host this exhibit,” Spring explained. “Missourians are committed to the outdoors and conservation and Springfield is centrally located in the country, and easy to get to for a lot of people. The museum itself is a showcase for the world’s wildlife and the North American system of conserving them. We expect over 325,000 people to view this exhibit while it’s open.”
“Wonders of Wildlife is proud to welcome Boone and Crockett Club’s 30th Big Game Awards to Springfield, Missouri,” said Bob Ziehmer, senior director of Conservation for Bass Pro Shops. “Located in America’s heartland, our mission is to celebrate those who hunt, fish, and act as stewards of the land and water. By hosting this historic exhibit, we hope to inspire new audiences to get outdoors and involved in big game conservation.”
Boone and Crockett Club began keeping trophy records in 1906 as a way of detailing big game species once headed for extinction. Today, these species are no longer threatened and their harvest is tightly controlled. Trophy records now reflect population health and habitat quality. Biologists compare and contrast records to improve local management strategies, as well as state and federal wildlife policies to keep these species in abundance.
Wonders of Wildlife is open seven days a week; for hours of operation and more information visit www.wondersofwildlife.org. More information on the Boone and Crockett Club 30th Big Game Awards is available at www.biggameawards.com.
About the Boone and Crockett Club
Founded by Theodore Roosevelt in 1887, the Boone and Crockett Club is the oldest conservation organization in North America and helped to establish the principles of wildlife and habitat conservation, hunter ethics, as well as many of the institutions, expert agencies, science and funding mechanisms for conservation. Member accomplishments include enlarging and protecting Yellowstone and establishing Glacier and Denali national parks, founding the U.S. Forest Service, National Park Service and National Wildlife Refuge System, fostering the Pittman-Robertson and Lacey Acts, creating the Federal Duck Stamp program, and developing the cornerstones of modern game laws. The Boone and Crockett Club continues to be the leader in the hunter-conservationist community through its’ work in Conservation Policy, Conservation Education and Major Universities, Hunter Ethics, and Research, and collaboration with similarly focused organizations. The Club is headquartered in Missoula, Montana. For details, visit www.boone-crockett.org.
About Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium
Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum and Aquarium consists of an all-new 1.5-million-gallon Aquarium Adventure showcasing 35,000 live fish, mammals, reptiles, amphibians and birds, and immersive Wildlife Galleries that bring visitors eye-to-eye with the greatest collection of record-setting game animals ever assembled. Created by noted conservationist and Bass Pro Shops founder/CEO Johnny Morris, the 350,000-square-foot experience celebrates people who hunt, fish, and act as stewards of the land and water. Located next to Bass Pro Shops National Headquarters in Springfield, Missouri the campus is a centerpiece of America’s Conservation Capital in Missouri’s Ozark Mountains. Wonders of Wildlife has been voted “Best New Attraction in America” and “America’s Best Aquarium” by the readers of USA TODAY. For more information, visit www.wondersofwildlife.org.
