Buckmasters Expo

View above the hall just before the opening of the 9th Annual Buckmasters Expo 2002..	All the products ready to go into the hunter bag for next season.
But it did not take long as the doors open to fill the Montgomery Convention Center.	New products that have not been seen on store shelves could be found at the Buckmasters Expo.
The crowd was constant throughout the entire weekend.	Montgomery Zoo brought in what you don't want to see sitting in your stand.
Also animals you would like to see below the stand were available for viewing.	Some of the most impressive full mounts could be seen.
On hand and what all the hunter's came for. To talk hunting with some of the top hunting professional in the world like. President and Founder of Woods Wise Products - Jerry Peterson.	Terry Rohm with Wellington Outdoors was one of the crowds favorite at the Buckmaster Expo 2002.

Kenneth Reeves Primos Hunting Calls Prostaffer had full day of questions for the thousands on hand to talk hunting.	Jackie Claude from Team Realtree was also on hand for the crowd and for the Top World Indoor Bow Championship.
Bill Jordan was also busy with the thousands on hand.	Bill Jordan always taking time to answer all the question from hunter's young and old.
Also hunters picked up a few of the Monster Bucks X - DVD while getting them autographed at the same time.	Also letting the folks know about Hardwoods HD and Hardwoods Green HD camouflage out new this year.
Bill Jordan and Butch Jordan both kept busy as the thousands kept coming in the doors of Buckmasters Expo 2002.	With of course Jackie Bushman founder of Buckmasters was also the crowds favorite and the reason all this could take place today.
Of course Jackie Bushman has time for his favorite future hunters at the show.	Also the hundreds of trophy whitetails could be seen in the vendor's booths. Like the Block Bucks Display.
Also at the Buckmasters Expo 2002 was the BTR scoring class in which I am now an official scorer for buckmaster.
Instruction manuals, videos, measuring tapes, cables and scoring sheets all provide for each new scorer.	The class was full on this day with Whitetail Antlers of all different sizes ready to score.
Buckmasters Whitetail Trophy Record is not to replace the existing scoring methods but to give another option to give full credit to the Whitetail Buck.	Russell Thornberry - Vice President and Executive Editor for Buckmaster Magazine - the one who started the BTR scoring method explains to the whitetail hunters on hand the purpose of the scoring system and how it works.
This is just one of the many mount hunter's brought in to be measured.	My favorite of the show also.
A wall full of mounts from across the nation came to Buckmasters Expo to be entired in the record Books.	But Troy Wilson's Buck - BTR score 303 4/8" Irregular - Harvest on 10-27-2001 in Gallatin, Co., Ky. with a Blackpowder Rifle was a crowd favorite.
So was Wayne Zaft's Buck - BTR score of 205 7/8" Typical - Havest on 10-8-2001 in Parkland, Alberta, with a Compound Bow.	The Buckmaster's Trophies from the Buckmasters Office was also on hand. No wonder it's called Buckmasters
Buckmasters Trophy Buck No. 1 and No. 2	Buckmaster Trophy Buck No. 3 and No. 4
Buckmasters Trophy Buck No. 5 and No. 6	Buckmaster Trophy Buck No. 7 and No. 8
Buckmaster Top Bow Indoor World Championship and the famous Buckmasters Electronic 3-D Sport Target System.
Left Side View yes, it's a long shot in that corner.	Right Side View, it's a long shot in this corner too.
But what a trophy, if you have the skills and can handle the thousands on hand to watch.
All you have to do is shot from each of these stands. Notice the seat that will be filled later when it all starts.	When you see this hunters shoot their bow, you know why it is called Buckmasters.
All targets are controlled from the computer system.	But all the eye's are on the shooters and the crowd has know filled the seats.
Target Area One at 15 yards	Target Area Two at 25 yards.
Target Area Three at 30 yards.	Target Area Four at 60 yards.
Target Area Five at 55 yards.	Target Area Six at 50 yards.
Target Area Seven at 60 yards.	Target Area Eight at 15 yards.
Target Area Nine.	Practice make perfect as Joseph Goza wait's for a target.
Lots of reason to be smiling as Joseph Goza wins the Buckmasters Top Bow Indoor World Championship.	Also the Marines and the Bud Girls where on hand to entrain and bring information to the crowd on hand.
Marines Hummer was on hand also.	Can a truck look any better than this. I don't think so.
But this was not all for the big kids at the Buckmasters Expo 2002 as the little kids got their very own cover of magazine picture taken to take home.
They had practice area with a bow for this kids future championship.	Free hunting video game area, always a favorite.
TV deer hunting video game for boys.	TV deer hunting video game for girls too.
Building a future for kids and for other wildlife as birds feeders to take home, took shape.	Nothing stand in the way when kids can learn more about the outdoors at the Buckmasters Expo.
Where else can kids learn first hand that the Game and Fish Officer are here to help.	Kids also get some favorite face paints to show off.
Nothing but smiles.	Don't forget Buckee, every kids favorite.
Shooting skills are a must for every child.	Respect for firearms is something that can be taught to every young mind.
Safe use of firearms should be taught at a young age, instead of fear of firearms, that is what can be learned at the Buckmaster Expo 2002.	Nothing beats the smile when a kid hits his first paper target.
Wall climbing for boys and girls. You go girl.	Fun game never stop for the kids at the Buckmasters Expo.
Real scene video hunting was also available.	Along with some fishing, look at the pole bend.
Don't let him get away.	Make for great preseason practice.
A boy with a bow. The American Spirit lives.	Press area waits for Jackie Bushman - Founder of Buckmasters and Country Music Star Clay Walker.
Ann Lewis Director, Public Relations of Buckmaster introduces Jackie Bushman and Clay Walker to the press.
Jackie Bushman welcomes everyone to the 9th Annual Buckmasters Expo 2002.	Clay Walker takes question and tell the press how important hunting is to his way of life and his family.
Also Sentry Safes honor Jackie Bushman with one of there Gun Safes of all he has done for the outdoors heritage of hunting.	Sentry Safes Representive and Jackie Bushman take time for some photos.
Union Station was full of Buckmaster Members for the free concert.
Concert for all Buckmaster Member was just about to get started with the introduction of the Bud Girls.	Eddie Reasoner who wrote the Buckmaster them song and Rebecca Holden singer/actress from Knight Rider and General Hospital open the concert.
Eddie Reasoner and Rebecca Holden put on a great show.	Jackie Bushman also spoke to the thousands on hand to listen to the concert.
Country Music Artist - Clay Walker put on a great show.	Clay Walker great singer and all American Hunter.
Texas should be proud for Clay Walker to call it home.	Jackie Bushman in the center red shirt never did sit down, but never missed any of the concert.
This Buckmaster Expo 2002 was also a special time as Jackie Bushman his two new books. Jackie Bushman's Top 50 Whitetail Tactics and Jackie Bushman's Big Buck Strategies.

Masterpiece – The greatest work of a person or group. That is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about the 9th Annual BUCKMASTERS EXPO 2002 in Montgomery, Alabama.

No one word can better describe the three day event in which hundreds of thousands enjoyed and visited with some of the top outdoor professionals, product show, country music concert, kids outdoor pavilion, deer scoring, deer scoring class, big buck displays, hunter education course, and top bow indoor world championship. All this for the entry fee of a can of food to support the food bank.

The masterpiece of the BUCKMASTER EXPO 2002, the greatest work of a person and the one to thank for this great place to bring family and friends is Jackie Bushman, who in 1985, at the age of 29 had the desire to unite America’s deer hunters. Standing alone in a booth at some outdoor show, grew a dream into Buckmasters Whitetail Magazine, Rack Magazine, Young Bucks Outdoor Magazine, Buckmasters TV series and much, much more. Including in 1994 the first ever BUCKMASTER EXPO.

Masterpiece of the BUCKMASTER EXPO 2002 is also the greatest work of a group. That is exactly what I watched as the Buckmaster staff kept the possibly 40,000 hunting fans happy with the 3-day event. They are to be congratulated on a job well done, and with this being only the 9th Annual BUCKMASTER EXPO. With the Buckmaster staff manning the front lines of the fight to keep our heritage alive and moving forward, I could see this EXPO becoming one of the largest events in the hunting world in the near future. Watch out Montgomery.

That is how many Americans took to the woods and waters in 2001, and they spent 70 billion dollars. The fact of the matter is, not only are hunting and fishing traditional activities in American culture and history. But we have an economic ripple effect on the Fortune 500 companies as well as the small town family business.

Buckmasters knows this all to well, that is why they invite more than 250 exhibitor with nation companies right next to their local retailer for the visitors convenience. The latest hunting products and each hunter will also have the chance to talk with each product representative, like FLEXTONE GAME CALLS, from Pearl, MS. just one of the many.

But that’s not all some of the country’s top professional hunters in the world are on hand to answer your questions in person. Of course President and founder of BUCKMASTERS - Jackie Bushman, President and founder of WOOD WISE PRODUCTS – Jerry Peterson, Terry Rohm of WELLINGTON OUTDOORS, Kenneth Reeves PRIMOS HUNTING CALLS Prostaffer, Jackie Claude of TEAM REALTREE, Bill Jordan - REALTREE OUTDOORS.

That is what BUCKMASTERS has set a new standard for all hunting outdoor expos, shows and festivals to match by offering so much, for the price of a can of food for an entrance fee to be donated to the food bank.

They have not stopped there, with the increasingly popular and moving into the woods like a firestorm is the BUCKMASTERS TROPHY SCORING SYSTEM.

With hundreds bring in trophies to be measured by the BUCKMASTERS TROPHY SCORING SYSTEM – BTR. The major difference from other scoring systems is that BTR has eliminated the concept of deductions, which often keeps great whitetail deer out of the record books.

This is not made to confuse or to eliminate other scoring systems but to offer a option that will show the respect each whitetail deer deserves. That is what scoring is all about, not to honor the hunter, because the hunter has honored his or her self by just participating in the quest for a whitetail deer whether it’s a doe or buck or to just enjoy the outdoors. The scoring of whitetail deer is to honor Mother Nature for making such a unique animal and to forever preserve the memory of that whitetail deer. That is also all that the BTR system is made to score, just deer.

Also offered during the BUCKMASTERS EXPO 2002 was an official scoring class in which I took part. From 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, future scorers from around the country learned the art of measuring antlers from some of the wildest whitetails racks around. While taking home a new method and the manuals, video manuals, measuring tapes, cable, scoring sheets to measure possibly, your next trophy whitetail.

While you might have been waiting for your buck to be measured, you could view some of the most assume whitetail mounts in the country on display.

That is what you could compete for, if you ever made it to the finals at the TOP BOW INDOOR WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP at the BUCKMASTERS EXPO. What a impressive trophy, I might add.

But if you attended the Expo you could at the very least, get to see some of the most assume examples of shooting with a bow on this earth. On a course that is right out of the woods. This computerized 3-D target system puts the archer through the ringer as much as a one in a lifetime trophy whitetail buck would. While standing 4 feet above the floor on a deer stand taking 12 shots in 45 seconds, at targets ranging from 15 to 60 yards.

The one and that’s all it can be that gets his name added to this trophy rack was Joseph Goza from Flat Rock, Alabama.

But this was not all for the big kids at the BUCKMASTERS EXPO 2002 as the little kids got their very own air-conditioned YOUNG BUCKS OUTDOOR PAVILION. Activities at this pavilion is unequal by none to introduce our future keepers of our hunting heritage to the outdoors, and the respect that goes along with wildlife and hunting safety.

Just to list a few activities for the kids: Assemble a free bird-feeder to take home, hula hoop contest, learning to shoot a bow and air gun safely, climbing wall, U.S. MARINE fitness challenge, hunting video games, and tons more.

BUCKMASTERS EXPO is for the hunter and his or her family to enjoy. That is why BUCKMASTER is and always will be a living tradition fro the future of hunting is not the past but in the future of every bright eyed young child. So take a kid hunting, they will never forget it the rest of their lives, a experience that no drug or anyone else could ever offer.

As the day turn to night and the trains roll through Union Station in Montgomery, thousands of BUCKMASTERS members gathered to here a free concert by Eddie Reasoner, who wrote the BUCKMASTERS theme song but where else in a tree stand. Eddie Reasoner also teamed with singer/actress Rebecca Holden from Knight Rider and General Hospital, to put a great first half of a concert on.

Then the night got eve hotter, when country music star and outdoorsman from Texas hit the stage. Clay Walker had the crowd going to the end of the night, how else to end a day on such a great night.

For me it was a solid 8 hour drive and hotel stay for Friday and Saturday night and a 10 hour drive back in the ran and Sunday traffic. Worth every bit of the traveling and time, weather you have been before, or have never gone before. Some of you may think it is too far for you to go, it would be a shame to say you have never been.

What I have written and the picture I have taken does not do the BUCKMASTER EXPO justice, because of the feeling you get as this is a sign the season it just about to begin. Know what I mean.

Country Music Concert!– Country music artist Clay Walker will perform in a free, Buckmasters members-only concert at Montgomery's Union Station on Saturday night, August 17th. Walker, who has sold more than eight million albums, is renowned for his energetic live performances. Call early to reserve tickets – 2 per member. Bring your lawn chair!

Bring The Kids To Our Young Bucks Outdoors Pavilion! – Now Even Bigger!– It's one of our most popular attractions. Kids will love the archery and airgun shooting and interactive hunting games! They can even get their picture taken for a mock magazine cover and visit with our official mascot – Bucky! Your child will learn basic shooting skills in a fun and safe environment.

BTR Scorer's Class – Interested in becoming an official BTR scorer? Don't miss the Saturday BTR Certification Clinic. Pre-registration is required. Call 1-800-240-3337 ext. 247 for more information.

Deer Scoring & Display – Bring your trophy rack in for BTR scoring and view spectacular trophy whitetails. Learn how the BTR gives whitetail racks the credit they deserve.

Free Certified Hunter Safety Course– Conducted by the Alabama Department of Conservation. Classes are Friday, Saturday and Sunday and you must be present at all classes to be certified. Pre-registration is required to participate in this class. Please call Alabama Game & Fish at 1-800-245-2740.

Buckmasters Life Member Day– Friday, Aug. 16, is Life Member Field Day. Life members and their families will have the opportunity to test new sponsor products. Watch the mail for more information

Project Venison Golf Tournament – Help feed the hungry by participating in this charity golf tournament on Thursday, August 15th. Proceeds benefit Project Venison.

Project Vension Raffles! – Win thousands of dollars in hunting items, such as a Yamaha 4-wheeler, rifles, scopes and treestands.

Buckmasters Top Bow Indoor World Championship– With its comfortable seating and great view, the Montgomery Civic Center is the perfect setting for the Buckmasters Top Bow Indoor World Championship. Watch the best archers in the nation compete in the Buckmasters Top Bow Indoor Shooting Series as they pit their skills against the famous Buckmasters Electronic 3-D Sport Target System. Pre-qualification is required to participate in this event. Please call Dawn Sansom at 1-800-240-3337 ext. 240 for more details.

-- For Travel Arrangements, Call Adventure Travel at 1-800-476-0940
-- If you have any questions about the Expo, email Chris Chastain. Or call 1-800-240-3337 ext. 222