DAN and DAVY NEW RULES!!!
By Montana Grant

Posted: January 16, 2022

Boone and Crockett Club rules, and official record scoring of wild game, have been modified. This long-respected institution has been the standard for ethical, fair chase, and legal hunting scores and records. Here are some recent changes regarding legal trophy scoring and eligibility.

These rules were updated as of Dec. 1, 2021. The club continues to support “Fair Chase Hunting Ethics”. These new changes reflect this.

These changes relate to what the Boone and Crockett club will accept as eligible for their Records. State rules and laws vary. Check your state for clarifications.

SMART SCOPES    Not all hunters use iron sights anymore. Many hunters use appropriate optics for sighting their targets. To help with ranges, a separate Range Finder is used. Each of these tools, used separately are legal. Newer “Smart Scopes” and Sights incorporate the technology into the same unit. When the shooter aims at the target, range and other factors are accounted for automatically.

Not all shooters are skilled. Many are challenged to hit a target at 100 yards. Others routinely take game at longer ranges beyond 400 yards. The B and C club is saying that Smart Scopes cross the line of ethical, fair chase hunting. “Buying basic “Skills” undermines the hunting experience.”

REAL TIME TECHNOLOGY    Real time communication through Drones, 2-way radios, cell phones violate their definition of Fair Chase. This is also true in many states. Trail Cameras that instantly send pictures and information to your cell phone, when you are hunting, is not Fair Chase. These forms of real time communications are unethical, illegal in some states, and are not a tool of “Fair Chase.”

Some modern technology is still considered Ethical and appropriate. For example, a Thermal Heat Scanner can be ethically used to retrieve a wounded or downed critter. Trail Cameras can evaluate and scout out an area for future hunting.

For many hunters, legal scoring or Record Book harvests do not matter. For others, Records and Bragging Rights are a priority. Having their name in the Record Book is a Big Deal. What B and C is saying that there are some issues that will disqualify your trophy from consideration.

Hunt hard, hunt harder!

Montana Grant

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