A painting of roosters in a cattail swamp by Dean Kegler of Hutchinson was chosen as the winning design from among 22 entries in the 2009 pheasant habitat stamp contest, sponsored by the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources (DNR).

Nine entries advanced to the second stage of judging, from which four finalists were selected Sept. 18 at DNR headquarters in St. Paul.
Laurence Huls of Avon took second place and George Sierakowski finished third.

“Outside is my office, or at least I’d like it to be,” Kegler said. “Being outside and observing wildlife is what I enjoy.”

Kegler, who grew up in Hutchinson, had entered paintings in the pheasant contest twice before being named this year’s winner. He also participated once in the federal duck stamp contest, where his painting was one of 40 chosen for the semi-final round from among 785 entries.
Nova Scotia used one of Kegler’s paintings on its 1996-97 conservation stamp.

The five-member panel of judges this year included Garth Guyer, firearms safety instructor; Jay Johnson, DNR hunter recruitment and retention program supervisor; Brad Cobb, who chairs the DNR Budget Oversight Committee; Tabor Hoek from the Board of Water and Soil Resources; and Rick Reller, a conservation officer from Buffalo.

Kegler never had won a wildlife stamp competition until being named this year’s pheasant stamp winner. He’d like to someday pursue wildlife art as a full-time career.

He has donated many prints of his art to organizations such as Pheasants Forever and Ducks Unlimited to help promote conservation.

The $7.50 pheasant stamp validation is required of all Minnesota pheasant hunters ages 18 through 64. Individuals who want the actual stamp pay an additional $2 to have it mailed. Stamp validation sales generate money for habitat enhancement efforts on both public and private lands in the pheasant range of Minnesota.

The DNR offers no prizes for the stamp contest winner but the winning artist retains the right to reproduce the work, which is usually done as limited edition prints. The 2009 Pheasant Stamp goes on sale in March.