February 9-10, 2008 - Our First Annual North Missouri Outdoor Classic

First Outdoor Classic Draws Huge Crowd
By Bill Wehrle/C-T Outdoor Editor Published: Monday, February 11, 2008

CAPTION: The North Missouri Sportsmen's Alliance booth was one of many that packed the Chillicothe Middle School Fieldhouse over the weekend during the first-ever North Missouri Outdoor Classic. The two-day event was sponsored by the North Missouri Sportsmen's Alliance and drew close to 3,000 outdoor enthusiasts.

C-T Photos/Laura Schuler

The first-ever North Missouri Outdoor Classic, held this past weekend at the Chillicothe Middle School, proved to be as popular as event planners hoped it would be and drew a huge crowd of people from both near and far. The two day event brought close to 3,000 outdoor enthusiasts, many of them young families, to Chillicothe where they could browse through a large exhibit area, seek information from outdoor experts and check out some of the best deer mounts exhibited anywhere.

The classic was intended to be an outdoor show for people of all ages and it was, with a “Braggin' Wall” featuring some of the biggest deer ever taken in Missouri, a display of deer racks brought in for measuring from all over Missouri and Iowa, a great variety of outdoor merchandise, including such exotic items as caribou and alligator jerky, plus archery lessons for youngsters, a laser hunting game, face painting and a “bounce room” brought in by Cornerstone Church. Admission prices were low enough that a person could easily bring the whole family (kids under 12 were just $1). Educational seminars were featured daily and offered the opportunity to learn about deer hunting, trophy catfishing, turkey calling and hunting, Missouri's mountain lions and even bear hunting from some of the country's top experts.

The always popular Noodlers Anonymous exhibit offered information on handfishing, a contentious topic here in Missouri but one few people know a lot about. KMZU's Big Buck contest brought in 28 entries to be officially measured during the Classic, with prizes awarded at the event's conclusion to grand prize winner Jeff Ellison of Lexington, who took home an Arctic-Cat ATV donated by Heartland Farm and Lawn, top typical rack winner Jeff Sharp of Liberty, and top non-typical rack winner by Ronald Cole of Richmond.

The National Antler Shed Hunting Club (NASHC) brought their display of some of the largest sheds ever found and were kept busy measuring shed antlers brought in by Classic attendees. At the end of the event they commented that the size and quality of the sheds brought in here were better than any show they'd attended, with the exception of the huge Deer Classic held annually in Des Moines, Iowa for the last several years.

This was the first-ever North Missouri Outdoor Classic brought to Chillicothe by the North Missouri Sportsmen's Alliance, which was formed about a year and a half ago with the goal of providing an annual quality outdoor event in north Missouri. This year's inaugural Classic was even more successful than event planners had hoped, with a “sell-out” crowd of exhibitors and a huge crowd of people attending despite cold weather.

C-T Photo/Laura Schuler

CAPTION: The Missouri Department of Conservation brought an archery activity to the North Missouri Outdoor Classic this weekend which was set up in the CMS gymnasium. The activity was designed to raise awareness of archery and promote the sport of archery in the state's middle and high schools. Youth of all ages were invited to try their skills, with help from MDC officials during the event.

ADDITIONAL PHOTOS
courtesy of the Chillicothe Constitution Tribune
...click on the photos below to see a closer view.

2008 SPONSORS

2008 Outdoor Classic Program Schedule

Saturday, February 9 – Show Hours 9 a.m. – 6 p.m.

10:00-10:45 a.m. Jay Gregory Whitetail Deer
11:00-11:45 a.m. John Jamison Big River Catfishing
12:45-1:30 p.m. Darrel Sidney Canadian Bear Hunting
1:45-2:30 p.m. Jay Gregory Whitetail Deer
2:45-3:30 p.m. MDC Mountain Lion Team
3:45-4:30 p.m. John Jamison Big River Catfishing
4:45-5:30 p.m. Jay Gregory Whitetail Deer

Sunday, February 10 – Show Hours 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.

10:30-11:15 a.m. James Harrison Wild Turkey
11:30-12:15 p.m. MDC Mountain Lion Team
12:30-1 p.m. John Jamison Big River Catfishing
1:15-2:00 p.m. Darrel Sidney Canadian Bear Hunting
2:45-3:30 p.m. James Harrison Wild Turkey

North Missouri Outdoor Classic is Feb. 9-10
Monday, January 28, 2008

The first-ever North Missouri Outdoor Classic will be held February 9-10 in the large confines of the Chillicothe Middle School. “We have a tremendous variety of activities, programs and vendors at our upcoming show and we are very pleased with the response we’ve received from area businesses and families who enjoy the great outdoors,” said Steve Shoot, President of the North Missouri Sportsman’s Alliance (NMSA), the organization sponsoring the event.

Professional fishermen and hunters will provide programs throughout the two-day fund raising event, including noted big buck expert Jay Gregory of “The Wild Outdoors” television show. Also featured will be John Jamison, a top fisherman in professional catfishing and James Harrison, who has won a number of wild turkey calling competitions in the Midwest, including state championships.

The Mountain Lion Team from the Missouri Department of Conservation will also be on hand over the weekend. Chillicothe made news across the country in 2007 when a mountain lion was captured on film by a trail camera just miles north of the community, prompting a great deal of interest in the big cat.

“We also added a sanctioned event which will be conducted by the North American Shed Hunting Club,” Shoot said. “This is a national organization and anyone can bring in a shed antler, or antlers, to be measured by licensed scorers. The NASHC will be providing trophies to the largest sheds brought to our Outdoor Classic.”

Hunters from across north Missouri will also have an opportunity to have their bucks measured free by certified Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young scorers. A trophy will also be presented to the hunter who brings in the top scored buck over that weekend. A nearby radio station (KMZU) is bringing their own Big Buck contest into the show and the winner of that contest will be announced Sunday afternoon.
“We have also set up a ‘Braggin’ Wall’ for area hunters,” Shoot said. “If a buck has scored 170 or higher, no matter what year it was taken, we will display the buck in this special area and that hunter gets free admission to the show both days.”

Shoot said a variety of vendors were already booked and there were only a few spaces left in the show. The vendors will be displaying and/or selling a number of items, including ATV’s, archery equipment, fishing equipment, wooden buildings, deer stands, fly fishing tackle, hunting guides, taxidermists (including a taxidermy school) and many, many more. “We have tried very hard to make this a true family event,” said Shoot. “The MDC will have an indoor archery range for youth, and we are working with a company in St. Louis to bring in a unique interactive laser hunting game. A local church is also bringing in a “Bounce House” as a play area for the younger attendees, plus they will be providing face painting, as well.”

The CMS field house is over three basketball courts in size, Shoot said. “Plus, we have a separate theater area, including a stage with excellent seating, as well as two more basketball court-sized areas for booth displays and activities.

Show hours for the North Missouri Outdoor Classic are 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Sunday. A concession stand will operate throughout the event.

A small admission fee will be charged at the door. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be used to fund the Chillicothe High School Hunting and Fishing Club, the CHS Trapshooting Team. The remaining funds raised will be used to offset the cost of processing venison for the Share The Harvest program in the counties of Linn, Livingston, Carroll and Daviess.