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ESCANABA -- The U.P. Trappers Convention and Outdoor Expo will be returning to the Upper Peninsula State Fairgrounds in Escanaba for its 60th annual event. As one of the biggest trapping and outdoor shows in the region, attracting seasoned trappers, rookies, and everyone in between, the U.P. Trappers Convention encourages outdoorsmen to gather in their shared interest for the sport. The two-day event will begin this Friday, running from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., and will continue on Saturday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
With over 40 vendors currently scheduled for the event, the U.P. Trappers Convention will have two fairground buildings chock-full of trapping goods and supplies. Products will include tanned furs, trapping lures, baits, and other essentials of the sport.
Not all vendors, however, will be specializing in trapping goods. In addition to stands with homemade breads and baked goods, vendors selling canoes, snowshoes, and outdoor clothing will be attending the event as well. Jewelry, crafts, antiques, and quilts will also be made available for those who are not interested in trapping or outdoor products. Raffles will be taking place throughout the two-day event as well, giving attendees the opportunity to win prizes and other goodies.
The U.P. Trappers Convention gives locals the opportunity to meet, converse, and learn from current greats in the trapping industry. Through live demonstrations, which cover topics from mink to coyote, and even beaver trapping, attendees will acquire valuable tips and tricks when it comes to mastering the sport. Chosen topics revolve around the demonstrator's specific areas of expertise.
With doors opening at 8 a.m. on Friday, a total of five live demonstrations will be taking place throughout the day. The first demonstration will begin at 9:30 a.m., with Jeff Hagerty, a primarily Southern Michigan trapper, providing the ins-and-outs of mink, muskrat, and beaver trapping. Other topics of discussion on Friday will include fall and winter coyote sets, mink and raccoon trapping, and coyote tapping.
The final presentation of the day will begin at 3:30 p.m., with the Trappers Convention's headliner Mark June, a Michigan native, educating attendees on bobcat trapping. June began trapping at a young age in Michigan, dedicating forty years of his professional career to conducting research projects on coyote behavior. Through his educational studies and field work, June knows exactly why coyotes behave in certain ways based on their location and the time of day.
While doors close at 5 p.m. Friday night, the convention will host its second annual Friday night fish fry and fundraiser banquet immediately after the event ends. The fish fry will be catered by Soderman's Catering, which locally caught and donated all of the panfish, raffles, and door prizes for the fundraiser. If interested in attending the fish fry, contact Roy Dahlgren at (906) 399-1960 for tickets.
Event activities will resume Saturday morning at 8 a.m., with four presenters set to share their knowledge and experiences during the day. In addition to June concluding the convention with his coyote trapping demonstration at 2 p.m., another Michigan native, Al "Yoosta be a Yooper" Dubord, will be discussing marten trapping at 10:15 a.m. Dubord has been trapping in Alaska for the past 40 years, his catches varying from lynx to wolverine.
The U.P. Trappers Convention is designed to be a family event. Plenty of activities will be made available to children at the U.P. State Fairgrounds during the two-day event, including games and small projects. In addition to several vendor booths being tailored towards youth event-goers, the DNR Pocket Park will be offering fishing, archery, and pellet gun stations for children to test out and enjoy. All children's activities will be adult supervised.
The U.P. Trapper Convention and Outdoor Expo is open to the public, admission for both days costing $10. Children 12 and under will be admitted to the event for free. Attendees looking to stay on site of the convention may still be able to secure a camping site at the U.P. State Fairgrounds. In addition to traditional vendors, a variety of food and drinks will be available at the event. More information regarding the convention, demonstrations, and presenters can be found on the event's website, www.uptrappers.com.