New Friends and Old at the Nation's Outdoor Sportsmen's Show

My family and I had a great time over the weekend as I delivered three seminars on Hunting With Kids at the Nation's Outdoor Sportsmen's Show in Chantilly, Virginia.  Actually, I flew solo on Friday night, heading over to the show right after work and speaking to a small audience.  The crowds were larger on Saturday, when my whole family joined me, and on Sunday when just my two oldest boys tagged along.

This was my second time participating in the outdoor show as a speaker and the third year in a row I've attended.  What I always like best about it is the people I meet and get a chance to talk to.  One of my first stops was at the Ducks Unlimited booth where I caught up with Dave Elwing of DU's Pentagon Chapter.  Dave is a really nice guy who helped me out last year with a post I wrote on the Wounded Warrior Blind Project at Quantico Marine Base.  He spends his spare time building duck blinds with wheelchair access for disabled veterans; like I said, a really nice guy.

At the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation Booth, I met Rudy Hassalll of the Winded Bowhunter blog.  Rudy shares my passion for getting kids outside and writes about conservation issues that affect sportsmen across this nation.  Rudy and I are practically neighbors, and it sounds like he'll be hunting not far from Camp Cowboy next fall.  I hope we get a chance to talk again.  Maybe it's time to finally hold that Regional Bloggers Summit . . .

Speaking of bloggers from my region, another one I met for the first time was Steve Moore of SwitchFisher.com.  Steve, who was working the Department of Game and Inland Fisheries booth, writes a strictly fishing blog and focuses on the region comprised of Virginia, Maryland, West Virginia and Pennsylvania.  He added my blog to his blogroll in the "local blogs" category, which got me to wondering if I should create something similar. . .

I also had interesting discussions with the outfitters from River Ridge Outdoors in Independence, Virginia and the professional hunters from Molopo Kalahari Safaris in South Africa.  It will be a long time before I can afford an African hunt (or even a "semi-guided" hunt in southwest Virginia) but it's always fascinating to talk to people who make their livings in the hunting business.

Absent from the Nation's Outdoor Show this year was Kevin Paulson of HuntingLife.com, who was out of town at a slightly bigger event.  I mention Kevin because it was he who first gave me the opportunity to speak at the Nation's Outdoor Show when HuntingLife.com sponsored the event in 2008.  Even though Kevin was not directly involved with the show this year, he put me in touch with Annette Elliot of C&E Gun Shows, once again helping me advance my "career" as an outdoor writer and speaker.

Thanks for your help Kevin, and I'd also like to thank Annette and her husband Steven; I wish you all luck and hope to see you again later this year!

Comments

[Arthur]

Sounds like a great event, and that you enjoyed giving your seminar. I'm not sure I could stand up in front of all those people and speak. I think it would be a little nerve wracking.

[Rudy]

Matt,
It was a pleasure meeting you and your sons at the show. We should have that "Regional Bloggers Summit"!

More importantly, I hope your son get that big Tom this spring!

Rudy