Are you going to the show? We’re talking about the NRA Great American Outdoor Show, to be exact—the gear- and outfitter- and action-packed, nine-day-long outdoor show generations of hunters on the East Coast simply call “Harrisburg.” If you’re not you have no idea what you’re missing.
The GAOS, running from Feb. 7-15 at the Pennsylvania Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, Pa., is chockful of guns, gear, vehicles, campers and outfitters to entertain and inform hunters, fishers and outdoorsmen of all strips. Spread across 11 different halls you’ll find 1,000 vendors, 350 guides and outfitters, 200 demonstrations and seminars, and concerts Friday and Saturday night. Admission begins at $17 for one day and $28 for a two-day pass; you may purchase tickets in advance here. Note that if you join the NRA on site admission is free.
I’m attending the show this weekend. You’ll find me on the show floor (somewhere) talking hunting and game populations with outfitters, looking for that last piece of gear I may need and enthusiastically interacting with my peeps, the hunter members of the NRA. For years I’ve attended the show mainly to search for outerwear and gear. But lately, I’ve become more interested in the seminars that run across all nine days. If I were interested in them this year, I might plan to go to Harrisburg Wednesday, in the the middle of the week when traffic will be lighter and the crowd easier to navigate.
With that in mind, below is a handful of seminars and events I’d attend. I’ve picked four, which leaves me with enough time to hit the booths before, during and after.
Elk Hunting: Planning, Preparing and Succeeding
With Chad and Marsha Schearer, this seminar runs from 11-12 in the Small Arena. Chad is a world champion elk caller and two-time Eastern elk calling champion. He’s also a Montana guide and outfitter with whom I have hunted; a freelance writer whose articles have appeared in the pages of American Hunter and elsewhere; and director of advertising/media relations for CVA Muzzleloaders and Bergara USA. His wife, Marsha, grew up in Tennessee and likes to say that while once upon a time she hunted for a husband she now hunts with her husband. Chad and Marsha have hunted the world together, and these days their adventures are on full display on their TV show, “Shoot Straight TV,” on the Pursuit Channel, where they are joined by their sons, Walker and Wyatt.
“Our elk seminars will be action packed with video, techniques and tips to make your next archery, muzzleloader or rifle elk hunt a success,” Chad told me. “On Sunday Marsha and I will be hosting the Third Annual GAOS Eastern Elk Calling Competition. There will be four divisions and prizes awarded in each division, including CVA Muzzleloaders and so much more.”
Calling, Flagging and Decoy Set-Up To Put Geese In Your Bag
This seminar runs from 12:30-1:30 in Seminar Room 2. Part of the GAOS Waterfowl Series, this seminar is led by Sean Mann, a renowned waterfowl hunter, guide and calling champion from Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Sean started guiding waterfowl hunts on the Chesapeake Bay in 1976. He has developed several world champion and champion-of-champion waterfowl calls.
The Art of Backyard Butchering
From 1-1:45, Chef Albert Wutsch promises to deliver simple techniques for breaking down game on your own. I met Chef Albert a couple of years ago on a field-to-table pronghorn hunt with Outdoor Solutions, the booking agency and creator of shooting schools and field-to-table schools. He is a certified executive chef and culinary educator who grew up in Montana and now combines his mastery of cooking with his passion for the outdoors. (This seminar repeats from 4-4:45 if you miss it the first time.)
From 2-3 I’d take a break and go listen to an acoustic performance by Holdyn Barder in the Small Arena. I like music—any music, really, especially if it’s something I haven’t heard before. Born in Houston, shaped in Philly, Holdyn built his sound on country and a beach breeze. Think East Coast hustle with country roots. Holdyn’s debut album is a shot of modern country, and it dropped last fall. (You can also attend a meet-and-greet with Holdyn in the Boat Hall at 3:30.)
If you don’t like this lineup you can make your own; there are plenty of other seminars all day (and all week, for that matter) including: Hunting Turkeys Like a Professional with Eddie Salter at 11 in Seminar Room 2; Tracking and Stalking Whitetails at 11 in Seminar Room 1 with Randy Flannery, owner and operator of Wilderness Escape Outfitters in Danforth, Maine; Drawing Mature Bucks for Miles with Tony LaPratt at 2 in Seminar Room 1; Ways to Make Your Deer Hunt More Interactive at 12:30 in the Small Arena with Melissa Bachman; and more seminars about wild game cooking and processing at 12, 2, 3 and 5 p.m.
There’s more—a lot more, actually, to the GAOS. Did I mention there are a thousand vendors? Yeah. Start here at the show home page to plan your visit. I’ll see you there!
