2005-2006
Competition Rules and Regulations

1. GENERAL INFORMATION
1. All entries that gross at least 160 Boone & Crockett with a rifle that do not place in a category will receive an award jacket. All entries that gross at least 145 Boone & Crockett with a bow and do not place in a category will receive an award jacket. Winners who qualify for more than one award jacket will have all categories noted on one award jacket. No more than one jacket will be awarded to the same individual.
2. All hunters entering competition must have a current Texas Hunting License. *Note* Up to 14 years of age can qualify in the youth divisions.
3. All harvested animals that are entered must be taken in accordance with the laws set by Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and by the laws set by Mexico.
4. All winners must have their winning mounts, skulls, or antlers on display at the Annual Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition in Kingsville to qualify for prizes. Winners who choose not to display their mounts, skulls, or antlers will only receive and award jacket. All additional prizes, trophies, cash, etc. will be forfeited and shipping charges may apply to award jackets.
5. If a winner is not able to be present at the TGCDC awards banquet then the TGCDC will mail the jacket to the winner upon receiving the $15 shipping charge.


2. REGISTRATION AND ENTRIES
1. Starting 2006 the new TGCDC Super Slam will require a triple registration. Registering for the Super Slam will allow you to enter 3 photos for the Infocus Photo Contest. Participants will be allowed to still only win one deer and one non-deer category in the regular TGCDC. You will now be able to register for three chances for the Win-A-Jeep drawing. The animal qualifications will be as follows:
   White-tailed deer gross score 160 inches
   Mule Deer gross score 170 inches
   Nilgai gross score 38 inches
   Wild Hog Weight 300 lbs
   Javelina Weight 40 lbs
   Wild Turkey spurs and beard 15 inches
   The hunter must harvest 3 of the 6 animals listed above with the minimum scores and or weights. One of the 3 animals must be harvested in a different county than the other two animals. The scores of the 3 animals will be added to decided 1st place winner.
2. A person must have entered the Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition at least 24 hours before the animal is harvested.
3. Entries may be submitted by ranchers, outfitters, and or guides for their hunters for the competition.
4. All participants must submit an official Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition registration form and the $25.00 entry fee, paid by check, money order, or other approved method.
5. Entries for the deer categories must follow the Boone & Crockett guidelines. Scorers for the competition must be certified scorers for Boone & Crockett, Texas Big Game Awards, or Pope and Young. In order to enter the Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition using a Texas Big Game Award certified score, participant must also enter the Texas Big Game Awards.
6. All entries must be accompanied by an official score sheet and color photograph of animal harvested.
7. Each hunter is allowed to enter one category for deer and one for nilgai in the competition. The hunter may choose which category they wish to enter. The hunter may change which category they are in at any time during the length of the competition.
8. All score sheets and photographs will become the property of the Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition and may be used for promotional or informational materials.
9. Any entry into the Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition is subject to investigation and possible removal from the Competition at anytime during the Competition by Directors of the Competition.
10. The Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition will have the right at anytime to rescore any entry before the awards in May.
11. The weigh in for the wild hog, javelina, white-tailed doe, and white-tailed buck will be at the Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition headquarters at Hibler's Taxidermy in Kingsville or other approved locations.
12. New for 2005-2006 will be double entries. You can now double enter to be eligible to enter a deer and non-deer category. The price for the double entry will be $50.
13. The weight categories in this competition will be conducted with all of the entrails removed from the carcass of the animal. All of the internal organs will be removed except for the esophagus which may be present. The sex of the animal may still be attached for weigh in.
14. Entries will be accepted during the special MLP season for white-tailed deer. The competition will close for measuring white-tailed bucks by the last weekend of January. The nilgai, wild hogs, and javelina will still be measured when the deer season ends through the last day of March. The hunter may harvest a deer for the regular competition until the end of the 2nd week of January. Hunters still may enter their deer for the 160+ rifle categories and the 145+ archery categories until the end of January.
15. Tie breakers will be decided on who registered for the TGCDC the earliest. If the registration is the same day then the tie breaker will be decided by highest scoring deer. The Nilgai Bull tie breakers secondly will be decided by spread credit.
16. Gulf Star Lifetime Memberships will now be offered. A one time price of $550 will be billed to the person registering and will also be given extras from the TGCDC. This new membership offers shirts, hats, towels, bags, and 3 weeks a year on the Trading Post. The lifetime members will also be given reserved seating at the awards banquets.


3. CATEGORIES
1. Deer
1. All entries in the white-tailed deer categories must be of Texas origin. No entries that have lineage of other deer outside the state of Texas will be accepted.
2. The category for the best 6 point may have antler configurations of any manner. Six pointers that did have more points than 6 but are now broken off will not be accepted for competition in this category.
3. The category for the best 7 point may have antler configurations of any manner. Seven pointers that did have more than 7 points but are now broken off will not be accepted for competition in this category.
4. The category for the best 8 point may have antler configurations of any manner. The 8 pointer that did have more than 8 points but are now broken off will not be accepted for competition in this category.
5. The category for the best 9 point may have antler configurations of any manner. The 9 pointer that did have more than 9 points but are now broken off will not be accepted for competition in this category.
6. The Mexico division of this competition will be for high or low fence ranches in Mexico. There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places for this category. These places will be based on overall gross scores.
7. The category for the Heaviest Mass will be using the Boone & Crockett scoring system for the mass measurements. There will be four taken per side and added together for this category in the competition.
8. The handgun division will have 1st and 2nd places. This division will be open to both low fence and high fence. Any handgun may be used that is manufactured today.
9. Starting the hunting season of 2005 the TGCDC is offering 4 new categories for 150 class entries. To enter this category you must harvest a white-tailed buck that grosses between B & C 150 0/8 and 159 7/8. The score of your buck will be added to the field dressed weight of the buck and the sum of the two will be the score. The TGCDC is offering 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. These deer must be weighed at TGCDC approved weighing facilities.
10. Starting the hunting season of 2005 the TGCDC is offering 4 new categories for 140 class entries. To enter this category you must harvest a white-tailed buck that grosses between 140 0/8 and 149 7/8 Boone & Crockett. The score of your buck will be added to the field dressed weight of the buck and the sum of the two will be the score. The TGCDC is offering 1st, 2nd, and 3rd places. These deer must be weighed at TGCDC approved weighing facilities.
11. North of I-10 3 categories will be new starting the hunting season of 2005. This boundary will be the cut-off line for two new places for deer categories. This line will be the line that determines the entries of white-tailed bucks harvested for these new categories. There will be no minimum score set to enter these categories. There will not be any new categories for deer harvested below this boundary. These deer can be harvested behind high or low fences. They can also be taken by bow or rifle.


2. Nilgai
1. All eligible Nilgai harvests must take place between the first day of archery white-tailed season and the last day of March. All eligible deer harvests must take place between the first day of archery season and the second weekend in January.
2. The categories for Nilgai will be divided into three different divisions.
3. The first will be the score of the Nilgai bull. The length and base measurements of the right and left horns will be added together for the final scores. Any tie breakers will be broken using the widest inside spread from top of both horns.
4. All Nilgai bull measuring will be done with the horns still attached to the entire carcass. There will be 5 places in this category.
5. The next category will be weights of nilgai bulls. These weights will be recorded at the Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition approved weigh stations.
6. The third nilgai category will be for Nilgai cows. This category will be for weights of the Nilgai cows that will be weighed at the same location as are the Nilgai bulls.
7. The Nilgai season will start the day after the end of the previous season. New registration forms must be completed and submitted before a Nilgai can be harvested.


3. Mule Deer
1. The awards for mule deer will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd best overall for Texas.
2. The competition will follow along with the listed seasons in Texas.
3. Mule deer harvested in Texas will be scored by TBGA measurers, B & C measurers, SCI, and Pope & Young measurers. Mule deer harvested in Mexico will be scored at Hibler's Taxidermy in Kingsville, Texas.
4. Minimum qualifications for Mule deer in the 2005-2006 seasons will be those gross scoring 175 B & C. Considerations will be taken into account if the Mule deer entries are below the minimum qualifications.


4. Wild Hogs and Javelina
1. The categories for wild hog weights must be of wild hogs harvested in the wild. Entries from pen raised wild hogs or trapped and then fed wild hogs will not be accepted in this competition.
2. Any and all fees or taxes incurred as a result of a prize awarded by the Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition will be the winner's responsibility.
3. The Texas Gulf Coast Deer Competition Directors may subject any winner of the competition to a polygraph before the award ceremony.


5. Youth
1. Every youth that has both registered for the competition and harvested an animal for the competition will receive a certificate. This certificate will be issued to a youth that has not placed in a category in the regular youth categories.
2. The special youth division will be for children between the ages of 1-14 years of age. These categories will be for the weights of wild hogs, javelina, white-tailed does and bucks. There will also be a category for wild turkey. This category will be for the longest beard and both spurs added together only.
3. The youth buck category will offer 1st and 2nd places. This will be for youth overall for ages 1-17 years of age.


6. Photo Contest
1. The photo contest is new for 2005-2006 year. The contest will start April 1st until March 31st of each year.
2. Registration for one photo will be $25 or up to 2 photos for $50. Registration forms will be available on the TGCDC website beginning in July 2005.
3. The TGCDC reserves the right to use any submitted photograph in any and all promotional or other material.
4. The photos must be of live animals in the wild. Zoo and/or captive photos will not be accepted. The categories will be unlimited Texas wildlife and landscapes
5. Categories include: white-tailed deer, mule deer, nilgai, wild hogs, javelina, wild turkey, and Texas landscape. The landscape may also include but not limited to sunsets. Photos will be judged before May of banquet.
6. The photos will be judged before the banquet in May of 2006 by a panel of judges. The judges for the photo contest will be handled by In Focus. In Focus is the sole sponsor for the photo contest. All decisions are final.