LUFKIN Whether you fish, shoot or photograph wildlife, the upcoming 2006 East Texas Sportman’s Skills Event has something to offer, said Dr. Billy Higginbotham, fisheries and wildlife specialist with Texas Cooperative Extension.
Organized by the Texas Wildlife Association, Extension and other conservation organizations, the event will be Sept. 9 at The Red Barn, Old Diboll Highway, Lufkin.
“The programming represents an effort by the association to promote wildlife conservation to a larger audience,” said Higginbotham, who also serves on the association’s board of directors.
“Before, TWA (Texas Wildlife Association) has primarily targeted landowners with similar events, but in East Texas there are many sportsmen and sportswomen who don’t own land,” he said. “This program is aimed at them as well as the landowners.”
Morning sessions will include presentations and demonstrations by experts on: East Texas quail hunting and bird dog training, retriever training, wildlife food plots, trapping feral hogs, and outdoor youth activities.
Afternoon sessions will include presentations on: determining the age of deer and harvest record keeping, turkey hunting and calling techniques, photographing wildlife by outdoor photographer Jay Brittain, waterfowl management and hunting, ‘rattling’ for whitetail deer, and identifying East Texas native plants.
The event will include a noon roundtable discussion on wildlife and natural resource issues in East Texas. Members of the roundtable will include state Rep. Jim McReynolds and Texas Parks and Wildlife Department Commissioner John Parker. Local hunting club managers will also host a panel discussion on how their clubs operate.
Event participants will automatically be entered into a drawing for a Browning Micro-Medallion 7mm-08 hunting rifle donated by the Polk Oil Company Inc. Registered participants may also purchase raffle tickets for other items donated by local businesses and individuals.
Registration by Sept. 1 is $15 for Texas Wildlife Association members and $25 for non-members. At-the-door registration will be $20 for members and $30 for non-members.
A catered lunch will be included in the registration fee. Program organizers urged participants to register early as space will be limited.
To register, call the Texas Wildlife Association at 1-800-TEX-WILD or log on to http://pond.tamu.edu/LufkinSeptFlyer.pdf for a downloadable registration form.
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