Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation - March 25 - March 29, 2024

Jarred Brooke is an Extension Wildlife Specialist with Purdue University. His hunting and wildlife conservation journey started by chasing northern bobwhite and ring-necked pheasants behind his family's Weimaraners in the farm country of Indiana. His passion for hunting and wildlife conservation led him to Purdue University where he graduated with a BS in Wildlife Science. Building on his love of upland gamebirds, Jarred completed an MS in Wildlife Management at the University of Tennessee where he conducted research on the ecology of northern bobwhite on reclaimed surface coal mines. Jarred completed a brief stint in Kentucky working for the Kentucky Department of Fish and Wildlife Resources and Natural Resources Conservation Service as a Farm Bill Biologist before returning to his alma mater in 2016. As an Extension Specialist, Jarred works with landowners, land managers, and various state and federal agencies to provide resources related to applied habitat management - with a focus on game species. Jarred also teaches a course at Purdue University on the role of consumptive use in wildlife conservation. Jarred has been an instructor with CLfT since 2018.

Molly has been a CLfT instructor for a least a decade. She's also a Vermont Fish and Wildlife Chief Hunter Safety Education Instructor, a Hunter Safety and Bow Hunter Safety Instructor, an NRA Shotgun Certified Instructor, a Vermont Fish and Wildlife Conservation Group board member and active with Back Country Hunters and Anglers. Molly has worn many hats in her work life -- dairy farmer, carpenter, graphic designer and family practice nurse . She currently creates custom western hats and leather goods.

Scott resides on 12 acres of restored prairie in Oregon, Wisconsin. A native of New Hampshire, he earned an undergraduate degree from the University of New Hampshire and graduate degrees from the University of Wisconsin—Madison. He began hunting by following his father and grandfather around the mountains of northern New England in pursuit of deer and grouse. He has been hunting for more than 40 years for deer, wild turkeys, upland birds and waterfowl. Scott served as state leader of the Wisconsin 4-H Shooting Sports program for 13 years and is a certified instructor for rifle and shotgun. With the help of several colleagues and friends, he launched the Wisconsin Student Hunting Project in 1995, which received national recognition several years later; it is the model on which CLfT was based. Scott has taught many wild game cooking classes and enjoys promoting game utilization. He is very active in The Wildlife Society and belongs to numerous other conservation organizations.

Philip H Dietrich II, consultant and shooting instructor known for entertaining anyway legally and safely with a shotgun. Currently Director of Outdoor Recreation and Habitat at McGraw. He has managed Wing & Barrel Ranch located in Sonoma, Ca. catering to the heart of wine country. Prior at Five Star Plantation, the South’s Premier quail facility. And Before that he was the GM of Prospect Hall Shooting Club, a private hunting and shooting facility serving world class wing shooters of the Washington D.C. area. He is NSCA level II certified shooting instructor. Between coaching shooting and Dog handling, he loves being a slave to an age-old trade. He has a diversified professional background in land management, habitat & herd management along with shooting sports course layout and design. In addition, he was the Area Chairman of Eastern Panhandle of Ducks Unlimited when hosting the 2012 Federal Duck Stamp Vote. A graduate of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia with a BS in Sports Management and a Business Minor. He was born and raised in Ohio where he was mentored by family and friends at an early age in the world of conservation through hunting and shooting sports. Phil enjoys hunting waterfowl, upland birds and anything with feathers using great dogs, the best shotguns with the finest of companions. He is committed to introducing educating and passing along the heritage and importance of hunting and shooting sports to the world of conservation.

Robert J. Gates is Associate Professor of Wildlife Ecology and Management in the School of Environment and Natural Resources at Ohio State University. Bob grew up and began hunting with his father in east central Wisconsin, after which his family moved to the hunting paradise of eastern South Dakota, where he received his B.S. in Wildlife Science from South Dakota State University. Bob’s graduate degrees were from Montana State University (M.S.) and Southern Illinois University at Carbondale (Ph.D.). Bob’s travels have provided many memorable hunting, fishing and other outdoors activities that he has shared with family and friends in 19 states/provinces in the U.S. and Canada. He is most proud of passing on the hunting and fishing traditions to his younger brother Dale, and to his sons Eric and Jared. Bob is an avid bird hunter who most enjoys hunting pheasants and prairie grouse over pointing dogs (especially Brittanys) and also hunts doves, waterfowl and big game. Bob has taught classes and conducted research with graduate students for nearly 30 years, first at Southern Illinois University, and currently at Ohio State University. His research interests are primarily focused on ecology and management of upland game birds, waterfowl and other wetlands-dependent wildlife, and conservation of wetlands and early successional habitats. He has been a member of The Wildlife Society (TWS) for more than 30 years, serving as state chapter president in Illinois and Ohio, and President

Hunting is one of the things that defines me. I hunt for food, family, friends, dogs, challenge, exercise, education, memories, treasures, and fun! Most often, I hunt grouse, woodcock, pheasants, quail, ducks, geese, deer, and elk, but I have had the opportunity to hunt a wider range of species from Alaska to Namibia and several places in between. My mother taught me how to hunt and I have been hunting with my father on the opening weekend of the Wisconsin deer hunting season for 51 years. I am trained and certified in a dozen ways regarding firearms and hunting and CLfT is one way that I enjoy sharing the world of hunting with students and beginning hunters.

I work as a wildlife ecologist in The Ohio State University’s Terrestrial Wildlife Ecology Laboratory. As a faculty member in the School of Environment and Natural Resources, I have a split research and teaching appointment. Research interests include outdoor recreation participation and access, game species population modeling and management, habitat and pollinator conservation on rights-of-way, and stewardship of private woodlands. I instruct Wildlife Ecology Methods, Wildlife Habitat Mgt, and senior Capstone courses. I serve on the state board for the Ohio Chapter of The Wildlife Society and Backcountry Hunters and Anglers.
I start with my professional interests because they are fueled in large part from my personal passions. I have a traditional introduction to the outdoors from my father. He continues to be my best hunting buddy, and my daughters accompany me on many outdoor adventures as well. My interests center on public land hunting both in the East and out West with adventure-style backpack hunting as my true passion. In the last decade, I have broadened my pursuits to include fishing and foraging, always with an emphasis on putting food on the table and making memories with family and friends.

Jamie Nack has been a CLfT instructor since 2007. She received a B.S. degree from the University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point in Wildlife and Biology and a M.S. degree in Wildlife Ecology from the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Jamie considers herself very fortunate to have a father who was always willing to take his daughter hunting. The time spent and lessons learned helped instill a love for the outdoors at an early age, developed a passion for hunting, led to a career in wildlife management and nurtured a conservation mindset. Over the past 25+ years, Jamie has hunted deer, bear, bobcat, turkeys, rabbits, waterfowl, upland birds, fox and coyote. She is a member of numerous conservation organizations, including The Wildlife Society (state, section and national). Jamie resides in Columbus, Wisconsin with her husband, two daughters and three hunting dogs. Family time is often spent outdoors hunting, fishing, training dogs, gardening and exploring.

Dr. Wes Neal received his B.S in from Virginia Tech, and both his M.S. and Ph.D from North Carolina State University. He specializes in research on topics ranging from farm pond management to tropical fish ecology and management to sport fish genetic selection. Wes served as state Extension fisheries specialist in Arkansas for 4.5 years before joining the faculty at Mississippi State University in 2008 in the same role. He is an Extension Professor in the Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Aquaculture at MSU. Wes is an avid angler and hunter, with a primary focus on connecting with nature and securing healthy natural meats for the freezer.

Henry has a 13 yr background as an educator and instructor with multiple state and federal agencies as well NGOs toward hunting and trapping.

Also nearly 30 yrs as a professional advisor and consultant to commercial markets and federal government specializing in small-arms & ammunition.

Mark D. Smith is a W. Kelly Mosley Environmental Professor/Extension Specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension Systems in the School of Forestry and Wildlife Sciences at Auburn University. He received his B.S. in Fisheries and Wildlife from Michigan State University and a M.S. in Wildlife Sciences and Ph.D. in Forest Resources from Mississippi State University. His extension activities focus on helping landowners and natural resource professionals reduce damage caused by wild pigs. Mark is an active member of The Wildlife Society, serving in various capacities at all levels (student chapter to national) and is also an Alabama Hunter Education instructor and 4-H Shooting Sports coach. Mark’s introduction to the shooting sports, hunting, and fishing began at the age of 6 on a 160-acre woodland in northern Michigan. These early childhood experiences in the woods with family and friends played a key role in developing his insatiable quest for adventure. Over the ensuing years, Mark has hunted and fished through much of the United States, 4 Canadian Provinces, and Africa. Despite these far-flung adventures, his true love is rabbit hunting with a pack of beagle hounds. Labeled a “Damn Yankee” by many (a northerner who visits the South and doesn’t leave), he has since developed an unshakeable addiction to saltwater fishing. Thus despite a having a relatively good paying job, he remains continuously broke.