Alabama Black Belt Adventures is offering hunters a chance to take home more than a trophy as the state’s regular deer season gets into full swing.

The organization, a public-private partnership that promotes outdoor recreation and tourism in Alabama’s Black Belt, is sponsoring a big buck photo contest for deer harvested in the 23-county region — including Marengo County.

Winners will be selected in three categories; youth (up to 12 years old), free chase (public or private lands) and high fence.

Each photo will be posted on Facebook and in each category, the two that receive the most “likes” will be chosen as finalists. Alabama sports reporters will then pick the winners. The winner in each category will receive a $100 gift card to Bass Pro Shops.

Photos should be sent to pam@alabamablackbeltadventures.org. Submissions should include the name of the county, the contest category and a short paragraph on the hunting experience.

As hunters take to the woods in search of big bucks, Alabama’s Black Belt will bag major economic dividends. A report commissioned by Alabama Black Belt Adventures and released earlier this year found that the region reaps about $972 million in direct and indirect economic benefits a year from hunting and fishing.

With most of the state’s trophy bucks coming from the Black Belt, the region attracts more than its share of hunters who also spend money on lodging, food and other goods — economic activity that in 2011 supported 11,000 new jobs, according to the Southeast Research Group of Montgomery.

“Black Belt counties make up about a third of Alabama, but they account for more than half of the total hunting and fishing dollars spent in the state,” Pam Swanner, project director at Alabama Black Belt Adventures said. “For us, deer season is a classic win-win — good for hunters, good for the Black Belt. We encourage people to spend time and money in Alabama’s prime hunting grounds.”

To learn more Alabama’s Black Belt region, see a recent educational video at www.alabamablackbeltadventures.org/promotional-video. Photos will be displayed at www.alabamablackbeltadventures.org and on The Alabama Black Belt Adventures Facebook page.