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Southern Sportsman Hunting Lodge
���������������� Dream Turns Into Profitable Business

by Alvin Benn

When the soybean business went bust 25 years ago, two Lowndes County men took a gamble on something that hadn’t been tried before, but seemed a natural for rural Alabama.

Dave Lyon Jr. and Jim Mason came up with the Southern Sportsman Hunting Lodge and it wasn’t long before it had gained a reputation as a great place to spend a few days in the winter.

Entering the picture was Buckmasters, a Montgomery-based company dedicated to deer hunting. It provided even more exposure by using the lodge for an event that attracted some of America’s leading sports and entertainment figures.
Dave Lyon, left, and Jim Mason turned an idea into a profitable venture known as the Southern Sportsman Hunting Lodge more than 20 years ago.

Football star Bo Jackson, Atlanta Braves slugger Chipper Jones, NASCAR legend Dale Earnhardt Sr., former Minnesota Vikings coach Bud Grant, actor Jim Varney and astronaut Jim Adamson were just a few who took part in the fun and games at the lodge.

The celebrities hunted in the woods around the lodge, fished in ponds at the site and took part in everything from target practice to four-wheeler races and ax tossing events. Watching with keen interest were fans from around the state and Southeast.�

Dave Lyon Sr. helped his son and Jim Mason get started by co-signing a $10,000 bank loan.

Buckmasters ended sponsorship of the event a few years ago, leaving Lyon and Mason with another problem to solve. It didn’t take them long to come up with other ideas.

In addition to hosting deer and turkey hunters from around the country, Southern Sportsman now is a popular spot for dinner parties in central Alabama.

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