Outdoor Sports Shows Still On

Although the recent outbreak of the Omicron strain of the COVID virus has played havoc with a number of things, including the winter fly tying classes normally hosted by the John Kennedy Chapter of Trout Unlimited, outdoor sports shows scheduled in various places are still set to go on. Two of these are probably of interest to Cove sportsmen.

The first and larger of the shows of interest is the Great American Outdoor Show that is scheduled for Feb. 5 through the 13 at the Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg. For more information about this show, you can visit http://www.GreatAmericanOutdoorShow.org. This site should hook you up with information about prices, times, seminars, and booths that will be at Harrisburg.

As of now the Jaffa Sports Show at the Jaffa Shrine in Altoona is still scheduled. The times of the Jaffa Show are as follows: Friday, 12-8 p.m .; Saturday, 10-8 p.m .; and Sunday 10-5 p.m. For more information about the Jaffa Show, visit http://www.jaffashriners.org/sportsshow. The seminars at the Jaffa Show are often of interest to local sportsmen, since they often deal with local topics.

Unfortunately, due to the Omicron outbreak, the Allegheny Outdoor, Sport, and Travel Show in Monroeville, which was to be held between Feb. 18 and Feb. 20, has been canceled. For an update about this, you might visit http://www.sportandtravel.com.

Outdoor shows are good places to locate fishing and hunting venues. This is especially true of the Harrisburg show, where there are hundreds of outfitters hoping to help sportsmen find exotic and not-so-exotic places to fish and to hunt. Pennsylvania hunters who do not have access to private hunting land have found that the Pennsylvania Game Commission's deer decimation program has worked "wonderfully" on public land and has obliterated the public-land deer herd. By visiting various outfitters' booths, hunters can schedule hunts where deer still exist in healthy numbers.

Fishermen can visit booths that offer adventures both near and far. Some of these adventures are affordable and are close to home.

Various manufacturers, both large and small, hawk their wares at the shows. The most evident of these are turkey call makers whose representatives noisily yelp, cluck, and gobble on callers during show hours. My son, Bob, has picked up a number of fine turkey calls for me during his visits to the Jaffa Show over the years.

Sportsmen's groups, such as Trout Unlimited and the Unified Sportsmen of PA, host booths at the shows. These organizations, which work to benefit outdoorsmen, deserve the support of sportsmen attending the shows.