Outdoors Sportsmen's show now on.
For those suffering from cabin fever, the 28th Annual Garden State Outdoor Sportsmen's and Adventure Show will open at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Raritan this Thursday. Hopefully, Wednesday's expected storm won't make it too tough to get there.
This year's event will offer 180,000 square feet of exhibit space featuring, seminars, demonstrations, vendors and exhibitors and is presented in partnership with The New Jersey Department of Fish and Wildlife, The New Jersey Outdoor Alliance, United Bowhunters of New Jersey and The New Jersey State Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs.
As in years past, the show will host The Garden State Deer Classic, presented by the New Jersey Division of Fish and Wildlife. The Classic has been part of the show since 1999. More than 50 trophy whitetail deer from last year's hunting season will be on display in a newly refurbished exhibit area. The awards ceremony for the Classic takes place on Sunday, the final day of the show, at 2:30 p.m.
For this year's show, organizers have doubled the number of seminars that will feature topics such as year-round fly fishing in New Jersey, bow hunting techniques, New Jersey's spring stripers, fly and light tackle surf fishing, black bear hunting and more.
The show also features a variety of family attractions and demonstrations, including birds of prey, wild animals and reptiles and even a Kodiak bear. The kids can also try their hand at archery, fly casting and learn how to catch a big bass in the Hawg Trough, a 5,000-gallon aquarium filled with large and smallmouth bass. There will also be working sluice where visitors can get a taste for panning for precious stones.
Many people come just to shop. The show draws a wide variety of vendors offering fishing tackle, archery and hunting equipment, clothing, trips and charters.
The Garden State Outdoor Sportsmen's and Adventure Show is open this Thursday and Friday from 1 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tickets are available online for $9, admission at the door is $12. Visit www.gsoss.com for complete seminar schedule and to purchase tickets.
