As hunting seasons wind down, outdoors show season draws near for Arkansas sportsmen.
The outdoor show season will begin Jan. 20-22 with the 35th annual Arkansas Marine Expo at the Statehouse Convention Center in Little Rock.
DG Attractions, represented by Ken Griffey of Little Rock, presents the Marine Expo. Griffey said the expo is the year's premier opportunity to buy a new boat. That's because buyers can actually interact with the boats and negotiate with multiple dealers on site to get the best deal.
You can't get that kind of leverage online, Griffey said.
"Perhaps this Christmas season you went on Amazon and you shopped and took care of business that way, but boat shows have stood the test of time for 40 years for a reason," Griffey said. "Making that kind of investment is a family decision, and nothing beats climbing onto a boat, touching and seeing it as opposed to seeing it on a screen."
Dealers like the Marine Expo because of the serious exposure to the public. The festival-like atmosphere is conducive to buying and selling.
"You want to be in that competitive environment with other dealers," Griffey said. "You're talking to manufacturers and dealers finding out what type incentives and discounts they can give you."
You can also find great deals on fishing tackle at the Marine Expo. Griffey said dealers from Arkansas, Oklahoma and Alabama will have booths. At last year's expo I found significant markdowns on St. Croix fishing rods, as well as some hard-to-find, out-of-production lures that I had sought for some time.
For the first time, the Marine Expo also will feature a live animal act. Darrell Sprout, a herpetologist/humorist from Dallas will present his Snake Encounters experience. It's an educational presentation of non-venomous snakes to dispel the public's fear of snakes.
Show hours will be from 10 a.m.- 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and from 10 a.m.- 6 p.m. Sunday. Admission will be $5 for adults and free for children age 12 and under.
For more information, visit dgattractions.com.
Big Buck Classic
Deer hunters will celebrate the 2016-17 deer season at the 27th annual Arkansas Big Buck Classic in Little Rock at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds from Jan. 27-29.
The Big Buck Classic has grown from a small-venue novelty in the early 1980s to one of the biggest and most respected deer hunting expos in the South.
The greatest thing about the Big Buck Classic is that it centers entirely on Arkansas deer. Its central attraction is the Wall of Honor, which stretches acoss the south floor of Barton Coliseum. By Sunday, it will bristle with deer antlers, none of which will have come from Saskatchewan, Ohio, or anywhere else. They are all from deer that anyone in the Natural State might see.
Tommy Murchison, who produces the event along with Catherine Murchison, said the Wall of Honor demonstrates what is possible with proper management. That includes habitat management and selective harvest.
Rumors circulate every year that the Big Buck Classic will unveil a new state record, and last year those rumors were true. The buck with the largest typical rack killed in Arkansas made its debut at the 2016 Big Buck Classic. Jacob Ayecock killed the buck in Drew County in 2015, and it broke a record that stood since 1975. It is the largest rack ever taken in the South, and it ranks fifth all-time.
Ususally, the Big Buck Classic features three to five new racks that qualify for the Boone and Crockett all-time awards program, but there will be many other racks that hunters would admire anywhere.
In addition, the Big Buck Classic will feature a wide array of vendors offering guided deer, elk, turkey and upland bird hunts across the country. You also can buy all manner of hunting gear, including some of the best turkey calls in the country from custom makers like Bill Rhodes of Sheridan and Eddie Horton of Camden. Rhodes makes calls from a variety of woods, including mulberry, chinaberry, zebrawood and ebony, as well as traditional favorites like walnut and maple.
Horton's calls defy the most superlative descriptions. You have to see them and hear them to believe them.
For more information, visit bigbuckclassic.com.
Sports on 01/12/2017