The two winners in the 2024 Alabama Black Belt Adventures (ALBBAA) Big Buck Adventures Big Buck Photo contest are 7-year-old Olivia Faulkner and Chad Stinson.
The ALBBAA holds the contest in 23 counties to promote outdoor adventures. Out of photos from Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Crenshaw, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lee, Lowndes, Macon, Marengo, Monroe, Montgomery, Perry, Pickens, Pike, Russell, Sumter, Tuscaloosa and Wilcox, the two co-winners took the crown this year.
Thousands of votes were submitted online, and Faulkner, who harvested her first buck, along with Stinson, of Pintlala, won the hearts of voters.
“We’re so appreciative that so many people submitted photos in this year’s contest, and the votes were being cast right up until the contest’s final minutes,” said ALBBAA Director Pam Swanner. “These two photos clearly resonated with voters, and we think it’s appropriate to honor both entries. What’s really special is both photos commemorate truly memorable hunts. For both hunters, Alabama’s Black Belt definitely delivered a memorable experience.”
Stinson has been watching his big buck for three seasons on a game camera. He took the buck on the first day of the season with a bow.
“I sat there for five hours and 45 minutes, and he ran in there with a group of bachelor bucks,” Stinson said. “A six-point came out and then an 8-point. … Right behind him, here he comes. They come right up to me and they are literally at 29 yards. That’s what I’ve been practicing – 30 yards. That’s all I need. So, I draw back and those two small bucks come out and that big buck, you see how they grow so big. They’re smart. He stood behind that six-point that entire time.”
“It got so bad, I could feel my quiver hitting my cheek,” he continued. “I was shaking so bad. Finally, after what felt like an eternity, the six-point bent down to eat and he stood straight up, and when he did, that was my only opportunity, and I let it go.”
Faulkner was thankful on Thanksgiving Day when she took her first buck in Montgomery County.
She said at first, she spooked the buck when she dropped her headphones in the shooting house, but it came back.
“He came back from the woods,” said Faulkner, a second-grade student at Troy Elementary School. “I was really scared and shaking before I took the shot. It was my first buck, and I was really happy about that.”
To connect with the author of this story or to comment, email erica.thomas@1819news.com.
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