WHAT:44th Annual Denver International Sportsmen’s Exposition (ISE)
ONLINE:SportsExpos.com and Facebook.com/SportsExpos
WHEN:January 9 – 12, 2020
HOURS:Thurs & Fri-Noon-8p; Sat-10a-7p; Sun-10a-5p
ADMISSION:$16 adult; youth 15 and under and active military (with ID) free
WHERE:Colorado Convention Center, 700 14th St., Denver, CO 80202
THIS IS THE BIG ONE…EVERY YEAR:Attendees gather from throughout Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska and Kansas at the region’s largest presentation of nearby and worldwide travel destinations, plus outdoor, fishing, hunting, offroading products.
EXHIBITORS: 500 companies exhibit in a single 290,000-sq.-ft. hall, including:
·Lodges and resorts
·Travel/Destination Groups
·State and Federal agencies
·Outfitters and guides
·Fishing and hunting retail
·Watercraft: kayaks, pontoon, SUP
·UTVs, ATVs, SUVs, trucks
·Campers, tent-toppers, RVs
·Camping gear and apparel
·Camo, optics, calls
·Mountain-living furnishings
·Outdoor clubs and organizations
MORE THAN JUST GEAR AND ADVENTURES…
One of the truly most important and popular stops in the expo is the Youth Fair and Colorado Outdoors Pavilion, hosted by Colorado Parks and Wildlife. This area is filled with state experts on what, where and when, plus free activities for youth under 15, including catch-and-release trout pond, fly-tying, live raptors, RC-offroad coarse, outdoor trail, plus activities and a nearby rock-climbing wall (fee).
New this year, the Colorado Campfire Theater features camping, van-life, hiking and outdoor-gear experts and authors, sharing their tips on where to go, when and for what. Special gear clinics address water-purification devices, emergency beacons, and how to select the right optics for your personal use. Visitors can win guidebooks and annual parks passes, too.
Filled with gear from show exhibitors and the outdoor marketplace, the Outdoor Product Showcase is hosted by Gear Guru, Dan Kidder. OPS offers the chance to see, try and learn about cool new gear, plus ask the Gear Guru any gear-related questions. There’s also a daily gear giveaway.
The Sporting-Dog Arena allows visitors to watch local trainers demo techniques with various species. And anybody with a dog that goes into the brush should listen carefully to vet Dr. Jay Brekke. Plus, come meet Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s K9 team. And fun times for all with Blue Springs ‘n Katydid Dog Training Center dog demos.
At the Adventure Theater, in addition to meeting Colorado’s hunting authorities, visitors will learn valuable survival skills from Lakewood-based husband and wife Matt and Brooke Wright, alums of Discovery Channel’s Naked and Afraid. Daily “Finding Your Wild” talks, hosted by locals Donnelle Johnson and Lisa Thompson, spotlight local ladies who have found adventures, and much more, outdoors.
If you want to meet a fishing pro, there’s no better opportunity in the state all year than right now, here, at the expo’s Aquarium Demo Tank, hosted by Terry and Karen Wickstrom. Plus, the 40-foot-long tank is filled with lunkers on loan from Freestone Aquatics, Inc. Check out the trout, face-to-face, and watch, close-up, how they react to various lures and techniques. Meet legendary angler Jimmy Houston on Friday, “Advanced-Angler Day”. Sunday is “Family & New-Angler Day”, with Berkley and Shakespeare giving away 50 rods to youth. Meet youth bass teams, too. In the same area, visitors can talk face-to-face, in detail, with the pros at the Expert’s Corner.
For anybody who fly fishes or wants to explore this marvelous style of fishing, the heart of the show is loaded with experts, activities and three local shops. The Fly-Fishing Theater presents local guides talking about fishing local waters. At the Fly-Tying How-To Center, experts demonstrate the art and science of recreating nature. One booth over, Robert Younghanz, The Bug Guy, shows and talks about local bugs in his manmade stream. Visitors can cast the latest rods and watch pro-led demos at the Fly-Casting Pond, which hosts the Colorado Casting Contest on Sunday. At the nearby KASTKING Combo Pond, showgoers watch and get tips—on both fly and conventional gear—from pros Sandi and Clay Roberts. On Saturday, fishing legend Jimmy Houston plus local experts will complete in the annual combo contest.
The No Limits Archery Experience features three different games for visitors having zero to a lifetime of archery experience.
The NEW LASR Shooting Game is completely safe--and free to showgoers. It uses new technology that gun owners can use in their own home to practice, improve, and safely have fun, too.