July 27, 2012
By Florida Sportsman
With Zone A (South Florida) Archery and Crossbow seasons opening July 28, it's time to announce the first annual Florida Sportsman Forum Big Buck Contest. Forum Moderator Huntmstr organized the rules, with input from fellow Forum members. To see the thread, click here.Â
RULES
1. Each hunter may enter as many bucks as they want but only the largest will be counted. Only members who establish a FS Forums account prior to July 28, 2012 are eligible.
2. FLORIDA DEER ONLY.
3. All hunters must submit a picture of themselves with their deer (try to keep them clean & w/o excessive blood).
4. Scoring is done on the total gross of antler length to the nearest 1/16 of an inch with inside spread included (B&C gross with inside spread & all abnormal points included). Use this score card to score, skipping the subtraction of column 3: http://www.boone-crockett.org/pdf/SC...nontypical.pdf
5. Photos must include the official FS Big Buck Contest Chit (see below).
6. In the event of a tie, the total tine length without mass will win.
7. Open to all ages, no fees necessary. Enter your deer when you shoot it. No preregistration required. This is an honors system event. We will trust that you killed your deer in FL. BE HONEST!
8. You will be required to submit a copy of your score card with your picture when you post it.
9. Chuck Echenique will abstain from participation and act as arbiter for the contest.
10. Winners will be notified via PM and public announcement will be made March 8, 2013.
11. Prizes and rules are subject to change at the discretion of FS, its staff and their arbiter.
12. All decisions are final and not up for review, except by FS staff.
PRIZES
Public Land                                                                       Private Land
T-Shirt from FSÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â T-Shirt from FS
Deer grunt tube from Rebel Yelp Calls                            Deer grunt tube from Rebel Yelp Calls
Deer mount from Buck & Boars Taxidermy                   Deer mount from Bob Dorta Taxidermy
Other prizes will be posted as we receive them
And in case you're wondering, Zone A is shown in the illustration at left. Deer seasons in Florida are mystifying to hunters from up north--Peninsular Florida whitetail does enter estrus much earlier, apparently an evolutionary adaptation which allows fawns to be born during the January-March dry season, when there's less risk of flooding.
Also note that Wildlife Management Areas have their own season dates.
