On Jan. 21 the Boone and Crockett Club announced a long-time Lifetime Associate and benefactor to conservation has provided the opportunity to waive entry processing fees into the organization’s records program. As a result, the usual $40 entry fee will not be charged this year for entries received after Jan. 1, 2026.
The vision of the donation is to reduce a potential barrier to submitting an entry allowing for more records data to be added to the already more than 64,000 records from the last century of hunting conservation. The Boone and Crockett Club has been measuring antlers, horns, skulls and tusks of North American big game since 1895, with the original vision of creating a record of what was thought to be the vanishing wildlife in the country.
The organization’s Records of North American Big Game was first published in 1932, and now, in its 15th edition, serves as a vital record of biological spatial, and harvest data and trends from hunter-taken and picked up big game species. The records dataset is based on the principle that the existence of mature, male specimens is an indicator of overall population and habitat health.
“The Boone and Crockett Club’s Records program is an incredible dataset that allows wildlife managers to evaluate herd and habitat health and to learn more about the big game species in their state,” said Boone and Crockett Chief Executive Officer Tony Schoonen. “However, we recognize that not all hunters harvesting an eligible animal will enter it into the Club’s Record Program for various reasons, and anecdotal evidence suggests the entry fee may be the most prevalent entry barrier. Thanks to this gift we hope to determine if this is the case by increasing the number of animals entered into the records database to add even more value to the science-based management of North American wildlife.”
All entries received as of Jan. 1, 2026, will not pay an entry fee—instead if they choose, hunters can direct a voluntary donation that will be dedicated to the Records program. The benefactor and the Boone and Crockett Club hope that this will encourage even more hunters to have their animal scored using the standardized measuring system.
“We greatly appreciate our benefactor’s commitment to hunters and wildlife conservation through their donation that removes a barrier to participation in the Records program and honors the tradition of Fair Chase documentation,” said Boone and Crockett Club Director of Big Game Records Kyle Lehr. “The program is now more accessible than ever thanks to this donor’s support. We hope that anyone who would like to have their animal officially scored—even if it was picked up or harvested many years ago—will take advantage of the opportunity to enter it into and strengthen our database.”
The Boone and Crockett Club’s more than 1,600 Official Measurers have been notified of the entry fee waiver. Entries submitted in early January 2026, before this announcement was made, will be contacted by the Boone and Crockett Club.
