Only members in good standing of Georgia Outdoor Network, or their qualified spouse (legal husband or wife), are eligible to enter a deer in the GONetwork Big-Buck Contest (hereinafter "GONetwork Contest"). To be a member in good standing, Georgia Outdoor Network (hereinafter "GONetwork") membership payment must be received by GONetwork prior to the date the deer was harvested.

Also, in order to enter a deer in the GONetwork Contest, the GONetwork member, or their qualified spouse or legal guardian, must have a paid subscription to Georgia Outdoor News (hereinafter GON) magazine. When a current member's GONetwork membership their spouse's or their legal guardian's GON subscription lapses, their eligibility ends.

If a GON subscription address is in the name of a company, only the chief operating officer of the company (and spouse and dependents) are eligible for the GONetwork Contest.

All GONetwork memberships must be created using a primary residential address.

All current GONetwork members (and spouse) who are also subscribers to GON are eligible to enter a deer in the GONetwork Contest, and they remain eligible until their subscription ends. GONetwork is not required to notify a member that his or her GON subscription is about to end.

In addition to the GONetwork Contest, paid SEEDS members will be eligible to win prizes in a SEEDS category of the GONetwork Contest. SEEDS members, or their legal guardian, must have a paid subscription to GON. A SEEDS member cannot turn 18 on or before the day of the kill to be eligible for the SEEDS category. If entering a deer in the SEEDS category, that SEEDS member must follow the same rules of the GONetwork Contest.

Only whitetail deer (Odocoileus virginianus) are eligible for the GONetwork Contest.

Only deer harvested in Georgia may be entered in the GONetwork Contest.

Only deer taken by legal means may be entered in the GONetwork Contest.

Only deer taken under ethical, fair-chase hunting conditions may be entered. Specifically excluded are deer taken inside of a pen with a deer-proof fence, regardless of the acreage enclosed.

Only deer harvested on land where the hunter has a clear right and permission to hunt may be entered in the GONetwork Contest.

Hunters who have been convicted of a game violation of the Georgia Game & Fish Code, that conviction occurring on or after Jan. 1, 2006, are specifically excluded from participation in the GONetwork Contest.

Hunters who exceed the Georgia legal bag limit for deer during the 2008-2009 deer season are specifically excluded from participation in the GONetwork Contest.

Only the hunter who harvested the deer may enter the deer in the GONetwork Contest.

A deer must have been reduced to bag within 24 hours of the initial shot. Any deer that is "Lost" to a hunter for more than 24 hours after the initial shot is deemed "Lost" for purposes of this GONetwork Contest and cannot be entered.

A "Found" deer (that is any deer that comes into the possession of a hunter by any means other than a hunter actually sport hunting, legally shooting and harvesting a deer within 24 hours) is not eligible for entry in the GONetwork Contest.

Deer legally taken under a Deer Control Permit or under any other legal but non sport-hunting authority are ineligible for entry into the GONetwork Contest.

Should a dispute arise over eligibility of an entered deer, or regarding the ownership of the deer, the disputing party must notify GONetwork in writing, by registered mail, within five business days of the harvest of the deer, giving reasons for the dispute. In the event of a dispute, GONetwork will hold the prize(s), if any, in escrow until the parties can resolve the dispute, or until 90 days prior to the awards event. At that time, GONetwork will move 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 GONetwork 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. Additionally, GONetwork reserves to itself the sole right and jurisdiction to resolve any and all disputes, and by entering a deer in the GONetwork Contest, each entrant recognizes and agrees to accept the judgment of GONetwork and its agents and assigns as final and indisputable and further agrees to abide by all rules of the GONetwork Contest. Meanwhile, each disputing party agrees to all other terms, conditions and rules of the GONetwork Contest.

Eligible hunters and members accept without condition the rules of the GONetwork Contest and, by participating or attempting to participate in the GONetwork Contest, promise and agree to hold harmless Georgia Outdoor Network Inc., its employees, officers, agents and assigns, for any damages of any kind whatsoever.

The GONetwork Contest will consist of 57 separate district qualifying contests and a grand-prize winner. The winner of each of these 57 district qualifying contests will be determined by the best-scoring antlered buck entered for that district. The first 56 district contests will be determined among entrants of deer taken by hunters from each of Georgia's 56 senatorial districts. It's the job of the GONetwork member to verify that the district number listed under "Member Center" on the website is indeed the correct district in which they reside. This must be verified before the deer has been killed. Any disputes will be settled by the "Board of Elections" in the county the GONetwork member resides. Contestants enter deer depending on which senatorial district they reside in, which is based on primary residential address. The 57th district contest will be determined among members who do not reside in Georgia but harvest a Georgia deer.

GONetwork members (and spouses) may hunt and take deer in any part of the state, but the deer and the hunter compete only against deer taken by other hunters residing in the senatorial district where the member lives.

A correctly completed entry form plus necessary photographs of the hunter and deer must be received by GONetwork within seven (7) business days of the day the deer was shot. By example, deer shot on Saturday, Sept. 13, 2008 cannot be entered into the GONetwork Contest unless GONetwork receives the form and photos not later than close of business Tuesday, Sept. 23, 2008. Entry forms may be found in GON and on the GONetwork and GON websites. GONetwork and SEEDS members may enter the contest on the GONetwork website. Instructions for entering the deer on-line will be posted prior to deer season.

Deer must be taken in a legal manner with legal firearms and archery equipment.

To win a district, a GONetwork member (and spouse) in good standing must enter his or her deer, meet all applicable rules, and the deer entered must possess the bestscoring rack (as determined by GONetwork and its agents using scoring methods described by the Boone & Crockett Club in their publication titled Measuring and Scoring North American Big Game Trophies) entered by any GONetwork member from that district in the GONetwork Contest. (Note: racks scored as non-typical must exceed the score of the best-scoring typical rack by more than 14.7 percent to win.)

Each district-qualifying winner is qualified to compete for the Grand Prize.

Each member can enter two deer in the GONetwork Contest, plus any legally taken deer from public hunting lands where state or federal tags are issued.

There is no restriction placed on the number of deer that may be entered by one member of record. However, a member may qualify only once for the Grand Prize. SEEDS may qualify for both the GONetwork Grand Prize and the SEEDS Grand Prize, however, SEEDS may only qualify once for each Grand Prize.

In the event of a first-place scoring tie during a scoring period, GONetwork will award two district qualifying first places, and each entrant will become eligible to win the Grand Prize (all other conditions being satisfied).

Each entrant into the GONetwork Contest must sign an affidavit attesting to the facts regarding his or her qualification to enter the GONetwork Contest and the circumstances of the hunt and harvest of the deer being entered. This affidavit is contained on the bottom of the entry form. This affidavit, along with required paperwork and photos of the deer and hunter (taken according to entry form instructions), must be received by GONetwork within seven (7) business days of the day the deer was shot.

Each entrant into the GONetwork Contest must present the intact, unmodified and unmounted antlers and skull plate to GONetwork at a time and place to be specified at a later date, and permit GONetwork and its agents to score the rack. Failure to present the intact antlers and skull plate at the appointed time and location will result in disqualification of the deer and the entrant from the GONetwork Contest.

Even though you'll be entering the deer in the GONetwork and the GON Truck-Buck contests, your rack will be scored only once and that score will be used for both contests.

Each entrant must secure the antlers and skull plate and keep them in his/her control and see to it that the antlers and skull plate are not modified in any way other than natural air drying. Any modification of the antlers and/or skull plate will result in disqualification of the entrant from the GONetwork Contest. Specific prohibitions include, but are not limited to, (1) Freezing the rack by artificial means; (2) Wedging, bracing or by any other means securing the antlers/skull plate so as to increase the spread or to prevent the spread from decreasing naturally; (3) Wetting the antlers/skull plate or keeping the rack submerged in any fluid; (4) adding to, modifying, or removing any antler material.

Each entrant into the GONetwork and SEEDS contests are subject to a polygraph examination before any prizes are awarded. Failure to be present to take, to take, or to pass this polygraph examination will result in disqualification from the GONetwork or SEEDS contests and loss of eligibility to compete for or receive any award. If you are a district winner in both the GONetwork or SEEDS Contest and a weekly winner in the GON Truck-Buck Contest, only one polygraph is required.

The winner of the Grand Prizes will be determined by a drawing.

Only members who took the winning deer may participate in the drawing.

Any individual hunter who has previously won the Grand Prize in the GONetwork or SEEDS contests becomes ineligible to compete in any GONetwork deer contest for a period of 10 years following the winning year.

GONetwork reserves the right to make additional rules should circumstances not covered herein arise and to waive or otherwise modify any rules stated herein if, in the judgement of GONetwork, said action would improve or not materially harm the GONetwork Contest.

By entering a deer in the GONetwork Contest each contestant agrees to abide by and be bound by each and all of the rules of the GONetwork Contest.

In years when re-districting occurs, meaning districts change after a November election, the change will not be recognized by the GONetwork contest until the following deer season. For example, if re-districting occurs in November 2008, the district changes won't be recognized until the 2009 GONetwork Contest.