Dixie Deer Classic returns bigger than ever

Doing this year's Dixie Deer Classic by the numbers reveals a lot of threes.

The annual outdoors exposition will be held in three buildings at the State Fairgrounds, three speakers are scheduled for the three-day event and again there will be a 3-D archery tournament held in Dorton Arena.

One of the oldest outdoors shows in the country, the Dixie Deer Classic is a three-day revival for hunters and outdoors enthusiasts. Over the course of the show, some 20,000 patrons will come to buy anything from turkey calls to guided hunts out west. Hundreds of thousands of dollars will change hands.

This year, "the biggest thing is the new building [the new Exposition Center] and the additional square footage," said Jim Hudson, spokesman for the Wake County Wildlife Club, which conducts the event. "We will have the speakers in the new building. The deer displays, scoring and check-in will be in the Jim Graham Building, and Dorton will have the archery shoot and vendors."

Seminar speakers always are a big draw, as highlighted by rocker/outdoorsman Ted Nugent last year for the 25th anniversary of the show. This year's lineup consists of Craig Boddington, executive editor of Guns & Ammo magazine; Stan Potts, a bow hunter featured on several hunting shows on ESPN and Outdoor Life Network; and Jay Gregory, host of "Wild Outdoors" on the Outdoor Channel.

Hudson stressed that the show caters to families and that women will find products -- outdoors and conventional -- especially for them.

"Male of female, if there's anything you think you need for the outdoors, you can probably find it ...," Hudson said. "In years past, we've had clothing manufacturers who specialized in women's hunting clothes. Plus there's jewelry and cooking equipment."

Hudson said some of his favorite vendors are the noisiest.

"I love the call vendors -- duck calls, deer calls, turkey calls," he said. "Not only can you buy good calls, the vendors are experts and willing to take the time for you to understand how to properly us it."