Okay guys, it’s that time again. January is here, and the annual sports show season is almost upon us.  First up is the International Sportsmen’s Exposition (ISE) show at Cal-Expo in Sacramento.  It starts on January 19 and wraps up on the 22nd.

I will be there on Thursday and Friday, doing seminars on turkey hunting as I have for the last 29 years.  As usual, I will cover most aspects of the pastime in hopes that anyone interested in turkey hunting will go away with a better understanding of what’s required to get involved.  Along the way I’ll tell stories, some of them true, to illustrate my points. Interest in turkey hunting is still growing nationwide and it has spawned an industry, which is good for the future of outdoor recreation.

When I was growing up in California there was no turkey hunting at all.  That was also the case in many states that now have robust seasons.  These success stories are the direct result of trap and relocate programs of wild turkeys across the country.  Today, there is good turkey hunting in every one of the contiguous states and Hawaii.

I hunted turkeys for the first time in 1971 during the first ever spring season in California, and I’m still at it.  I’ll compare the good old days with the here and now (which are even better in some respects) during my talk.

Online readers of My Outdoor Buddy (MOB) should plan on visiting the MOB booth to catch up on the current direction of the website.  Before or after that, give me a shout in the Adventure Theater.  I’d like to say hello.  I’ll be up on Thursday afternoon at 5 p.m. and on Friday at 12:30. Hours for the show on Thursday and Friday are from 11 a.m. to 8 in the evening.  Saturday the show opens at 10 a.m. and closes at 7 and on Sunday it opens at 10 and ends at 5 p.m.  Adult admission is $17. Kids under the age of 16 are admitted for free.  Yes, there is a charge for parking as well. For more info go to sportsexpos.com.

Hope to see you there. 

Author and writer John Higley is a resident of Palo Cedro. His articles have appeared in outdoor magazines hundreds of times and his columns appear regularly at myoutdoorbuddy.com. Higley has written four books the latest of which “Successful Turkey Hunting” was published in May, 2014 by Skyhorse Publishing in New York. This hard cover, full color book is being sold at Barnes and Noble Book Stores and on Amazon. Autographed copies are available direct from John Higley, P.O. Box 120, Palo Cedro, CA 96073. Cost is $28.95 postage paid.