BIRDS OF A FEATHER GATHER TOGETHER
Pheasants Forever's annual national Pheasant Fest and Quail Classic, Minneapolis Convention Center, Friday noon through Sunday. Open to the public, the group's 30th anniversary will feature more than 300 exhibitors, with expected attendance of 30,000. Other attractions include:
Bird Dog Parade, beginning Friday at noon, with about 50 sporting breeds of dogs and their owners marching through the Convention Center to start the show.
Landowner Habitat Help Desk. Using satellite photos, Pheasants Forever biologists and habitat specialists will design habitat projects for landowners in real time, while coordinating conservation funding from state, federal and private sources.
Rudy's Youth Village. Air rifle shooting, a 3-D archery range and decoy carving are among attractions for youth. Using a simulator, Olympic shooters, including Army Sgt. Vince Hancock, the reigning Olympic men's skeet shampion and first skeet shooter to repeat as Olympic gold medal winner, will help young shooters improve their shotgun skills.
Wild game cooking. Chefs Georgia Pellegrini, author of the book "Girl Hunter," and Hank Shaw, author of "Hunt, Gather, Cook: Finding the Forgotten Feast," will speak and demonstrate their culinary skills.
National voices. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service Director Dan Ashe will speak at a Friday evening banquet, and USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack will keynote a Saturday evening banquet. Tickets can be reserved by phoning 1-877-773-2070.
For more information, go to www.pheasant.org.
DENNIS ANDERSON
