Ohio Seminar Speakers & Displays

The Open Season Sportsman's Expo Seminar Series features industry experts throughout the whole weekend. Find the full weekend seminar schedule here.

2:30PM - Room A

How to Make Multiple, Mature Bucks Live on YOUR Property
Tony Lapratt - Ultimate Land Management and Whitetail Boot Camp

Tony is the founder of The Ultimate Land Management & Whitetail Boot Camp. He has run over 160 classes. All classes were held at the amazing Whitetail Habitat Research Center; the most advanced hunting property ever designed. Hunters have come from 41 states and Canada.

2:30PM - Room B

Advanced Turkey Tactics
Art Helin – Art Helin Outdoors

Turkey season changes week by week throughout the spring. Join Art Helin as he draws upon his own experience, successes and failures, and the hundreds of days per year in the field hunting, guiding, and scouting. Learn what tactics to change each week to stay at the top of your game.

3:30PM - Room A

Surgical Hunting - Precise Tactics to Remove Big Bucks from the Woods
Adam Lewis – Deer IQ

To consistently take mature bucks in often pressured areas, it takes a different level of hunter with exact skills, plans, and executions. Like the hands of a highly skilled doctor, some of the best hunters have learned that delicate and exact moves are needed for the task of taking a mature whitetail. By looking at the habits of top whitetail hunters and experiences of his own, 6 tactics anyone can replicate are discussed in detail with practical applications.

3:30PM - Room B

Trick Shot Archery Show
Byron Ferguson

This energetic performance by world renowned Archery Trick Shooter, Byron Ferguson, will leave you wondering how these shots are even possible. Byron uses a traditional bow and his instinctive reactions to pull off shots like hitting a flying target blindfolded. and shooting a Lifesaver candy. Along with his Trick Shot shooting, Byron shares entertaining stories from his many years of hunting.

4:30PM - Room A

Wild Game Cooking with HuntChef
Jeremy Critchfield - HuntChef

Chef Jeremy Critchfield has combined a lifetime in the outdoors and a 5 star culinary career to bring you the HuntChef Seasoning Line! Watch in person as HuntChef whips up an easy stuffed venison roast using HuntChef Seasonings and Sauces in only 50 minutes! Want to know how to cook a particular cut, how to dry age your deer or anything else chime in the live Q&A during the seminar. But be prepared because Chef always pulls volunteers from the audience to help cook! And come hungry because there are always mouth-watering samples at the end of the presentation!

4:30PM - Room B

Women in Hunting – Growing Our Sport
Raylene Proto- Ditale Outdoors, Audrey Young – Ditale Outdoors

Women who hunt are real women, we are moms, attorneys, waitresses, first responders, nurses, and wildlife biologists. The number of female hunters has increased by 85% since 2001, now more than 20% of the industry is female. Women participate for leisure but more importantly as a means of providing food for their families. In addition, many women are also involved in conservation efforts and wildlife management. What does this mean for women in sport? What does this mean for businesses in the industry or need to shift to support the segment? How can you get involved?

9:30AM - Room A

Surgical Hunting - Precise Tactics to Remove Big Bucks from the Woods
Adam Lewis – Deer IQ

To consistently take mature bucks in often pressured areas, it takes a different level of hunter with exact skills, plans, and executions. Like the hands of a highly skilled doctor, some of the best hunters have learned that delicate and exact moves are needed for the task of taking a mature whitetail. By looking at the habits of top whitetail hunters and experiences of his own, 6 tactics anyone can replicate are discussed in detail with practical applications.

9:30AM - Room B

Managing Your Woods for Both Timber and Habitat
Anthony Pappas - Heritage Habitat & Forestry

An introduction to "wildlife forestry", whereas we explain how we can manage for both commercial timber production and wildlife habitat simultaneously and sustainably. Using the saved money from the tax programs, re-investing those dollars into habitat treatments is an excellent choice!

10:30AM - Room A

Deer Hunting Through the Season
Art Helin – Art Helin Outdoors

Deer hunting has three main season. Early season, breeding season and late season. Join Art Helin as he explains the differences including when and where to hunt during these seasons to up your odds.

10:30AM - Room B

Trick Shot Archery Show
Byron Ferguson

This energetic performance by world renowned Archery Trick Shooter, Byron Ferguson, will leave you wondering how these shots are even possible. Byron uses a traditional bow and his instinctive reactions to pull off shots like hitting a flying target blindfolded. and shooting a Lifesaver candy. Along with his Trick Shot shooting, Byron shares entertaining stories from his many years of hunting.

11:30 AM - Room A

Wild Game Cooking with HuntChef
Jeremy Critchfield - HuntChef

Chef Jeremy Critchfield has combined a lifetime in the outdoors and a 5 star culinary career to bring you the HuntChef Seasoning Line! Watch in person as HuntChef whips up an easy stuffed venison roast using HuntChef Seasonings and Sauces in only 50 minutes! Want to know how to cook a particular cut, how to dry age your deer or anything else chime in the live Q&A during the seminar. But be prepared because Chef always pulls volunteers from the audience to help cook! And come hungry because there are always mouth-watering samples at the end of the presentation!

11:30AM - Room B

How to Make Multiple, Mature Bucks Live on YOUR Property
Tony Lapratt - Ultimate Land Management and Whitetail Boot Camp

Tony is the founder of The Ultimate Land Management & Whitetail Boot Camp. He has run over 160 classes. All classes were held at the amazing Whitetail Habitat Research Center; the most advanced hunting property ever designed. Hunters have come from 41 states and Canada.

12:30PM - Room A

Ultimate Whitetail Stalking and Tracking
Randy Flannery - Wilderness Escape Outfitters

Registered Master Maine Guide and renowned Tracker/Stalker, Randy Flannery, will show how to master the skills of aging, sexing, and reading deer tracks. He will also share, map and compass skills, how and where to find big bucks, how to walk up on big bucks in all conditions, how to react to big bucks when you jump them, how to shoot fast and accurate, and other big woods hunting skills.

12:30PM - Room B

Women in Hunting – Growing Our Sport
Raylene Proto- Ditale Outdoors, Audrey Young – Ditale Outdoors

Women who hunt are real women, we are moms, attorneys, waitresses, first responders, nurses, and wildlife biologists. The number of female hunters has increased by 85% since 2001, now more than 20% of the industry is female. Women participate for leisure but more importantly as a means of providing food for their families. In addition, many women are also involved in conservation efforts and wildlife management. What does this mean for women in sport? What does this mean for businesses in the industry or need to shift to support the segment? How can you get involved?

1:30PM - Room A

Trapping for Beginners – Getting Started
Michelle Helin – Art Helin Outdoors

Trapping can provide food and income; protects property, supports habitat and human health; and supports responsible wildlife management. Simply put there are lots of reasons trapping should be a core skill in your hunting arsenal. In this session Michelle Helin of Art Helin Outdoors will share the key elements to getting starting in trapping including; getting the right traps, trap maintenance, trap positioning and bait. Trapping doesn’t have to be a foreign language and this session can help you get on your path to trapping success.

1:30PM - Room B

Easy Africa…Going On Safari Is Easier Than You Think
Ken Moody - Ken Moody Safaris

African Safaris can seem daunting and beyond the scope of many hunters. The truth however is that these are less complex than you may think and checking this bucket list item may be something for you. This session will share insights on what to expect, how to make it happen and what you need to know for a successful international safari hunt.

2:30PM - Room A

Ultimate Whitetail Stalking and Tracking
Randy Flannery - Wilderness Escape Outfitters

Registered Master Maine Guide and renowned Tracker/Stalker, Randy Flannery, will show how to master the skills of aging, sexing, and reading deer tracks. He will also share, map and compass skills, how and where to find big bucks, how to walk up on big bucks in all conditions, how to react to big bucks when you jump them, how to shoot fast and accurate, and other big woods hunting skills.

2:30PM - Room B

Advanced Turkey Tactics
Art Helin – Art Helin Outdoors

Turkey season changes week by week throughout the spring. Join Art Helin as he draws upon his own experience, successes and failures, and the hundreds of days per year in the field hunting, guiding, and scouting. Learn what tactics to change each week to stay at the top of your game.

3:30PM - Room A

Proper use of Deer Lures on Mock Scrapes, Scent Post, Hanging Ropes, and Using Deer Calls
John "Smokey" McNicholas – Smokey’s Deer Lures

Smokey McNicholas, a professional trapper by trade, has been making his lures and baits for over 20 year in the hills of West Virginia! He makes the first and only real Preorbital Gland Lure, not synthetic and bottled in glass, not plastic! These products have attracted the biggest bucks around, a fact proven by “Smokey’s Deer Lures” winning the Ohio Valley Big Buck contest 3 years in a row. Find out what makes these products work and learn firsthand the way to combine them for successful results. Remember this is the only place to find the true Preorbital Gland Lure!

3:30PM - Room B

Trick Shot Archery Show
Byron Ferguson

This energetic performance by world renowned Archery Trick Shooter, Byron Ferguson, will leave you wondering how these shots are even possible. Byron uses a traditional bow and his instinctive reactions to pull off shots like hitting a flying target blindfolded. and shooting a Lifesaver candy. Along with his Trick Shot shooting, Byron shares entertaining stories from his many years of hunting.

4:30PM - Room A

Utilizing Mock Scrapes to Inventory, Pattern and Hunt Mature Whitetails
Brian Kightlinger – BuckStik and Left in the Field Outdoors

Scrapes are a definitive communication tool for whitetail deer.  Deer use their front hooves to paw at the ground violently. The overturned dirt and leaves are the telltale sign a buck has passed through the area. Scrapes also have a licking branch, where deer deposit their unique scent from multiple glands. Join Brian Kightlinger from BuckStik and Left in the Field Outdoors as he explains the biology behind scrapes and how you can leverage mock scrapes to take your hunt to the next level. In this session you will learn, basic knowledge of a mock scrape, why deer use them, how to use them to your advantage, stand placement and where to put one relative to food/ bedding.

4:30PM - Room B

Understand and Hunt the Wild Turkey
Shawn “The Turkey Guy” Kotchey - Millcreek Valley Game Calls

Hunting Turkey is an art, it requires a plan to get results. This session will teach you the tactics you need to be successful, from setup, to using calls effectively and understanding the Wild Turkey you will get proven techniques to help you land more Turkey.

9:30AM - Room A

Surgical Hunting - Precise Tactics to Remove Big Bucks from the Woods
Adam Lewis – Deer IQ

To consistently take mature bucks in often pressured areas, it takes a different level of hunter with exact skills, plans, and executions. Like the hands of a highly skilled doctor, some of the best hunters have learned that delicate and exact moves are needed for the task of taking a mature whitetail. By looking at the habits of top whitetail hunters and experiences of his own, 6 tactics anyone can replicate are discussed in detail with practical applications.

9:30AM - Room B

Managing Your Woods for Both Timber and Habitat
Anthony Pappas - Heritage Habitat & Forestry

An introduction to "wildlife forestry", whereas we explain how we can manage for both commercial timber production and wildlife habitat simultaneously and sustainably. Using the saved money from the tax programs, re-investing those dollars into habitat treatments is an excellent choice!

10:30AM - Room A

Advanced Turkey Tactics
Art Helin – Art Helin Outdoors

Turkey season changes week by week throughout the spring. Join Art Helin as he draws upon his own experience, successes and failures, and the hundreds of days per year in the field hunting, guiding, and scouting. Learn what tactics to change each week to stay at the top of your game.

10:30AM - Room B

Women in Hunting – Growing Our Sport
Raylene Proto- Ditale Outdoors, Audrey Young – Ditale Outdoors

Women who hunt are real women, we are moms, attorneys, waitresses, first responders, nurses, and wildlife biologists. The number of female hunters has increased by 85% since 2001, now more than 20% of the industry is female. Women participate for leisure but more importantly as a means of providing food for their families. In addition, many women are also involved in conservation efforts and wildlife management. What does this mean for women in sport? What does this mean for businesses in the industry or need to shift to support the segment? How can you get involved?

11:30 AM - Room A

Wild Game Cooking with HuntChef
Jeremy Critchfield - HuntChef

Chef Jeremy Critchfield has combined a lifetime in the outdoors and a 5 star culinary career to bring you the HuntChef Seasoning Line! Watch in person as HuntChef whips up an easy stuffed venison roast using HuntChef Seasonings and Sauces in only 50 minutes! Want to know how to cook a particular cut, how to dry age your deer or anything else chime in the live Q&A during the seminar. But be prepared because Chef always pulls volunteers from the audience to help cook! And come hungry because there are always mouth-watering samples at the end of the presentation!

11:30AM - Room B

How to Make Multiple, Mature Bucks Live on YOUR Property
Tony Lapratt - Ultimate Land Management and Whitetail Boot Camp

Tony is the founder of The Ultimate Land Management & Whitetail Boot Camp. He has run over 160 classes. All classes were held at the amazing Whitetail Habitat Research Center; the most advanced hunting property ever designed. Hunters have come from 41 states and Canada.

12:30PM - Room A

Proper use of Deer Lures on Mock Scrapes, Scent Post, Hanging Ropes, and Using Deer Calls
John "Smokey" McNicholas – Smokey’s Deer Lures

Smokey McNicholas, a professional trapper by trade, has been making his lures and baits for over 20 year in the hills of West Virginia! He makes the first and only real Preorbital Gland Lure, not synthetic and bottled in glass, not plastic! These products have attracted the biggest bucks around, a fact proven by “Smokey’s Deer Lures” winning the Ohio Valley Big Buck contest 3 years in a row. Find out what makes these products work and learn firsthand the way to combine them for successful results. Remember this is the only place to find the true Preorbital Gland Lure!

12:30PM - Room B

Trick Shot Archery Show
Byron Ferguson

This energetic performance by world renowned Archery Trick Shooter, Byron Ferguson, will leave you wondering how these shots are even possible. Byron uses a traditional bow and his instinctive reactions to pull off shots like hitting a flying target blindfolded. and shooting a Lifesaver candy. Along with his Trick Shot shooting, Byron shares entertaining stories from his many years of hunting.

1:30PM - Room A

Easy Africa…Going On Safari Is Easier Than You Think
Ken Moody - Ken Moody Safaris

African Safaris can seem daunting and beyond the scope of many hunters. The truth however is that these are less complex than you may think and checking this bucket list item may be something for you. This session will share insights on what to expect, how to make it happen and what you need to know for a successful international safari hunt.

1:30PM - Room B

Trapping for Beginners – Getting Started
Michelle Helin – Art Helin Outdoors

Trapping can provide food and income; protects property, supports habitat and human health; and supports responsible wildlife management. Simply put there are lots of reasons trapping should be a core skill in your hunting arsenal. In this session Michelle Helin of Art Helin Outdoors will share the key elements to getting starting in trapping including; getting the right traps, trap maintenance, trap positioning and bait. Trapping doesn’t have to be a foreign language and this session can help you get on your path to trapping success.