General

The 2015 Great American Outdoor Show

The 2015 Great American Outdoor Show has once again, come and gone.  Judging by the amount of people I saw and the smiles on their faces; I would say the show was a success.  The show, sponsored by the Outdoor Channel and the National Rifle Association (NRA), was packed with people on both of the days I attended.

I made my first trip to the show on Saturday February 14.  (Yes – I know it was Valentine’s Day but I have a very understanding girlfriend.  Thanks Karen!)  the reason for my trip was so I could attend a seminar by Chris and Casey Keefer.  The Pittsburgh born brothers are co-hosts of the shows Rivel Wild and Dropped.  Their seminar covered topics from how they got involved in the outdoor business to their experiences in remote Alaskan wilderness.

After the seminar, I was fortunate enough to be able to spend about 30 minutes with the brothers.  Both Chris and Casey are extremely down to earth and are eager to swap stories about all things outdoor and hockey related.  They were genuinely interested in hearing about a future drop in Alaskan moose hunt that fellow Ridge Runner Steve Boswell and I may go on.  Chris went so far as to ask me to contact him closer to our hunt so that he might offer tips on gear and whatever else we may need.

On my second trip up to the show, I met Cory and our Uncle Scott for the annual “Man Day”.  Joining us this year for his first Outdoor Show was Brayden and his friend Sammy.  The boys sat in on a seminar with Cory and myself while Scott went off to check out the fishing hall.  The seminar we took in was about filming your hunts.  The guest speaker was Tom Petry of Campbell Cameras.  Tom has a vast amount of knowledge that he’s acquired over his years in the business.  Cory and I both found the seminar very informative and are excited to use this new found knowledge to help us grow in our videoing skills.

Brayden and Sammy

My favorite part of the trip had to be watching Brayden and Sammy running around filling up their bags with pamphlets and stickers from various venders.  The boys took part in a casting competition and spent some time behind the trigger at the air gun range.  I believe their favorite part was looking at all the vehicles.  I am still amazed Cory managed to get the boys out of the ATV hall without a new purchase!  Brayden and Sammy “tested out” every quad, side-by-side, and truck in the building!  If you’ve ever attended the show, you understand what an amazing feat that is!

So, as I said earlier, the show was a success.  I was able to meet the Keefer brothers, take in some great videoing knowledge, and spend time with family and friends.  I would not be surprised if one day Brayden isn’t driving us to the show!  Until next year . . .

Brayden and Sammy testing out some rocking chairs on the porch.