More than 2,000 hunting and fishing enthusiasts from across Southwestern Ontario are expected to gather in Tilbury on May 3.
The Southwest Outdoors Club's (SWOC) annual Big Buck Sportsmen's Show will take over the Tilbury Arena for a day of family fun.
The arena floor will be filled by 60 vendors, offering hunting and fishing equipment, camping gear, outdoor apparel, and more.
"The Big Buck Sportsmen's show has been going on for close to 20 years now," explained one of the organizers, Gerry Harvieux. Adding that it's grown every year.
"Other than the Toronto Sportsmen's Show, this is the biggest one in the province," he said.
Harvieux said that there will be one major difference this year: the Foundation for the Recognition of Ontario Wildlife (FROW) will not be there to score hunters' deer and moose racks, bear skulls, or turkey beards. He said that the one-time absence is because of timing.
"Between where Easter falls, because it's so late this year, coupled with the fact that they can't get the ice out of the arena soon enough, we had to put [the show] on the third of May," he stated. "We normally hold it the weekend before the opening of turkey hunting season, because once it's turkey hunting season, the guys who score all the stuff aren't available."
Harvieux added that it is the only thing about the show that's changed.
Everyone who attends will be entered into raffles that will take place throughout the day.
"It's $5 to get in... that's for anyone 13 and older, 12 and under get in for free. With that entry fee of five bucks, you're entered into the door prizes," Harvieux explained. "Every hour on the hour, starting at 11 a.m. and running until the show is done, we raffle off anywhere from six to 10 raffle prizes. By the time that's all done, we've given away more than $2,500 just in door prizes."
Outside of door prizes, there will be some high-value items up for grabs, including rifles, crossbows, and fishing charters.
The big prize is a 2025 All-Terrain Vehicle. Unlike the other raffles, tickets for the ATV draw need to be purchased separately. Only 400 tickets for the ATV raffle are available.
The show isn't just for adults. There are a number of kid-specific events as well, including an indoor archery shoot for kids, a Nerf shooting gallery, the ever-popular trout fishing pond set up just outside Ryder Hall, a Zoo to You experience, and a hands-on, child-friendly taxidermy display.
"It's totally family-oriented," Harvieux said. "It's multi-generational... it's the kind of thing that's passed on from grandfather to father to son. That's what we're trying to encourage."
Harvieux explained that the Big Buck Sportsmen's show is the main fundraiser held by the SWOC. It helps to fund a wide array of projects, events, and youth outreach.
One of the events is the family fishing weekend at the Wheatley Harbour in July. Because of the show, that weekend is completely free.
"It draws anywhere from 300 to 500 kids," Harvieux said. "Every kid leaves with a prize. Every kid is fed lunch for free. All the parents are fed lunch for free. If they don't have fishing rods, we provide those, all the bait is free. It's just a really great time."
He added that the money brought in during the Big Buck Sportsmen's show also funds an archery program for multiple CK schools and a "forest school" for local pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students.
SWOC also uses the money raised during the show to fund research projects and help maintain local conservation areas.