Conservation Corner: August 21, 2000

Expo Features Top Seminar Speakers
by James L. Cummins

The first annual Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Expo, which will be held on August 25-27 at the Forrest County Multi Purpose Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi, will feature several top attractions and seminar speakers.

The Bass Tub, which is one of the top attractions on the outdoor show circuit, will be at the Expo. The Bass Tub is a 42-foot long portable fish tank which holds over 5,000 gallons of water. It will be stocked with largemouth bass, crappie, bream and catfish. The professional anglers that demonstrate at The Bass Tub like to bring a kid up on the tank to help them reel in a big bass.

The famous Whitetail World Exhibit will be coming to the Expo. Some of the most famous whitetail deer that will be presented include: Hole In The Horn, Old Mossy Horns, The Breen Buck, The Jordan Buck, Minnesota Mystery Buck, Minnesota Monarch, Ohio Mystery Buck, Richard Stahl Buck, Mel Johnson Buck and Big Red.

Kenny Morgan, a professional turkey call maker who invented the original tube turkey caller, will be giving seminars on a variety of techniques for calling turkeys.

Terry Vandeventer, a professional herpetologist, will be at the Expo each day of the show with his live reptiles and snakes. He will discuss their life histories, habits and their effects on people, good and bad.

Nick Apostle, the owner of Nick's Restaurant, will be at the Expo giving a seminar on preparing wild game and fish.

Felder Rushing, one of the nation's premier horticulturists, will be giving a seminar on landscaping for wildlife.

Dr. Steve Demaris, a nationally recognized whitetail deer specialist at Mississippi State University, will speak at the Expo on "Intensive Management Techniques For Whitetail Deer." His seminar will include effective food plot management techniques, selective harvest as a tool to increase antler size as well as methods to minimize the harvest of young bucks while harvesting antlerless deer. Demaris will also present recent research findings concerning deer census methods used in Mississippi.

Dog trainers, Larry and Melissa Earles, will be doing retriever demonstrations on obedience, fetching and control steadiness. They will be demonstrating commands necessary for a good hunting companion and handling skills.

John Muma, a nationally recognized collector of antique fishing tackle, will be available to appraise your old fishing tackle. He can tell you what you have, names of rods, reels, lures, brands, color patterns, conditions, age and value. He will also have a display of old fishing tackle, dating back to the turn of the century, which will be at the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Expo. This is one you don't want to miss.

Show Hours are: August 25, Friday, 3 pm - 9 pm; August 26, Saturday, 10 am - 8 pm; August 27, Sunday, 12 pm - 5 pm.

James L. Cummins is Executive Director of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation in Stoneville, Mississippi. Known as "Wildlife Mississippi," the Foundation is a non-profit, conservation organization founded to conserve, restore and enhance fish, wildlife and plant resources throughout Mississippi.