CONSERVATION CORNER
February 20, 2006
Expo Features Top Seminar Speakers
by James L. Cummins

The seventh annual spring Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Expo, which will be held on February 24 - 26 at the Canton/Madison County Multipurpose Complex in Canton, Mississippi, will feature several top attractions and seminar speakers. According to Billy Van Devender, President of Wildlife Mississippi, "Everyone will enjoy the many seminars. We have scheduled some top seminar speakers and are very fortunate to be attracting such talent."

Paul Meek, a veteran turkey call, fishing lure, deer lure and scents manufacturer, will be presenting a unique seminar for kids and beginners on turkey calling titled "Hands On Turkey Calling for Kids and Beginners." He will have a short discussion on how to make turkey call sounds then each participant in the seminar will have the opportunity to put different calls in their hands and work with them making turkey call sounds. This is a seminar every parent with a beginning turkey hunter will want to bring their son or daughter to. Seminar times are: Saturday, 1:00 pm and 6:00 pm.

Due to the popularity of his seminars, Terry Vandeventer, a professional herpetologist, will be at the Expo each day with his live snakes. Vandeventer has hunted and studied reptiles throughout the world. His snake demonstrations are seen by over 70,000 people annually. He will discuss their life histories, habits and their effects on people, good and bad. Seminar times are: Friday, 7:00 pm; Saturday, 3:00 pm; and Sunday, 3:00 pm.

David Hall with the Central Mississippi Hawking Club will be at the Expo discussing falconry and showing his hunting partners. As David will explain in his seminars, these birds are not "pets," they are hunting partners. Even though there is a strong devotion to the birds, they are free to go anytime they enter the field to hunt. If you have any questions about falconry, ask David at his seminars or stop by his booth at the Expo. Seminar times are: Friday, 6:00 pm; Saturday, 12:00 noon; and Sunday, 1:00 pm.

Michael Kelly of Wild Exposures will be at the Expo with a display of his beautiful wildlife photography. Michael, a native of Greenville, specializes in photography of wildlife of the Mississippi River. His display will include some of his best work from whitetail deer to wild turkeys to ducks and hummingbirds.

The Expo will also feature the "The Bass Tub," one of the top attractions on the outdoor show circuit. "The Bass Tub" is a 42-foot long portable fish tank which holds 5,000 gallons of water. The Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Parks will stock the tank with native species of fish. During the seminars, spectators will get a "fish's eye view" of how fish react to lures. Various techniques will be demonstrated along with what baits to use while fishing.

Show Hours are: February 24, Friday, 3 pm - 9 pm; February 25, Saturday, 10 am - 8 pm; February 26, Sunday, 12 pm - 5 pm. Admission is: Under Six - Free; Six to Twelve - $4.00; Adults - $6.00. Anyone bringing a can good to the Expo for Wildlife Mississippi's "Hunt Against Hunger" program can receive $1.00 off of the admission price (limit one per attendee). All donated can goods will be donated to the victims of Hurricane Katrina in Mississippi.