Mossy Oak’s 4th annual Fox Hole Shoot Out charity event raised over $160,000 on September 15 in West Point, MS.
The event is a favorite of area locals, and friends of Mossy Oak drive and fly in from all over the country to attend. All proceeds from the golf tournament, dinner, and auctions go directly to both Catch-A-Dream, St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, and Sportsman Organized for Law Enforcement.
The day kicked off at noon with a golf scramble at the Mossy Oak Golf Course and the Old Waverly Golf Course. Teams of four competed on the courses ranked as the top courses in the state and country; 168 total golfers played the 18 holes surrounded by native Mississippi forestation.
Official kick off time for the wild game dinner and auctions was 5:30, though people began trickling in right after 5, anxious to get to the event and watch the chefs finishing up the meats.
And rightfully so. The chefs at the event are lauded as some of the best in the area and the best wild game chefs in North America. Michael Hunter, Executive Chef of Antler Restaurant in Canada, almost exclusively works with wild game and foraged ingredients and has perfected the pairing of fresh, wild ingredients. John Horne, also a Canadian chef, has worked in three Michelin-starred restaurants and specializes in the French cuisine.
We also had Ty Thames and John Currence, two chefs lauded as some of the best in Mississippi. Their beloved Starkville and Oxford restaurants Restaurant Tyler and City Grocery remain staples in the communities.
More chefs included BBQ Pitmaster Craig Verhage, Brian Jupiter, Matthew Molina, Nathan Duensing, Rickey Puckett, Andy Cagle, and Jared and Kiley Thatcher.
With no shortage of meat—approximately 1200 pounds, in fact—the chefs set to work to cook beef tomahawks, lamb tacos, alligator street tacos, red snapper, tuna tartare, BBQ quail, boiled shrimp, venison leg, grilled chicken, grilled oysters, and homemade oatmeal crème pies.
The meats were provided by Broadleaf Game and Specialty Meats, Murder Point Oysters, Evans Meat and Seafood, and our friends from Mexican Gulf Fishing that drove in from Louisiana with a tuna caught the morning before in a cooler.
Country music duo The Brothers Hunt played acoustic on stage as people ate and caught up with each other.
After people ate their fill of fresh wild game, the silent auction became a hotspot for people to walk through and peruse. With 113 items to bid on, including unique pieces such as a knife made with the wood of the Mossy Oak tree, a Bottomland guitar signed by Luke Combs, a Leupold Pines Edition of A Sand County Almanac, a NWTF x Mossy Oak kids’ mud truck, and special edition glass turkey call made with the first Mossy Oak Wild Turkey Stamp.
Following a speech made by Mossy Oak founder Toxey Haas and President Bill Sugg and the giving of the first annual Tim Anderson Outstanding Volunteer award, the live auction began for the big ticket items like a Costa Rica Sportfishing Trip, a Destination Kohler Stay & Play golf package, a Louisiana offshore and inshore trip, a Drake waterfowl hunt, a two day goose hunt, a Mossy Oak Kennels package, a trophy axis deer hunt, a turkey hunt at a Californian winery, and finally a bottle of the limited edition of Jefferson's Reserve Bourbon finished with the wood of the Mossy Oak tree.
After the dust settled from the live auction, The Brothers Hunt came back on stage and played through the night. 12 guns, a bow, a Gunner Kennel, and a Reaper duck boat were raffled off as the night came to a close.
David Hawley of Mossy Oak Properties has championed and helped to organize the event since its inauguration in 2016. On the event, he says, “We wanted to create an event that was unique and indicative of the core values from Mossy Oak. It gives us the opportunity to come together as a family and work towards a common goal—three incredible charities. They’re each different size organizations that greatly appreciate the funding we can provide.”
He continues, “There’s one thing I want to stress. So many people in our Mossy Oak family, both internally and externally, far and away had a heart of gratitude. We cannot thank them enough for everything they’ve done.”
To get involved or come to next year’s Fox Hole Shootout, visit foxholeshootout.com or reach out to David Hawley.
