Best Overall Winner
Russ Verbofsky

Russ Verbofsky, an occasional hunter, takes a couple of trips each year to places where his camera is by far the most important piece of accompanying gear. Bosque del Apache National Wildlife Refuge, which covers more than 57,000 acres in Socorro County, New Mexico, is one of his favorite haunts. "It's a known migration funnel for waterfowl," Verbofsky says. "We were there for a week and saw flocks of ducks, like in this photo, almost continuously in the morning and afternoon." 

The refuge is known to host nearly 400 bird species. Tens of thousands of birds winter there. Verbofsky favors pintails, but was notably impressed by the huge numbers of mallards present on a special November day. "I just love being outdoors," Verbofsky says. "And I love being able to bring it to people through photography. Being able to show people what great things we have in this world is my high."