Western Hunt Expo recommendations

[Mike D Texas]

We’ve been the last 2 years in a row. I’ve not found Saturday and Sunday to be unbearable.


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[elkliver]

If you want to be able to visit with a certain vendor... Either hit them very first thing when the doors open or go Thursday Friday. For the popular vendors it is challenging to to get to the front of the line

 

[wildwilderness]

Before you start buying the 200 tags look at the odds. To say they’re a long shot would be a gross understatement.

Very true- I don't get excited about draw odds til it's a 50/50 chance!

That said I did win an expo tag 10+ years ago, so you're saying there's a chance!

 

[passinggas33]

I've heard some people like the cinnamon salty nuts.

Infinite Outdoors is launching a new program with cool new tent tech.

A S2H scope should be on hand.

Weatherby should have a Capra

I'm interested to see how they fill the Black Ovis space.

Stone Glacier will be in Gear Fool.

The archery vendors have expanded

I've graduated from Nacho Daddy to Chile Tepin

I'll be in the Butler Bags Booth

I wonder if Exo will have an X on hand

@realunlucky is always accepting of long lingering hugs

From my understanding on Exo, they won’t have an K4X on hand, but they said they might possibly have the new MtnGear Chassis to fondle. Which might be another reason for me to swing by that booth…

 

[realunlucky]

I'm interested to see how they fill the Black Ovis space

Looks like best of the west and a newly thrown in open space lounge fill that space now.

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[sndmn11]

Looks like best of the west and a newly thrown in open space lounge fill that space now.

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Will that be where we go for Sam's semi-free hugs?
I had envisioned with assumption they would move those who were in the off-shoot annex thing last year over to that space, but haven't looked at the map yet.

 

[Beendare]

My take; Guys trashing this show are out of line. It's the biggest and best show of this sort I have been to. YES it gets ungodly busy on the weekend. I have a bunch of buddies that fly in specifically for this show- a good place to run into hunt buddies. My one buddy won one of the limited elk tags last year in the raffle.

If you want to compare gear in person- try on packs, check optics against each other- it's excellent.
The taxi displays are worth the price of admission.

That said, I'm skipping it.....I have all of the gear I could possibly need....

 

[NMNomad]

I would like to go. But it is a 12-hour drive from where I live in New Mexico. And my oldest son playing competitive sports, has us traveling up into Colorado every weekend. This may have to wait till next year...Bah!

 

[CorbLand]

My take; Guys trashing this show are out of line. It's the biggest and best show of this sort I have been to. YES it gets ungodly busy on the weekend. I have a bunch of buddies that fly in specifically for this show- a good place to run into hunt buddies. My one buddy won one of the limited elk tags last year in the raffle.

If you want to compare gear in person- try on packs, check optics against each other- it's excellent.
The taxi displays are worth the price of admission.

That said, I'm skipping it.....I have all of the gear I could possibly need....

I agree.

Along with being able to check out a ton of gear in person there is no other place that you can observe so many 45 year old wanna be 20 year old again men and women in one place.

I also don’t know what some of those guides are doing but they really have figured out how to kill the exact same animal every year for the last 7-8 years. Seriously impressive.

If you’re really adventurous, start picking random peoples brains. You can’t give up the chance to learn all you can from all those people that are passing 340 bulls and 180 bucks on OTC tags year in and year out.

They do a great job at keeping the air flowing in the place so make sure you tuck your ears into your hat. You can’t risk them catching the right angle and you taking flight.

It is a good show but some of the things you see, really ramps up the entertainment value.

 

[BLJ]

I agree.

Along with being able to check out a ton of gear in person there is no other place that you can observe so many 45 year old wanna be 20 year old again men and women in one place.

I also don’t know what some of those guides are doing but they really have figured out how to kill the exact same animal every year for the last 7-8 years. Seriously impressive.

If you’re really adventurous, start picking random peoples brains. You can’t give up the chance to learn all you can from all those people that are passing 340 bulls and 180 bucks on OTC tags year in and year out.

They do a great job at keeping the air flowing in the place so make sure you tuck your ears into your hat. You can’t risk them catching the right angle and you taking flight.

It is a good show but some of the things you see, really ramps up the entertainment value.

Would it be worth it as a winter time weekend trip? Enough interesting gear/vendors to justify dealing with the douche and the cost of a hotel/meals? For a guy from the east?

Or total crap fest that will disappoint?

 

[cornchuck]

I am wanting to go to the show next year. After reading the previous posts, it sounds like I should go on one of the first days. Can I get through the show in 1 day or will it take 2. I am not the one that has to stop by every booth and talk.

Jason

 

[Mike D Texas]

Would it be worth it as a winter time weekend trip? Enough interesting gear/vendors to justify dealing with the douche and the cost of a hotel/meals? For a guy from the east?

Or total crap fest that will disappoint?

Since you are on RS I assume you hunt Western states? If so there are a lot of vendors specific to that type of hunting. If you stay back east hunting you would be disappointed.


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[Mike D Texas]

I am wanting to go to the show next year. After reading the previous posts, it sounds like I should go on one of the first days. Can I get through the show in 1 day or will it take 2. I am not the one that has to stop by every booth and talk.

Jason

IMO it would be a waste to try to make it through in a single day. The first time I went we were only able to be there for 2 days and I don’t feel like it was enough time. Once you’ve been a couple of years you could probably make it through and hit only specific vendors you were interested in.

 

[CorbLand]

Would it be worth it as a winter time weekend trip? Enough interesting gear/vendors to justify dealing with the douche and the cost of a hotel/meals? For a guy from the east?

Or total crap fest that will disappoint?

I mean, it depends on what you want. It would probably be fun with some buddies as a weekend trip to go see some hunting stuff and spend time together.

I would also look at the one in Denver. Not sure if it’s happening again but based on what was seen last year, it was smaller. Less vendors but also less people.

I will let some others chime in on what they think. I personally am not a big “show” type of person. I always had a list of things I wanted to see and just went and saw them. I live an hour and a half away. I rarely go.

It would probably be more fun if you had a couple days and went with people that enjoyed it. I generally day tripped it and took my wife. The only reason my wife went is her favorite restaurant is right there so she got to go there.

 

[hebertbrian]

I agree.

Along with being able to check out a ton of gear in person there is no other place that you can observe so many 45 year old wanna be 20 year old again men and women in one place.

I also don’t know what some of those guides are doing but they really have figured out how to kill the exact same animal every year for the last 7-8 years. Seriously impressive.

If you’re really adventurous, start picking random peoples brains. You can’t give up the chance to learn all you can from all those people that are passing 340 bulls and 180 bucks on OTC tags year in and year out.

They do a great job at keeping the air flowing in the place so make sure you tuck your ears into your hat. You can’t risk them catching the right angle and you taking flight.

It is a good show but some of the things you see, really ramps up the entertainment value.

This resonated well, I'm 25 mins away so easy to go Thurs, I get value out of 20% of the gear booths, mainly specific/new gear I want to see (exo, maven, ordered a rokstok at the UM booth last year, bought a peak 44 on BF sale after handling one there, hatch out west and Spartan bipods, etc). 80% of the gear booths are useless to me, I visit the one UT outfitter I used for my son's cow elk hunt to say hi but have no use for most of the guides (at least not now, maybe when retired). The people watching as Corb said is a show, there are some very smart and intelligent folks at some of the booths, but after about 60-90 mins I'm wishing to be in the woods away from the sea of 'shiny' folks and the many others attempting to be.

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[MuleyFever]

Before you start buying the 200 tags look at the odds. To say they’re a long shot would be a gross understatement.

Consider it a donation. Im sure some SFW exec will buy his wife something nice with some of the money.

 

[mighteywhitehunter]

What do you mean validate tags?

In person validation of the rafffle tags when you purchase them.

 

[2Stamp]

Consider it a donation. Im sure some SFW exec will buy his wife something nice with some of the money.

I would have liked to see RMEF get the show a few years ago. I'd like to think the transparency on the Conservation tags would be better than with SFW.

 

[2Stamp]

I am wanting to go to the show next year. After reading the previous posts, it sounds like I should go on one of the first days. Can I get through the show in 1 day or will it take 2. I am not the one that has to stop by every booth and talk.

Jason

When I used to live close (within 45min drive) I still only went one day. I now live 8hrs away. A few of us go down for the weekend but only attend 2 days. I usually run into old friends which is cool. I usually run into a couple of my archery Reps there, so in person talks are always good. But I go with one purpose and that's a list of vendors I want to check out. I'm done the first day. Day two is mostly people watching. MAYBE follow up on something I saw day one.

Oh, and the annual rehashing of how truly spectacular the Fire Bull is. IYKYK

 

[Beendare]

I am wanting to go to the show next year. After reading the previous posts, it sounds like I should go on one of the first days. Can I get through the show in 1 day or will it take 2. I am not the one that has to stop by every booth and talk.

Jason

I would go for the first couple days. Maybe fly in the day before then hit it early the first day and fly out late the following afternoon/evening.

If you haven't been it's worth it. Try stuff on for future exact sizing, check optics side by side, Talk to guides and the F&G guys; You get tips like Wolves habits, wolves creeping into certain areas, hunt pressure, etc