Rokslide 2021 Youth Photo Contest, sponsored by Western Edge Gear

[nodakian]

Welcome to Rokslide’s 2021 Youth Hunt Photo Contest! In this second year of the contest, we are looking forward to more great photos of the next generation of hunters with their success.

This year's prize will be a new Foliage Green Elkhorn Package:

The Elkhorn is a 2750-cubic inch bag with meat shelf and detachable lid on a 20" frame. The package includes the winner's choice of belt size, plus a choice of either an orange lid or reversible/detachable panel to help comply with hunter orange requirements in some states (and to help keep track of kids in the field).


For reference, the picture below shows a 4'10" kid with the Elkhorn and panel carrying three quarters and both backstraps of a deer on the shelf.




The winning photo will be judged on the following criteria and rules:

1. WOW Factor. Is it a great photo that grabs the viewer? This takes into account lighting, color, uniqueness, etc.

2. Composition. How is the photo arranged and balanced – is there too much or too little of the background/foreground, animal, subject, etc?

3. Animal size. This is not a biggest animal contest, but a best photo contest that captures your youth hunter in the field. In this case, the focus is on the youth hunter, not necessarily the animal – but if two pictures are equal, generally the more impressive animal will win the tie-breaker.

4. Only one photo per animal entered. Must be a photo of your youth hunter in the field during the 2021 season (January 1st- December 31st, 2021), involved in any kind of hunting – waterfowl, small game, big game, etc. The youth hunter must be 17 or younger during the 2021 January 1st-December 31st fall hunting season.

5. Only one photo entry is allowed per youth per animal (so one mule deer, one antelope, per youth etc.) Member parents or legal guardian can post on the youth's behalf, or the youth can join Rokslide and post himself.

6. Rokslide staff will select finalists, and Rokslide members will vote for the winner.

7. By posting photos on this thread, you agree to let Rokslide and Western Edge Gear use the photos in promotional material without compensation.

8. Any international winner is responsible for border tax, custom fees, excessive postage fees, etc.

9. To get a good idea of what we're looking for in a winning photo, see last year's finalists here: 2020 Youth Photo Contest

10. Deadline for photo submittal will be January 15, 2022.

Good luck and happy hunting.

 

[npm352]

@nodakian any reason why the dates exclude anything before Aug 1, 2021 while still being in 2021? Probably some good winter 2021 lions, spring bears and turkey pics that are not qualified to enter.

 

[nodakian]

@nodakian any reason why the dates exclude anything before Aug 1, 2021 while still being in 2021? Probably some good winter 2021 lions, spring bears and turkey pics that are not qualified to enter.

I agree there are probably lots of good pics out there as you mention. We discussed which portion of the year to include and settled on the fall season to be similar with Rokslide’s other annual photo contests such as for whitetail, elk, etc. Last year we started with a September 1 cut off but soon adjusted it to August 1 to capture some of the early youth seasons and, if I remember correctly, an early Alaska season

Fortunately for the kids, they get to enter all the species into one contest, so whitetail hunters have as good a chance as caribou hunters.

 

[nodakian]

While this is not eligible for the contest, I'll kick this off with my kid's first ND deer.

We were planning on hunting all weekend, but after a good stalk he connected on his first shot about five hours into our week-long youth season. Since it was a small doe (probably last year's fawn) , he decided to just gut it and pack out the entire carcass, head and all, in one piece to avoid hiking in the dark. After we hoisted the load onto his back, the learning started pretty quickly--the learning that occurs when pain is involved (he's 112 pounds, and the load was 72 pounds). Eventually, after 1.5 miles of deep contemplation about his decision to pack a whole deer, we got back to the truck in the dark and headed home with a box of Cheez-Its for supper.

The lesson: just use the gutless method (his brother learned the same thing last year with a game cart and large muley buck).

Good luck out there, and may your kids have fun and learn something, too.

 

[grayfalcon]

Terrible photos but an awesome story.

My first deer, earlier this year. Was scouting a few days before and saw lots of deer. We went out and not much was happening. We saw some dark clouds on the horizon so we dropped off the ridge. I saw a deer in the exact same spot I had seen two scouting. Shot her as a large thunderstorm came over us. 150 yard shot, by the time we got to where the deer was standing the thunder was on top of us. The deer had run 200 yards into some thick brush without stopping. We didn’t see any blood and it had started raining. We decided to leave, and come back when the thunder had stopped. We weren’t far from the car, and the area we were in didn’t have any trees taller than 7 or 8 feet. As we’re walking out, we saw really deep, running hoof prints on the game trail we were on. My dad said to look for the deer while we walked (ran) out. About 15 seconds later, we saw the deer dead 5 or 6 feet off the trail. Went 300 yards, and based on the tracks never stopped running. We left the gun and my dads very tall frame pack, and ran the 10 or 15 minutes back to the car. We came back at 9 that night when the lightning finally stopped. Full freezer and lesson learned: don’t shoot a deer before a thunderstorm.

again, really bad photos but we pretty much didn’t stop running

 

[Laramie]

My 12 year old Son's first antelope. It was tough public land hunting but he did great!

 

[MP.hunter]

Sons WA State sheep, lucky kid drew this tag at 12 years old.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Finey18]

My son took this Barbary in New Mexico February 2021. If it’s outside the contest time frame, please delete it. Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[lnewton]

September 7th 2021

My son (15yrs old) had an opportunity to hunt antelope in our home state after after drawing a controlled hunt doe tag. We hiked 9 miles of hot, open prairie and drove 400 miles of 2 track and farm roads to finally have a chance at a group of antelope. This doe presented a split second pause at 138 yards and the Howa .308 and my son did the rest. She dropped in her tracks and a freezer full later, some of the best table fare I have ever enjoyed!

 

[robby denning]

My son took this Barbary in New Mexico February 2021. If it’s outside the contest time frame, please delete it. Thank you.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I just changed the rules so that he could be included and honestly the bigger issue is I didn’t realize there were seasons for big game going on in the spring that could count. We want as many kids in these contests as possible.

I can’t think of any downside, other than maybe a little bit more competitive contest


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[joelbiltz]

Bentley Biltz. Opening evening of the Indiana Youth season. 150 yards with a 6.5 PRC.

 

[joelbiltz]

Bailey Biltz. Big Tom turkey in Indiana 2021

 

[joelbiltz]

Bentley Biltz. 2021 Tom turkey in Indiana

 

[Jimbob]

Josh stalked into 26 yds and then calmy put a perfect arrow through both lungs for his first animal with a bow.

 

[JLMUELZ]

My oldest son Christian with his first buck from this years hunt on Lanai. Took it with the same Savage 243 I shot my first deer with 24 years ago. To say this was a special moment for us would be an understatement!

 

[slowyota]

Here's my 12 year old and his first big game hunt. He drew a youth any bull tag in Utah and hunted hard for almost a week before we were able to get this guy in at 30 yards. Made a perfect shot with my grandpa's 30-06. Bull went 10 feet before he piled up.

There was lots of highs, lows and tears of joy. Something neither he or I will ever forget.

 

[robby denning]

Here's my 12 year old and his first big game hunt. He drew a youth any bull tag in Utah and hunted hard for almost a week before we were able to get this guy in at 30 yards. Made a perfect shot with my grandpa's 30-06. Bull went 10 feet before he piled up.

There was lots of highs, lows and tears of joy. Something neither he or I will ever forget.

View attachment 330802View attachment 330803View attachment 330804

Hey we love it! But per the rules, only one photo per animal. Just edit out the two that you don’t want. This makes it easier on our judges, and keeps for a clean thread. Thanks for playing


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[go_deep]

2021 Wyoming Antelope, 13 year old son packing it out all on his own!

 

[Jimbob]

After a nervous stalk on the back side of a knife ridge and crossing a steep grassy slope in the cover of the fog we were set up 310 yds from this billy. When he stood up Josh put a perfect shot through both lungs and this young man had a second goat to his name.

 

[spdrman]

We spent alot of time turkey hunting this spring with not much action, we spotted this Tom with another feeding on a closed road so decided to put a stalk on them, we snuck within 25 yards and he made a perfect shot to get his first turkey