It was 104 degrees in Jacksonville Florida during the Southern Trophy Hunters Big Buck Expo but that didn't keep folks from coming to the event. Lee and Tiffany Lakosky and Stan Potts were headliners in the Muzzy Hunting Camps and OEI Properties Land Camps.

Mike DiSario put together a panel of experts for the OEI Properties' Land Camps to discuss everything from financing your own hunting property, building shared ownership partnerships, building log cabins, using electric ATVs and managing for trophy bucks. The Land Camp seminars allowed the panel of experts to share their knowledge in a Q and A format with the audience. DiSario emphasized that, "Rural land markets have risen in interest among both hunters and country-living enthusiasts. Knowledgeable professionals can help you find the right property and avoid costly mistakes."

 Hunter Jones poses with Tiffany Lakosky between seminars.

Lee and Tiffany Lakosky talked about their experiences in buying and managing property for hunting. As Lee emphasized, "We started seven years ago with nothing, but have gradually worked our way up to several thousand acres of land on which to hunt. Whether you are buying or leasing hunting land, making the right decisions on how to improve the land is key to your long term success."

Chase Roberts usually works with his parents in their Black Gold Premium Dog Food booth, but here he is trying to make a deal with Bad Boy Buggies' President Jim Willard. 

Environmental issues are becoming more of a concern everyday. Hunters and land managers are going "green" by using electric ATVs. Jim Willard, president of Bad Boy Buggies, explained the advantages of electric over gas powered vehicles. "Refueling costs, based upon $0.06kwh and $3.00 gasoline are a mere 66 cents compared to $16.00 in a UTV. Operating costs are less than 2 cents per mile compared to 9 cents, which may vary according to road conditions, driving methods, weight of loads and exchange rates.

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You can save 75% on fuel costs. Bad Boys can travel 25 miles on one charging, while UTVs may go 35 miles on one gallon of gas.  That's 10 cents compared to 45 cents to travel 5 miles. Electric miles cost 2-4 cents each compared to 8-20 cents for gasoline miles. The Bad Boy's sound rating is 0 dB compared to most UTVs at 87 dB. Horse power is 31 with electric compared to 20 with gasoline. Bad Boy Buggies have 170 foot pounds of torque compared to 30 foot pounds The fuel system consists of eight 6-volt batteries compared to an average 5.3 gallon gas tank.. Lead-acid batteries have the highest recycling rate of any product sold in the United States. This is because of the ease of returning a used battery when purchasing a new battery and the value of the lead and plastic components of the used battery."

Toby Tompkins, Owner of Sunshine Segway, talks shop with Jim Willard.

In between seminars I had a chance to survey the vendors at the expo and found some cool stuff. My personal favorites were the free Segway rides and the T-shirt I got from Outdoor Girls that states, "A Woman's Place Is In the Woods!" 

The Tail Gator System allows you to carry an ATV or Bad Boy Buggy without needing to haul a trailer behind your vehicle. This certainly eliminates back-up hassles and is pretty easy to load and unload. It also has the advantage of easy storage, no more ugly trailers parked next to the garage. 

There are still two more Southern Trophy Hunter's Big Buck Expos: July 11-13 in Lakeland Florida and July 25-27 in Greensboro, North Carolina. For more info log on to www.southerntrophyhunters.com.

Travis "T-Bone" Turner and Stan Potts having fun during the OEI Land Camps.