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2012 Delaware Duck Stamp & Trout Stamp Winners Announced
Artists from Missouri, Delaware Take Top Spots on April 2 2011.

Delaware Division of Fish and Wildlife

Delaware --(Ammoland.com)- GREENWOOD (April 6, 2011) – The results are in. Missouri artist Tom Morgan Crain’s painting featuring a lesser scaup will become the 2012 Delaware Duck Stamp. A painting of brook trout by Delaware artist George Bradford of Georgetown, will appear on the 2012 Delaware Trout Stamp. Mr. Bradford also won second place in the Trout Stamp contest for his painting of a brown trout.

The paintings won top honors in the DNREC Division of Fish and Wildlife’s annual stamp art competition, held Saturday, April 2 at the Ducks Unlimited Greenwings Event in Greenwood. This year’s event drew 33 entries for the 2012 Duck Stamp and 11 entries for the 2012 Trout Stamp. The 2012 Trout Stamp winner, George Bradford, receives $250 and retains the rights to reproduce and sell prints of the stamp.

The 2012 Duck Stamp winner, Tom Morgan Crain, who resides in Branson, Mo., will receive a $2,500 prize and 150 artist’s proofs of the limited edition print series of his first place duck entry. Crain has illustrated many best in shows for the National Wildlife Show in Kansas City. He is a three-time winner for the Missouri Duck Stamp and a past winner for the Indiana Trout Stamp and Delaware Trout Stamp. He was recently awarded the 2012 Ohio Duck Stamp. Crain has also illustrated for the Wild Turkey Federation, Missouri Show-me Chapter, Ducks Unlimited Hunters log, Cabela’s catalog cover, and many other covers.

Other winners included:

• 2012 Duck Stamp: Second place – Gerald Putt of Boiling Springs, Pa., pintails; Third place – Steve Oliver of Brookhaven, Pa., green-winged teal; Honorable mention: Richard Clifton of Milford, Del., pintail; George Lockwood of Santa Ynez, Calif., mallard; and Ron Kleiber of Erin, N.Y., bufflehead.
• 2012 Trout Stamp: Third place – Bart Gelesh of Oxford, Pa., brook trout; Honorable mention: Larry Smail of Kittanning, Pa., brown trout; Matt Patterson of New Ipswich, N.H., brook trout; and Donnie Hughes of Lexington, S.C., brook trout.

The Duck and Trout Stamp entries are on display now through Saturday, April 23 at the Delaware Agricultural Museum and Village, 866 N. DuPont Highway, Dover, just south of Delaware State University. Museum hours are 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday. For more information about the museum, please call 302-734-1618.

The 2012 Duck Stamp judges were Ducks Unlimited Chairman Clif Bakhsh, artist Paul Shertz, collector Dan Shevock, art professional Don Parks and biologist Charlii Miller.

The 2012 Trout Stamp judges were collector Dan Shevock, biologist Charlii Miller, artist Doug Gibson, Trout Unlimited member Bill O’Connor, and collector/biologist Roy Miller.

The Division of Fish and Wildlife, in partnership with Ducks Unlimited, began the duck stamp and print program in 1980 to raise funds for waterfowl conservation, including acquiring and improving the wetland habitats that are vital for the survival of migratory waterfowl. To date, more than $2.5 million has been raised.

The Division began requiring trout stamps in the 1950s. Trout stamp art was first used in 1977. The fees paid for Trout Stamps are used to purchase rainbow and brown trout from commercial hatcheries. The purchased trout are stocked in two downstate ponds and selected streams in northern New Castle County for Delaware’s spring trout season.

Residents 16 to 64 years of age are required to have a Delaware Trout Stamp, which costs $4.20. Residents ages 12 through 15 years old are required to have a Young Angler Trout Stamp, which costs $2.10. Non-residents 12 years of age and older are required to have a Non-Resident Trout Stamp, which costs $6.20.

Duck Stamps go on sale July 1 for $9 and are required when hunting migratory waterfowl in Delaware.

Duck and Trout Stamps are available at the Division of Fish and Wildlife offices in the Richardson and Robbins Building at 89 Kings Highway in Dover, at license agents throughout the state or online at www.fw.delaware.gov, which also includes a list of license agents. Collector stamps and prints are sold only at the Division’s administrative offices.

For more information, call the Division of Fish and Wildlife at 739-9911.

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Jim Denney’s Artwork Selected for Alabama Waterfowl Stamp

Ringed-Neck Ducks Painted By Jim Denney

Outdoor Alabama

Alabama --(Ammoland.com)- A pair of ringed-neck ducks painted by Jim Denney of Alexander City, Ala., is the winner of the 2011 Alabama Waterfowl Stamp Art Contest. The winning artwork will adorn the 2012-2013 Alabama Waterfowl Stamp.

The annual contest, sponsored by the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (ADCNR) Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries Division (WFF), is open to all resident Alabama artists only.

Denney previously won the 2007 contest with a painting of hooded mergansers. Contest rules prevented him from entering again until this year. Denney is flattered to have his artwork selected as the winner for the second time in as many entries. “It’s a big honor. There are some really good artists in this state,” he said.

This year’s first runner-up is a pair of white-fronted geese painted by Steven Burney of Town Creek, Ala. A Canada goose painted by Bill Stem of Madison, Ala., was selected as second runner-up, while a cinnamon teal painted by Neil Pope of Union Grove, Ala., was third runner-up. Fourth runner-up was by Everett Hatcher, who painted a blue-winged teal.

Entries were judged on suitability for reproduction as a stamp, originality, artistic composition, anatomical accuracy and general rendering. The designs were limited to living species of North American migratory ducks or geese, and winning species from the past three years – wood duck, northern pintail drake and American wigeon – were not eligible subjects for the 2011 contest.

The artwork was publicly displayed and judged by a panel of experts in the fields of art, ornithology, and conservation. Representing the field of art was Jonathan Matthews, a Montgomery artist who has studied in Norway and France. Representing the field of ornithology was Dagmar Thurmond, a wildlife biologist with the U.S. Forest Service. Representing the field of conservation was Frank Boyd, a wildlife biologist and state director of the USDA Wildlife Services office in Auburn.

The funds from stamp sales are used to procure and manage wetland habitats for waterfowl. All licensed waterfowl hunters are required to purchase state and federal migratory waterfowl stamps or to purchase the privilege. Like the federal stamps, state issued stamps are popular with collectors. The artwork competition for the Alabama Migratory Waterfowl Stamp design is held each year in February and is open to Alabama residents only.

The Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural Resources promotes wise stewardship, management and enjoyment of Alabama’s natural resources through five divisions: Marine Police, Marine Resources, State Lands, State Parks, and Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries. To learn more about ADCNR and the waterfowl stamp design competition visit www.outdooralabama.com.

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