Umarex Big Squirrel Challenge breaks records

YELLVILLE — For the second straight year, the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s Umarex Big Squirrel Challenge broke attendance records with 186 teams weighing squirrels at one of 12 weigh-in stations across the state.

“We had four locations with more than 20 teams participating this year,” Eric Maynard, AGFC assistant chief of education, said. “Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center in Yellville had 37 teams show up for the event.”

Maynard said he’s excited about the continued growth of the event and sees possibilities to expand it even more with the addition of a “gray squirrel only” category in the future.

“We split the categories into youth teams and adult teams weighing either all fox squirrels or mixed bags that must include at least one gray squirrel,” Maynard said. “This year we just didn’t have that many bags of all fox squirrels weighed in. In fact, four of the 12 weigh-in stations didn’t have a three-squirrel limit of fox squirrels turned in.”

One youth team didn’t have any issues finding the fox squirrels. Syler Villines, mentored by his father, Kurtis, brought in the best-ever score in any category, dropping three large fox squirrels on the Crooked Creek Nature Center scales that weighed 2,429 grams. Not only did they win the all-around youth category for fox squirrels, they had enough squirrels left in their daily bag limits to enter three others (this time including one gray squirrel) to take first place in the state in the youth mixed bag category with a score of 1,916 grams of beefy bushytails.

The team of Justin Wright and Jason Weatherford claimed top honors in the adult fox squirrel category, bringing 2,379 grams of squirrel to the Johnelle and J.B. Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center weigh-in location, and Hunter Moore took the top prize in the adult mixed bag category with two fox squirrels and a gray weighing 1,995 grams at the Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center scales.

Hunters took to the woods from noon Friday to noon Saturday, with up to two people making up a team and pursuing brushytails during regular hunting hours, then bringing their harvest to one of the 12 sites. Individual youths could hunt with an adult mentor in their divisions.

The Big Squirrel Challenge began in May 2021 at the Ozark Highlands Nature Center before being expanded in January 2022 to a statewide event. Hunters could harvest their legal limit of 12 squirrels per person, but only the top three squirrels, skin on and field-dressed, were weighed at the end of the event, and each squirrel could only be weighed once — meaning, squirrels weighed in the fox-only division could not be weighed again in the mixed bag grouping. When the weigh-in was done, all squirrels were returned to the hunters to enjoy at the dinner table.

Each regional first- and second-place team received medals. The statewide overall winners received additional prizes, including a Umarex break-action air rifle valued at $190. Each weigh-in location also had a door prize drawing with cookbooks from the World Champion Squirrel Cookoff, Squirrel Dust seasoning and the same model Umarex air rifle as the one for overall winners.

Regional Winners, Division, Total Grams per Bag

Batesville, Independence County Shooting Sports Complex: James Wallace, Adult Fox-only, 2,269; Dalton Lee and Levi Branscum, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,903; David and Chesnee Bates, Youth Fox-only, 2,099; Ruger and Rocky Boyce, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,653.

Columbus, Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Nature Center: Chad Rader and Cameron Tatum, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,471; Braiden and Chase Friend, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,184.

Fort Smith, Janet Huckabee Arkansas River Valley Nature Center: Lyle Smith and Jack Ishii, Adult Fox-only, 2,187; Hunter Moore, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,995; Aiden Newton and Jeff Armer, Youth Fox-only, 2,068; Hunter and Matthew Moore, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,750.

Hazen, Mike Freeze Wattensaw WMA Headquarters: Lovett and Lovett, Adult Fox-only, 2,251; Boyett and Boyett, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,600; Holmes and Holmes, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,270.

Jonesboro, Forest L Wood Crowley’s Ridge Nature Center: Andrew A. Agee and Andrew G. Agee, Adult Fox-only, 1,975; Chase Rye and Ethan King, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,862; Jake Johnson and Eelik York, Youth Fox-only, 2,112; Everett Davis and Walker Denevan, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,868.

Magnolia, SAU Laney Farm: CJ Johnson and Ronnie Hughey, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,237; Tracy Clark and Lisa Cupples, Youth Fox-only, 2,091; Heath Barr and Dayton Boton, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,557.

Mayflower, Camp Robinson Special Use Area Clubhouse: Aidon and Brad Ratliff, Adult Fox-only, 2,296; Kory and River Jones, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,704; Elijah Paulette and Hudson Wright, Youth Fox-only, 1,998; Carter and Bently Tedford, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,637.

Monticello, AGFC Southeast Regional Office: Tim Chapman and Nate Cooper, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,541; Slade and Ryan McRae, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,568.

Russellville, AGFC West Central Regional Office: Kyle Witt, Adult Fox-only, 1,919; Kyle Witt, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,559; Ryker Hipps, Youth Fox-only, 482; Robert McCormick, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,406.

Pine Bluff, Gov. Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center: Jaxon Power and Landen Shirey, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,226; Bentley and Cory Thompson, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,254.

Springdale, J.B. and Johnelle Hunt Family Ozark Highlands Nature Center: Justin Wright and Jason Weatherford, Adult Fox-only, 2,379; Blade and Megan Elmore, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,425; Mike and Koen Ransom, Youth Fox-only, 2,306; Colton and Chris Hendrix, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,660.

Yellville, Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center: Clayton and Dale Villines, Adult Fox-only, 2,233; Laine Hilliard and Austin Tate, Adult Mixed Bag, 1,877; Kurtis Villines, Youth Fox-only, 2,429; Kurtis Villines, Youth Mixed Bag, 1,916.

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CUTLINES:

FATHER AND SON
The father/son team of Kurtis and Syler Villines won both the fox squirrel and mixed bag categories for youths. Their limits were weighed in at the Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center in Yellville. AGFC photo.

BOY (LEFT) AND GIRL WITH SQUIRRELS
Elijah and Abigail Sleighton weighed in an impressive three-squirrel bag limit that included a black fox squirrel. Less than one percent of fox squirrels have this melanistic trait. The team took second place at the Fort Smith location, and Abigail even won the grand door prize at Fort Smith, a Umarex air rifle valued at $190. AGFC photo courtesy Kiley VanMatre. 

GIRL (LEFT) AND BOY WITH SQUIRRELS
The Fred Berry Crooked Creek Nature Center had the most participants with 37 teams turning in squirrels this year. AGFC photo.