PLEASE READ THE FOLLOWING BEFORE SIGNING UP FOR THE CONTEST: This contest is free and anyone can sign up to be on a team. There will be a post count restriction of 25 or more posts required before you enter. This is to help reduce the number of people that sign-up for the Contest and are never heard from again. The initial sign-up period will end on Friday, August 28th and teams will be announced Monday, August 31st. The number of teams and people per team will be based on the total number of participants. Each team will then be allowed to have their own separate team thread where members can chat back and forth about their seasons, vote for a Team Captain, and of course talk smack to other teams. The winning team from last year will return to defend their title for the second year in a row and do not need to sign up. Once the Teams are assigned, each member will have two weeks to make a post, signing-in to their respective Team’s thread. After the two week mark any member that hasn’t checked in can be replaced with an alternate at the Captain’s discretion. Once the call is made for a replacement, it cannot be undone. The official scorecard thread will be posted as soon as teams are drawn. When you kill a deer you are expected to post your photos, score, and other information in that thread. The scorecard will be updated by a staff member as we have time, typically once every couple weeks. The Contest will officially begin on September 1st and run through January 31st. If you shoot a deer before the contest officially starts, you will be allowed to post it once you have been assigned to a team. I understand that some seasons run longer, but for the sake of keeping people interested we're going to end it January 31st. At that time the winning team will be announced. They'll have bragging rights for the next 12 months and prize package from Bowhunting.com. Scoring system will be as follows: Each participant is allowed to enter ONE antlered deer as their “Buck Score”. This must be the FIRST antlered deer that you harvest during the season. If you live in an area that allows you to harvest multiple bucks, or hunt multiple states, you can only enter the first buck you take for the season. The score will be based on the GROSS total score using the P&Y scoring system. All measurements must be listed at the time when your score is posted. If anyone has any problems with scoring, please ask for help first. Mule Deer and Blacktail deer will not have a multiplier for the inches of antler that the animal scores. Whatever the gross score is will count as your final score. Each participant is also allowed to enter ONE “Bonus Deer” as well. Antlerless deer, regardless of size, will count as 50 points. A second buck can be entered in place of a doe as your “Bonus Deer” counting for the 50 points. *Remember, you’re first antlered deer must be used as your “Buck Score”, your second antlered deer will be worth only 50 points, even if it’s bigger than your first. Rules for entry: 1. All deer entered into this contest must be harvested legally within the laws and regulations of the state or province in which it was harvested. This contest is only for fun so please, don't break the law. 2. All deer entered into this contest must be harvested with archery equipment only. After all, this is Bowhunting.com. This includes compound bows, traditional equipment, or crossbows. This also means you can't shoot a deer with a gun and enter it into this contest. 3. All entries must be accompanied by a minimum of TWO (2) photos of the hunter with the deer and your archery equipment in the picture. If you can manage to take one picture, you can also manage to move 4 feet to the side and take another one. It's not that hard. There will be NO exceptions to this rule. Two photos with the hunter, deer, and bow in the photo or it won't count. If you submit a deer without two photos, it will not count. Consider this your warning. This goes for both does as well as bucks. 3a. If you harvest the deer on film and can provide footage of you shooting the animal along with post-recovery footage including hunting, animal, and bow, that will suffice in place of two photos. Footage must be posted online for everyone to see. 4. Along with your photo (or video) you must post the date and time in which the deer was shot. 5. If possible, provide a list of the following information along with your harvest photos. We want to know what kind of gear everyone is using. This is optional. If you don't list your equipment, your deer will still count. Bow Make/Model Broadhead Make/Model/Weight Arrow Make/Model 6. Above all else, have fun! Don't change the way you hunt for a contest, no matter where it is. If you see a deer that you want to shoot that is going to make you happy then, by all means, shoot it. Don't worry about what people will think. We're all bowhunters and we should all support each other's decisions on what type of animals we choose to harvest, regardless of size or age. 7. If a buck's rack scores less than 50 points, a minimum score of 50 will be applied. This is known as the "Fergie Clause". This does NOT apply to button bucks. The buck must be a legally "antlered" deer in your state and have a scorable rack. 8. Post your photos and information in the scorecard as soon as you can. Holding back entries until later in the competition will no longer be allowed, especially now that people can shoot a second antlered deer. I understand that many hunters cannot post pics from camp, but be sure to get them entered when you get home. Anyone caught sandbagging their first buck in hopes of shooting and scoring a larger one, will be banned from the competition and future Bowhunting.com Contests. Remember, this contest is for fun. Part of that fun is the interaction you have with your teammates. Try to be active in your team's thread. Your teammates want to hear from you. If anyone has any questions or concerns about the rules or scoring please post them here, pm me or another staff member or you can e-mail [email protected] and we'll gladly assist you! Thanks everyone!
Guess there is no way in the future you could do two does? If you could potentially submit two bucks (granted only one for 50 points), whats the difference in two does being turned in? You would just lose your rite to turn in a buck.
I know that, but why not 2? I'm going to play and have fun regardless like I have the previous years, but some people have more of an opportunity of harvesting a doe vs a buck. If you can turn in two bucks potentially for 100 pts, you should be able to with 2 does IMO. Was just a friendly suggestion.
Not sure if you are following the sign-up thread, but I think between POST #116 and #118, things got messed up. When I got on to sign up, i was 101. Later on I was looking through the list and saw a few posts before me they were on 113. Might want to look. Hate for someone to not get in because of a mistake. Sent from my SM-G965U using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
I didn't start participating until I believe 2011, but I think the original intent was a big buck contest. May have started on the pre BH.C site huntingnet(dot)com that Justin and Todd had before here. It has morphed several times, the 50 point minimum "fergie clause" for antlered specimens, the additional 2nd antlered bonus deer "shed clause" for those that were allowed to shoot multiple bucks but could not kill a doe by law. Personally, I don't care if 2 doe entries is allowed but could see it having implications somewhere down the line. Someone shoots a doe in Sept/Oct and then strikes out during the rut etc. for their antlered entry, their team is down 4x points heading into mid January so they shoot an antlerless and submit their second antlerless to win the contest. As far as the contest goes, I'd think most that see "Deer Hunting Contest" automatically think "Big Buck Contest" and their intention to enter is based on that so an antlered entry would be mandatory to compete. I like it as it is truthfully. Much like the bonus antlered has kept someone like @Holt from making the 200 club because his first antlered was the smaller of the two, shooting a 2nd doe late for a 2nd entry would be somewhat of an advantage in a close contest.
Yes I agree with this. This contest is for bucks, the does are just a bonus for a little extra points. Every state allows at least one buck to be killed, but alot of states don't allow does at all. So the way the contest is now seems to be the best for all hunters across all states. The way hunting has become, so many hunters pass smaller bucks looking for that big boy. If we as hunters just shoot what make us happy, you would see alot more bucks in the contest. I know I see and pass alot more bucks then I see does. That's probably going to change this year, I'm allowed 3 bucks and I can't get caught with a empty freezer like I am now! Sent from my SM-G900V using Tapatalk
I haven't posted since last season. But I do once I've been assigned to a team . Then I chat with my team mates. I didn't realize I need to do it EVERY pre contest.
I got a email saying I need 25 post before being allowed in the contest. I'm having a hard time figuring this out on my phone. I think maybe I might have signed in with facebook for the signing up. How do I get a hold of Brad Kaufman? Sent from my SM-G950U using Bowhunting.com Forums mobile app
