President’s Message

Welcome to the 2011 Dixie Deer Classic! On behalf of the members of the Wake County Wildlife Club and our countless volunteers, I want to personally thank you for your attendance and support. The Wake County Wildlife Club is committed to promoting and supporting conservation education and ethical sportsmanship. Your support of the Dixie Deer Classic enables us to continue our mission.

Established in 1966, the Wake County Wildlife Club has continuously been involved in conservation and education activities, including: celebrating National Hunting and Fishing Day, by setting up and manning angling, hunting, and conservation displays and handing out literature at local shopping centers. During National Wildlife Week, WCWC presented educational programs in the schools. WCWC also established a wildlife art show, bringing to North Carolina famous wildlife artists, carvers, and sculptors. Collaborating with the NC Wildlife Federation, the fall art show was a main stay at North Hills Shopping Center and later the Kerr Scott Building, NC State Fairground for nearly 15 years.

WCWC used the income from the North Carolina Wildlife Art Exhibition and Sale to provide scholarships for students in wildlife management and related majors. WCWC also provided funds to purchase the board room for the NC Wildlife Federation’s Office. The Federation in those days was strictly a “hook and bullet” umbrella group for NC’s sportsmen and groups such as NC chapter of B.A.S.S. Many of the WCWC members served in leadership roles at the Federation in those days.

More than 30 years ago the WCWC worked with the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority regarding the increased risk of plane/deer collisions given the burgeoning whitetail deer population. The situation at Raleigh-Durham Airport came to a head when a whitetail buck crashed into a room at a motel near a landing strip. WCWC proposed criteria emphasizing safety for limited access hunts on airport property away from the landing field. The presence of registered hunters in the woods around the airport property was sufficient at that time to send the deer back to their state and county park refuges near the airport. But, that experience got WCWC thinking about deer numbers, buck to doe ratios, and passing on younger bucks.

Three decades ago, members of the non-profit Wake County Wildlife Club, Inc. created the Dixie Deer Classic. The Classic is an exhibit of the latest and greatest in outdoor equipment and clothing, hunting and fishing trips, well-known wildlife conservation groups, resource agencies, hunting personalities, and educators. The Classic continues to be a search for North Carolina’s finest whitetail with over 600 deer scored each year.

In 2009 the WCWC and other organizations teamed up to form the Wildlife Conservation through Education Committee. As a result of this collaboration, the Dixie Deer Classic now includes educational workshops, seminars, and scavenger hunts specifically designed to educate and inspire youth that may not otherwise be exposed to the great outdoors. For a description of those events and the groups involved, please visit www.wildlifeyouthday.org or www.dixiedeerclassic.org.

We firmly believe that the commitment of our youth to ethical hunting, fishing and/or non-consumptive wildlife recreation is necessary to improve wildlife habitat, conserve game and non-game species, educate others regarding wildlife conservation and safety, and to enforce wildlife laws.

The Wake County Wildlife Club has furthered our commitment by establishing the first Friday of the Dixie Deer Classic as Youth Day. Youngsters 12 and under have always been admitted free to the Classic while those 13-18 paid the adult 3-day admission price of $10. During Youth Day admission to the Dixie Deer Classic for youngsters 13-18 is reduced to $5, or half-price. By doing so, the Wake County Wildlife Club is hoping to get more youngsters informed regarding the science, preparation, and rewards one can have being an ethical hunter, angler, and/or wildlife viewer.

The Wake County Wildlife Club’s commitment to wildlife conservation and education is enduring. Some examples include:

• 10 year commitment to NC Hunters for the Hungry, providing funding for 12,240 meals per year;
• 25 year instructor & student hunter education certification program with about 300 graduates per year;
• 27 year commitment to Fur, Fish, ‘n’ Game Rendezvous, a 5 day overnight camp for 12-15 year olds, in the form of 30 camperships and instructors;
• 31 years of hosting the Dixie Deer Classic and entertaining and educating the 20,000 visitors, producing 3 record books and maintaining the trophy deer records for NC;
• 30 year benefactor of projects for many conservation and education non-profits; and
• 40 year provider of university scholarships.

I hope that you enjoy the 2011 Dixie Deer Classic. We have a great selection of vendors, seminars and programs this year and hope you will support them. Thank you again for your support of the Wake County Wildlife Club and the Dixie Deer Classic.
Sincerely,
Paul Gessner President, Wake County Wildlife Club, Inc.