Sacramento Sports Show

The 13th annual Sacramento International Sportsmen's Exposition will be held on Jan. 12-16 at Cal-Expo in Sacramento, Calif.

That exposition, specifically designed for hunters, fishermen, shooters and boaters, covers a area of about 100,000 square feet.

It offers outdoorsmen and outdoors women a wide variety of attractions, exhibits, demonstrations and vendor booths.

The five-day show actually consists of a number of different buildings, each with its own specific outdoor theme.

If you've never attended a sportsmen's exposition, here is how they basically work:

Most typically, there are a number of different buildings at those expositions. Each of the buildings contains only those attractions, exhibits, demonstrations, vendor booths, etc. associated with a specific outdoor activity.

For example, in Sacramento the sportfishing/boat building contains all of those things involved with sportfishing and boating. Those things include lodges, guides, suppliers, casting ponds, etc. And those booths and exhibits come from places like Nevada, California, Oregon, Idaho, Wyoming, Alaska, Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories, the Yukon, Mexico, Russia, etc.

In addition, the sportfishing/boat building has a large number of sportfishing boats on display and for sale. Those boats run all the way from small dinghies to huge, luxury yachts.

That building also includes a large number of vendors, with every conceivable kind of fishing equipment on sale. If you want or need something in the angling world, they have it there.

The fly fishing building contains only those things involved with the world of fly fishing. It is a fly fisherman's paradise, all under one roof. It has a fly tying theater where you can watch world-class tiers demonstrating their art. It has casting ponds for exhibition fly casting by the pros. Casting never looked so simple and easy as when done by an expert. It has vendor booths with offerings from every possible type of fly fishing supplier or manufacturer.

The hunting sports building is for the hunters and it contains only those things associated with big game hunting.

That building features exhibitors and vendors from all over the world, for anyone interested in hunting just about every conceivable type of big game animal.

In addition, the hunting sports building also features a mind-boggling display of mounted heads of world and state record mule deer bucks and Rocky Mountain bull elks. Those two displays have to be seen to be appreciated, because mere words can not begin to describe those trophies.

All in all, if you are a hunter, fisherman shooter, boater, etc., you will find the Sacramento International Sportsmen's Exposition a very pleasant interlude in our long, cold winter here in western Nevada.

The show hours are:

Weekdays: 12 noon- 9 p.m.

Saturday: 10 a.m.-8 p.m.

Sunday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.

The admission cost is:

$9 per person, $5 for seniors (ages 65 and over) and free for youngsters ages 12 and under.

For information, call the International Sportsmen's Exposition at (360) 693-3700.