ARKANSAS SPORTSMAN

Shows all about boats and bucks

— Boats and bucks will be the top draws in central Arkansas this month when the Marine Expo and the Big Buck Classic come to Little Rock.

For anglers and recreational boaters, the 31st Arkansas Marine Expo will take place Friday through Sunday at the Statehouse Convention Center. Ken Griffey, the Expo’s promoter, said the show is probably the best opportunity to score a great deal on a new boat. The boating industry enjoyed modest growth last year, Griffey said, but certain segments were strong. Those segments will be amply represented at the Expo.

“Pontoon sales have been really strong this year, 20 percent over last year,” Griffey said. “The selection of pontoons I have seen coming through the door is incredible. Fishing boat sales were up about 12 percent, especially on the aluminum side. We’ll have a great selection of pontoon and fishing boats.”

Griffey said forecasters predict the trends to continue and that the Expo is a reliable indicator of the boating market.

“We’re sold out from one end to other,” he said. “We have a waiting list for both dealers and exhibitors.”

A popular array of family attractions will provide something of interest for everyone, Griffey added. For example, the Anvil Jaw Bass Club willhold a children’s casting competition Saturday and Sunday. The “First Mate” program will enable scouts to earn a patch by visiting the various natural resources learning stations manned by Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and Corps of Engineers employees.

“They’re teaching youngsters to be good stewards of the environment and to take care of our natural resources,” Griffey said. “And, we’re trying to build good boaters.”

A number of tackle dealers also will be present. At the end of the show, a Bass Tracker Pro Team 165 boat fully rigged with a 40-horsepower outboard and trailer will be given away. The package is valued at $12,000, and you don’t have to be presentto win.

Show hours are 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children 12 and younger.

More information is available by calling Ken or Kelly Griffey at (501) 765-1423 or e-mailing [email protected].

BIG BUCK CLASSIC

Deer hunters will celebrate the 2012 deer season Jan. 25-27 at the 23rd annual Big Buck Classic at the Arkansas state fairgrounds in Little Rock.

One of the South’s premier hunting extravaganzas, the Big Buck Classic will bring the biggest racks taken this year together under one roof. By show’s end, the Wall of Antlers will bristle with the biggest whitetailed deer racks taken in Arkansas.

The wall demonstrates just how good the quality of our bucks really is, and how good it could be. It always draws a huge crowd, and it’s a great place to swap deer hunting stories. It’s also a great place to buy stuff. Vendors selling items from custom turkey calls, duck and goose calls, handcrafted knives, gourmet jerky and even guided hunts pack the Hall of Industry.

The show will climax Sunday when the winner is crowned. That fortunate hunter will win a Bad Boy Buggy from Bradford Marine and ATV.

Admission for adults will be $10 and $5 for children aged 5-12. Admission is free for children under age 5. On Friday, Jan. 25, concessions for children will be $1.

Catherine Murchison, the event’s co-promoter, said ahighlight this year will be a big whitetail rack exhibit featuring the X-Factor, the only rack to ever score higher than 500 Boone and Crockett points. There are three heads that score higher than 400 non-typical and 10 that score higher than 300 nontypical.

Live animal displays at the Big Buck Classic are always popular, and this year’s highlight will be a live golden tabby tiger. Murchison said only 40 are known to exist, so this will be a rare opportunity. There also will be a live snow tiger.

The Big Buck Classic also will give away $10,000 cash as a door prize to one lucky visitor.

More information is available by calling (501) 985-1533 or online at www.bigbuckclassic.com.

CORRECTION

In Sunday’s column, we erred in a reference to comments regarding the 25-horsepower restriction on outboard motors at Bayou Meto WMA. The conversation occurred several years ago after members of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission publicly discussed reducing the 25-horse limit to address boating safety issues at Bayou Meto. The 25-horse limit was already in place. Four members of the commission revisited the idea last week.

Sports, Pages 20 on 01/10/2013

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