The South Texas Wildlife Shootout is helping preserve wildlife habitat on private land and educating the public about the unique wildlife in the region. Sponsored by the Valley Land Fund in McAllen, Texas, the shootout is one of the largest and richest wildlife photography contests in the nation, offering top prizes ranging from $15,000 to $30,000.
This unusual contest pairs photographers with private landowners who open their property for the contest. Winning teams share the prize money thus rewarding the landowners for maintaining and enhancing wildlife habitat.
Photographs from each contest are compiled into stunning coffee table books. Proceeds from the sale of the books are used by the Valley Land Fund to purchase conservation easements on private land, establish land preserves, and manage native habitat on acreage that has been donated to the fund.