The Sporting Life Book - Horses, Gundogs and Wildlife

Artist Joseph Sulkowski

Artist Joseph H. Sulkowski presents his viewpoint on outdoor heritage through a new book filled with paintings and sketches. The hard-cover coffee table size book has 240-pages, with more than half of this volume simply artwork detailing bird hunts, horseplay and the love of working canines in the field. For those who cherish outdoor experiences, turning the pages of this book will trigger memories of hunting and fishing adventures, and may inspire new ones.

Sulkowski is based in Franklin, Tennessee and has spent the years traveling to hunt and paint at the finest plantations in the South. His life experiences include travel abroad too, all the while honing his style that he refers to as poetic realism. “My goal with The Sporting Life is to help viewers connect with the natural world,” said Sulkowski. This compelling book published in late 2017, so it relates many of his individual experiences, while delivering an overview how this lifestyle also offers nourishment for the soul. He signed copies and greeted fans during the Horses, Hounds and Hooch event at the Dog and Horse art gallery on Church Street.

English Pointer Pups and Llewellyn Setters

It’s hard to convey the depth of colors in each image, but the titles are plain enough. Quail Hunt over the Palmetto Prairie, Controlled Burn at Blue Springs Plantation, September Dove Hunt over Middle Tennessee, Duck Hunting Among the Cypress, Dad’s Tackle Box, Casting on the Narrows and Sketch of a Sportsman’s Life. Seek out a copy of The Sporting Life to see if your vision for each of these titles matches the scenes Sulkowski shares, offering vistas from his own journey along the outdoors trail.

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past sporting exhibits at Dog and Horse click on 2012 - 2010 

Apokalupsis

To view past book reviews click on Barns, Barbecue and Bales of Cotton -  Turkey Men - Edisto River - Tall Timbers - Red Knot - Audubon's Aviary - Lefty Kreh - Guy Harvey - Year of the Pig- Shrimp, Collards and Grits - Passion of the Wild - Kayak Fishing - Longleaf Alliance - Old Friends (Barns)

2018 Garden and Gun - Cocktails and Conservation

Bill Palmer and Paul Grimes 

New for 2018 SEWE

After a successful run of having a large booth outside at Marion Square during the SE Wildlife Expo, the folks at Garden and Gun magazine decided to host a pair of new events dubbed Cocktails and Conservation. The first event on 2 p.m. on Saturday featured Bill Palmer from Tall Timbers Research Station in Florida, where research on fire ecology and bobwhite quail is conducted every day. Paul Grimes is the regional game bird biologist that oversees South Carolina lands. Writer T. Edward Nickens moderated the questions that came from the knowledgeable attendees, while Palmer explained how more resources are required to keep a fire culture at the forefront of conservation today. Tall Timbers advocates for more land under management for quail, with an emphasis on restoring fire to areas it is absent from now.

The second event on Sunday at 2 p.m. featured editor David DeBenedetto as moderator for aquaculture experts Ryan Croxton and Cyrus Buffum. A plate of three oysters from different locations were presented along with a bourbon drink from Blade and Bow. There seemed to be a lot of interest in how oysters can filter the water and actually improve the habitat they are growing in. Recycling oyster shell is also a popular topic since the availability of solid substrate is imperative in the Lowcountry where silt and pluff mud dominates the estuary.

For past blog entries about Tall Timbers Field Days in S.C. click 2017 -  2013 - 2011 - 2010  or Independent Quail Workshop 2014

To view past blog entries from the Savannah River Turkey Invitational click 2013 - 2012 - 2011 

Tall Timbers / Red Hills Legacy book review

Blade and Bow bourbon served with oysters

2018 SEWE Sunday - Sporting Round Up

Jim Westerhold educates youngsters
 about wildlife

The final day of SEWE ends one hour earlier at 5 p.m., which means SEWE patrons need to savor the experience of Charleston's sporting round-up before the long wait for 2019 SEWE begins. The South Carolina Bobwhite Initiative and Qual Forever were on with new signs for landowners willing to participate in providing small game habitat.

To view blog entries from 2018 SEWE click on ACE Awards - Black Tie Preview Gala - Gone to the Dogs - Birds of Prey

To view past blog entries from SEWE Sunday click 2017 - 2016- 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009

Tim Long with Quail Forever and the S.C. Bobwhite Brigade

Find sporting furnishings at SEWE

You might be a redneck if you knew
 Jeff Foxworthy is an artist?!

2018 SEWE Saturday - Birds of Prey Flight Demo

African Yellow-billed Kite

The Center for Birds of Prey in Awendaw come to the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition each year to conduct flight demonstrations in Marion Square in downtown Charleston, to raise awareness for their mission regarding the conservation of avian species.

To view blog entries from 2018 SEWE click on ACE Awards - Black Tie Preview Gala - Gone to the Dogs

To view past blog entries about the Center for Birds of Prey click on 2017 - 2016 - 2013 - 2011 - 2010

To view past SEWE Saturday photos click 2015 - 2014- 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009.

Eurasian Eagle Owl

Gyr-prairie falcon hybrid

Two Harris Hawks launching from Embassy Suites

2018 SEWE Friday - Gone to the Dogs

Dock Dogs Friday at Brittlebank Park

People that attend the Southeastern Wildlife Expo are all animal lovers of some kind, but it tends to be most suitable to dog owners and pooch friendly folks. The sheep herding, dock dogs, canine rescue organizations and retriever demos are always in demand - taking SEWE to the dogs again in 2018!

To view blog entries from 2018 SEWE click on ACE Awards - Black Tie Preview Gala

To view past blog entries about the S.C. Junior Duck Stamp competition click 2018 - 2017 - 2016- 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011

To view past blog entries from SEWE Sunday click 2017- 2016- 2015 - 2014 - 2013 - 2012 - 2011 - 2010 - 2009

To view blog entries from the 2017 35th Anniversary of SEWE click Birds Of Prey - Jeff Corwin - SEWE Gala - Feathers and Flocks 

Sheep Herding Demos at NEW to 2018 SEWE

Greyhound Rescue is at SEWE

John Boat full of Labs

2018 SEWE Gala at Belmond Charleston Place

Live music at the SEWE Gala

Work in progress from Hemsley Art

Cirque De Vol from Raleigh N.C.

Art of all kinds is on display at Belmond Charleston Place

The 36th edition of the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition included a black tie gala and art auction on February 15. This year's featured artist is Kathryn Mapes Turner from Wyoming, and the 2018 Guest Artist is Joseph Sulkowski from Tennessee. This preview of the wildlife art for sale at SEWE gives VIP patrons the chance to purchase paintings and sculptures in a setting where the artists are always open to answer questions from serious collectors, including commission artwork orders.

A buffet supper, open bar, jazz music, live auction and performance art are all part of the mix in the Belmond Charleston Place ballroom. Celebrities in attendance included Jeff Foxworthy, Jack Hanna and numerous S.C. elected officials. Friendly discussions include swapping hunting stories, sharing current events about family members, and of course planning out what to do over the next three days of SEWE. The air conditioner was running inside, due to the unseasonably warm weather that is in place for the entire 2018 SEWE weekend.

To view blog entries from 2018 SEWE click on ACE Awards

To view past blog entries from the SEWE Gala click 2017 - 2016 - 2015- 2014 - 2013,  2012, 2011, 2010, or 2009.

2018 SEWE Begins - ACE Conservation Awards

Presenting the Check for the Inaugural ACE award

Ricky Schroder supports conservation

The Inaugural Award for Conservation Excellence (ACE) ceremonies held at the Gaillard Ballroom on Valentine's Day reflected on worldwide efforts on behalf of wildlife and the natural resources they depend on. The idea for the ACE awards came from artist John Banovich of Seattle, and his Banovich Wildscapes Foundation. Banovich was the featured artist at SEWE in 1998 and he agreed that Charleston and SEWE would serve as an ideal host. Congrats to Timothy McClanahan and Nyawira Mouthiga, founders of the Wildlife Conservation Society's coral reef program, for winning the Award for Conservation Excellence and the $100,000 cash prize to further their research.

"The ACE awards crowd included sportsmen, academics, scientists, conservationists and environmentalists," said Banovich. "The nominees are rock stars in the realm of conservation, and they have all moved the needle in their respective fields, so they really deserve this recognition." A team of judges determined the winner. The other finalists were George Archibald, Joel Berger, K. Ullas Karanth and David MacDonald. The U.S. Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke was the keynote speaker at the ACE awards.

To view past entries about the start of the SE Wildlife Expo click 2017 - 2016 - 2015 - 2014- 2013 - 2012 - 2009

Anne London, Jim Hart and George Archibald

 To view a past blog about the ACE Basin area of the Lowcountry click on 25th Anniversary 

Emcee Jeff Foxworthy and Jungle Jack Hanna 
mingle with ACE Award guests

Three-toed sloth that Jack Hanna brought to town

Waterfowl Habitat Workshop at The Catfish Farm

Bob Perry demonstrates how 6-inches of water depth,
is ideal for ducks feeding on the bottom

The timing for the waterfowl habitat workshop could not have been better considering that duck hunting season just ended. Waterfowl managers could now visit duck ponds still holding migratory waterfowl without worry of disturbing the ducks. The Catfish Farm is located in the Pee Dee region and does not have any tidal influence on its waterfowl habitat, which includes flooded agricultural impoundments and a green tree reservoir complex.

            

Dr. Rick Kaminski and Manager Lynn Collins

The Director of the Kennedy Waterfowl and Wetlands Center based at the Baruch Institute in Georgetown is Dr. Rick Kaminski. “We should be mindful that this is the 100th Anniversary of the Migratory Bird Treaty Act signed in 1918,” said Kaminski. “That’s a long time to be managing migratory waterfowl, and the North American Waterfowl Plan is the greatest continental ecosystem management plan worldwide.” Kaminski also shares that while duck numbers are trending upward in modern times, duck hunter recruitment numbers are decreasing.

            

Pee Dee Waterfowl Workshop attendees

Ben Powell is the Clemson Cooperative Extension member tasked with planning the Pee Dee Waterfowl workshop. Winyah Land and Timber, SCDNR, Ducks Unlimited and the Nemours Wildlife Foundation provided meeting materials or on site expertise to help convey the message of wetland conservation. The Catfish Farm is owned by Richardson Construction Company, and longtime manager Lynn Collins was happy to answer any questions about how they attract migratory ducks and honor waterfowling traditions.

            

Thanks to The Catfish Farm for hosting the workshop!

Bob Perry is a wildlife biologist with Palmetto Natural Resources Management consulting firm, after retiring in June 2017 after 39-years with SCDNR. “I first came to The Catfish Farm in 1999, when aquaculture practices raising commercial catfish were still underway,” said Perry. “Since the initial waterfowl management plan we crafted here, I can document the history of waterfowl using the property.” The Catfish Pond is located near Marion, and occupies 1100-acres once known as Cypress Creek Bay, and lies in between the Little Pee Dee and Great Pee Dee Rivers.

To view the entire feature article in the newspaper click on Colletonian.

To view past blog entries about waterfowl habitat click on ACE Basin 25th Anniversary