Buck Hunter Tournament

Talk about starting your day off with a bang! On March 9^th Anoka Ramsey Community College hosted a Big Buck Hunter Tournament from 9am to 2pm in the courtyard commons for any one that wanted to participate.

Big Buck Hunter arcade game is a common element in most mid-western bars and saloons, so most contestants involved have had some sort of familiarity as to how the game is played. However, according to the sign up sheet and those involved this game wasn’t a “big hit.” There were a total of 12 participants after a five-hour event. It was unfortunate that this didn’t have a larger turn out amongst the students; it could have gotten a better outcome if only they had advertised more.

I was able to have a word with Krystal Gravelle age 25 before and after she had her turn in the competition. The first question I asked her was how she heard about this event, she stated, “I first heard about the tourney during one of my classes when I overheard fellow classmates talking about it, and then I saw it on the bulletins around the school and I had to show off my rifle shooting skills.” Krystal came bearing arms in her lucky camo vest, on the 9^th of March, but was very disappointed when she saw that her fellow competitors weren’t taking this as serious as she.

At other events Gravelle has competed in there were judges involved making sure all the rules were followed and that all the kills were legitimate. The rules in this competition were pretty “basic” according to Krystal. There were a total of four rules, including:

1) Each contestant gets one region to hunt in. Each region has four sites.

2) Complete sign in sheet to be eligible for prize.

3) Disqualified if you play twice

4) When starting game choose region hunt- southwest region ONLY

Depending on the organization the rules can be very strict including on how close to the screen you need to stand and your win not only depends on your number of kills but also on your accuracy. While observing this event I noticed some of the players actually touching the gun to the screen while trying to get a kill.

Gravelle was asked how many tournaments she has been involved in, her response, “I have been in far to many to count there are a lot of tournaments held just for the fun of it where I’m from, I have won quite a few as well, so I’m hoping to do pretty well today.”

Many of the contestants complained the guns timing was off and there was a large glare on the screen making it difficult to see what they were aiming at, which drastically affected their scores. Krystal said she was disappointed with the outcome and feels she could have done better.

The winner of the tournament has yet to be decided and will be called when the scores are all received. In order to win the prize, you had to not only get in first place, but you needed to get the most kills, highest accuracy, and best scores during the bonus rounds. There will only be a first place prize given. Gravelle is crossing her fingers in hopes of the best.

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