The 34th Annual Arkansas Big Buck Classic Slated for January 2024

A Tracker UTV, a Remington rifle, specialty bows, and crossbows are up for grabs during the 34th annual Arkansas Big Buck Classic. The upcoming 3-day event will be held at the Arkansas State Fairground in Little Rock from Friday, January 26th to Sunday, 28th, 2024. The Big Buck Classic is a hunting expo enabling deer hunters across Arkansas to showcase their prized trophies.  

The 2024 Arkansas Big Buck Classic will offer the 2023 deer season hunters an opportunity to showcase mounts or antlers. The expo is open to hunters with a valid Arkansas hunting license and will feature bucks exclusively harvested in Arkansas.

Arkansas Big Buck Classic Registration  

Interested parties can register for the event between December 26th and January 22nd, 2024. Contestants must fill out an entry card with each entry with their contact information and harvest-specific details, including the harvest date, county of harvest, and the weapon used. 

The Arkansas Big Buck Classic has six entry divisions. Four divisions are based on the weapon used to harvest the buck — modern weapon, bow, crossbow, and muzzleloader. Ladies (16 years and older) may register in the Ladies Division, while anyone under 15 may register in the Youth Division. 

Participants may enter as many antlers as they wish, but there’s a $10 fee per antler/mount after the first two pairs. All registered contestants must present their antlers or mounts at the registration desk in Barton Coliseum for scoring and display. 

Participants can drop off their mounts and antlers on Friday, January 26th, from 1 p.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday, January 27th, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. No late entries will be allowed.

Judges will use the Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young scoring systems to award points. The mount/antlers scoring the highest points in each category will be declared the winner. 

Hunter-Specific Prizes 

The overall event winner will be awarded a new Tracker UTV, a Big Buck Classic Trophy, and a Big Buck Classic Coat. Except for the Bow and Crossbow Divisions, all category winners will receive a $500 gift voucher from Hunter’s Refuge and a Big Buck Classic coat and ribbon. 

The Bow Division winners get Hoyt Torrex hunting bows, while the Crossbow Division winners get Wicked Ridge Raider 400 Decock crossbows. 

All runners-up will win a $100 gift voucher and a BBC ribbon. Third-place winners will get a $50 gift voucher and ribbon. Other prizes up for grabs include Remington Ammo, cans of camo dust, and Morrell targets. One lucky participant will win a Weatherby Vanguard 7MM Remington MAG rifle.