Big Buck Battle Embroiled in Controversy
Big Billy’s Sporting Goods created the Big Buck Battle 14 years ago. It’s a been a sought-after prize for Valley deer hunters since day one. The prizes have gotten better year after year. This year’s winner gets a free wall mount, a $1,500 shopping spree at Big Billy’s, their picture on the famous Big Billy’s Wall of Fame, along with bragging rights and Valley-wide fame.
The competition has a long list of rules that are posted online and on Big Billy’s Facebook page. The Big Buck Battle does not require antlers to dry for 60 days like many competitions. The buck has to be harvested in Valley County. The most important rule requires the buck to be scored by an Official Measurer (OM) at Big Billy’s. Evidently, that wasn’t done with this year’s winner.
The winner was announced this Tues., Feb. 24th, but things got crazy just after the winner was announced. Bishop Sycamore was the winner. Big Billy’s posted a picture of Sycamore with his massive buck and its score on their social media pages to congratulate him. But, followers quickly sounded the alarm. One person posted, “This seems real fishy”, and another posted “Something ain’t right here.”
Multiple people on Facebook commented that they didn’t know the identity of Bishop Sycamore. No one went to school with him, and no one was in a hunting club with him. It was a mystery, no one recognized him.
I reached out to Big Billy’s to get an explanation. Store manager Bubba Broadside said, “Well, I think we’ve been had. It’s a long story, but I’ll give you the short version. Mr. Sycamore came by the store when our OM was out sick, and we took his name and number to call him back. Our OM called him back, but Mr. Sycamore said he was out of town and would be for weeks. He said he was going to miss the deadline for submission. Our OM told him to text him multiple pics of him and his deer, and he did. Our OM analyzed the pictures, and he determined that he was the winner. Our OM said something seemed a little off when he talked with Mr. Sycamore about getting his wall mount, and he said he didn’t want one.”
Mr. Sycamore came by last week to claim his prizes. He furnished what appeared to be a valid driver’s license when asked for identification. He claimed his $1,500 in merch from Big Billy’s, and they hung his picture on the wall of fame while he was there. The OM was not there when Mr. Sycamore came in to claim his prizes. However, a suspicious Big Billy’s employee managed to snag a picture of Mr. Sycamore’s license.
Big Billy’s asked the Valley County Sheriff’s Department to analyze the license, and they determined that it was counterfeit. Store manager Bubba Broadside said, “Gosh, that was a gut punch when they told us that. This punk got us. He probably never killed the deer, and he probably did the pictures using AI. He’ll probably sell the merch to make some money. We’ve taken Mr. Sycamore’s picture off the wall of fame. We’re going to contact the #2 finisher, and let them know that they’re the rightful winner. We learned a hard lesson with this episode. Trust but verify and then verify again.”
What’s wrong with people? Big Billy’s lost out on $1,500 of merch, but they didn’t have to do a wall mount. This “Bishop Sycamore” guy obviously lives outside Valley County, and he spent a lot of time and effort to cheat. But, remember kids, cheaters never win! The Valley County Sheriff’s Dept. is on the lookout for Sycamore, so call them with any tips or leads.
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