Big Buck Photo Contest Opens Along with Alabama Deer Season

MONTGOMERY, Ala. -(Ammoland.com)- There’s no season like deer season, and this year hunters in Alabama have the potential to bring home more than just their wild game.

The Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association is hosting its sixth Big Buck Photo Contest for deer hunters in Alabama’s Black Belt region.

“We are incredibly honored to sponsor such a fun contest again this year,” said Pam Swanner, executive director of the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association. “We love seeing people who are encouraged to venture outdoors for hunting – especially those who may not have hunted in the Black Belt before. We usually get a lot of entries from young people on our Facebook page and it’s exciting to see our great hunting tradition being carried forward and passed down from generation to generation.”

The winner is based on the number of “likes” the photo receives on the ALBBA Facebook page. The Big Buck photo contest will run from the start of the archery deer season on Oct. 14, 2017 until February 14, 2018 — a week after the close of gun season in the Alabama.

This year the winner will receive a Lifetime Alabama Wildlife Heritage License. This license, valued at more than $200, allows the holder to hunt all small game – except waterfowl – on any of Alabama’s 35 Wildlife Management Areas, Waterfowl Refuges and Community Hunting Areas; shoot on any of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ 12 public shooting ranges or archery parks; fish at any of the 20 state-owned public fishing lakes (with a daily permit); and freshwater fish with a hook-and-line from the bank in public waters in all 67 counties.

Wildlife Heritage Licenses are only available to Alabama residents and the money that goes toward the purchase is matched at a 3-to-1 level by the federal government with the funds going toward conservation efforts in the state. For more information on the Wildlife Heritage License, visit outdooralabama.com/wildlife-heritage-license.

“Hunting is a way of life for us here in Alabama,” said Chuck Sykes, director of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division. “Alabama boasts an especially large deer herd that attracts hunters from across the world. Hunting is $1.8 billion industry – with deer hunting alone bringing in more $1 billion – and Alabama hunters contribute greatly to our economy and play an important role in our conservation mission.”

Alabama’s economy gets a $3.9 billion boost from hunting, fishing and wildlife watching.

“We have been preparing for deer season for months now,” said Greg Horton, owner of Southern Comfort Hunting Retreat near Marion, “and our clients always have a great time while hunting whitetails in the Black Belt. I know this contest puts a spotlight on our region and helps keep a focus on outdoors recreation in our area. We will be reminding our hunters to get those photos entered for a chance to win this year.”

To be eligible, the deer must be taken in the Black Belt during the 2017-2018 season and the photo must be emailed to [email protected]. Photos uploaded to Facebook are not eligible and Big Buck Photo Contest winners from 2015-16 and 2016-17 are ineligible this year. Please include the name of the hunter and the county where the deer was taken with the email.

The Black Belt includes the following counties: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox.

About The Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association:

The Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association is committed to promoting and enhancing outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities in the Black Belt in a manner that provides economic and ecological benefits to the region and its citizens.

For information, go to www.alabamablackbeltadventures.org.

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