Conservation Corner: February 18, 2002

Expo Features Top Speakers
by James L. Cummins

The third annual Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Expo, which will be held on March 1-3 at the Washington County Convention Center in Greenville, Mississippi, will feature several top speakers.

According to Leila Wynn, President of the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Foundation, "Everyone will enjoy the many seminars. We have scheduled some top seminar speakers and are very fortunate to be attracting such talent."

Wildlife Mississippi is very fortunate that Mike Stewart of Wildrose Kennels will be conducting demonstrations at the Expo. Stewart is the founder of Wildrose Kennels in England, Northern Ireland and South Africa. He has been training dogs for over 30 years. After spending over 25 years in law enforcement, he now trains full time.

Due to popular demand, Terry Vandeventer, a professional herpetologist, will be back at the Expo each day with his live snakes. Vandeventer has hunted and studied reptiles throughout the world. His demonstrations are seen by over 75,000 people annually. He will discuss their life histories, habits and their effects on people. If you missed it last year, here's your chance!

At the Expo, Michael Musgrave, a member of the Mississippi Falconers Association, will be presenting demonstrations about falconry. If you have any questions about falconry, ask him at his seminars or stop by his booth. Gary Lucas, a fisheries biologist, will be presenting a talk on "Legal Fishing Gear and Methods" for Mississippi anglers.

Joe Hall of Hally Caller Wildlife Calls and Accessories will be conducting several seminars on turkey hunting. They range from "Turkey Hunting For The Beginner" to "Spring Gobbler Calling" to "Getting Serious/Pressurized Gobblers." No turkey hunter will want to miss these.

Randy Browning, a wildlife biologist with Wildlife Mississippi who has spent much of his life conducting research on "Censusing Whitetail Deer With Infrared Trigger Cameras," will be at the Expo discussing food plot management. Browning, an official Boone and Crockett Scorer, who has developed some of the top food plot mixtures will share his experiences and techniques for supplementing forage for deer and turkey.

Wildlife Mississippi is pleased to bring the popular Arkansas Game and Fish Tub to the Expo. It is a 30-foot long portable fish tank. It will be stocked with some unusual fish species native to the Mid-South. More than just an aquarium of huge fish, it is a live classroom for anglers. One of its primary goals is to educate and entertain the angler and aquatic enthusiast.

Have ever wondered what the score is of your buck? You don't have to guess. The Magnolia Records Program will be at the Expo. The antler scoring system is identical to that used by the Boone & Crockett and Pope & Young clubs. All whitetail deer take legally in Mississippi are eligible. All one has to do is bring his or her deer to the Expo between 3 and 9 p.m. on Friday, March 1 or from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 2. All entrants meeting the minimum requirements (125 - Typical, 155 - Non-typical) will receive an official certificate. Scoring will take place on Saturday.

Show Hours are: March 1, Friday, 3 pm - 9 pm; March 2, Saturday, 10 am - 8 pm; March 3, 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.