It’s hard to believe this is year 8 of the Quest Hunt Co. tournament! We’ve been looking back through the years at where it all started—the tournament was only in four states, but check-in was crowded with excited participants. From staff to hunters, everyone had stars in their eyes. It’s inspiring to think about where it started and the tournament as it is today. So much has changed—more states, new partner brands, a much bigger staff, and a massive banquet hall that we fill to capacity each year! Eight years in, and we can’t imagine life without Quest.

One of the biggest reasons Quest Hunt Co. continues hosting the tournament year after year is the community. The relationships that have been built over the years are friendships that will last a lifetime. It’s like deer camp all year long! That’s really why Quest was started in the first place—camaraderie. It seemed like something was missing from the hunting industry. With social media & insta-fame at an all-time high, it felt like those old campfire flames had burned out. Folks weren’t sharing those moments like they used to. Saturdays and season-openers used to be spent hanging out at check-in stations and gathering around tailgates, with hunters waiting to hear each other’s stories. These days, everyone telechecks their deer and posts them online for their “friends” to see; bragging boards are few and far between. 

It’s with this in mind that Quest Hunt Co. was founded. The mission was to bring back the sense of community to hunting and to add some good ol’ fashioned competition to keep things exciting. Quest was designed to be one giant, multi-state bragging board where everyone can get together for “deer camp”—plus have a chance to win some great prizes for doing what they love best: hunting! Founder Brian Austin started sharing his idea for Quest on Instagram and Facebook, looking for people to help spread the word and get the tournament off the ground. This became the Quest OG team of pro staff, most of whom are still with Quest today. Once folks started talking with Brian over the phone and heard where he wanted to take the tournament, it was a no-brainer. They were in! 

The team spent the entire year of 2018 educating hunters on Quest Hunt Co. and what the tournament was all about. All the hard work paid off, and the year ended with a sold-out banquet hall! What a thrill. Both nerve-racking and exhilarating at the same time, the first year proved that the idea was a good one and that the deer-hunting community was interested. Over the years, Quest has grown exponentially. The tournament has gone from paying out $200k in total prizes to now having awarded over $2.5 million worth of prizes.

So, how does the tournament work? It’s really pretty simple. Two hunters sign up and form a team. Both teammates hunt during their state’s hunting season, using the weapon of their choice. As long as the harvest falls within the rules and regulations of your state, it qualifies for the competition. Once a buck has been harvested, competitors have 24 hours after recovery to submit the deer on Quest’s website. Each team member must follow the process. Deer submissions are automatically added to Quest’s interactive leaderboard, where participants can track their progress and see how they stack up against the other hunters in their state—all season long. Bragging boards are back! 

At the end of the season, the top 15 teams are encouraged to attend the end-of-the-year banquet to have their deer officially scored by a panel of Boone and Crockett scorers. This is where folks will be officially placed and earn prizes based on their official score. Saturday night everyone has a chance to walk through the buck expo and see all the deer entered into the competition. Racks on racks on racks! In 2025, Quest scored 39,418 4/8 total gross inches of antlers! It’s a lot of bucks in one room when you gather the submissions from across the 12 tournament states.

After the expo and dinner comes the awards banquet. All participants are called up on stage, one state at a time, winners are announced, and prizes are handed out.  It’s an action-packed night, full of surprises and lots of hunting stories. Welcome to deer camp!  

The positive feedback from tournament members is what keeps the Quest team going year after year—striving to make the tournament bigger and better than the last. The Quest tournament has led to countless new friendships. There are hunters from different states going in on leases together. Multi-state meet-ups for shed hunts and people who started as strangers who have become more like family. It’s a pleasure to see so many of the same folks compete in the tournament year after year!  The banquet feels like one big ol’ family reunion. (

Beyond the fun of the tournament, Quest has extended the benefits of membership to include discounts on outdoor products as well. When members join, they gain access to discounts of up to 35% from industry leaders like Tactacam, Grizzly, Vortex, Dirwin, Garmin, Muddy, Hawk, Badlands, DSG, and more. There are also ways to win gear and prizes through product giveaways and contests throughout the year.

A lot has changed in the 7 years of the Quest Hunt Co. Tournament, but the mission is still the same. Quest Hunt Co. is here to create a community of hunters and to have fun doing it!  We love what we do, and it’s our members that keep us doing it. Thank you to all those who have been a part of the Quest Hunt Co. journey, and good luck in year 8!