2011-12 Bowhunting contest rules
 

These are the same rules as last year, I copied and pasted them. Only one real change... the end date which is now Jan. 20th. Any other changes, we'll address when we make a rule thread.

1. Deer(whitetail/mulie/blacktail)must be taken legally and ethically as laws apply in the state your hunting including tags.
2. Archery equipment only which include crossbows, compounds, longbows and recurves. One bow contest only.

3. Antlered deer only (whitetail, mule, blacktail)including antlered doe, if it's tagged with a buck tag, it's in.

4. We will be using the Pope & Young Gross/Green scoring system, no deductions. Velvet bucks scored the same. (See percentages below)

Whitetail (as norm):125/125 = score x 1
Columbia blacktail: 125/90 = score x 1.39
Sitka blacktail: 125/75 = score x 1.67
Mule deer: 125/145 = score x 0.86

For an incredible tutorial please see this link: http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/2011...13&mpage=1
5. Open to all members new and old unless your signed up in another bow contest on HNI(only) You may sign up for the rifle contest as well, please don't sign up and disappear, you'll be replaced. No more than 10 persons per team, drawn randomly....alternate's when necessary starting with first come first serve....I'll oversee it.

6. Signup begins today, Deadline to join is Aug 15th , with alternates then being taken until Sept 1st or as needed to complete teams. (Depending on number of entrants, teams may be picked earilier in order to ensure enough alternates.

7. You must have a pictured posted on the contest page within the Official Score Card thread to enter a deer. The bow must be in the picture and the entire deer must be in the picture, no skull pictures, no rack pictures...the buck, the bow, and yourself must be in the picture.....call me skeptical. This rule will be enforced this year, no exceptions with no apologies.

A) Within this post, the measurements as required by the P&Y scoring sheets shall be listed. Example as follows.

B) Total 131 2/8

Right ----- Left

MB 18 6/8 ----- 17 4/8
G1 4 ----- 3
G2 6 4/8----- 6
G3 6 4/8 ----- 4 6/8
G4 4 4/8 ----- 1
G5 1 -----

H1 5 6/8----- 6 2/8
H2 4 4/8 ----- 4 4/8
H3 4 4/8----- 5 6/8
H4 3 6/8----- 3 2/8

Inside spread 15 4/8

Abnormal points
1. 4
2.
3.

For scoring help, please check this turorial: http://www.huntingnet.com/forum/2011...13&mpage=1



8. Total number of inches of all team member's animals will decide the winner....see rule 4.

9. You must enter the first bow kill antlered deer you get.....second buck for you lucky states will not count. First buck means first taken regardless of multi state hunts. Also see rule 10.

10. The entry must be posted within 10 days of taking it OR notification must be made to the team, team captain, participating moderator or admin that an animal is down with description to determine that a participant isn't holding out for a better animal. This is not fair for single tag states nor those that cannot travel and hunt multiple states. The first antlered animal must be counted.

11. No penned shot deer accepted, deer must be a free range wild animal regardless private or public land. Guided hunts acceptable as long as the animals are free range.

12. All disagreements, controversies and conflicts will be decided on by a majority vote from a panel consisting of Team Capt's and moderators participating within the contest. Those decisions will be final.

13. Contest ends Jan 31st. (new date this year)

14. Rules set forth for a smooth contest, the main rule is to have fun and enjoy your fellow teammates and all the smack talk that goes along with this contest.
__________________

It's a shame we couldn't maybe tweek the rules to inlclude 1 doe per person at 25 point each or so but to be truthful just glad the game is on... :)

The tororial does work

Yet another year the contest closes before the southern states have their rut.

Oh well.

The rules do not have a start date, so I'm not sure why the end date is not extended to allow for participants from every state to be able to submit a deer later than January 20th. The archery season in my area of PA is open until January 28th. Some states archery season starts a month or so behind others, so I feel everyone should have equal opportunity regradless of when their states season starts and ends. If your season starts earlier than most and ends before the deadline, you have a much better chance than someone who's season starts/ends later. I'm my case I'm only talking about 1 week, but there are other people in different states who are not getting a fair equal opportunity. I know I'm not alone thinking this rule should be changed.

Zink/Rob/Christine: Any feedback on this would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Don

The contest starts when the season in your state starts, always has. As for the ending, there needed to be a time restraint, because there were so many problems trying to figure out when the seasons were closed last year.

If there is a problem over 8 days, I am sure that can be fixed if need be at that time, but I like the fact that there is a deadline now, besides almost; if not every state has their archery seasons started by the 1st of October...

What about the southern states like Florida, Alabama, the Carolina's, etc who's rut doesn't get into full swing until the contest ends? They have to hope to shoot their buck early on pre-rut, when we all know your best chance is during the rut. How would you feel if your most opportunistic time of year to shoot a buck did not fall within the deadlines of this contest? Does it seem fair to everyone? This was brought up to Christine last year, but the contest was already underway so we obviously couldn't expect a change. With the new one starting, it should certainly be discussed or considered by the moderators.

Florida's Archery season ends only 11 days from the prescribed contest ending date, except in 2 zones...
http://myfwc.com/hunting/season-dates

Alabama's is a matter of 11 days...
http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/hunting/season-limits/

From what I can see North Carolina there is no problem with the end date.
http://www.ncwildlife.org/Regs/2011_...12_Seasons.pdf

If the rut is in February for any of these states, would you legally be able to take them anyway? From the F&G regs that I just posted above, in many you would not.

I can however see posting the contest end date a little later, but I don't see the widespread problem that you were attempting to make it. The majority of the seasons end on the 20th of January, so I can see why they chose to end it on that date, but you are splitting hairs when it comes down to it. Or maybe I am wrong... It has happened once or twice... :)

edit: By the way the South Carolina regs were way to clustered and my brain is still not fully functioning this morning so I gave up trying to translate the heiroglyphics....

I'm not trying to cause a whole lot of controversy here. Just bringing up a point that some people will/are affected by the date, and maybe extend it until the end of January. As for the regulations and ruts for different southern states, I'm just voicing the concerns I have seen posted by many people over the last couple years.

I personally don't plan to be bowhunting at the end of January in PA when it's damn cold, just bringing up a point and speaking my two cents. I'm fine with whatever decision our hard working moderators come up with...because they ultimately decide what's fair and reasonable for everyone.

Absolutely!

Florida's rut does not start until late Jan, peaks mid February and continues into March. Our deer season does not start until Mid October and does not end until February 26th. That's 37 days after the contests end date.

hey zink i was trying to open up that link you posted and it will not open.. maybe its me, has anyone had any trouble with it besides me... thanks

Where are the team assignments at?... Can't seem to find em' >.. Thanks

dmounts, I hear ya. Although it really doesnt affect me a whole bunch, I definitely understand what you are saying. Our rut is the beginning of Jan. and season closes on Jan. 30th (along with other southern states). I know some buddies that hunt in Alabama, and their rut is right around mid to late January. Those are the people that this rule would mainly affect.

Im replying to some questions and concerns. The deadline for check ins is this monday. After that they can be replaced at their teams discretion (if the team wants to wait they can , if not captains contact me and i will hook you up with alts)Also due to some concerns the end date will not be jan 20th. I have moved it to jan 31 as this is the end of most deer seasons.

thank you

Thanks Zink. I know you just made a whole bunch of people happy with that decision!!!

If you can move it to the end of most seasons why can't you move it to the end of all deer seasons?

true that bb, and if someone does nail a buck on jan 31, then how long are we waiting til we no longer are taking scores?

IF too much complaining resumes i highly doubt that in the years to come there will be a bowhunting contest.

Zink - in your list of rules at the start of the thread, you do not mention the above quote from the list of teams. Do we submit our entries or can only the team captain submit entries?

-fsh

Too much complaining huh? Ever think that some of us would like to participate in the contest if the contest dates didn't preclude the entire rut.

Maybe you Northern guys don't consider our deer big enough to be included?????

what state closes out the season. that is the date contest should end, that way everyone can hunt the rut in there state..

Florida.

I agree. I don't see why there would be a nation wide bow hunting contest but exclude certain states.

I have mentioned this in past years but just like this year it has fallen on deaf ears.

Then this contest should be over after Fla. season is finished..

Oh I thought of it but why cry over it? Even if I didn't have the contest run out before my season was out I'd still keep my mouth shut.I guess I just count my blessings a lil more than others.
I mean I dont really like rules 9 and 10 because I will be hunting in two states and if i shoot a bigger second buck than my first buck I wont be able to post it. But you didnt see me rant over it.Who knows...maybe Im just different.

tim how would u like it, if u didnt get to hunt the best time of the year (the rut)..then u wouldnt keep your mouth shut

If I couldn't hunt the rut...yes it would bother me to the point I'd open my mouth. But if I couldnt post my harvested deer on a contest that is online that Im not going to win anything in....well than i would do what you should have done to begin with and keep my yapper shut.
Capiche?

Look all Im saying is just enjoy the freakin contest and let the mods do their work. Its their contest and not yours. You don't like it??? Well than the simple solution is to keep away so that we dont lose this contest entirely.

yes it is a contest but lets keep it far, let everyone hunt there own rut.. Im just sticking up for the guys who dont get the chance to hunt there rut. and its everyones contest not just the Mod... and if u dont like me speaking my mind sorry, if u dont like it one simple solution is to keep away..

Who the heck is crying. I am speaking my mind about something I don't agree with. You see, this is how people interact with each other.

Maybe you are different, IDK. Maybe next year the mods can exclude PA residents entirely. See, the difference in rules 9 & 10 is that it applies to every single person regardless of where they live or hunt. The end date however does not. It specifically excludes a good portion of the Southern hunting dates.

Uhm....... isn't that what I did? So now the question becomes why are you whining about me opening up my mouth about not having the contest include the rut down here.

I would enjoy it but I'm not going to enter it until the contest runs the entire season like it does for the rest of the country so at this point it doesn't bother me one bit if it goes away entirely.

if from ohio and i would me mad if i couldnt hunt my rut for the contest. im just say that we all should be able to hunt there own rut in the state they live in..

Whatevs...no use getting nicks in my trousers.. It is what it is. But I will say this too BigBulls. I wouldn't cry over a contest whether it went into my rut or not. YOU must have read what I wrote wrong.
Good luck to all that will be hunting this year!

Maybe we need regional contests if we cant get along or make everyone happy. A 6 month long contest would see alot of people lose interest I think.