Voting has begun in the Nikon Deer of the Year and the Trail Cam contests, with each winner receiving an Official Sportsman Gear prize package. Voting will continue until noon Wednesday (Nov. 3), at which time winners will be announced.
The three monthly finalists in the Nikon Deer of the Year contest are users Bryan Landry (aka Landry Designs or b-linebryan), Vicki Husted (or deerarcher on the forum) and Matthew Leerkes (also known as kamakazi 1).
Click here to view the photos and cast your vote for your favorite.
Landry killed the 10-point in his photo while walking to a make-shift blind he had made.
“Never made it to the blind,” he wrote. “(I) snuck up as close as I could and waited for enough light to shoot. He never saw it coming.”
Husted’s deer is a potential state record, with points sticking out everywhere.
“Even thought I have hunted for 30 years, this is only my third year to bow hunt,” she said. “This is my 4th buck to take with a bow and I’m convinced this is truly a buck of a lifetime.”
Leerkes popped his deer during an exciting hunt that included numerous bucks.
“Deer after deer after deer filed down the sharp ridge in search of acorns,” Leerkes said. “Some nice little bucks at first then several does and yearlings until about 6 (p.m.); then came the sound I was waiting for – ‘crunch,’ ‘crunch,’ ‘crunch’ – the sound of heavy hoves stomping up the draw. There he was the huge velvet 9 I had on trail cam.
“My heart started pounding out of control trying to jump right out of my throat. I had the fever and I had it bad.”
In the Trail Cam Contest, the three images in the voting session were taken by Darius Scott (extremehuntr1 or craftsman), Grant Hillman (GHillman) and Brooke Lastrapes (blazer9).
Click here to see the images and vote for your favorite.
Scott’s “share your peanut butter” shows a raccoon clinging to a peanut-butter jar in a tree, apparently holding the doe and yearling in the photo at bay.
Hillman’s “locked up” photo is of two fine bucks locked in a fight right in front of the trail camera, and Lastrapes’ “swamp donkey” shows a huge 12-point easyin by the trail cam site.
Click here to enter each contest, but remember you must be a registered member of LouisianaSportsman.com to be eligible for the prizes.
