Wildlife Youth Day Events:

Youth Day at the Dixie Deer Classic -  March 1 2013
North Carolina State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, NC

Click Here for the Wildlife Youth Day Website

Youth Day at the Dixie Deer Classic – Wildlife Conservation through Education
March 1, 2013 is an opportunity for all grades to attend school at the Dixie Deer Classic, NC State Fairgrounds, Raleigh, NC. Classes offered at the Dixie Deer Classic align with many NC DPI Essential Standards for math, science or social studies for grades K – 12. 
However, the main goal of Youth Day at the Dixie Deer Classic is to allow you youth to experience the outdoors life. We don’t want this generation of students to be the last children in the woods! The Wake County Wildlife Club (sponsor of the Dixie Deer Classic) and their Wildlife Conservation through Education Committee Partners feel strongly about this and are committed to objective education.

With limited school budgets, some school groups who want to attend these classes may need help with transportation costs. The Youth Day Wildlife Conservation through Education Committee will offer:
• A transportation grant of $3 per student to the first 300 students registered. The teacher submitting the registration form must note the school’s procedures and restrictions that may apply to this grant.
• Free admission to students 12 and under. Admission is only $5 for students ages 13 to 18 and for teachers and chaperones. After students complete their classes, they may visit the many other exhibits and special seminars by outdoor TV show personalities throughout the weekend. 
• Admission to the Friday Youth Day also covers hand-stamp admission to the Dixie Deer Classic for the entire weekend! Regular admission is $10 for Friday evening and all day Saturday and Sunday.
Mark your calendar:
• January 30 – Deadline for receiving applications (includes number and names of students, class preferences, number and names of teachers and chaperones). See registration information.
• February 30 – Class schedule and information packet mailed/emailed to each teacher/school.
• March 1 – Youth Day at the Dixie Deer Classic.
Please contact us for more information:
• Registration for the Youth Day Wildlife Conservation through Education Program – Beth Gunn, NC Wildlife Resources Commission (919) 707-0205, beth.gunn@ncwildlife.org
• Other questions, Allen Basala, Wake County Wildlife Club (919) 634-0124, anj1basala@earthlink.com.

Trapping Coyotes
Instructor: Jimmy Pierce
Website:
Email: beaverstop@nc.rr.com
Bio: Jimmy has been a lifelong hunter, fisherman and trapper in North Carolina. He retired as Captain, in 1997, from the Raleigh Police Department. He is a former president of the North Carolina Trappers Association and currently a professional trapper in central North Carolina.
Presentation: Jimmy will speak about techniques, equipment and methods in getting started in trapping coyotes in North Carolina. He will discuss current trends in coyote management and his own knowledge of the animal.

Food Plot and Habitat Management
Instructor: HR Carver-Bioplots
Website: www.bioplots.com
Email: info@bioplots.com
Bio: H.R. Carver is the owner of Bioplots, a full service food plot company that offers food plot installation, mineral supplementation, and consultations to landowners and lease holders who wish to make their property more inviting, and more nutritious, for all of the wildlife that reside there. He has been a leader in food plot, habitat, and mineral supplementation industry since 2007.
Presentation: H.R. will speak about successful techniques for planting food plots and maintaining a habitat that deer wish to be in. Helpful tips for the successful implementation of mineral sites on your property will also be discussed.

Processing Venison
Instructor: Jeff Pearce – Pearce’s Custom Processing
Website:
Email: jlp.pearce@hotmail.com
Bio: As the owner of Pearce’s Custom Processing in Louisburg, NC, Jeff has been processing wild game for forty years. He has been a state board member of the North Carolina Hunters for the Hungry since 1994.
Presentation: Jeff will speak about proper handling of game from field to freezer and discuss various techniques in processing venison.

Live Wolves
Instructor: Frank Newell, Newell Farms Wildlife Center
Website: www.easternbluebirdrescuegroup.org
Email: frankbnewell@yahoo.com
Bio: Frank Newell, his family and staff of volunteers are licensed Federal and NC State wildlife rehabilitators. Frank has been a wildlife rehabilitator for over sixty years. He operates Newell Farms Wildlife Center in Warrenton. He is retired from the U.S. Army with 38 years of service and is a retired U.S. Dept. of Agriculture Wildlife Specialist of 16 years.
Presentation: Frank and his volunteers will have two adult live wolves, a coy dog and a nutria. They will talk about and answer questions on wolves and other species of wildlife.

Decoy Carving, History of the Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild
Instructor: Kent Hood, Jerry Talton – Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild
Website: www.decoyguild.com
Email: captchaos_4@hotmail.com (Kent Hood)
Bio: Jerry Talton-Jerry is both an avid waterfowler and carver who carves mostly for his own use, focusing mainly on the traditional methods and materials of the Core Sound area. His decoy carving career evolved from a love for shaping surfboards, which began at an early age. His decoys are influenced greatly by the simplistic elegance of working decoys from coastal North Carolina to Long Island, NY. In addition to the carving, Jerry paints all the decoys himself.
Jerry does not limit his carving to ducks alone, but also makes shorebirds and canvas-covered waterfowl. He will often incorporate salvaged materials from local marshes as well as historic structures and vessels into his decorative pieces which give them a bit of historical significance. He is currently serving on the Board of Directors of the Core Sound Decoy Carver Guild. His pieces can be found in many collections and hunting rigs throughout the United States.

Kent Hood-Kent has been waterfowl hunting around 30 years. Growing up in the swamps outside of Goldsboro, NC, Wood Ducks, Mallards, Teal and other puddle ducks were the main targets. After moving to Carteret County in the late 80’s he took to hunting diver ducks on the open water of Core Sound, Lower Neuse River and other areas that ducks may visit but still enjoys hunting the swamps and impoundments of Eastern North Carolina. Kent has been carving decoys since April of 2007. His original plan was have a rig of 200+ decoys all handmade to hunt over. While in the process of putting this rig together, he became active at the Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild located in Harkers Island.

The Guild offers carving classes for beginners and up. Some decoys he made in these classes have gone on to win ribbons in North Carolina, Virginia, Maryland and California. He mostly carves decoys know as Core Sound Style Decoys. At the 24th Annual Core Sound Decoy Festival he won Best of Show in Core Sound Style category with a Canada Goose. Rocking H is the brand on his decoys. Kent is currently on the Board of Directors at the Core Sound Decoy Carvers Guild. He enjoys introducing others to carving and participates in a number of carving demonstrations across the State.
Presentation: 2012 is the 25th anniversary of the Core Sound decoy Carvers Guild but the history of decoy carving goes much further than that. Jerry Talton will present the rich history of decoy carving, waterfowling on our coast and the Guild. He will also give insight as to the events planned for the 25th Annual Core Sound Decoy Festival in Harkers Island, NC.

European Skull Mounts
Instructor: Harold Dorsett-Piedmont Skull Works, RacPlaques
Website: www.piedmontskullwrks.com ; www.racplaques.com
Email: sales@piedmontskullworks.com
Bio: Harold is a lifelong resident of North Carolina and is an avid hunter and outdoorsman. If he is not hunting or trapping, he is getting ready to go. His love of deer hunting led to his interest in skull cleaning. After cleaning skulls for himself and family for several years, he started cleaning skulls professionally about 5 years ago. He is now retired from corporate American and owns and operates Piedmont Skull Works and assists his eldest son with Racplaques which makes custom displays for Euro and antler mounts. He is a licensed taxidermist and is a member of the NC Taxidermists Association. He has won awards for his skull work at the Surry Community College Mini Course and the NC Taxidermist Association competitions. He is also a member of the NC Trappers Association, serving on the Board of Directors.
Presentation: You will be introduced to the processes involved in cleaning skulls and preparing them for display. Harold will discuss the pros and cons of several methods used in preparation, with emphasis on producing a quality mount. Examples of finished skulls will be available for inspection, along with some examples of the mistakes that are common. Upon leaving this seminar you will have a basic understanding of what it takes to complete your own Euro mount and where to go if you need more information.

The Gun and Beyond: The Hunter’s Role in Maintaining our Hunting Heritage
Instructor: Walter “Deet” James – North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission
Website: www.ncwildlife.org
Email: walter.james@ncwildlife.org
Bio: Deet James has been the Hunting Heritage Biologist for the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission since May 2008. His position is directed at better understanding issues and barriers to hunter recruitment and retention in North Carolina.
Presentation: Hunting benefits our economy, provides funding for conservation and wildlife management, contributes to promoting a healthier lifestyle, has charitable characteristics and directly connects us with the natural world in which we live. Although the harvest remains a fundamental element of wildlife management, so too does the individual hunter’s willingness to nurture the hunter’s legacy in modern society.

Antler Shed Hunting
Instructor: Jeremy Moore- Moore Outdoors
Website: www.mooreoutdoors.net
Email: mooreoutdoors@netnet.net
Bio: Jeremy Moore is the owner of Moore Outdoors which produces the DogBone Training Products line. DogBone Training products are designed to allow you to train your new pup or previously trained retriever to hunt for and retrieve shed antlers. Jeremy started training retrievers 13 years ago and since then has focused on training his dogs and his clients dogs for shed hunting and blood tracking wounded game almost exclusively for the past 5 years. Jeremy is a year round whitetail hunter and spends much of his fall working for one of the Midwest’s elite outfitters, Bluff Bucks Outfitters in Buffalo City Wisconsin. Helping at Bluff Bucks, he is able to expose his pups in training to the “real thing” when it comes to getting pups started on tracking and shed hunting.
Presentation: We will discuss the steps that we take when starting out our young shed dog prospects. We will cover everything from starting out with the necessary basic obedience, all the while forming good habits that will transfer into the field later in formal retriever training. In our seminar we will be using actual pups in training to show their progression as they mature both physically as well as mentally. We will be using young pups that will more than likely make a few mistakes, but this is what the viewers need to see…what do we do to correct those mistakes and continue to progress in our training. Jeremy uses primarily an “English style” of training, using very little negative pressure and instead getting his pups to work for positive reinforcement and praise. Jeremy is currently training pups for Nick Mundt and Travis T-Bone Turner of the TV show Bone Collectors and will have them involved with his seminar showing how to be just that in every sense of the work….a Bone Collector!

Duck Calling
Instructor: Allen Bliven – Allen Bliven Calls
Website: www.allenblivencalls.com
Email: julbliven@earthlink.net
Bio: Allen Bliven, of Allen Bliven Calls (ABC), grew up on the beautiful Outer Banks of North Carolina. It was here that he developed his love for waterfowl hunting. Growing up in a place with such a deep rooted waterfowl history, it was only natural to become obsessed with waterfowl hunting. This obsession has lead Allen and his wife Julie to develop Allen Bliven Calls (ABC) a leading waterfowl call manufacturing company in North Carolina.
Presentation: Allen Bliven and members of the ABC calling team will demonstrate the differences between competition waterfowl calling and the calling techniques used in hunting situations. They will also stress the importance of introducing our youth to the wonderful sport of waterfowl hunting/calling.

Retriever Demonstration
Instructor: Roy Coffee-Retriever World
Website: www.retrieverworld.com
Email: roycoffeyjr@gmail.com
Bio: Retriever World is a nationally known company and will be offering Sporting Dog Training Equipment at the Classic. You will see some of the most highly advanced training supplies and equipment used today and learn why and how they are used. For more information about Retriever World please visit our web site at www.retrieverworld.com or call 1-888-464-0114.
Presentation: Hunting Retriever's is soaring in popularity. Retriever World's demonstrations are highly educational for those who seek to learn more about how to train their retrievers. This seminar shows you how to develop all of the skills that are necessary for your dog to become a super-hunting retriever. You will see some of the amazing steps used to start puppies with basic obedience, teach hand signals, and see the skills needed to train a top-notch hunting dog. Retriever World will be bringing hunting retriever's to this years Dixie Deer Classic. Professional Retriever Trainer, Roy Coffey will be present all weekend to speak with you about training your own dog. Mark sure you don't miss the dogs in actions. The kids will certainly love to see the dogs perform.

NC Snakes
Instructor:
Website:
Email:
Bio:
Presentation:

Birds of Prey
Instructor: Steve Stone – Director, American Wildlife Refuge
Website: http://www.awrefuge.org
Email: awrefuge@aol.com
Bio: Steve Stone has run the AmericanWildlife Refuge since 2001. He has Federal and State licenses to rescue hawks, eagles, owls, falcons, and more. He is also licensed to keep birds of prey for educational shows. Through his care and work, many orphaned or injured raptors are returned to the wild, healthy and able. Steve has worked with many species of raptors that few in North Carolina have ever seen. He has rehabilitated over 600 birds.
Steve brings his educational animals to thousands of children each year. To date his 1000+ education shows have been seen by aprox. 1.5 million people. He is one of the few people in the state who has an educational eagle. Steve teaches NC Wildlife officers and NC State Park Rangers courses in raptor recognition, handling and behavior so they can better deal with the public and animals in the parks. He also teaches a college course which is recognized by the NC Veterinary Board and the US Department of Interior for professional education credit.
Presentation: We will teach people about the birds of prey we have with us, including an eagle, hawks, falcon, vulture and some owls. We will tell stories of the birds, of rescues, and talk about some of the myths that people think are true about birds of prey. We will also let people get up close to the animals and let some of them (for a fee) take photos with the animals.

For More Information on Courses and Schedules email: steve.bennett@ncdenr.gov

2009 Youth Day Participants
Photos from the 2009 Program

This years youth day events are described at the web site www.wildlifeyouthday.org