Meet Stuart Littlefield of Kansas City, Kansas. Stuart was the lucky winner of our first Outdoor Life Grand Slam Adventure, where he encountered his dream hunting scenario: a Western big-game hunt.

Stuart’s hunting experience prior to winning the Outdoor Life Grand Slam Adventure:
“Waterfowl with shotgun, upland game with shotgun, turkey with shotgun, whitetail with bow and rifle.”

Stuart’s winning application for the Western Grand Slam Adventure:
“I have hunted upland game birds and waterfowl since I was sixteen. I started hunting deer and turkey about eight years ago. Fortunately, living in Kansas, I have the opportunity to hunt trophy whitetail deer, but I have always dreamed of going on a Western hunting adventure. Throughout all of my time in the field, Remington has always been there with me. From my 870 that I use in the field and the blind, to my Model Seven that I carry in the woods. I chose Remingtons because they are dependable and simple. My time in the field lately has been that of a teacher and mentor. I have a young son and three nephews who have become my new "hunting buddies." When we are not hunting or fishing, we spend time talking about ethics and safety. I have been with them when they shot their first ducks and their first deer. One of them shot a banded goose on his fourteenth birthday! Being able to share in these experiences and watching them grow into responsible hunters has been more rewarding than anything I have ever done.”

Stuart’s reaction to finding out he was the winner of the Western Grand Slam Adventure:
“To say that I am overwhelmed would be an understatement. I have dreamt of a big-game hunt for years.”

Meet Shawn White of Pomeroy, Ohio. Shawn was selected from a field of more than 1,200 for the Grand Slam Turkey Adventure. As you can read in his essay, it's been Shawn's dream to apply what he's learned from Ohio River gobblers to spring woods across the country. He's about to get the chance.

Shawn's turkey hunting experience prior to winning the Turkey Adventure trip:
“Eastern gobblers in Ohio and West Virginia with a shotgun and compound bow”

Shawn's winning essay for the Grand Slam Turkey Adventure:
It has always been my dream to get the Grand Slam. I have hunted turkeys since I was allowed to hunt by myself, at age 13. No one I knew hunted turkeys and I couldn't get anyone to take me. So I learned to hunt turkeys on my own, and I have passed on my knowledge of hunting turkeys to many people. My little brother killed his first bird with me and that was the start. Since then I have taken out six other people on their first turkey hunts and all but one of them have killed good birds. The one that hasn't yet killed one keeps coming to hunt with me and has done so for four years. I also am involved in the "Youth Hunting" here in Ohio for deer and turkeys. My own daughter Brittany harvested her first buck this year at the age of five. I try to do my part in never letting another person start out on their own without some help and guidance. That is why I think it would be awesome to get the chance to take the trip. It has always been my dream to kill a Merriam's turkey. I think they are the most beautiful bird alive. I would be honored and very proud to get this fine opportunity.

Shawn's reaction to finding out he was the winner of the Grand Slam Turkey Adventure:
“You're kidding me! You have to be kidding! I never win anything. This is a dream come freakin' true! Wait 'til I tell my buddies!”

Meet Brandon Steele of Newport, Virginia. Brandon was chosen out of over 3,500 applications to become the lucky winner of the Outdoor Life Alaska Grand Slam Adventure! As you can read in Brandon's essay, this adventure is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a man who has hunted his whole life in the Appalachian Mountains.

In his own words, Brandon's favorite hunting experience prior to winning the Alaska Adventure trip:
One of my favorite hunts is one that took place on an annual whitetail deer hunt that included my father, 3 brothers, and myself. We all took the day after Thanksgiving off, and would do a hunt we refer to as the "Top of the mountain hunt." We would all spend the night prior to the hunt packing our backpacks, discussing where we would be sitting, how much food and water we were packing in, etc. The day of the hunt started early, and started rough. The nearly one hour, almost vertical climb up the mountain was grueling but always managed to produce great memories, shirts freezing to your back due to the sweat, brothers complaining about needing oxygen, and the constant murmur of, "I ate too much last night." This one hunt, God blessed my father, who is now with the Lord, with a decent buck that with its last dying breath jumped over a mini-cliff down the wrong side of the mountain. We all spent hours dragging and hauling that deer back over to our side. It was rough, but the memory I have of all of us together on that mountain puts this hunt at the top of my list.

Brandon's winning essay for the Alaska Grand Slam Adventure:
If I would be granted the opportunity to hunt in this adventure it truly would be a life-changing experience. I have 4 children and realize I will never be able to spend the money and go on a trip such as this. Not that I would ever trade them for something like this or anything. Well, I guess it depends on what day it was presented to me. No, I am just kidding. On a serious note, I have hunted all of my life in the Appalachian Mountains and have also spent 9 days on a horse, fishing in the Bob Marshall Wilderness area of Montana. I know the need to be in great shape for a trip such as this and I have the ability to do it. I played 5 years of football at Penn State and know what hard work is. I also know the importance of being a good marksman because of my past experience in hunting in tough areas. I am already truly blessed with the life I have. A trip like this is one I can only dream of. My devotion to my family would never allow me to deprive them of the funds required to schedule a hunt like this one. This truly would be the hunt dreams are made of and an adventure that would be burned in my memory for life.

Brandon's reaction to finding out he was the winner of the Alaska Grand Slam Adventure:
"NO WAY, I can't believe you chose me!! I knew someone had to win it, but I never thought it would be me!! Thank you and I apologize for my yelling with excitement but my heart is pounding out of my chest!!"

A lifelong hunter, Tim Wagner of Arlington, Texas, will see his dreams come true in June when he heads to Africa on a hunt for plains game.

In his own words, Tim's favorite hunting experience prior to winning the Africa Adventure Trip:
I hunt each year on my uncle's ranch in the Texas Hill Country. My dad joins me sometimes, and 2007 was one year he was able to make the trip. My uncle had seen a great buck, the biggest he had ever seen on his ranch, along with another large buck within 50 yards of my stand in early September. He had my cousin call me right away to let me know. I could tell immediately that she wasn't pulling my leg, and trust me, there is plenty of teasing that goes around.

So that explains why I slept restlessly for two months.

Tim's winning essay for the Africa Grand Slam Adventure:
My dad had a shop building on the farm where I grew up. He had made a wood-burning stove out of two 50-gallon barrels. In the winter, I would sit on an old couch in front of that stove and read through a stack of old Outdoor Life and Field & Stream magazines he had saved. In the summer, I'd read a magazine, then pick up my pellet gun to stalk the sparrows in our juniper windbreak as if they were kudu or moose.

All of that to say - I've never been on an African safari, but if reading countless Outdoor Life tales of safaris, everything Hemingway wrote, everything Ruark wrote, and Roosevelt and so many others - well, after all of that I feel like I've been, without ever going. I think that's worse than if I didn't know what was waiting there.

Primarily, I'm a whitetail hunter in the Texas Hill Country. I took my best buck last year, a 10-pointer that now watches over our dining table - at my wife's insistence. The Hill Country is so reminiscent of the African brush country that it has nearly as many African animals as the continent itself. African animals thrive in that environment without the predators they face on their native continent. So, I feel that the spotting and stalking abilities I've honed on the wary whitetails would serve me well in Africa.

I think a pronghorn hunt, and maybe even a mule deer foray, are within my reach in the near future. But, with my top priority being a young (and hopefully soon growing) family, an African safari is out of my reach for the foreseeable future without an opportunity like this through Outdoor Life. OL has been a part of my life since I could read - heck, since I could look at pictures. And, it will be as long as I live, win this prize or not. I'll just have to live vicariously through the winner, as I have for almost 30 years with Outdoor Life, if I don't.

Tim's reaction to finding out he was the winner of the Africa Grand Slam Adventure:
“Holy Cow! I’m very glad I’m sitting right now! This is so awesome! This is in the top three: the wedding, the children and then this.”

Meet John Stanley of Lawrenceville, GA. John was chosen out of over 1,400 applications to become the lucky winner of the Outdoor Life Colorado Grand Slam Adventure! As you can read in John’s essay, this adventure is a once-in-a-lifetime experience for a man who constantly dreams of hunting.

In his own words, John's favorite hunting experience prior to winning the Africa Adventure Trip:
I have been blessed with many memorable hunting experiences since my Dad instilled respect and a love for the outdoors when I was a kid. I’ve enjoyed campfires, met lifelong friends and have managed to take a few trophies along the way. If I had to narrow it down to a favorite, however, it would have to be the times I’ve spent in the woods with my two boys…………and specifically the hunts where they took their first deer.

My oldest son Andrew killed his first deer, a 3-point buck on an Adult/Child hunt on Clybel Wildlife Management Area in Georgia when he was 9 years old. We were in a ground blind when the deer came through a gap in the barbed wire fence and Andrew dropped him with my first rifle, a present from my Dad when I was 12 years old. The high fiving and hugging that went on is a memory that is burned in my mind forever. The very next October I was in the same ground blind again, this time with my youngest son Austin, also 9 years old at the time. Unbelievably, within minutes of the time Andrew’s deer had shown up, another 3-point saunters through the fence gap as if it was meant to be. After a minute or so of cat and mouse the buck is 10 yards from us and we have to take the rifle out of the shooting sticks to get on him. While I reached around to help him hold the .243 steady offhand, Austin puts a bullet right where it’s supposed to go and another celebration and lasting memory began.

Tim's winning essay for the Colorado Grand Slam Adventure:
I’ve always been a dreamer, even as a kid. Following my Dad around in the outdoors shortly after I learned to walk instilled a love and burning desire for hunting and fishing that has never diminished. My mind often wandered in school – despite my attempts to concentrate on Math and English, I’d often find myself catching bass in the pond down the road or shooting a big buck with my recurve bow.

My Dad’s hunting buddy used to give me all of his old Outdoor Life and Field and Stream magazines and I’d read them from cover to cover. Western big game especially interested me since I’d never seen an elk or mule deer, much less had the opportunity to hunt them. Joining the Air Force in my early 20s and seeing the breathtaking beauty of the mountains and streams as well as lots of game while flying in and out of Colorado Springs really stoked my fire and spurred even bigger dreams.

I’m at the stage in my life where the vast majority of my time outdoors is spent with my two boys. Teaching them to enjoy the outdoors and being right there with them through all the great times and learning experiences has been my biggest highlight as a Dad. While I’m perfectly content with my life and can’t justify a Colorado hunt on my own I can still dream...............and winning the Grand Slam Adventure and sharing the experience with my family would certainly fulfill that dream!