Two brothers from Smith Station are making statewide news after winning this year’s Alabama Black Belt Adventures Big Gobbler Photo Contest. Logan Warrick, 14, and Declan Warrick, 12, were announced as the winners of the competition after their photo drew over 1,000 votes, roughly twice as much as second place.

“Our contest attracts entries every year showcasing young people enjoying the great outdoors right here in Alabama’s Black Belt and it’s especially gratifying to see a photo showcasing young people as the winner,” said ALBBAA Director Pam Swanner. “Alabama’s Black Belt has earned a reputation for amazing turkey hunting every year, and we thank everyone who entered a photo or cast a vote in this year’s contest.”

The boys’ father, Orrin Warrick, was proud of the skill they demonstrated to make the winning photo possible.

“All these years I’ve been hunting, I’ve never seen anything like that,” he said. “It was awesome. They did it within five seconds of each other.”

ALBBAA’s 12th Big Gobbler Photo Contest launched in March and ran throughout Alabama’s wild turkey season. The contest drew dozens of entries and nearly 3,000 online votes. Contestants uploaded a photo from the 2024 season to the ALBBAA website, with the winner being selected exclusively through online voting.

As the champions of this year’s contest, the Warricks will receive a Black Belt Strutter turkey call package. The package includes a custom Alabama Black Belt Adventures edition glass pot call made from locally sourced Demopolis mock orange wood, and an Otis Elite universal gun cleaning kit, courtesy of Black Belt Strutter. The prize package carries a total value of about $300.

The ALBBAA consistently promotes and encourages ethical hunting and fishing practices. It’s annual Big Gobbler Photo Contest helps educate the public about the abundance of natural resources found in Alabama’s 23-county Black Belt region.

Austen Shipley is a staff writer for Yellowhammer News. You can follow him on X @ShipleyAusten