Curriculum

Waterfowl

Turkey

Whitetail Deer

Fishing

Upland Birds

Icefishing

Trapping

Politics

Field Trips

• Dead Creek Wildlife Refuge, Addison, VT - canoe, banding, habitat focus & tree planting
• Mississquoi National Wildlife Refuge, Swanton, VT - canoe tour, blind building, species id, habitat focus
• Wetland Tour, Chittenden & Addison Cty, VT- habitat enhancement, blind building
• Farm Day - work day, winter wheat and corn planting, hayfields
• Fish & Wildlife - Essex w/ Bill Crenshaw, Waterfowl Biologist
• Snowbound Kennels - Alec Sparks, Dog Trainer
• Lake Champlain Retriever Club - field trials, hunt tests, gunning assistance
• North Country Sportsmans Club - firearms safety, trap, sporting clays shooting  

Turkey

• Habitat - lowland and mountain ridgelines, differences in food availability
• Habitat Enhancement - standing corn, apple trees, chufa, lablab, peas, etc.
• Effects of Weather - Winter Severity Index, mast availability, phototropic periodism, "leaf out"
• Calling - basics, spring, fall, types of calls, when and when not to
• Equipment - vests, seats, friction, diaphragm and box calls, decoys, shotgun gauge and chokes
• Scouting - habitat identification, tracks, glassing, "locator" calls, importance of NOT using turkey calls, roosts
• Camoflage - pre-leaf out and post leaf-out, light and shadow
• Strategies - 3 "cycles" of breeding, decoys, motion, land form strategies, roosting
• Landowner Relations - "getting permission", rights, responsibilities and manners
• Volunteerism - National Wild Turkey Federation - mission, programs, needs and values, why, how much time?

Field Trips

• Farms/Scouting - Champlain Valley, Addison, Franklin & Chittenden Counties
• Mountain - ridgelines, Addison, Franklin & Chittenden Counties
• Farm Work Day - planting seed corn, working food plots, planting apple trees
• NWTF Calling Contest - at annually chosen location
• F&W - Pittsford, Doug Blodgett- Turkey Management Team Coordinator
• WSI Reseach - snowshoe expedition to locate roosts and general health of flocks

• Traditional Habitat vs. Suburban-ized Habitat - food, shelter, wintering areas, travel corridors
• Habitat Enhancement - natural food plots, clover, alfalfa, perennials, cost/benefit conclusions
• Effects of Weather - Winter Severity Index, mast identification and availability, phototropic periodism
• Calling - types of calls, ratttling, bleats, grunts, timing
• Equipment - rifles, calibers, scopes, calls, ballistics, archery, sights, etc.
• Scouting - glassing, "road" vs. field scouting, identifying corridors, bedding, feeding patterns
• Safety First - Importance of Wearing Orange, backdrops, target ID
• Strategies - still hunting, tracking, tree stands, light & shadow, solunar schedules, rutting periods
• Landowner Relations - the myth of the "right to hunt", creating a "culture of respect"

Field Trips

Fishing

• Habitat Study - Lake & Stream - naturally occurring vs. altered
• Natural Habitat vs Changing Habitat - Invasive species effects, what changes w/ each invader?
• Species Identification - traditional and introduced species
• Ecosystems - What species thrive in what environment? ph, O2, entemology, shallow vs. deep
• Pollution - point & non-point, phosphorous, sediment, erosion, pesticides, petroleum
• Invasive Species - zebra mussels, Eurasian milfoil, water chestnuts, alewives, cormorants, lamprey, parasites
• Equipment - lake and stream rods, flyrods, reels, line, tackle and boats
• Scouting - troughs, drop-offs, pools and deep water, GPS and mapping systems
• Strategies & Techniques - bass, rainbows, lake trout, salmon, panfish, pike, muskellunge
• Public Trust Doctrine - Resources, rights and responsibilities

Field Trips

• ECHO - species identification, cause & effect
• VT Fish & Wildlife - salmon fry releases, lamprey nest counts, habitat studies
• Walleye Hatchery Project - Bald Hill, LCWA involvment
• Major Rivers Ecosystems - Lamoille, Winooski
• Secondary Rivers Ecosystems - Huntington, New Haven
• LCI Derby Headquarters - structure, weigh stations, records, sponsors, day to day operations
• Lake Fishing Day - charter donation for salmon. lake trout
• Lake Fishing Day - charter donation from BassMasters
• Stream Fishing Day - donation from outfitter, Learn to Fish, and/or guide service
• Rainy Day Runoff - non-point source pollution from parking lots - Allen Brook, Potash Brook, etc.
• Ed Weed Hatchery - No. Hero - human intervention within ecosystem
• Lewis Creek Assoc. - creek walk, plant diversity, riparian ecology

• Species - ruffed grouse, woodcock, pheasant
• Habitat - preferred feed and cover - naturally occuring
• Habitat Enhancement and Management - food plot prep, plantings, raising pheasants
• Scouting - topo maps and GPS coverage, seeking out abandoned farms and orchards
• Landowner Relations - getting permission, sharing covers, proper manners
• Strategies & Techniques - instinct shooting vs sustained leads, gauges, shot size, chokes
• Practice - trap & skeet 

Field Trips

• Ruffed Grouse Society - apple tree releases, habitat enhancements
• Peaceable Hill Preserve - habitat creation, business of raising birds for hunt & consumption
• SnowBound Kennels - training pointers
• North Country Sportsmans Club - firearm safety, trap, skeet & sporting clays shooting     
  
  

Icefishing

• Habitat - safe ice, lakes, ponds, species
• Strategies & Techniques - lake trout, salmon, pike, perch, smelt
• Equipment - shanties, micro-lines, tip-ups, handlines, bait and bait restrictions, colors & light

Field Trips

• Fish & Wildlife Office - creel limits, bait ID and restrictions
• Icefishing Expeditions - Lake & Pond
• Commercial Fishing - Highgate Bait & Tackle 
  
  
  
  

• Purpose and Intent of Trapping
• Why trapping is necessary - Social, Economic and Ecological
• Species that are trapped - a study of species and their history
• Habitat - Historical and adaptive alternatives
• Strategies and Techniques - History of various traps and modern alternatives
• Markets and Values - cost of tools, time & labor vs. market values of pelts

Field Trips

• What do they have to do with hunting & fishing?
• Examples of Legislative affects
• Study of Proposed Bills

Field Trip

• VT Legislature w/ Vermont Traditions Coalition - during a bill debate
• Introduction - to Steve McLeod & Frank Stanley, lobbyists
• Hunter, Anglers & Trappers - meeting