BUCKHANNON – Win a boar hunt, bring your pets to get vaccinated or watch local kids and their dogs compete in the bench show — the annual Hunter’s Nite Out at Southern States takes place this Thursday, Oct. 3, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m.
The assistant manager of Southern States in Buckhannon, Brian Landis, said the local co-op has hosted the annual event each fall for many years.
“It’s been an event we’ve had for several years – we’ve probably been here 25 years and it’s been here ever since,” Landis said. “We do the bench show and the treeing contest for the kids. We have the vet come by, and they give out rabies shots and some different things.”
Youth 18 and under are invited to enter their dogs in the bench show, which will begin at 5:30 p.m. with ribbons and trophies to be awarded afterward.
“The bench show is not only beagles and coonhounds, it is any dog,” Landis said. “I think last year we had a house dog, so it’s any hound you want to bring.
“It’s for the community, for the kids basically. We’re trying to get them interested in the outdoors, and we also want to give them a chance to see what it’s like to work with dogs. It’s been a big core part of this business for years.”
A coon treeing contest will follow, and all dog types are also welcome at that event.
“We have a stuffed coon in a cage — a scented stuffed coon — and we let the dogs smell it,” Landis said. “Then we pick it up with a pole and pull it across the road and then they bark, and we count the number of barks.”
The vaccination clinic by the Upshur Veterinary Hospital will begin at 5:30 p.m. and continue until 7:30 p.m., and the Upshur County FFA chapter will have a hot dog sale during that same time frame. There is a fee for vaccinations, but it is lower than going to the vet’s office.
“It’s good for every dog to have vaccinations,” Landis said. “A lot of people don’t want to go to the vet and spend that extra money, so they come here and they don’t have the office charge.”
Door prizes will be awarded every half hour from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. — with one special grand prize also up for grabs.
“The big one is that we’re giving away a boar hunt,” Landis said. “It’s a one-night hunt – meals aren’t included in that, but the lodging and the hunt is.”
The hunt will take place at the Mountain Meadow Hunting Preserve in Greenville, West Virginia.
Various items will also be offered at special prices throughout the event. That list includes shelled corn, dog food and other pet supplies, tree stands, boots, Carhartt clothing, ECHO power equipment and more. Click here to see the full list, as well as additional information on the event.
Hunters Nite Out will run from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Oct. 3. Southern States is located at 60 N Spring St. in Buckhannon. If you have any questions about the event, give them a call at 304-472-1356.
