New faces among speakers at Washington Sportsmen’s Show

There will be some new faces, plenty of familiar faces and loads of gear for sale when the Washington Sportsmen’s Show opens Wednesday.

The show at the Washington State Fair Events Center will run through Jan. 31.

New among the dozens of people doing presentations at this year’s show will be survival expert Brett Stoffel from Cashmere. Stoffel is a former B-2 and B-52 mission commander and instructor with the U.S. Air Force.

With more than 25 years of experience as a survival training instructor, Stoffel is now vice president of Emergency Response International Inc.

He will give presentations on survival basics, what to have in a survival kit, and search and rescue operations.

Also joining the list of presenters for the first time are Mike Moran, “Introduction to Muzzleloading”; Tim Brown, “Domestic & International Hunting-Choosing Guides & Outfitters”; and Eric Winther, Danny Garret and Bob Pacunski from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.

In all, there will be more than 150 hours of seminars and demonstrations that are included in the price of admission.

That includes fishing presentations by experts such as Arnie Gidlow, Denny Rickards and Don Simonson, Tom Nelson, Terry Rudnick and Mark Gavin. Hunters can learn from experts including Scott Haugen, Glen Berry, Tim Brown, Dan Kloer, Nathan Brence, R.J. Marquart and Sam Kolb.

North Cascades guide Aaron Burkhardt and his team will be on hand to demonstrate the latest equipment and horse- and mule-packing techniques.

Indoor river: The focus of the Yakima Bait Indoor River has been expanded. There will now be demonstrations offering tips and techniques on fishing for steelhead, salmon, trout, kokanee, bass and walleye. Buzz Ramsey, Jim Teeny, Keith Jensen, Bob Kratzer, Jack and Brandon Glass, and staffers from Red’s Fly Shop will be among the experts wading into the river for demonstrations.

Popular features: Among the exhibits and events returning for the show is the Cowboy Fast Draw presented by Les Schwab. Cal “Quick Cal” Eilrich, a 17-time Cowboy Fast Draw Association World Champion, will supervise the action along with Cowboy Fast Draw Association officials and NRA-certified instructors from the Tacoma Sportsmen’s Club.

There also will be the Tour of Northwest Big Game Animals and the Head & Horn competition. Always a popular stop is the Camp Cooking Demo Tent presented by Smokehouse Products, Camp Chef and Franz; and the Lowrance Learning Center.

At the kid’s free trout pond, presented by Baxter Auto Parts, children 12 and younger will have the chance to catch-and-keep or release two trout.

The Skookum Archers Club & Range will have a 3-D archery instruction display, where attendees can learn the basics of handling of a bow and arrow with hands-on instruction provided by local experts.

Ammo sale: Also new this year will be the $1 Million Bi-Mart Ammo Sale. The on-site sale offers savings on small-count bricks of .22 ammo, as well as a variety of centerfire rifle, handgun, 5.56, .17 and shotgun shells. There will be a limit of two boxes per customer per transaction, and purchasers must be 21 years old.

This story was originally published January 22, 2016 at 7:25 PM with the headline "New faces among speakers at Washington Sportsmen’s Show."