Great American Outdoor Show, Harrisburg PA February 4 – 12, 2023 Who is Attending?

[Mark A Ouellette]

Hey All,

Which Outfitters/Safari Companies will have a booth and display at the Great American Outdoor show, Harrisburg PA during February 4 – 12, 2023?

Also, will any of our AH members be there?

 

[R.M.C.]

I might go one of the days, not sure yet. Its about a three hour drive from my place. I'd be curious to see which outfitters are going.

 

[rinehart0050]

I'll probably drive up for a day. There were a decent number of outfitters there last year.

 

[Finprof]

The website has a list of exhibitors. There are a lot of them so go through the list and pick some out. I plan to do two days and staying over one night during the middle of the week, probably Tuesday and Wednesday.

 

[Eric Zelanko]

I live a couple of hours away and typically attend a day or two. I'm not sure how many AH sponsor PHs are there but I know Shona is one. Typically there are a dozen or so African outfits set up, primarily SA and Namibia.

 

[htx519]

Come by and say hello! We would love to meet you!

Great American Outdoor show, Harrisburg PA February 4 – 12 Booth #5324

 

[dwt482]

Hey All,

Which Outfitters/Safari Companies will have a booth and display at the Great American Outdoor show, Harrisburg PA during February 4 – 12, 2023?

Also, will any of our AH members be there?

hi mark! we CAZA & SAFARIS ARGENTINA are exhibiting at the Outdoor Show in Harrisburg! ready with the flights so pleased to meeting you in our booth N. 6314 . or you can write us to info@cazaysafaris.com.ar to set up a date in advance. Greetings from Argentina! regards Ignacio

 

[emtd24]

Hi Mark
We will be at the GAOS show again this year, come and say hi to Johann, Ilouwna, David and Dough. We would like to meet you and talk about Africa.
Booth # 6219

 

[Hogpatrol]

Haven't been since the Chinese cootie invasion but I feel it's better since the NRA took over.

 

[Dinsdale]

Haven't been since the Chinese cootie invasion but I feel it's better since the NRA took over.

I’ve been going for most years for over the last 30; I also like the changes since NRA took over management. It lost some of its flea market feel when I first started going. Its traditional length of 9 days is really long for outfitters to commit too, thats a long time to sit in a booth. Booking more fishing, but have finalized details on a couple hunts too.

Last year they curtained off some floor space to reduce some venue size and there were a few empty booths. I went mid week last year and decided last minute to stay overnight and was able to get a hotel room very close without a reservation, something that you could not do in other years. Some exhibitors looked pretty lonely sitting there with the main outfitter hall fairly sparse and easy to walk through. Maybe they’ll get a good rebound this year.

Also a few long term exhibitors were missing. Eurooptic is no longer there, last year or this year, that’s disappointing it was always a good spot to see some better optics and rifles.

 

[Mark A Ouellette]

It has been 17 or more years since I attended due to geography...
Do they still have shuttles that pick up people from the gigantic parking lots?

 

[Dinsdale]

Yes, they still run shuttles all day for parking.

 

[Sue Tidwell]

Hey All,

Which Outfitters/Safari Companies will have a booth and display at the Great American Outdoor show, Harrisburg PA during February 4 – 12, 2023?

Also, will any of our AH members be there?

Hi Mark. I went to the Great American Outdoor Show for the first time last year. There is a whole building dedicated to hunting outfitters and there were probably at least 20 or more Safari outfitters but don't quote me on that number. I tried to go around and introduce myself to all of them. I'd say a good portion of them were from South Africa. I think safaris are a harder sell at that event because the sportsman who attend are quite different than what you see at the safari conventions. I just can't fathom it but some American hunters are just not interested in Africa. I think some feel it is out of their reach and only for "rich" people. I always try to tell them that hunting in Africa can be as inexpensive as a guided elk hunt in Idaho. Anyway, it is a HUGE event. To be honest, I barely touched the surface. There are multiple buildings with all kinds of themes. I was selling my book at a friends booth so I was pretty much cemented to the spot, only leaving to talk with safari outfitters. If you live within a few hours, I would definitely check it out!

 

[Dinsdale]

Hi Mark. I went to the Great American Outdoor Show for the first time last year. There is a whole building dedicated to hunting outfitters and there were probably at least 20 or more Safari outfitters but don't quote me on that number. I tried to go around and introduce myself to all of them. I'd say a good portion of them were from South Africa. I think safaris are a harder sell at that event because the sportsman who attend are quite different than what you see at the safari conventions. I just can't fathom it but some American hunters are just not interested in Africa. I think some feel it is out of their reach and only for "rich" people. I always try to tell them that hunting in Africa can be as inexpensive as a guided elk hunt in Idaho. Anyway, it is a HUGE event. To be honest, I barely touched the surface. There are multiple buildings with all kinds of themes. I was selling my book at a friends booth so I was pretty much cemented to the spot, only leaving to talk with safari outfitters. If you live within a few hours, I would definitely check it out!

There is a very good contingent from Namibia too, and some very good outfits at that. Your estimate is probably about right.

This is boutique hunting; there are all kinds of reasons hunters don’t want or have no interest in Africa. They cant bring back meat is especially a huge issue, its a real hang up , doing guided hunts in general (not feeling they accomplished by themselves), worried about safety, food, fear of flying, long flights……the list goes on. And then there’s perceived cost.

Everyone I know is more then content sitting in a tree stand overlooking a food plot day after day waiting for a whitetail deer. One local guy I know has an arsenal of top grade safari capable rifles; big bore bolt actions, double rifles; and multiples of each. Reads every safari book, magazine, videos and he just won’t go, and I’m no longer asking.

 

[Sue Tidwell]

There is a very good contingent from Namibia too, and some very good outfits at that. Your estimate is probably about right.

This is boutique hunting; there are all kinds of reasons hunters don’t want or have no interest in Africa. They cant bring back meat is especially a huge issue, its a real hang up , doing guided hunts in general (not feeling they accomplished by themselves), worried about safety, food, fear of flying, long flights……the list goes on. And then there’s perceived cost.

Everyone I know is more then content sitting in a tree stand overlooking a food plot day after day waiting for a whitetail deer. One local guy I know has an arsenal of top grade safari capable rifles; big bore bolt actions, double rifles; and multiples of each. Reads every safari book, magazine, videos and he just won’t go, and I’m no longer asking.

Yes, I'm sorry I forgot to mention the Namibia outfitters. I kind of lumped them into South Africa. It gets so confusing for me, South African and the Republic of South Africa. And yes, that is a great list of reasons why many hunters won't go. The meat thing is really baffling to me. I can tell you this. There is 1000 percent more satisfaction seeing a harvest go to feed the people of Africa than putting it in my freezer! Rick had no intentions of shooting a hippo when we were in Mozambique (he was croc hunting) but we had literally hundreds of people (3/4 kids) waiting for us to return to shore each afternoon. We decided he needed to take a management hippo...and I will never forget the experience.

 

[DmacD]

I'm going to give it a try, driving down from Canada. There are no longer any outdoor shows of relevance to me here in Ontario. I wanted to do either DSC or SCI, but airfare and hotel costs are a little more than I am wanting to spend this year.
I am hoping for a good show in PA!

 

[Sue Tidwell]

I'm going to give it a try, driving down from Canada. There are no longer any outdoor shows of relevance to me here in Ontario. I wanted to do either DSC or SCI, but airfare and hotel costs are a little more than I am wanting to spend this year.
I am hoping for a good show in PA!

Have fun! I hope you enjoy it. Wear comfortable shoes....LOL!

 

[Hogpatrol]

If you've never gone, it's worth it to go one time, especially with a good sampling of Africa outfitters. One piece of advice for newbies, east coast and some southern outfitters are especially caveat emptor.
A fancy booth with awesome trophies and a golden website do not always make for a good venue.

 

[Hogpatrol]

For anyone who has gone the last years it was open, has the traffic situation gotten any better? Me and a van load of buddies actually turned around and went to Cabela's in Hamburg after sitting in traffic for almost an hour to get in to the remote parking lot. Just an FYI, but Harrisburg and it's local pols are anti-gun. I get the feeling they crash the traffic lights on purpose.

 

[Sue Tidwell]

For anyone who has gone the last years it was open, has the traffic situation gotten any better? Me and a van load of buddies actually turned around and went to Cabela's in Hamburg after sitting in traffic for almost an hour to get in to the remote parking lot. Just an FYI, but Harrisburg and it's local pols are anti-gun. I get the feeling they crash the traffic lights on purpose.

I didn't have any trouble last year. I was staying at a hotel about 20 minutes away but I couldn't tell you exactly where. I was nervous about the whole thing because I was by myself but the direction I came from wasn't bad and I had no problems.