Quinn's Ranch hosting hunting fund-raiser

By Staff
Jonathan Willis FCT Staff Writer
Hunters, get ready — possibly the biggest deer hunt of the year is quickly approaching.
Quinn's Ranch, a Christ-centered boys home located between Vina and Red Bay, will be hosting its first annual North Alabama Deer Hunting Classic on Dec. 18.
The event is being sponsored by Long-Lewis Ford of the Shoals and Dream Maker Outdoors and will feature a wide range of prizes, including cash, hunting gear and several hunting trips.
But the biggest winner will be the ranch itself.
Quinn's Ranch does not receive government funding and relies solely on fund-raisers and donations.
The hunt is drawing attention from several national and regional television hunting programs that could be in the area filming that day.
Two celebrities who have already committed to the event are former Alabama All-American football players Tommy Wilcox and Rich Wingo. Both were part of the Crimson Tide teams of the late 1970s that included Tucker.
Wilcox has a regional hunting program that may be able to incorporate some of the Classic into its show.
The hunt can take place on any legal hunting area as long as the deer are killed on Dec. 18 and are weighed in at Little Bear Creek Dam between 7 a.m. and 8:30 p.m.
There will be three different contests in the event. Winners will be chosen for the largest buck, largest doe and largest buck/doe combo. All deer will be judged by the same two people and no one person can enter more than one contest.
The biggest buck will be scored by its weight plus 10 points for each point it has. For example, if a deer weighs 140 pounds and has six points, it would receive a total score of 200 points. Doe will be scored by weight only.
The Classic has received several thousand dollars worth of prizes through donations so that all money raised can go to the ranch.
The winner of the biggest buck contest will receive a bear hunting trip to Maine that is valued at $3500 and a free deer head mount.
The winner of the biggest doe contest will receive a free one day, one night hunting trip to the Roost Lodge in South Alabama, $500, free processing and a climbing tree stand.
Both the first and second place winners of the combo contest will receive hunting trips and cash prizes. First, second and third place winners in each contest will receive cash prizes as well as hunting supplies. Several hunting trips will also be awarded as door prizes.
Tickets for the hunt will go on sale Friday for $50 and may be picked up at Community Spirit Bank in Russellville, Red Bay, Vina and Spirit Bank in Belmont, Miss., all Citizens Bank locations in north Alabama and north Mississippi, Dependable True Value in Russellville, Underwood True Value in Red Bay, Tom Jones Insurance in Red Bay, Long-Lewis Ford of the Shoals, Shoals Outdoor, Swamp John's, McCracken's Restaurant in Hamilton and Quinn's Ranch.
For more information, call Shea Lowery at 356-8900.