Leupold Announces 2023 ‘Project Hunt’ Winners, Launches Project Hunt: New Mexico Elk Film

Leupold & Stevens, Inc., provider of the world’s most rugged, lightweight, and clear sport optics, is pleased to announce the winners of its 2023 ‘Project Hunt’ contest: Cody Austin, Justin Downes, and Ryan Haight.

Leupold’s ‘Project Hunt,’ presented by GOHUNT, offered contest entrants the chance to be the star of a Leupold digital series. They plan the hunt; they call the shots–Leupold’s videographer sticks with them the whole way to capture the story.

Cody will be navigating the rugged Wyoming wilderness on horseback in search of bull elk, Justin will be headed on a once-in-a-lifetime brown bear hunt in Alaska, and Ryan will be looking to kill his first-ever elk after drawing a premium muzzleloader tag in Colorado. Videographers will join each hunt, documenting the individual stories. A short film or digital series will be produced for each hunt and released digitally across the Leupold and GOHUNT networks in 2024.

“For the third year running, we were blown away by the number of quality submissions that came in for the ‘Project Hunt’ campaign,” said Bruce Pettet, President and Chief Executive Officer for Leupold & Stevens, Inc. “Selecting a winner was an incredibly difficult process, and in the end, we decided we absolutely had to expand the pool to three–and there were countless deserving entries even beyond that. We can’t wait to help bring each of our winners’ epic moments to life on our digital channels.”

Selected entrants will also receive a prize package of Leupold optics and an annual GOHUNT Insider membership. A complete list of contest rules can be found at Leupold.com/ProjectHunt-Official-Rules.

To coincide with the 2023 winner announcement, Leupold has launched the second of its two 2022 ‘Project Hunt’ films, this one featuring Shane Zimmerman’s backcountry quest to kill a bull elk in New Mexico.

With a coveted premium archery elk tag in hand, watch as he puts his skills and determination to the test in his home state. The film debuted on Monday, August 7 and can be viewed at YouTube.com/LeupoldOptics.

For more information on Leupold products, please visit us at Leupold.com.

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Founded in Oregon more than a century ago, Leupold & Stevens, Inc. is a fifth-generation, family-owned company that designs, machines, and assembles its riflescopes, mounting systems, tactical/Gold Ring spotting scopes, and performance eyewear in the USA. The product lines include rifle, handgun, and spotting scopes; binoculars; rangefinders; mounting systems; and optical tools, accessories, and pro gear.