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Deer hunters know the rut is in full swing throughout Alabama’s Black Belt.
As deer become more active, hunters will spend more time in deer stands in hopes of harvesting a trophy buck, and the Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association (ALBBAA) wants you to share your deer hunting photos through its popular Big Buck Photo Contest.
“We’ve already received more than two dozen photos for this year’s contest, but we want to make sure people understand they can still submit photos and be part of it,” said Pam Swanner, director of the ALBBAA. “We see so many entries showing young people hunting with family members or youngsters experiencing the thrill of harvesting their first deer. It’s gratifying to see that, because the contest is designed to celebrate the bountiful hunting the Black Belt is known for and showcase the wonderful family memories hunting provides.”
The contest takes place online, runs through Feb. 10, and is sponsored by Tutt Land Company. Any photo from the current hunting season, which began in Fall 2022, can be submitted. The contestant who receives the most online votes before the season closes in February will receive a $300 gift card sponsored by Tutt Land Company for use at any outdoor retail outlet.
Here are the rules and guidelines for this year’s contest:
To enter the contest, hunters must upload, through the ALBBAA website, a photo of a buck harvested during the 2022-23 white-tailed deer season from within the 23-county Black Belt region. The winner of the contest is selected exclusively through online voting.
Entries can be submitted and votes cast online on the ALBBAA website – https://alabamablackbeltadventures.org/news-more/shoot-the-black-belt/big-buck-photo-contest-2022/
Visitors to the contest webpage may vote once per day, per entry, per IP address. In the case of any dispute, the decision of ALBBAA is final. Photo contest winners from the previous two years are not eligible for entry.
ALBBAA reserves the right to approve or disapprove of a submitted photo. Cause for disqualification of photo can include, but is not limited to, the following:
The photo content presents the subject in an unethical or disrespectful composition.
The photo content is perceived to cast a negative perception of hunters and their contribution to the management of wildlife.
Voting violation which imposes an unfair advantage to others.
ALBBAA reminds all sportsmen and sportswomen to purchase a hunting license online through the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources before heading afield. Additionally, successful hunters are also reminded to report their harvested deer through Game Check.
“It’s no secret that the Black Belt offers some of America’s very best deer hunting,” Swanner said. “We encourage people to keep submitting photos and voting online to pick the winner of this year’s contest.”
ALBBAA also encourages hunters to donate to Venison Provisions, a non-profit organization, based in Macon County, that processes donated deer and delivers meat to church pantries, food banks or other charities dedicated to helping feed the hungry.
Any hunter can donate a harvested deer by delivering it to Shana’s Place in Shorter, and some choose to pay all or a portion of the processing cost as a way to support Venison Provisions. The charity also provides a pick-up service to empty walk-in coolers throughout Alabama for deer camps, plantations and hunting preserves.
“Our goal is to connect the tons of unwanted, fresh, natural meat harvested by Alabama hunters with the over 20 percent of households statewide that are food insecure,” reads the Venison Provisions mission statement on its website, which also includes budget friendly recipes and a page for online donations.
The Black Belt includes the following 23 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.
