King of the Woods Contest
Entry to the contest is currently CLOSED. Contest entries can be submitted from October 1st to January 14th.
Scroll to the bottom of this page to view previous years’ entries.
Looking for the contest rules?
You can view the complete contest rules here.
WEEKLY ENTRIES
WINNERS ARCHIVES
TRIATHLON RESULTS
King of the Woods Rules
Eligibility Requirements:
- Only the named subscriber of an active subscription of Ontario Monster Whitetails (hereinafter called “OMW”), not their spouse, child or dependents, are eligible to participate in the King of the Woods Contest (hereinafter called “Contest”) (See Addendum 1). No additional fees required to participate
- Participants are responsible for complying with provincial hunting and firearms regulations
- Non-residents of Ontario and residents of Ontario are eligible
- Only antlered whitetail deer legally harvested in Ontario during open seasons for the year the contest is operating are eligible (See Addendum 2)
- Only deer taken under ethical, fair-chase hunting conditions may be entered (See Addendum 3)
- A deer must be recovered within 24 hours of the initial shot to be entered. Any deer that is not claimed within 24 hours of the initial shot is deemed “Lost” for the purposes of this contest and cannot be entered
- Any deer “found” dead, near death or helpless (as in the rules of fair-chase as outlined in Addendum 3) cannot be entered
- Legal statements verifying authenticity of applicant information including date and method of harvest will be required including witness signatures (see Addendum 4)
- Failure to comply with any requirements listed in the rule set will result in disqualification from the contest (see Addendum 5)
- A deer must be entered into the weekly period with which the date of harvest falls. Any false representation of date or method of harvest will result in immediate disqualification
- A subscriber may enter more than one entry but may only win ONE weekly prize package. Should a contestant enter the largest buck in more than one scoring period, OMW will decide which entry becomes the weekly winner and the weekly winner position for the additional scoring period(s) will accrue to the next largest scoring buck entered during that scoring period
- In the event of a first place tie between two entries in one scoring period, a panel of FROW measurers will be responsible for measuring the final score. Should a tie still exist after the panel scoring, the largest net score will be awarded the first place position. Should a tie still exist, the deer shot earliest in the scoring period will be awarded the first place position.
- Should a dispute arise regarding the eligibility of an entry, the disputing party must notify OMW in writing within 60 days of the harvest of the deer giving reasons for the dispute. OMW will attempt to resolve the dispute by such methods and means as it deems necessary and each side will be held financially liable before the fact, for any and all costs that may be incurred by OMW in its efforts to fairly resolve the dispute. Failure to satisfy any financial obligation before the fact will be sufficient cause to reject any and/or all claims by a disputing party. OMW reserves the exclusive right to resolve any and all disputes. OMW reserves the right to remove any applicant and refuse participation to any parties involved in a dispute as deemed necessary by OMW alone. OMW reserves the right to refuse participation or nullify an entry up until the awarding of the prizes
- OMW reserves the right to refuse participation in the contest
- By entering a deer into the contest, contestants agree to abide by and be bound by all rules of the contest
- OMW reserves the right to change, modify, add to or alter the rules as deemed necessary by situations that may arise and are not covered herein
Contest Details:
- The 2024 hunting season (bow, muzzleloader, modern firearm) will be broken into 12 periods, identified as “weeks” (see Addendum 6)
- Within 14 days of the harvest, the successful applicant must submit:
- A photo of the “whole” animal and the hunter
- pictures can be refused if not tasteful and respectful towards the animal
- A completed application form with two non-related witness signatures (see Addendum 7) verifying the date and method of harvest
- A photo of the “whole” animal and the hunter
- The top bucks each week will be identified from entries and published online
- Each of the top entries published online MUST be scored after 60 day drying period by an official FROW, B&C, or P&Y measurer and official scoresheet must be received by Mar 28, 2025. Scoresheets are not required for Wildcard entries.
- 1 overall winner is selected for each week based on GROSS score (see Addendum 8)
- At the close of the season, all 12 weekly winners must compete in the “King of the Woods Hunting Triathlon” (see Addendum 9 & 10) held in late Spring or early Summer near Peterborough, ON.
- Triathlon includes:
- 1st event: Shooting stationary targets with a rim-fire rifle
- 2nd event: Shooting a series of 3-D targets with an Excalibur crossbow
- 3rd Event: Hunting Test prepared by licensed Hunter Education Course instructor
- questions will be geared towards safe and legal hunting practice
- Highest overall score of the triathlon is crowned Ontario’s “King of the Woods” and wins a prize package from the contest sponsors.
- The 11 other contestants, in the order they place, receive a prize package from our sponsors
- Wildcard Winner – one winner will be drawn randomly from ALL entries received and invited to participate in the Triathlon for a chance to win a Yamaha ATV!
Addendum
- To qualify for the contest, OMW must have received payment for the subscription at least 7 days prior to the date the deer was harvested. If a current subscriber’s subscription lapses during the contest and is not renewed, they are no longer eligible. It is the responsibility of the subscriber to ensure their subscription does not lapse. OMW is not responsible for notifying the subscriber of the expiration date. If the subscription is in the name of multiple persons, the first name on the subscription will be eligible for participation in the contest. If a subscription is in the name of a company, only the chief operating officer of the company is eligible for the Contest. In summary, all hunters wishing to participate in the contest must have a subscription in their own name.
- Open seasons are those periods stated by the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources and listed in the most-current Hunting Regulations Summary as being legal times to harvest whitetail deer in the province of Ontario. All open seasons, including controlled hunts, are eligible for the contest. Deer harvested under Deer Removal Permits (DRA’s), Ministry organized cull programs or any other system other than open seasons as described above are NOT eligible.
- Ethical and fair-chase hunting shall not include the taking of an animal under the following conditions:
- The animal is helpless in, or because of deep snow, helpless on ice, helpless in a trap, or while swimming
- The animal is confined behind high fences (regardless of the acreage)
- The animal was spotted or hunted by “jacklighting” or “shining” at night
- By the use of any motorized vehicle
- By the use of any power vehicle for herding or driving any animals, including the use of aircraft for landing alongside of any animal or herd, or to communicate with or direct a hunter on the ground
- By the use of tranquilizers, traps or poisons
- On property for which the hunter does not have clear permission and right to hunt
- Any other method deemed unsportsmanlike by the judges
- Any unlawful method
- Only the individual who harvested the deer is eligible to enter it into the King of the Woods contest. If, for some reason, it is impossible to determine who made the lethal shot, a complete write-up detailing all aspects of the hunt from all involved parties must be provided and will be subject to decision made by the contest judges.
- Should a contestant be found guilty of cheating and/or not being in full compliance with contest rules after prizes have been awarded, they are responsible to return all prizes or pay the retail value of prize package including applicable taxes within 30 days of notice.
- Each period in the contest will be referred to as a “week”, despite the fact that some periods extend beyond 7 consecutive days. All “weeks” run according to the following schedule:
- Up to and including Oct 13
- Oct14 – Oct 20
- Oct 21 – Oct 27
- Oct 28 – Nov 3
- Nov 4 – Nov 10
- Nov 11 – Nov 17
- Nov 18 – Nov 24
- Nov 25 – Dec 1
- Dec 2 – Dec 8
- Dec 9 – Dec 15
- Dec 16 – Dec 22
- Dec 23 – Dec 31
- A non-related witness must sign saying they saw the animal within 24 hours of recovering the animal as a whole carcass (with or without entrails). A “non-related” witness is someone who has no familial relationship with the entrant by birth or by marriage.
- Animals deemed by FROW officials to be “Nontypical” will be converted to a typical score using a 0.8718 conversion ratio. Using the Boone & Crockett minimum for typical and non-typical we arrive at the following example: 195″ Nontypical * 0.8718 = 170″ Typical. All entries are subject to a panel scoring as deemed necessary by FROW officials.
- Participation in triathlon is only available to the weekly winner. No substitutes will be accepted.
- Failure to attend AND compete in any event of the triathlon will result in complete forfeiture of any applicable prize package. Prizes are not transferable.
- Should a tie exist after the triathlon, a shoot-off will decide the grand prize winner. Winner must be a licensed driver for the ATV should a license be required, and show proof of insurance, if required, prior to delivery. ATV will be delivered with standard equipment for make and model and, any upgrades or options are the sole responsibility of winner. Winner is solely responsible for any title/license/registration/insurance and any other costs, expenses and fees associated with the use and enjoyment of the vehicle prize. The particular ATV will be delivered to a dealer closest to winner’s residence as solely determined by Sponsor. Winner must pick up ATV within 30 days of notice of vehicle’s availability or prize will be forfeited. All costs and expenses associated with pick-up are the sole responsibility of winner. Any difference between the stated prize value and the actual value will not be awarded. If winner cannot accept the prize as stated, prize will be forfeited. All national, provincial and local taxes, and the like, if any, are the sole responsibility of the individual winner. Any expenses not stated are solely the responsibility of the winner. Actual prize awarded may differ from the prize as shown in any advertisement.