Matthew Leerkes won the monthly Deer of the Year Contest in a landslide, while in the Trial Cam Contest there was a tie.
In the Deer of the Year contest, Leerkes’ “Velvet Pope and Young” photo garnered 64 percent of the votes cast, earning him a Sportsman Gear prize package including a Sportsman T-Shirt, a Sportsman decal and a free one-year Louisiana Sportsman subscription.
In second was Bryan Landry (known on the forum as Landry Designs) with 35 percent of the votes cast. Vicki Husted or deerarcher was in third place.
Click here to see the Deer of the Year photo gallery and enter your own photo. However, you must be a registered user to be eligible.
Monthly winners will be chosen by LouisianaSportsman.com users, with the grand prize winner being selected by users in February from each monthly winner.
Leerkes’ buck was arrowed during a early October hunt during which the hunter watched numerous deer pouring into his stand site.
“Deer after Deer after Deer filed down the sharp ridge in search of acorns,” wrote Leerkes, known on the site as kamakazi1. “Some nice little bucks at first, (and) then several does and yearlings until about 6 (a.m.).
“Then came the sound I was waiting for: crunch, crunch, crunch – the sound of heavy hooves stomping up the draw.”
After an agonizing few moments, the buck was within range.
“My heart started pounding out of control trying to jump right out of my throat,” Leerkes wrote. “I took a few moments to try and stop the shaking, but it didnt help much.
“He was getting closer and it was time to make the shoot. The does scattered and the monster of the forest stood broadside for a perfect 20 yard shoot. WHAMMM! The three-blade Rage (broadhead) rocketed from my Hoyt came down hard.”
In the Trail Cam Contest, users Brooke Lastrapes (aka blazer9) and Darius Scott (extremehuntr1) tied with each receiving 41 percent of the votes cast. Lastrapes and Scott will each receive a Sportsman Gear prize pack.
Grant Hillman (GHillman) earned the other 17 percent of the votes.
Click here to see the Trail Cam Contest photo gallery and enter your own photo. However, you must be a registered user to be eligible.
Monthly winners will be chosen by LouisianaSportsman.com users, with the grand prize winner being selected by users in February from each monthly winner.
Lastrapes entered “swamp donkey,” a photo showing a massive buck walking broadside to the camera. Scott’s image was titled “share your peanut butter,” and pictured two does apparently being held at bay by a raccoon perched on Scott’s peanut butter bait station.
Hillman’s photo “locked up” captured two nice bucks sparring right in front of his camera.
