CONSERVATION CORNER
August 21, 2006
Expo Features Top Attractions and Speakers
by James L. Cummins

The seventh annual Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Expo will be held on August 25 27 at the Forrest County Multi Purpose Center in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. Anyone who loves hunting, fishing or just being outdoors will find something of interest at the Expo. Plus, all proceeds benefit conservation in Mississippi.

On Friday, August 25, at the Mississippi Fish and Wildlife Expo there will be a workshop on Restoring Your Forest After Hurricane Katrina. This workshop is sponsored by Land Bank South and hosted by Wildlife Mississippi. For a complete schedule of the workshop, go to www.wildlifemiss.org.

Back by popular demand, Terry Vandeventer, a professional herpetologist, will conduct seminars on Saturday and Sunday with his live snakes. He will discuss their life histories, habits and their effects on people. Don't miss this one!

David Hall with the Central Mississippi Hawking Club will be at the Expo discussing falconry and showing his hunting partners. As David will explain, these birds are not "pets," they are hunting partners. If you have any questions about falconry, ask David at his seminars or stop by his booth.

Billy Joe Cross, a native of Meridian, author of seven cookbooks and editor of three more, will be at the Expo discussing how to prepare wild game and fish. Hunters and anglers will appreciate that Billy Joe will be able to tell them how to put their harvest to nutritious, tasty use. Billy Joe's method of cooking is simple, with easy to prepare dishes that are hearty and filling without a lot of fuss.

On Saturday, the staff of the Forrest General Hospital will conduct two seminars at the Expo on outdoor health and safety. Anyone attending the seminars will have the opportunity to enter a drawing for a $100 gift certificate to Big Buck Sports.

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 taken 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, August 25 or from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 26. All entrants meeting the minimum requirements (125 Typical, 155 Non typical) will receive an official certificate. Scoring will take place on Saturday, August 26. All entrants will be required to leave their mounts for display and will receive a pass to return to the Expo to pick up their mount on Sunday, August 27.

Show Hours are: August 25, Friday, 3 pm 9 pm; August 26, Saturday, 10 am 8 pm; August 27, Sunday, 12 pm 5 pm. I hope to see you there.