Newcomer Wins Big Gobbler Photo Contest: Dylan Bonds of Hurtsboro Takes Prize
Montgomery, AL -(AmmoLand.com)- Dylan Bonds of Hurtsboro captured the 2016 Alabama Black Belt Adventures Big Gobbler Photo Contest top prize as the grand finale to his first season ever hunting the elusive bird.
Bonds, 25, said he had never been too interested in turkey hunting because he was unfamiliar with how to call a gobbler. A friend took him under his wing this year and the photo of his fourth bird taken this spring won Bonds prizes totaling $200: Carry-Lite Decoys, a Knight and Hale box turkey call, a Coleman Outdoor Gear Hauler and assorted Strike Zone fishing lures manufactured in Eufaula.
“We are thrilled with the response to our Big Gobbler Photo Contest,” said Pam Swanner, project director for the ALBBAA. “We had 15 entries of great-looking turkeys taken in the Black Belt this spring and had more than 500 votes cast in the contest.”
“The Black Belt is a great place for all kinds of outdoors activities, including turkey hunting, and we are happy that our contest puts a spotlight on that.”
Bonds took the contest-winning turkey in Macon County near the Russell County line, he said. “The bird I entered in the contest was the last one I took this season,” he said. “After asking around, we decided it was probably a 4-year-old. I chased him by myself for four days before I finally got it done. He was 22 pounds with an 11 1/2-inch beard and 1 1/4-inch spurs.
“I’m proud and blessed to be able to hunt these beautiful birds,” Bonds said.
The annual Big Gobbler Photo Contest is conducted on the ALBAA Facebook page and the winner is determined by the number of “likes” for each photo.
Turkeys must be taken in one of the 23 Black Belt counties: Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox.
About Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association:
The Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association is committed to promoting and enhancing outdoor recreation and tourism opportunities in the Black Belt in a manner that provides economic and ecological benefits to the region and its citizens.
For information, go to www.alabamablackbeltadventures.org.