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Michigan is home to more
than 1 million hunters and anglers, most of who reside within an
hour’s drive or so of Novi. They will fill the aisles at
Outdoorama while looking for deals on boats and sporting
gear, for conservation education that includes nearly 100 free
seminars, and for family entertainment and features.
Returning to crowd fanfare
are favorite attractions like “Big Buck Night” (Thursday
only), “Wildlife Encounters” (all 4 days) and
“Ultimate Air Dogs” with Milt Wilcox hosting daily
demonstrations and weekend competition. New this year is the
WOW Whitetail display featuring some of the most famous
whitetails of all time including the X-Factor buck, the
Hole-in-the-Horn buck, and several others.
Although hunting and
fishing are the show’s roots, Outdoorama has long
appealed to legions of conservationists who enjoy hiking,
camping, boating and canoeing, and who pursue bird watching,
wildlife photography and mushroom hunting.
Adding to the show’s
appeal is the 6th Annual Cottage & Lakefront
Living Show, which runs concurrently at Suburban Collection
Showplace. Patrons to either event receive free crossover
admission. “We’ve kept the admission fee low again this year,”
Starr said. “It’s only $10 for adults and $4 for children 6 to
14. Kids 5 and under get in free.”
For those interested in
booking an out-of-town adventure, Outdoorama features dozens of
lodges, outfitters, guides and charter boat captains from Alaska
to Africa and across North America. Show patrons also can expect
to find great deals on fishing and hunting boats, pontoons and
pleasure boats, docks, lifts, hunting and fishing gear, and
camping supplies.
Besides Ultimate Air
Dogs, family fun activities include a Trout Pond with
live rainbows, a pellet shooting range, free Casting Kids
Contest, a video fishing simulator, Wildlife Encounters
with live native Michigan wildlife, and the Sportsman’s Grill
with fried fish all four days of the show. Premier Animal
Attractions is bringing several exotic creatures to the
show.
National turkey hunting
authorities Seth McCullough and Greg Abbas lead an
all-star cast of hunting seminar speakers. Steve Francis,
owner of Country Smokehouse, will demonstrate field dressing,
skinning, and butchering a whitetail; Jason Herbert with
“Hunting on a Dime;” and Ed Spinazzola and Doc Morrow
on food plotting.
Walleye pros Mark
Romanack, Mark Martin, and Lance Valentine headline
the Fishing Academy of veteran speakers that also includes bass
pro Wayne Carpenter, fly-fishing expert Mike Schultz,
muskie-fishing guides Bob Brunner and Mike Pittiglio,
perch-fishing guru David A. Rose and river-fishing expert
Jim Bedford.
Traditional skills expert
Jim Miller offers demonstrations on building birch bark
canoes, making fire with a wooden stick, and tanning hides the
Native American way.
Team Morel
wild mushroom expert Theresa Maybrier will be on hand all
four days of the show to share techniques for hunting,
preserving and preparing the delectable fungi. The Huron
Valley Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation will
host an open turkey calling contest on Saturday
The first 500 attendees on
Thursday and Friday receive a free, collectible Dardevle spoon
from Eppinger Manufacturing Co. in Dearborn. The first 500
attendees on Saturday and Sunday will receive a free Quick
Fillet Tool from Quick Fillet Productions in Plymouth.
The show that celebrates
Michigan’s great outdoors is February 21 to 24, 2013. Show hours
are Thursday and Friday, 2 to 9:30; Saturday, 10 to 9; and
Sunday, 10 to 5. For more information, go to
http://www.Outdoorama.com
or call 800-328-6550.
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