Our annual Bowhunting.Com Deer Contest has nearly begun! This unique contest welcomes hunters from all walks of life who share in a common passion for chasing any one of North America’s deer species. With just a few days left before the names are randomly drawn and teams are picked, now is the time to sign-up and get ready for old fashioned hunting fun!

“Deer hunting is all about enjoying the unique camaraderie that can only be experienced through shared stories, successful (and unsuccessful) hunts and a shared excitement and appreciation for the sport we all enjoy so much.  An online deer hunting contest simply provides another platform for hunters to enjoy those things”, says the director of the event, Cody “Big Shooter” Altizer.

Cody "Big Shooter" Altizer poses with his 2010 Illinois bow buck. He credits this hunt to our annual Deer Contest.

“At the end of the day this contest is all about sharing your hunting season - the ups and downs, trials and triumphs, and funny stories with other hunters from all across the country.  There's some friendly trash talk, especially from a certain New Yorker from [last year’s] reigning champs, but it's all in good fun and at the end of the day everyone wishes the other contestants the best of luck in the field.”

Cody was able to live out his lifelong dream of hunting Illinois last season because of members he met during the 2008 Bowhunting.Com Deer Hunting Contest. During that hunt the Virginia native took his first ever buck with bow. He remarks, “the sheer number of good, genuine people that sign up for this contest allows for many friendships to be made, which can lead to shared hunts all across the country!  Who knows, maybe you can enjoy the same fortune that I did!?”

The rules of the contest are simple. Each member who signs up before August 29th, 2011, will be randomly drawn to a 10 member team. Those teams will compete to take the top prize and bragging rights for next year’s contest as the winning team retains all of its members for another year to defend their title.

In an official capacity Cody directs the entire Deer Contest, but he's also a contestant. Here he's pictured with a giant Illinois doe giving his 2010 team another 50 points.

Unlike other online deer hunting contests, the Bowhunting.Com Deer Contest includes female deer. A single doe can be checked in for an automatic 50 point total per hunter. Bucks are gross scored from their antlers using the Pope and Young scoring system. Only one buck (your first buck) will qualify per hunter.

The winning team this year will receive a package of Bowhunting.com goodies that's likely to include a couple hats, t-shirts, decals, and a copy of our latest DVD (Bowhunting.com Vol. 3).   Also this year, Tom Lester from Monster Raxx minerals has graciously offered to donate a bag of Monster Raxx minerals and a bottle of attractant to every member of the winning team.