From staff reports

Think you’re the best angler or hunter around? Prove it in Pearl this weekend during a qualifying event for the 2009 Field & Stream Total Outdoorsman Challenge, and you could be well on your way to earning the ultimate outdoors bragging rights and $25,000.

Now in its sixth year, the total outdoorsman challenge is a coast-to-coast competition to name the most competent and well-rounded sportsman in the nation.

Free local qualifying events at the Bass Pro Shop in Pearl will take place Saturday and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Anyone 21 or older can take a shot to qualify in baitcasting, air rifle and archery contests. Participants must bring their own bows and arrows, and no crossbows will be allowed.  Editors at Field & Stream will evaluate the local qualifier results, taken from 48 Bass Pro Shops nationwide, and select the top 200 participants to contend in one of four regional qualifying events in June.