2024 Contest Rules & Info

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 50 or more posts required before you enter. Basically, if your rank under your screen name in the Avatar section says "Newb" then you need to make more posts in order to enter. If it shows "Weekend Warrior" you are good to go. 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 at 6:00 pm (eastern time) on Monday, August 26th and teams will be posted not later than 6:00 pm (eastern time), Wednesday, August 28th.

The number of teams and 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 and a replacement has been assigned 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.

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. We 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 will receive a prize package from Bowhunting.com.

Scoring system will be as follows:

Only whitetail deer and mule deer species native to North America can be entered. Sika will no longer be counted.

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.

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.

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, your 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 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 (bow/crossbow) 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, 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.

8. Post your photos and information in the scorecard as soon as you can. Holding back entries until later in the competition will NOT be allowed, especially since people can shoot a second antlered deer as a "bonus" 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!