Chatfield, MN - The Pope & Young Club’s Lee Gladfelter Award recognizes a wildlife professional who has made a significant contribution to bowhunting and wildlife conservation. At the Club’s 31st Biennial Convention in Omaha, Nebraska, Mississippi State University’s Dr. Bronson Strickland received the award. A wildlife professional since 1995, Dr. Strickland leads a research project that has demonstrated how antlers may be one of the most sensitive indicators of habitat quality. His research demonstrates how the recording of antler measurements is critical for habitat management.

The LEE GLADFELTER MEMORIAL AWARD is named after Lee Gladfelter, a prominent wildlife biologist with the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and a dedicated bowhunter. Lee worked tirelessly to better the image of bowhunting across North America until his life was tragically taken in an automobile accident.

“In the early years of the Pope and Young Club, its records program proved to state wildlife agencies that a bow and arrow was more than capable of taking big game animals,” said Doug Clayton, Conservation Chair of the Pope and Young Club. “Now, almost 60 years later, the Club’s records program is still being utilized for wildlife research. Dr. Bronson Strickland’s research at Mississippi State University is showing that antlers may be one of the subtlest indicators of habitat quality. Research has shown that, for survival, an animal’s body mass comes first, then antlers. Big game record books, such as Pope and Young Club’s Bowhunting Big Game Records and associated statistics, can assist wildlife professionals in determining herd health. P&Y is proud to support Dr. Strickland’s important wildlife research that shows the important uses of antler measurements.”

"It is an honor to be recognized by the Pope and Young Club and to receive the Lee Gladfelter Memorial Award," said Bronson Strickland. "I'm so fortunate to work in the field of wildlife conservation, with a special focus on white-tailed deer biology, ecology, and management. The white-tailed deer is truly a conservation success story, and its recovery is emblematic of many wildlife species that were extirpated from many regions in North America. Our state wildlife agencies, along with conservation organizations like the Pope and Young Club, have worked tirelessly for decades to restore our native deer populations. We now face new challenges with the management of North America's deer species given the expansion of human development, transportation, agriculture, and climate change. I'm grateful to the Pope and Young Club for recognizing these conservation challenges, and prioritizing their efforts to ensure future generations can enjoy thriving wildlife populations in North America."

The Pope and Young Club is a non-profit North American conservation and bowhunting organization dedicated to the promotion and protection of bowhunting by striving to increase awareness and appreciation of bowhunting foundations, principles, and values. The Pope and Young Club is focused on Fair Chase hunting ethics that support the ethical pursuit of free-ranging, wild game animals without unfair advantage while promoting the conservation of both habitat and wildlife. The Club also maintains the universally recognized repository of records and statistics on North American big game animals harvested with a bow and arrow.

Contact the Pope & Young Club office at:

www.pope-young.org or P.O. Box 548, Chatfield, MN 55923, Ph: 507.867.4144

Media contact Rick Mowery at rick@pope-young.org, Ph: 989.884.3800