Memories of the Sportsman’s Jamboree

During my more than half a century of writing, broadcasting and being involved in events involving the outdoors, there is one in which I was involved that stands at the forefront of my memory, the Sportsman’s Jamboree.
I remember meeting with a group of Ruston folks who got together to discuss a problem and to see if we could do something about it. We discussed the fact that we needed to do more to respect the landowners who allowed us to hunt on their land as well as to do a better job of behavior as outdoorsmen and women. We decided to hold a public meeting to discuss these and other things related to the outdoors. Thus, in October, 1980, our first event was held under the heading “Respect the Landowner.” Our state representative at the time, William Sumlin, was successful in having that logo added to special auto license plates that year.