Chick-Owa National Hunting and Fishing Day Celebration

Listing of September 23, 2006 Workshops

Pan Fishing – Harold Kronemeyer of ATO (American Tackle Outfitters) presented a workshop on the art of Pan Fishing. This Workshop included:
Live bait rigs and techniques, casting and reeling, using electronics, outfitting your boat, fishing from shore, equipment needed, getting started, and license requirements.

Bass Fishing – Gary Tepastte, Semi-professional Bass Fisherman, presented a workshop on the tactics and techniques of Bass Fishing. This Workshop included: Soft plastics in the weeds, Casting and Flipping Techniques, Understanding the Habitat, Patience (to bring in the big one), Choosing the Right Equipment (from rod and reel to line and tackle), when and when not to do things differently, Artificial Tackle vs. Live Bait

Fall Turkey Calling and Hunting – Rod Benson of Rod Benson Game Calls conducted a workshop on the art of Calling and Hunting the Wild Turkey during the Fall Hunting Season. This workshop included: Scouting and locating, breaking up the flock and calling them back (the set up and the calls), advance calling (what to do when the birds hang up), and much more.

Spring Turkey Calling and Hunting Rod Benson of Rod Benson Game Calls also conducted a workshop on the art of calling and hunting the Wild Turkey during the spring hunting season. This workshop included: scouting and locating the spring gobbler, the set up, calling the gobbler in, advanced calling (what to do when that big old Tom just doesn’t want to come), and more.

Whitetail Deer Calling and Hunting – Rod Benson of Rod Benson game calls presented a workshop on the art of calling in the whitetail deer. This workshop included: scouting and locating, calling while rattling, calling in the does to bring in the bucks, fawn bleats, and more. You won’t want to miss this one. It’s always the perfect time to make sure your ready for the upcoming season’s trophy.

Falconry Hunting – Falconer Lee Slikkers was on hand with live, trained hunting hawks and falcons to answer questions and provide information to individuals who may be interested in the sport of falconry. If you were interested in becoming a licensed falconer, if you had never heard of falconry, or if you were just interested in finding out what falconry is all about this was your chance to learn about this historic method of hunting.

Duck and Goose Calling and Hunting – The Quacker Attacker Team presented a workshop on the art of calling ducks and geese and how to hunt them. This workshop included: getting started, equipment needed, dry land setups, water setups, how to call them in, sounds used, responses used, and much more.

Tree Stands – Brent McCormick of Kent Arms & Archery Pro Shop in Wyoming MI presented a workshop covering the different types of stand's available. Why one works better than another in certain types of trees than others. And most of all, safety using tree stands, as we do not want to loose one of you this season to an accident.

Predator Hunting – Ross Graveling, of Calvary CRC, presented a workshop on hunting predators such as coyote and fox. This Workshop included:

• General information about local predators (habitat, populations, etc)
• Hunting tactics (group hunting, hunting with dogs, trapping, calling)
• Equipment (guns, calibers, calls, etc)

Scouting for Success – Ross Graveling, Director of Youth Ministries at Calvary CRC, also presented a workshop outlining how to scout. This workshop included:
Defining what success is (species, size, price) How to find places to be successful, whether local or traveling (the internet and other useful tools), how to scout and prepare before the hunt (reading topographical maps and gathering information), and what to do once you arrive

Muzzle Loading Firearms – This workshop was about the basics of Traditional Muzzle Loading Firearms. This workshop included: Safety, techniques, differences between modern firearms and traditional muzzle loading firearms, loading and unloading, precautions while in the field, opportunities to shoot for fun and competition, options to build your own, and much more.

Small Game Hunting – Kelly Wilson of Rod Benson Game Calls presented a workshop on the art of Squirrel Calling and Rabbit Hunting. This workshop included: How to locate squirrels, the sounds that they make, how to approach them, and equipment needed to hunt them. Rabbits: habitat, how to hunt them with or without dogs, equipment needed, and dog training and care.

Water Trapping – Erv DeWeerd of Macatawa Bay Waterfowl Association presented a workshop on the basics of Trapping Fur Bearing Water Animals. This workshop included: The basics of Trapping Muskrats, Mink, and Raccoon. How to scout out locations for setting your traps and the equipment needed for each of these fur bearing animals.

Dry Land Trapping – Erv DeWeerd of Macatawa Bay Waterfowl Association presented a workshop on the basics of Trapping Fur Bearing Land Animals. This workshop included: The basics of Trapping Fox, Coyote, and Raccoon. How to scout out their habitat and what are the best locations to set your traps. Also, the equipment needed to outsmart these fur bearers.

Fur Preparation – Erv DeWeerd of Macatawa Bay Waterfowl Association also presented a workshop on the basics of preparing the Pelt of Fur Bearing Animals. This workshop included: Proper Fur Handling and the basics of skinning, fleshing, and stretching your furs for market.

Upland Bird Hunting – Ruble Huddleston, of South Shore Heating and Cooling, presented a Workshop on Upland Bird Hunting. This workshop covered the techniques and tactics used to hunt pheasant, grouse, and woodcock and included live birds during the presentation.

Walleye Fishing – John Achterhof, former Professional Walleye Fisherman, presented a workshop on how to fish for Walleye. This workshop included:
Live bait rigs & techniques, trolling techniques (planer boards, bottom bouncers, night-time), using electronics, reading structures, jigging techniques, casting lures for walleye, and outfitting your boat for walleye.

Beginning Archery – Gary and Vern, of Grand Valley Sporting Goods, presented a workshop designed for the beginning archer that included shooting at 3D targets

Game Preparation and Field Care – Blue Star Meats presented an excellent workshop on properly dressing your game in preparation for the butcher.

Reloading (Shot Shells and Cartridges) – Phil Wauben of South Kent Sportsman’s Club presented a workshop covering the basics of reloading. This workshop included: the difference between reloading shot shells vs. cartridges, the equipment needed for each type of reloading, the possible cost savings, and the advantages of reloading your own ammunition.

Shotgun Shooting – This workshop was designed to cover the basics of shooting moving targets with a shotgun and presented by several experienced shotgun shooters from the local area clubs. This workshop included: proper fit, mounting your gun consistently, target acquisition, follow through, eye dominance, opportunities for shotgun shooting, and more. This workshop will conclude with an opportunity to shoot at sporting clays from a trap line.

Patterning Your Shotgun for Turkeys – Brandon Genther of the National Wild Turkey Federation (NWTF – Dorr Chapter) presented a workshop covering how to pattern your shotgun for Hunting Wild Turkeys.

Preparing Your Large Game for Taxidermy – Doug Veldhuis, of Sporting Memories Taxidermy, presented a workshop on how to prepare your large mammals for the taxidermist.

Preparing Your Fish and Fowl for Taxidermy – Doug Veldhuis, of Sporting Memories Taxidermy, presented a workshop on how to prepare your fish and waterfowl for the taxidermist.

Preparing Your Small Game for Taxidermy – Doug Veldhuis, of Sporting Memories Taxidermy, presented a workshop on how to prepare your small game for the taxidermist.

Rifle Shooting – There was time set aside to sight in on the ranges between workshops

Pistol Shooting - There was time set aside to sight in on the ranges between workshops and opportunities for those who had never shot pistols before to give it a try