Outdoor Adventures
Phil Taunton
Friday, September 5, 2008
Bluestem Farm and Ranch Supply, 2611 West Hwy 50 in Emporia, will host their 6th Annual Wildlife Appreciation and Conservation Days Fall Expo.
The event runs from 4 to 8 p.m. today and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free and no purchase is necessary. All you need is a love of the outdoors.
Manufacturer representatives from Wildlife Research, Remington Feeders and Wild Game Innovators and Eagle Claw Fishing will be at the store and Pro Staffer Martin Eichelberger of Hunter Specialties will be happy to show and demonstrate his company's latest line of game calls, decoys and hunting equipment.
You talk about outdoor cooking and sampling some tasty morsels! Representatives from Weber Grills and Horizon Smokers will be giving outdoor cooking demonstrations throughout the event. They know how to do it. My personal “gar-on-tee” is you will think your lips fell in love!
The Expo has something for everyone in the family. Personnel from the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks will once again maintain the portable laser shooting system and Grandpa Pokey, the balloon clown, will entertain young and old alike with his gift of being able to shape balloons into critters. If you have questions concerning conservation of our natural resources and status of wildlife, including both game and non-game animals alike, Bluestem will be the place to be. The Expo will feature booths with local representatives from Ducks Unlimited, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, National Wild Turkey Federation, Kansas Dept. of Wildlife and Parks, and Kansas Hunter Education, including a sign up for the Oct. 25 and 26 hunter education safety certification class at Camp Alexander.
The Lyon County Soil Conservation Service will be there to answer your land practice needs and much more. Bob Redeker of the Kansas Furharvesters will be willing to answer your questions concerning trapping, nuisance animals, furharvester education and predator control; and Roger Wells, the National Habitat Director for Quail Unlimited, will be on hand to answer questions and give recommendations concerning the plight of Mr. Bobwhite. New this year to the Expo will be Eric Priest, who will present his authentic handcrafted bows, arrows and Indian drums. Lloyd Fox, KDWP big game biologist, will also be on hand to discuss deer aging, scoring of antlers, CWD and big game management.
Grand prize drawings include a Liberty Fire Gun Safe and a Savage Model 114 270 Rifle.
Come visit Bluestem Farm and Ranch this weekend. And whenever possible, make it a practice to get the kids off the couch and introduce them to the Great Outdoors!
Becoming an
outdoors woman
Fellows, hold on to your hats. Women just love outdoor adventures if given the opportunity! Last year while I was doing a presentation at the Hunter Education booth at the Bluestem Expo, a soft-spoken woman came up to me with questions concerning firearm safety and how to load and shoot a handgun. Since the Emporia area has nothing in the way of a supervised firearm safety range, I directed her to a very popular program sponsored by the Kansas Department of Wildlife and Parks called Becoming an Outdoors Woman (BOW).
The first BOW workshop was held in 1994 and has been a success for 15 years. BOW is an educational opportunity that teaches hands-on outdoor skills to adult women and programs are designed especially for beginners, so no experience is necessary. Women get a chance to learn about firearms, hunting, fishing... everything there is to know about the Outdoors in a friendly, supportive atmosphere. Experienced volunteer instructors are there to teach a variety of outdoor skills which include shotgunning, camping, orienteering, rifle and handgun marksmanship, bowhunting and archery. This year’s program runs from Sept. 26-28 and is held at Rock Springs 4-H center just south of Junction City.
Many women have not participated in this form of outdoor recreation simply because they have not had an opportunity to learn the outdoor skills that make these activities enjoyable. Once given the opportunity to do something outdoorsy, many women take advantage of it with enthusiasm and self-confidence.
The application deadline for this BOW event is Sept. 15. More information on Outdoors Kansas or BOW, including a brochure and registration form for the 2008 workshop, is available at the KDWP website, www.kdwp.state.ks.us, or by phoning 620-672-5911.