Thursday evening at 6 pm, local hunters can get free insight into what it’s like to stalk a big game trophy at 13,000 feet or on the African plains.
The “Big Game Hunting” program is open to all at no charge in the Louisiana Sports Hall of Fame and Northwest Louisiana History Museum, located at the traffic circle on Front Street.
Shawn Daily, a longtime Edward Jones financial advisor in Natchitoches, will be joined by 13-year-old Kaylee Stacy, an NSU Middle Lab School cheerleader, as the featured guests.
The program is the second in a series presented in conjunction with the new outdoors exhibit showcased through the end of September in the museum. The “Lunkers and Specklebellies: Bass Fishing and Waterfowl Hunting” display is in the Atmos Energy gallery at the rear of the first floor of the 27,000-square foot structure at 800 Front Street.
Daily holds numerous big game records with Safari Club International for his exploits on several continents. A Natchitoches resident for 45 years, he is a U.S. Navy veteran who has been extensively involved in supporting Northwestern State University and many more local causes. He is a Ducks Unlimited member.
Daily, 73, was an avid hunter of deer, ducks and other common wildlife for many years when his son proposed a big game expedition to him in 1999. It unlocked a newfound passion that has carried him from Alaska to the African plains.
Stacy, an eighth-grader, last month received the Dallas Safari Club’s Colin Caruthers Young Hunter Award for hunting and academic achievement, along with community service and leadership. She has enjoyed hunts with her parents, Russell and Mary Edith Stacy, in North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand.
On the second floor of the museum, which will be open to guests during the free program, are more exhibits and videos focusing on hunting and fishing, including a tribute to the late Natchitoches resident Grits Gresham, a world-renowned outdoorsman and conservationist. Gresham was host of the ABC Sports television program “The American Sportsman” for 13 years in the 1970s and 1980s, including numerous segments focusing on big game hunting.
Thursday’s program is presented by FLASH (Friends of Louisiana Sports and History), the local support group for the museum, and the Louisiana State Museum system. Jennae Biddiscombe is the branch manager of the Hall of Fame museum and can be reached at 318-357-2493 for more information.
The museum’s regular open hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 10 a.m. until 4:30 p.m., with admission prices of $6 for adults, $5 for senior citizens, military personnel and students. Groups of 15 or more with reservations receive a 20% discount and student groups with reservations are free.
