Participation Agreement
By registering for the Whitetail Champion State Championship, each participant agrees to abide by all contest rules, scoring procedures, eligibility requirements, and decisions made by Whitetail Champion officials. Participation in the competition constitutes acceptance of all rules and requirements associated with the event.
For purposes of this competition, only free-range wild whitetail deer are eligible for entry.
Whitetail Champion officials do not supervise, direct, or control hunting activities.
Participants are solely responsible for their hunting activities, locations, equipment, and compliance with laws.
Team Registration
Teams must register by 8/31/2026. With the exception of Tennessee (8/27/2026) and South Carolina (8/14/2026).
Team members can only join (1) team for each selected state competition.
Teams can replace team members prior to the closure of the State’s sign-up period. Email ben@whitetailchampion.com for teammate changes.
No refunds. All sales are final.
Age Requirement
All team members must be at least eighteen (18) years of age at the time of registration.
Team Format
Whitetail Champion is a three-person team competition designed to recognize the most accomplished bowhunting team in each participating state.
State championship prize amounts are awarded to the winning team within each participating state. The prize is divided equally among all registered team members of the winning team.
In the event of a tie, the prize is divided equally among the winning teams.
State Championship Format
Each participating state operates as its own independent championship competition. Teams compete only against other teams registered within the same state.
At the conclusion of the season, an official scoring event will be conducted for each state's competition. Only bucks officially scored and verified at the designated scoring event shall be considered for championship standings and prize eligibility. All team members wishing to be considered for the state championship prize shall attend the official scoring event.
The team producing the highest cumulative gross score from its qualifying entries at the official scoring event shall be crowned the Whitetail Champion for that state.
Initial Team Scoring Format
Each team consists of three (3) members. Team members may submit as many qualifying entries as allowed under statewide archery regulations during the contest period. Entries must be scored using gross scoring methods similar to Pope & Young or Buckmaster’s scoring standards. These initial scores are not official and do not need to be scored by official measurers.
For team scoring purposes, only the highest gross-scoring entry from each team member will count toward the team total. The team's score will be calculated by adding together the highest qualifying score from each of the three team members.
Example: Member A highest score: 145" Member B highest score: 132" Member C highest score: 158" Team Score: 145" + 132" + 158" = 435"
Additional entries by a team member may improve that member's individual contribution if they exceed their previous highest gross score, but only that member's single highest-scoring entry will be included in the final team total. This format rewards teams whose members each contribute their best qualifying score while preventing a single member from contributing multiple scores to the team total.
Team’s must attend the State’s official scoring event to be considered for the State Championship Prize.
Weapons & Harvest Requirements
All entries must be harvested using a compound bow and/or traditional archery equipment, within the boundaries of the State in which the said team has registered.
Firearms, muzzleloaders, crossbows, or any other harvest methods are not permitted and are ineligible for use in the Whitetail Champion Deer Contest.
Only free-range wild whitetail deer are eligible for entry.
High-fence, enclosed, penned, captive, or otherwise restricted deer are ineligible for entry. Any deer that has lived in captivity at any point during its lifetime is ineligible for entry.
All participants must comply with federal, state, and local hunting laws.
Any deer that has been confiscated, is under active investigation, or is otherwise subject to legal dispute may be deemed ineligible at the sole discretion of Whitetail Champion officials.
Entry Submission Requirements
All entries must be submitted digitally through the official submission portal located at WhitetailChampion.com.
Harvested deer must be recovered within forty-eight (48) hours of the shot. Entries must be submitted within ten (10) days of harvest.
Each submission must include:
A clear photograph showing both the harvested buck and the bow used. Omission of the bow in the buck photo results in unqualified entry and shall not be considered for submission in the Whitetail Champion competition.
An unofficial score scoresheet (any format) showing the self-measured gross score of the entered buck.
Any additional documentation requested by Whitetail Champion officials.
All initial entries are considered un-official. Official gross scores used for the final championship standings shall only be determined by official scores at the designated Whitetail Champion scoring event.
Tournament Dates
Each State has its own State-wide archery season and official hunting seasons. Please review your state’s regulations. All individual Whitetail Champion State Championships open and close in coordination with the State’s Archery Whitetail hunting season.
Buck Upgrades
Teams are encouraged to continue hunting throughout the season and may improve their standings through buck upgrades as permitted by each State’s hunting regulations.
A previously submitted buck may be replaced by a higher-scoring buck harvested by an eligible team member at any point during the season. Upon acceptance of the replacement entry, the higher-scoring buck shall replace the original entry in the team's cumulative unofficial score.
Once replaced, the original buck will no longer count toward unofficial championship standings. All replacement entries must satisfy the same eligibility, documentation, verification, and scoring requirements as previous submission.
Official Scoring Event
Each participating state will host its own official scoring event. Official scoring events will serve as the final verification process for all championship-eligible entries and will be used to determine the official standings for each state's competition.
All bucks entered into the competition must be presented by the hunter who harvested the deer and must be available for inspection and official scoring by judges designated by Whitetail Champion. Any buck, or hunter, that is not present at the official scoring event will be deemed ineligible for championship standings, prizes, or awards.
Official gross scores recorded at the Whitetail Champion scoring event shall be considered final for purposes of determining state championship winners.
Official scorers will be sourced from Pope & Young or Buckmaster’s scoring groups.
To qualify for official scoring, all deer must be presented with the skull plate and antlers fully intact. Deer with shed antlers, broken antlers, or damaged/incomplete skull plates are ineligible for official scoring.
Deer submitted in velvet will be scored without penalty and shall be scored with velvet on the antlers.
Specific dates, times, locations, and check-in procedures for each state's official scoring event will be announced at a later date through WhitetailChampion.com and Whitetail Champion's official social media channels.
Sportsmanship, Verification & Polygraph Examination
Whitetail Champion is founded upon the principles of fair chase, honesty, and sportsmanship.
Any participant or team may be required to provide additional documentation, photographs, harvest information, tagging information, or other evidence necessary to verify an entry.
Whitetail Champion reserves the right to require any participant or team member to submit to a polygraph examination concerning contest participation, harvest information, scoring, rule compliance, or entry verification. Refusal by any participant to comply may result in immediate disqualification of the participant and their entire team.
All decisions regarding verification, eligibility, scoring, and rule interpretation shall be final.
Appeals to the final scoring decisions shall be submitted within 48 hours of the State’s Official scoring event. Any appeals shall be emailed to ben@whitetailchampion.com
Prize Distribution and Acceptance
Whitetail Champion winners will receive their winnings via check after their State Official Scoring Event, additional verification (ex. polygraph examination) and after the appeal period has passed.
All prize winners will complete a W-9 and will receive a 1099-MISC.
Please see the Prize Tracker for the prize for your state.