— It was men’s night at the Muskogee Civic Center on Saturday as approximately 1,000 men and boys attended the 2012 Beast Feast.

The event, sponsored by Bringing Outdoor Opportunities to Men (BOOM) Outdoors, was a chance for men of all ages to see what’s new in hunting and fishing and receiving an education on outdoor life.

“BOOM Outdoors is a men’s ministry,” said Brian Lanham, the director of the event. “We want to try to give an opportunity to men who enjoy the outdoors and love to hunt and fish.We also want to talk to them about the person who made it all for us to enjoy.”

The attendees were treated to a barbecue dinner, music by South 40 and a talk by Bassmaster Elite Series angler Erwin Evers. There were also 25 vendors on hand to help everyone with questions about their products or services.

It’s the fifth year for the event.

“The first year we had about 250 people and gotten progressively bigger each year,” Lanham said.

Prior to the dinner, attendees were able to browse the vendor booths and ask questions and see the latest equipment. One person that has attended every event is Juston Hutchinson of Falcon Hunters who had a video presentation along with four species of predator birds including Nibbi, his three-year old Aplamado falcon.

“I enjoy coming out here,” Hutchinson said. “People like seeing the birds and I can give them a little education on the birds.”

There were games for the kids and a booth to meet Evers prior to the dinner. One youngster, seven-year old Aidan Walker, was thrilled to meet the fishing star.

“That’s cool,” Walker said. “It feels real good.”

Some of the vendors were there to presh the flesh and meet fellow outdoorsmen. Steve Roberts of the Muskogee chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation uses this event to enjoy the atmosphere.

“We get to see people we haven’t seen,” Roberts said. “We also help support the BOOM guys. We get a chance to inform people about outdoor ethics and explain what the NWTF stands for and what we’re all about.”

After the dinner, Evers, who lives with his wife and two kids in Talala, addressed the crowd, telling how get fell in love with fishing and how he got to where he is today.

“While I was in college, I was able to fish Lake Texoma,” Evers said. “While other guys were going bowling on the weekends, I was fishing and saving my money to enter tournaments.”

Evers, who received a merketing degree from Southeastern, expressed that having an education has definitely made a huge difference in his career.

“Sponsors will look at a resume,” he said. “It’s good to have all the tournaments you fished and successes you’ve had, but having that degree shows the person who’s about to hand you money that you have the fortitude to stick it out.”

Evers also appreciates the opportunity to meet his fans and talk about the outdoors.

“This is a great organization,” Evers said about BOOM. “I love to be able to talk hunting and fishing. It’s something we all like to do plus I get to talk about God a little bit.”