For sportsmen and wildlife enthusiasts, winter is always a more exciting time of the year. This is the time of year for hunters to get out in the fields, woods, and swamps in search of their favorite game. It is also a time of the year when there are more open views for wildlife watchers, since the trees have shed their leaves, and it's a lot more pleasant to be in the woods, because you don't have to fight the gnats, deer flies, and mosquitoes.

There are many more people in our county today than there were 50 years ago. Although a smaller portion of our population are avid hunters, according to the number of hunting license sold each year, there are more people involved in hunting today than in past years. Because of this there is more pressure on our wild game.

Much of our increase in population has resulted not in the cities and towns of our county but in the rural areas. Anyone traveling around our county can see evidence of many more homes in rural areas than ever before. There are very few places where you can go in our county today that you are not within sight of a home.

Both of these factors indicate a drastic need for sportsmen and landowners to pay a lot more attention to habitat for wildlife. A decrease in the land available for wildlife increases the need to make sure that suitable habitat for feeding and reproduction is available throughout the rural areas. With more people wanting to hunt and view wildlife, there is a need for suitable habitat to ensure there is an abundance of wildlife on fewer acres.

The North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service is providing a program early next year that should prove to be very interesting and beneficial to all hunters, landowners, and those who have an interest in wildlife and the outdoors. The program is called Master Wildlifer 2003 and is structured as a wildlife management short course designed to provide a vast amount of information about virtually all species of wildlife that may be found in our area.

Master Wildlifer 2003 is a series of seven meetings, each lasting about 2 to 3 hours. Each session will focus on a different species of wildlife and will include topics such as white-tailed deer, quail, wild turkey, rabbit, aquatic wildlife, and dove. Topics will also include managing forests for wildlife diversity and developing recreational wildlife opportunities.

These meetings will originate out of Clemson Extension in Clemson, South Carolina, and will be broadcast to over 200 sites throughout the southeast by means of live video telecasts.

Arrangements have been made for those living in Robeson and surrounding counties to participate in this short course with very little efforts. This short course will be broadcast live to the campus of UNC-Pembroke. Those wishing to participate in the short course will be able to sit in a classroom on campus and view the presentations on televisions, just as if they were in the same room with the speaker. If they have questions, they will be able to ask the question, and the speaker will respond to all those viewing the program throughout the southeast.

The cost of this short course is $50 per person, and the deadline for preregistration is Wednesday, January 8. Those enrolling in this short course will be able to attend all seven sessions and will receive a 400-page notebook containing all kinds of information related to each of the species discussed. The notebook also contains valuable information about developing habitat for these different species.

If there is more than one person in the household who wishes to participate, such as landowner and spouse or father and son, the second person can register for only $30. Only one notebook will be provided for joint registrations.

This is a fantastic opportunity for sportsmen, hunters, landowners, and others interested in wildlife and wildlife habitat to gain a tremendous amount of information. Those needing more information about this short course or a form for registration are encouraged to contact me at the Robeson County Center of the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Service. You may call (910) 671-3276 or visit my office in the O. P. Owens Agriculture Center on Highway 72 just west of Lumberton.

E-mail address: Everett_Davis@ncsu.edu

Mailing Address:
P. O. Box 2280
Lumberton, NC 28359-2280

Phone: 910-671-3276
Fax: 910-671-6278

Date Created 1/15/03