Minn. Deer Classic opens today

Published 9:40 am Friday, March 8, 2013

BLAINE — The 31st Minnesota Deer Classic opens today and at its new home at the National Sports Center in Blaine.

The National Sports Center bought the show last fall after a long run at the Minnesota State Fairgrounds Coliseum.

Director Greg Savino said the goal is to double the size of the show, and it expects to draw 12,000 to 15,000 people this weekend.

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Inside the Schwan Center, the show promises hundreds of vendors, trophy buck displays, activities for kids, official trophy measuring and a lineup of educational seminars on hunting strategies. It will also offer two major outdoor activities, an archery shoot and a qualifying trial for the World Shed Dog Championship, in which trained dogs find antlers shed by deer.

The Minnesota Deer Classic runs through Sunday.