Because of the spike in covid-19 infections, the 31st annual Arkansas Big Buck Classic scheduled for Jan. 15-17 has been postponed until March 12-14.
Tommy Murchison of Cabot, Big Buck Classic promoter, said he believes it would be irresponsible and disrespectful to hold the event in January as originally scheduled.
“It’s just not the right thing to do,” Murchison said. “We made the determination Sunday night. We decided the situation is just too volatile right now. We made the decision out of respect to our vendors, patrons, staff, and everybody involved.”
[Submit your photos to our 2020 Deer Season gallery » arkansasonline.com/2020deerseason/]
Established in 1990, the Big Buck Classic is one of the biggest hunting expositions in the South, and one of the nation's biggest deer hunting expos.
Murchison said the show remained on schedule after he met with Gov. Asa Hutchinson in October, but the spike in coronavirus cases precludes such a large gathering in the near future.
“I feel like there were going to be some guideline changes coming down the pike anyway that would have changed the game if the numbers continue to escalate,” Murchison said. “Governor Hutchinson was so nice to actually meet with us in person, and he wanted us to move forward because he trusted us to do it in a responsible manner. We had some restrictions that were going to be a big change for Big Buck, and the situation changed dramatically from the time we met with him until today.”