A Little Bit of Luck and a Few Tears; A Lifetime Affair with Pronghorn

For the last 38 years, Tony Caligiuri has followed pronghorn across America’s wide prairies and mountain ridges. From the shortgrass flats of the West to the high basins where snow lingers late, he has packed deep into the country where antelope live. There were hunts that ended in triumph, record-book entries earned with steady hands and hard miles. There were others that ended in long walks back to camp, the only trophies being sore legs and stories told around the fire. Every stalk carried its own lessons — some luck, a few tears, and a whole lot of memories preserved forever.

Those hunts became the backbone of a lifetime in the field. They were never just about the animal itself, but about the landscapes crossed, the friends at his side, and the understanding that wild game and wild country are a privilege, not a guarantee.

That lesson, of course, is not new. More than a century ago, Theodore Roosevelt wrote of the same pronghorn, “...the most characteristic and distinctive of American game animals...” he said, describing their keen eyesight, the endless patience required to stalk them, and the vast horizons where they lived. Roosevelt’s words remind us that the chase has always demanded resilience and reverence in equal measure.

Roosevelt carried those lessons into action when he and his peers founded the Boone and Crockett Club in 1887, placing conservation at the center of America’s sporting tradition. What began with Roosevelt has endured through generations of hunters who understood that the true measure of the chase lies not in inches of horn, but in the legacy we leave behind.

Today, Tony finds himself at a full-circle moment. From his early days making the Boone and Crockett record book with his own antelope, to years of service on the board, to now being inducted as the Club’s 37th President — he steps into a role born of Roosevelt’s vision. It is not a title taken lightly, but one accepted with humility and gratitude for those who came before.

Tony’s hunts across the last four decades stand as chapters in that larger story — a story of sportsmanship, stewardship, and a lifelong devotion to the field. The pronghorn may have been the quarry, but the real reward has always been something greater: carrying forward a tradition that will outlast us all.