Those who appreciate time in the outdoors know that the fondest memories don’t always have to come with a firearm or a bow in hand.
Cameras are often the best weapon with which to shoot. Readers submitted dozens of photos to the Echo Press for the “Hunt Down Your Photos” contest with the final 10 photos being voted on to determine the top three award winners.
Entries ranged from trophies taken on a hunt or fishing trip, dogs in the field or on the water and animals in their natural surroundings. The photos were judged based on sharpness, lighting, setting, subject matter and overall impact. Here is a look at the top three photos.
First place: Whitetail buck
This big buck was caught on camera as he worked his way through the Fort Snelling National Cemetery near Minneapolis.
Alexandria’s Dionne Oehlenschlager submitted the photo that her son, Steve Oehlenschlager Jr., took.
Second place: Geese take flight
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Students are not the only ones getting use out of the new Alexandria Area High School.
Alexandria’s Anthony Rodas snapped this photo of a flock of Canadian honkers taking flight on the AAHS property on September 24, 2014.
Third place: Walk to the river
Alexandria’s Adam Oehlenschlager was making his way to the duck blind through the frost-covered grass and into the fog near Nimrod when his grandpa captured a photo of him.
Adam was hunting during the youth duck opener this past fall when Steve Oehlenschlager Sr. captured this photo.
