“boone & crockett”

Riflescopes with parallax adjustments, illuminated reticles, 8X zoom ranges and turrets dialing past 1,500 yards are impressive, but do we really need that to still-hunt whitetails in Ohio farmland or chase elk at 8,000 feet in Idaho? An optic like Leupold’s new VX-3i 3.5X-10X-40mm with the Boone & Crockett ballistic reticle is likely better suited for most hunters’ needs. This 12.6-ounce scope, a reengineered upgrade from the previous VX-3, is bright, sharp, slim and extremely reliable.

When most hunters think of Saskatchewan, visions of big-bodied, heavy-racked whitetails go prancing through their heads. While the No. 1 typical whitetail of all time, the 213 5/8-inch Milo Hanson buck, indeed hails from Saskatchewan, this province to the north of Montana and North Dakota more than holds its own when it comes to producing record-book-quality black bears.

No, I don't have list of every single deer killed in 2010. I also don't have a source at Boone & Crockett feeding me inside information on the the record books giants that were taken down this fall.

For most big game hunters, the chance to square your sights on a 400-inch elk is an once-in-a-lifetime thrill. Every time an elk hunter sends a bugle echoing through the hills he's hoping to get closer to the ultimate Wapiti record breaker. To help all you bone collectors get pumped up for this season, we've compiled eight examples of Boone & Crockett elk. Enjoy. (photos: Boone & Crockett Club)