Grandview weigh-in part of Big Squirrel Challenge this weekend
LITTLE ROCK — The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s statewide squirrel-hunting celebration is back, and this time Arkansas-based airgun company Umarex U.S.A. is pumping up the prize!
Now in its fourth year, the Umarex Big Squirrel Challenge is an easy-to-join hunting event where teams of two spend an afternoon and morning gathering the three biggest bushytails they can find and bring them to an official weigh station to compare to the other participants’ top three treetop nutcrackers.
The nearest Big Squirrel Challenge Weigh-in Location is the Rick Evans Grandview Prairie Nature Center, 1685 CR35N, near Columbus.
AGFC Assistant Chief of Education Eric Maynard said the contest has drawn so much fun and participation that Umarex joined in this year to sponsor the statewide event.
“It’s great to have Umarex partner with us on what’s one of my favorite events we put on in the AGFC’s Education Division,” Maynard said. “They’ve offered to provide prizes for the event as well as equipment we can use to get more people involved in the outdoors and on the road to being hunters.”
The official rules are available at www.agfc.com/education/2025-big-squirrel-challenge, but here are the main details. There’s no registration, just get a buddy and go hunt. Teams of two hunt from noon-to-noon Jan. 10-11 during legal shooting hours. You can harvest up to your two-man limit of squirrels (that’s 12 squirrels per hunter per day) but only the three largest squirrels will be weighed for each category of the contest. Hunters are welcome to use squirrel dogs for their bushytails.
“We have different categories for limits of fox squirrels only and gray squirrel/mixed bags, which must include at least one gray squirrel,” Maynard said. “A team can enter multiple categories but each squirrel can only be weighed once, so you need to choose which ones are going in which contest before you weigh them in.”
Age groups are divided into adult-only teams and youth teams, which can be two hunters under 16 or a hunter under 16 with an adult mentor.
“You can hunt by yourself if you want to, but we encourage people to pair up with a youth they know and introduce them to squirrel hunting if they can,” Maynard said. “It’s a competition, but it’s all about having a good time and getting to know the outdoors.”
Twelve weigh-in stations are positioned around the state, and hunters must be in line with their squirrels by noon to be included in the contest. Squirrels must be field dressed with the skin on to be weighed and they will be returned to the hunters after the weigh-in so they may enjoy a fresh squirrel dinner at home.
Awards will be given at each weigh-in station at roughly 1 p.m. Jan. 11 with the top two teams in each category receiving medals.
In addition to being the title sponsor of the event, Umarex furnished the grand prizes for the contest. The top team in the state in each age group and division will receive two top-of-the-line Umarex airguns. A Umarex airgun also will be awarded to one lucky hunter at each of the 12 weigh-in locations as a door prize.
“Anyone who weighs a squirrel will be eligible for the door prize,” Maynard said. “We also have a case of special-edition Squirrel Dust seasoning from Townsend Spice and Supply and cookbooks from this year’s World Champion Squirrel Cooking Contest that will be given out as door prizes at the various weigh-in stations.”
The Big Squirrel Challenge doesn’t have to be only a two-day affair; take a look at the AGFC’s Outdoor Skills Calendar at www.agfc.com/events to register for one of many “squirrely” activities to get in the spirit for a good old-fashioned squirrel hunt. Classes on squirrel hunting and cooking are available as well as many other outdoors activities to keep the family entertained through the holiday season.