'07 Archersedge Doe & Buck Contest

[BT]

Thats $30. in the kitty

[Greg Krause]

This is good getting this all set up so early. Hopefully we can get a lot of people in on the contest this year!

[Greg Krause]

Here are some Photo tips for your trophy taken from the B&C website.



COMPOSING THE PHOTO
The first thing I do when taking a trophy photo is to look over the area where I have taken the animal and mentally compose the photograph. Consider the background and make use of the natural beauty of the area whenever possible. Then situate the animal so you can take advantage of the natural background to the greatest extent possible.


Sometimes you will not be able to move the animal due to its size or the terrain. In such cases, you will have to do your best and go with what you have. Set the animal up so it is presented in a respectful way. Tongues hanging out, blood on the animal or the ground, bullet holes showing in the body and legs askew detract from the photograph and contribute to distasteful photographs. Place the animals' legs up under the body and set it up so it looks as natural as possible. Wipe off any blood that may be present. I always carry five or six squares of paper towel in my hunting pack for this purpose.




Check to be sure your rifle or bow is pointed in a safe direction if it is to be included in the picture. Be sure that hunting gear such as ropes, knives and lunch sacks that will detract from the photo are not in the photo. If you are unable to take the photo while in the field check to be sure that the area where you are taking the photo is as natural as possible and does not include items that will detract from the overall quality of the photo or the animal being photographed.


Get up as close as possible and look the situation over through your viewfinder. The closer you get, the better the animal will look. Look for anything distracting around the edges. Remove limbs, brush, or grass that are in the way. Check the sun angle and the need to compensate for back lighting. Frame the scene and check all four edges of the photo so that you do not cut anything out. Finally focus the camera and shoot.


It is a good idea to take several photographs from several angles and use different parts of the scene as the point of focus. If you have an autofocus camera, be mindful of what the camera is focusing on. If your depth of field is short and you focus on the nose of an animal, such as an elk, the hunter may be out of focus. If you focus on the hunter, the animal may be out of focus. When in doubt take lots of photos.


I like to take trophy photographs from a very low angle and use the sky or the background to frame the photograph. The animal will show up better when you do this. When I'm alone I use a small, lightweight tripod and set the camera on the tripod on the ground. My favorite tripod is one sold by Recreational Equipment Company in Seattle, Washington. It is made of high-impact plastic, weighs a few ounces, folds up nicely and has a velcro strip for attaching the tripod to a limb, bush, or backpack. This tripod will double as a support for a spotting scope. If I do not have a tripod, I set the camera on a rock, piece of wood, or whatever is handy.


The final point in taking a good trophy photograph is to not hurry. Take your time and attend to every detail. This is your best, and sometimes only, opportunity to take a great photograph and record a special moment.



I wanted to add a few tips.

If you wear a hat, be careful that there is no shadow under the brim hiding your face. Turn that hat around, take it off, lift the brim a little bit or use a flash.

If you are taking the pics after the animal has been down a while, the eyes will become blurry. You can get a set of glass eyes used in Taxidermy mounts, pretty cheap. They can be set over the eyes and will look great for the pictures.

Here is a link to one place that sells glass eyes-
www.vandykestaxidermy.com/subcategory/230/

[BT]

Good post Skipmaster

[lockmaster]

I have paid through Pay-Pal for both contests!
Please include my name on the participant list!!

[smj]

jamaltwy - I intend to give you a run for it on caribou this year! I will be up Sept 11th for a 10 day hunt... Good luck to you, but I intend to make you work for it!

I have to see if my tag is an either sex tag for deer, I forget which was put in for... (Must be getting old...) I should have both an elk and a deer tag for here in Colorado this year as well. (Got to do something to warm up for a caribou hunt, right?) I'll check my tag, only one, and join up for deer contest shortly!

[jamaltwy]

smj,

your on!!!! i'll be in AK 8/29 - 9/20 my hunt is planned 8/31 - 9/8...... hunting along the hual road i'll post pics here then...lets see who smacks down who!!! (lol) this is my hunt before deer season!!! good luck to ya!!! last time i got a small one but it was my first hunt and anything was a prize.......next year i hope to go to your end of the country for elk ... let the games begin!!!!! ha ha ha

[SPIKER]

Ok, I get it, it's a cash payout.

I saw the other thread where you said that the bow prize was the most asked for, and didn't follow the other threads to here, to see the outcome....

Looks like the hog hunt crew is in it early...where's Carl?

[Greg Krause]

"Are you kidding me! we butchered Carls too!"

I'll see if "carl" wants in on it!

[royden]

Bt - I'll be in for both What kind of deadline are we looking at (In otherwords how soon do I need to put in an extra hour of OT!)?