THE FOUNDATION FOR THE RECOGNITION OF ONTARIO WILDLIFE

The conception of the Foundation for the Recognition of Ontario Wildlife (FROW) was the idea of a few dedicated outdoorsmen who were also official Boone and Crockett measurers. They had a longstanding interest in big game trophies and were amazed at how little information was available in their province. On July 22, 1989, the founding meeting for FROW was held in Bracebridge, Ontario. Since that time interest and activity in the Foundation has grown to involve drafting a constitution, bylaws, scoring seminars, scorer recruitment, recording and promoting the foundation. We truly appreciate the dedication to excellence that these founding fathers and current members have given to allow us all to enjoy such an incredible recorded history of our hunting heritage and legacy. FROW’s goal is the greater appreciation and optimum utilization of our natural wildlife resources with special but not exclusive emphasis on the big game species.

As Ontario is blessed with some of the best big game hunting in the world our objective is to preserve these memories, catalogue the best of these trophies and promote a greater respect of this natural endowment.

The primary way we do this is to produce The Big Game Records of Ontario books on a periodic basis. These books consist of photographs of every trophy that meet the minimum requirements and a listing by category of each entry. We have volunteer measurers throughout the province who score and certify trophy animals using the Boone and Crockett scoring system. The record book recognizes Black Bear, Canada Moose, Typical and Non-typical Whitetail Deer, The Eastern Wild Turkey and Sheds. The records are divided into five categories for listing purposes. The five categories are Modern Firearm (MF), consisting of rifles and shotguns; All Time (AT), consisting of non-hunter taken or of unknown origin; Muzzleloader (ML); Crossbow (C); and Archery (AR) consisting of longbows, recurves, compounds etc. The minimum scores required for entry are dependent on category.

The cherished Big Game Records of Ontario books are published by Beasley Brothers Outdoors Inc.

About Beasley Brothers Outdoors Inc

While the three of us were in post-secondary school we all applied and became certified measurers for FROW. It was a proud day and from then on we chased rumors, myths and legends all over the province in search of the next set of antlers or skull to measure. That experience, coupled with our countless hours in the woods hunting together led us to our next goal and that was to start Ontario’s only all-hunting magazine called Ontario Monster Whitetails Magazine. This was a product that we thought was more than long overdue. With the announcement of that came the offer to take over the reigns as the directors of FROW. We accepted and our humble journey began. We are over 6 years in and we have never looked back, not even once.

Our dream was started and it just continued to build as FROW and Ontario Monster Whitetails Magazine found a synergy that was building and creating lasting power. After the reality of that set in and became a true success story, our ultimate dream surfaced when the three of us were able to join the award-winning television series, Canada in the Rough, alongside the founder and creator Thomas Pigeon. Now we travel the country enjoying hunting adventures from coast-to-coast-to-coast and have our hunts filmed in full HD. We then get to share these adventures with millions of viewers on national television in Canada and the USA.

Despite our passion for producing award-winning hunting television, the magazine and FROW still capture our much needed attention as they are rooted in our home province and represent the pure form of where it all began for us. Like the 6 men who once dreamed of creating and making FROW a reality (see picture on page 4) we too want to not only honour and cherish that legacy, but see it thrive as well.

With over 1200 entries since the printing of the 5th Edition in 2009 the 6th Edition has set a new record breaking standard. This did not come without an incredible amount of ground work by our very special and dedicated volunteers and our hunting communities. Ontario is blessed with some of the best and most-available hunting in the world. To go along with our hunting we have tremendous hunters who are not only passionate and ethical but skilled and educated as well. This combination sets the bar higher each and every year. Hunters are learning to manage our resources as well as use new and skillful tactics resulting in records in all categories being broken each fall.

We sincerely thank all those who participated in the long hours of measuring in all corners of the province. We also thank all of the communities that hosted big buck shows that are such a success each year. We thank the measurers who give of their time and talents so graciously with no compensation other than a love of the sport. A huge thank you to the sponsors that you will see throughout the pages of this book. Please recognize and support them for without their assistance this amazing book is not possible.

We hope that each of you will sift through the pages of this book, read the stories, study the pictures and dream of your next journey into the great outdoors. Take time to study the Master Listings in each category and recognize the sheer immense size of this database and resource.

We are proud to live and raise our families in such a wonderful country. We are proud to say Ontario is home and feel so blessed to be able to stand up and be counted alongside you as hunters. Enjoy this book, it was put together with you in mind, enjoy and be motivated to hunt more.

Remember to enjoy the greatness of Canada and be proud of your hunting heritage!

The Beasley Brothers: Keith Beasley, Paul Beasley & Kevin Beasley