blake
Life Member
Deer expo to be unveiled
Brothers John and Jason Schendt of Papillion know that the best hunting trips are judged by memories created afield - and sometimes the shooting is good, too.
Eventually, however, a hunter needs to keep score and marvel at the hunting opportunities provided by North America's unique wildlife management model. In deer hunting camps, that means crowning the hunter who bagged the biggest set of antlers.
That pride and enthusiasm will be on display next month in Omaha at the first Nebraska Big Buck Classic. The statewide deer hunting competition and outdoor expo will be at Qwest Center Omaha from April 17 to 19.
"We want to ensure that Nebraska is recognized for its exceptional trophy whitetail hunting and do our part to pass the heritage on to others," John Schendt said.
Jason Schendt said it's time to share with the world what Nebraska offers.
Hunters are taking notice.
Record kills of mule deer, whitetails and elk are expected again this fall as the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission makes more permits available and herd sizes remain strong in most areas.
"The number of trophy bucks has never been greater," Kit Hams, the Game and Parks big game manager, told commissioners last week. "And the deer population has never been higher."
Deer hunters in Nebraska set several records last year. Hunters checked in 80,467 deer. They bought 131,392 permits, including 12,022 by nonresidents. They killed 32,397 antlerless whitetails, 36,235 whitetail bucks and 9,115 mule deer bucks.
The average age of whitetail bucks is expected to increase for the fourth straight year in 2009. Still, there is concern about the age of bucks in some central Nebraska hunting units.
Rob Robertson and Bob Kelly of Albion asked Game and Parks commissioners to improve opportunities to hunt mature bucks in parts of Wheeler, Holt and Garfield Counties included in the Calamus East Deer Unit.
"It's substandard," Robertson said.
Kelly, a recently retired Game and Parks conservation officer, said the quality of bucks appears to have declined during the past decade, and hunters are shooting too many young bucks.
"We'd like to increase the buck population and let them grow into more mature deer," Kelly said.
Commissioners approved a plan to decrease the number of either-sex permits to 1,300 this year from 1,600 last year as part of a strategy to decrease the kill of bucks.
In a similar effort to increase ages and population of mule deer bucks in south-central and southwest Nebraska, statewide buck permits will not be valid for mule deer bucks south of Interstate 80 this year. The change is expected to reduce the kill of mule deer bucks by about 250.
Jason Schendt said he and his brother created the Nebraska Big Buck Classic to bring deer hunting to a wider audience, including women and children.
The show will be similar to others across the Midwest to promote hunting, display trophies and offer shooting competitions, educational seminars and a "biggest buck" contest.
Boone and Crockett and Pope and Young scorers will measure antlers brought in by hunters. Awards will be given to male, female and youth hunters for whitetails and mule deer in archery, muzzleloader and firearm categories for typical and nontypical antlers taken in current and past seasons.
A Best of the West category will judge the highest scoring whitetail west of the Mississippi River.
A People's Choice award will be given to the most unusual whitetail and mule deer on display by a vote of attendees.
Elk, antelope, moose or caribou antlers may be brought in for scoring and display.
The event will feature more than 100 exhibitors showcasing a variety of products and services related to hunting and the outdoors. Iowans Lee and Tiffany Lakosky will host seminars. They are stars of the new reality based outdoor program, "The Crush with Lee & Tiffany" on the Outdoor Channel.
Critterman, also known as Denny Olson, will entertain children and families with theatrical nature-education comedy. Airgun and archery ranges and laser-shooting games will be set up.
But the bottom line is big bucks. Jason Schendt said he's hoping to have several hundred antlers and deer heads on display.
"Every deer is different," he said, "and for antler enthusiasts, this will be a sight to see."
PM
Ron Wyllie
Southwest Iowa IBA Area Representative
rwyllie@iowawhitetail.com
