Got questions about Quality Deer Management? Get answers straight from the top when you meet and speak with nationally known QDM experts and hunting celebrities at the Quality Deer Management Association’s Whitetail Expo, part of the 2008 QDMA National Convention. The Whitetail Expo is open to the public and takes place July 26-27 in Chattanooga.
Lee and Tiffany Lakosky of Scent-Lok’s “Gettin’ Close” will kick off the celebrity appearances at the show with a seminar at 11 a.m. Saturday, July 26.
Nationally known deer researcher Dr. Grant Woods of Missouri takes the stage at 1 p.m. to tell the story of how one hunting property went from “Zero to 150 in Five Years” through Quality Deer Management. At 2 p.m., Realtree founder Bill Jordan will talk about his personal success with QDM on his hunting property and his experiences with QDM success across North America.
The Whitetail Expo seminars continue on Sunday morning at 11 a.m. with wildlife consultant Neil Dougherty of NorthCountry Whitetails. Neil will teach audience members how to select and lay out great hunting properties in a seminar titled “Great Whitetail Properties Don’t Just Happen – They’re ‘Made That Way’.” If you missed seeing the Lakoskys on Saturday, Lee and Tiffany return to the stage Sunday at 1 p.m. They’re followed at 2 p.m. by Hunter’s Specialties Pro Staff members Alex Rutledge and Eddie Salter, who will use highlights from their hunting video footage as they discuss techniques for calling and hunting whitetails.
A “meet-and-greet” opportunity will take place at 3 p.m. on both Saturday and Sunday on the Whitetail Expo floor, including celebrity and expert speakers who will be available for photos and autographs. They are joined by dozens of other well-known QDM experts who will be among the crowd throughout the entire QDMA National Convention. Hunters who attended the QDMA National Convention in the past said they were surprised to be able to approach top deer experts for questions and one-on-one conversations outside of the formal educational events. Attending the 2008 National Convention, in addition to the speakers mentioned above, are more than 30 of the top deer researchers, consultants and QDM experts from around the nation, including David Morris of Tecomate Wildlife Systems, Dr. James Kroll of Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, Dr. Karl Miller of the University of Georgia, and Dr. Mickey Hellickson of the King Ranch.
Even the kids get to rub shoulders with celebrities in the Kid’s Corner, where the guys from Team Primos will be conducting the popular kids’ grunt-call contests and providing all the prizes, and where the “First Lady of Hunting,” Brenda Valentine, will lead fun, educational seminars for young hunters.
Seminars are only a small part of the Whitetail Expo, which features exhibits by top manufacturers and service providers in food plots, habitat management, trail cameras, deer hunting gear, and more. Admission to QDMA’s Whitetail Expo is $10 for adults, free for hunters age 15 and under, and a coupon for “buy-one-get-one-free” admission is available at www.QDMA.com
. Expo hours are Saturday, July 26, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., and Sunday, July 27, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The QDMA National Convention will take place at the Chattanooga Convention Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, from Thursday, July 24 through Sunday, July 27. For more information about the many other events and educational opportunities at the Convention, visit www.QDMA.com .