Met Dr. Stephen Ditchkoff this Evening

Got to meet Dr. Stephen for the first time this evening in Tuscaloosa at the CWD Seminar.

Sure do miss him around this place.

I always enjoyed his posts and all the info that he brought to this place and shared.

If you folks have not attended a CWD seminar yet y'all need to get in on one of them.

I think there are 3 more of them still to be conducted.

I read everything I can find about CWD so I'm pretty UTD on the disease.

Seminar was informative and well presented.

Sure worth attending in my honest opinion.

Dang it. I hate I missed it. If it was informative, it was vastly different than the one I went to a few months ago.

I miss his posts around here too.

Good guy

I met him a couple times when i was younger with my brother, hes a nice feller.

Wish more of.them folks were still around

Agree. If they weren't treated like sh*t by some folks they might be.

They don't get slammed any worse than I do.

Yeah but you won’t lose your job for fighting back.

Unless I missed something.....I don't recall them ever acting unprofessional in any way.....so it's not like they were just asking for it. Some.folks on here just can't pass up any opportunity to be a goober

Now that's something we can agree on.

Exactly the reason why some of them have chosen not to be a part of this place anymore.

Wow so this place used to have people in the industry post on it? I’ve always just assumed it’s a bunch of old geezers who’s wives don’t allow in public anymore because they’re such a$$holes so they come here to get their fix.

I went to the CWD presentation in Auburn this week and thought it was very informative

There are some here that are like my Mother In Law. Will argue that the sky is blue and they are always right.

Did I miss something? I never saw anyone call CNC anything in this thread? Why he get so defensive?

Are they still talking about reducing the herd numbers and that baiting is bad in CWD areas?

it's not just this site. I don't think BSK goes to Tndeer anymore either.They must have some know it alls there too. Kinkle is a nice guy and very knowledgeable. He worked for Grant Woods too.

Ah Man I remember ol steve.....Super guy and smart as hell.....I had forgot about him.....

BSK is the one I miss the most. He would dive off into a subject as deep as you wanted to go with it and never criticized you for thinking outside of the box. He was one of the folks who recognized that we don’t have it all figured out yet no matter how much we know about a subject. The last conversation I remember having with him he was looking at new ways to improve the thin rocky soil he had to deal with up there in TN. It doesn’t surprise me that he walked away from forums altogether. I guess he finally just got tired of dealing with the morons. Its sad that it comes to that because the vast majority of folks on these forums are good people just wanting to talk and learn about deer and such

I'd find a new employer if they handcuffed me off the clock. I'm sure there are other universities that will allow you out to talk without being muzzled.

I just mean any resource professional has to watch what they say and how they say it before posting for public record. Can get in hot water in a hurry.

From my understanding, he realized he wasn't enjoying hunting and the outdoors as much due to the deep-dive intensity into all the management stuff he'd committed to at the time. And so he backed away and changed his outlook.

I agree 100%.

Sho nuf Matt. Been there.

it doesn't really work that way. Let's say maybe 1-3 schools (nationally) have an opening in your specialty. You compete against 30-40 others for each spot. Once you get one it isn't likely another will be opened or offered. However, there are always some superstars that can move around or have the clout to move. That isn't the norm.

And no, there are not any state universities that being outside the academic mainstream thinking and speaking out that one would feel comfortable in the workplace.

Back at it I see

I gave him hell as a student, awesome guy

Yet I wonder if he is a SITH LORD.

His statement that hunters need to make sacrifices for the good of hunting by giving up their rights to hunt wild hogs just seemed peculiarly wrong to me? My gut reaction of wow that seems wrong for such a peculiar statement by one of the leading wildlife profs in state was only heightened. When it turns out that he is on the jointly shared patent with Auburn University for an immunospecific birth control that can be used in theory/application for hog control. The chemical has been brought to market and a new company that is in the Auburn business generator for University patent to sales / business is now offering the product for hog control... His potential for perceived conflict of interest is beyond immagination... Even made worse when given grants on WMA's that evaluate effectiveness of alternative methods of hog control which include hunting and traps..

And let's not forget that Ft Rucker predation study. That was comic relief.