Overwhelmed at the Missouri Deer Classic

USSA works hard to preserve, protect, and grow our great American outdoor heritage. USSA Field Rep, Greg Stephens working the firearm drawing, meeting people, and talking U.S. Sportsmen Alliance at every opportunity.

Have you ever anxiously taken a child to a giant toy store hoping for them to have the experience of their young life only to be disappointed as you watch them stand and stare in a sensory overload stupor? They generally will come out of it after a brief pause and you better have them on a leash or you might not get them to leave the place. This past weekend I witnessed the same phenomenon in Columbia, Missouri at the Missouri Deer Classic. Outdoor enthusiasts from 13 to 93 walked through the front doors and stood there staring with tears in their eyes and drool hanging from their lips.

A real-life indoor fishin' pond made out of wood and plastic - you know we folks from the hills (hillbillies) had to come up with this marvel of modern times! I want one at my house.

They were blocking the entry way doors standing there trying to decide which direction to venture and it was almost embarrassing. You would have thought they had never seen outdoor celebrities, outfitters, guides, outdoor equipment manufacturers, retail outdoor equipment sellers, archery groups, fishing groups, trapping organizations, hunting organizations, food plot specialists, jewelry retailers, specialty food vendors, outdoor seminars, antler scorers, taxidermists, bow fishermen, 3D archers (…whew, I need to catch my breath!) turkey call specialists, cutlery manufacturers, outside wood furnace vendors, portable sawmill manufacturers, and many more all under one roof!

Missouri Show-Me Big Bucks Club provided antler scoring for the general public

And many of the folks wouldn’t have left if the vendors hadn’t started breaking down their booths at 4:00 pm on Sunday. There was just too much to see in this wonderland for outdoors enthusiasts.

Table after table of certified scorers scoring racks brought in from the general public.

We were there representing the U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance in a booth distributing information about the organization. The U.S. Sportsmen’s Alliance is an organization dedicated to educating the general public about the value of our outdoor heritage in the U.S. while vigorously fighting the anti-hunting, anti-fishing, and anti-trapping movement on all fronts. USSA is responsible for programs such as the Bear Hunter Rights Coalition, Bow Hunter Rights Coalition, International Hunters Rights Campaign, and the Sporting Dog Defense Coalition.

Outfitters and Taxidermist were out in force at the 2011 Missouri Deer Classic.

They are also the creators of the fabulously successful Trailblazers Adventure Day program and the Families Afield program. As we distributed our gun drawing tickets and spoke to the hundreds of enthusiasts as they filed by in the isle, I got a comforting feeling that with the folks from all over this great state there is still a firm foundation for our connection to the Great Outdoors.

On Sunday my wife, LaDonna, was with me at the booth so I had the opportunity to venture out into the show. It was truly sensory overload for an outdoorsman, especially an outdoorsman with only one eye – I couldn’t look around fast enough through the crowd to get a good look at everything! The latest and greatest equipment was everywhere. The outdoor celebrities were sharing their secrets in seminars. The vendors were marking down great equipment to unheard-of prices. If I had brought any money my wife would’ve had to ride on the top of the Tahoe on the way home to make room for all the new stuff I would have bought! But, wisely, my wife didn’t let me bring the money.

The NRA got into the groove by bringing in the Great American Whitetail Collection. There were some freak-of-nature monsters to behold - including the Missouri Monarch.

So I went about talking to all the various outdoor groups that could volunteer at Trailblazers Adventure day programs in our local Missouri schools. We were able to add several archery groups and a bow fishing group as potential participants for our upcoming programs. If you know of a school or organization that could benefit from a Trailblazers Adventure Day program don’t hesitate to contact USSA at 614-888-4868 or online at www.ussportsmen.org These events are fun-filled days for children and adults with activities including, but not limited to, fishing, casting competitions, BB gun ranges, archery ranges, fur and trapping demonstrations, falconry, model airplane flying demos, mountain man demos, hunting demos, and many more. These events are an opportunity to pay it forward and introduce a child to the world of real life interaction in Mother Nature. And, best of all, they are free!

Groups dedicated to disabled and youth hunters were working hard at the event

By Sunday afternoon as the event was winding down I had my mental Christmas list burned into my mind for the next several years. The only thing left for us to do turned out to be the highlight of the event. We had held a gun drawing during the course of the event and met many hundreds of folks in doing so. My greatest hope was that we would be able to give the gun to an enthusiastic outdoors person who would see to it that they passed on the heritage to a child. At 3:30 pm we pulled the name of Raymond Wilburn from Moberly, Missouri from the box of drawing stubs. It was Raymond’s lucky day!

The best part of raffling a hunting firearm is when the winner is a youug'un that will carry on the heritage! USSA Rep. Greg Stephens with lucky winners Raymond and Patrick Wilburn.

When he arrived at the table he had his young son, Patrick with him and Patrick was all smiles. According to Raymond this was the first time that he had ever won such a prize. They chose the Mossberg Model 500 Grand Slam shotgun for their prize and indicated they would be testing the scatter gun this spring turkey season. Congrats to Raymond and Patrick! It does my soul good to see a father-son team getting a new gun that can provide memories for a lifetime. So says the One-Eyed Hillbilly.

Greg Stephens is a 35-year veteran & life-time student of the great outdoors. His column appears weekly in print & online publications. You can email him at gregstephens@one-eyedhillbilly.com. For more columns go to www.one-eyedhillbilly.blogspot.com.