Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: MONDAY, October 10, 1994                   TAG: 9410140028
SECTION: SPORTS                    PAGE: C6   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: By BILL COCHRAN OUTDOOR EDITOR
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RUE STILL LEARNING ABOUT DEER

"I saw my first track back in 1939 in a cornfield below the house near Belvidere, N.J. It was the first deer sighted in my area. Now we have on the average 35 deer per square mile. It is unbelievable."

Unbelievable, too, is the insatiable interest in deer, which has helped make Rue the most published wildlife photographer in North America.

He has taken more than 1 million still photographs, nearly 2,000 of them becoming magazine covers. He has written 24 books, with sales of more than 3 million. He has 1,000 magazine columns to his credit and has given 4,000 lectures.

Five years ago, he got into the wildlife video business.

"When I got to be 65, I figured it was time for a new career," he said. "You don't want to get stuck in a rut."

Rue will bring his "Deer of North America" lecture to the Roanoke Valley on Friday with a 7 p.m. presentation at William Byrd High School. Sponsored by Trebark Outfitters, the program will benefit Return to Nature, Inc., a nonprofit organization dedicated to teaching youngsters an appreciation of nature. The show ($8 for adults, $4 students) is designed for everyone from hunters to youngsters, Rue said.

"I always start all of my programs by saying, 'I don't want you to think that I think I know all there is about deer. I don't. I am learning every single time I go out.'"

Participants often come away from a Rue seminar wondering what wasn't said about deer. His programs are fast-paced, fact-filled and last more than two hours.

"I have always said no one should lecture over one hour," he said. "My lecture is 21/2, only because I have so much to tell people. And the thing of it is, they won't go home then. I have to spend another hour answering questions."

A bout with prostate cancer hasn't appeared to slow Rue's enthusiasm. He comes to the Roanoke Valley one week after a seven-week series of radiation treatments.

"The good Lord has a lot of work left for me to do," he said. "Thank God for that. I do every day."

Rue is scheduled to be interviewed by ESPN in Bedford on Saturday, said Mike Roberts, director of Return to Nature.

Additional seminars are scheduled Saturday, 7 p.m. at Longwood College in Farmville; and Sunday, 2 p.m. at Bristol's Viking Hall.