Elk shot in Clearfield County, Pa., goes in Boone and Crockett record book

Missoula, Mont. — A non-typical elk harvested by David Kammerdiener, of Templeton Pa., in 2022 recently was honored at the Boone and Crockett Club’s 32nd Big Game Awards celebration.

Since 1947, the triennial Big Game Awards program recognizes the biggest heads, horns and antlers from North America accepted into the Boone and Crockett Club’s records from the previous three years.

Kammerdiener’s non-typical elk taken in Clearfield County officially scored 445 2/8 points by a panel of judges and is the second largest hunter-taken elk in Pennsylvania and the 14th largest in the Record Book. Read the full story on Kammerdiener’s hunt for the elk here.

Hosted by Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s and Presenting Sponsor Wild Sheep Foundation, the Buck Buckner 32nd Big Game Awards recognition events were held July 24-26 in Springfield, Missouri, at Johnny Morris’ Wonders of Wildlife National Museum & Aquarium.

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“The Boone and Crockett Club’s Big Game Awards is more than a gathering of hunters and conservationists – it is a celebration of tradition, ethics, and a shared commitment to the future of our wildlife and wild places,” said club President Tony Caligiuri in his remarks during the awards banquet.

“This event, held only once every three years, is among the most respected in the world of North American big game hunting. It is not simply about the size of antlers or numbers on a score sheet. It’s about the stories behind those animals – stories of perseverance, patience, and respect.”

The Boone and Crockett Club has been measuring the antlers, horns, and skulls 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, harvest, and location data on hunter-taken and found big game species based on the principle that the existence of mature, male specimens is an indicator of overall population and habitat health.

The Big Game Awards is now hosted every three years to recognize the top animals within 38 categories that were accepted into the Boone and Crockett Club records program. The top entries between Jan. 1, 2022, and Dec. 31, 2024, were invited to have their trophy remeasured by a panel of judges who convened in April to validate the entry score that each trophy receives.

“Our congratulations to David for his beautiful non-typical American elk and even more so for his commitment to fair chase ethics and wildlife conservation,” Caligiuri said.