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...what conservation work has P&Y or B&C taken part in or initiated?..
Hershy---If you look at the history of wildlife conservation in this country it basically started with the Boone and Crockett Club. In 1887 Teddy Roosevelt called a dinner meeting that was attended by some of the nation's leading explorers, writers, military leaders, scientists and political leaders. These men had several things in common. Each was an enthusiastic big-game hunter and each had traveled extensively in the West. They formed the nucleus of the Boone and Crockett Club, the principal function of which was to fight for the preservation of the big game of North America. All these men realized that the country's wildlife was not an unlimited resouce. You have to remember at this time there were very few game laws and market hunting was going full bore.
Without the leadership of B&C at this critical juncture most likely many big game species would now be extinct and we would not be enjoying the abundant and varied wildlife present today. They are still on the cutting edge of wildlife leadership and conservation.
A superb book on the subject is entitled "An American Crusade for Wildlife" by James B. Trefethen. I believe that B&C is going to print an updated book in the near future. I bought mine many years ago while in college.
The Pope and Young Club was founded by Glenn St. Charles in 1961. This was at a time when state fish and game agencies didn't believe that a bow and arrow was capable of killing big game animals with any degree of success. That was the initial reason behind recording bow-killed big game--to prove to those agencies that there should be archery seasons.
Doug Clayton
State Conservation Officer