ESCANABA — Professional coyote/bobcat trapping expert Rusty Johnson will be attending and giving a presentation at the 59th Annual National Trappers Convention/Outdoor Expo. This event will be held at the U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba July 26-28. Hours are 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. all days. There is an admission fee. Youngsters 12 and under admitted free.

Hundreds of sporting goods, trapping, hunting, fishing equipment dealers, tailgaters, and others will be on hand. Many will be offering “convention sale specials.” Many food vendors featuring local and U.P. cuisine will be on the grounds as well. This family friendly event includes lots of activities for all members of the family. Raffles, kid’s games and a free youngster’s fishing pond along with other activities will keep all entertained.

Johnson began trapping in Georgia at age 12. From there, he went on to make his living off of trapping, which he continues today. Georgia furs are not worth very much so Rusty mainly traps for hire. This means he does a lot of nuisance/damage control harvest. His full time business “‘Critter Solutions” has been in successful operation for over 15 years. Johnson markets his own lures and works with Mark June and Tom Krause training some of America’s top professional and predator control trappers. He also helped Mark June film his bobcat and coyote DVD “Reducing the Numbers.” Rusty sums up his life in a few words “I try to be prepared, organized and determined, and after years of hard work I have got it down to a science. Trapping is my passion, way of life and how I support my family. I am blessed to be able to do what I love every day.”

“Rusty works for landowners who usually want a specific animal harvested. This is much more difficult than what the average trapper does on his line. It takes great skills, knowledge, experience and determination to do what Rusty does so successfully. Rusty is one of Americas top trappers, his demo is a “must see” for trappers of any skill level,” said trapper Mark June.

Johnson will be giving his presentation on bobcat trapping at 10 a.m. on July 27.

“This event is expected to draw over 8,000 people to the Escanaba area in the beautiful Upper Peninsula of Michigan” said Bill Pipp, an expert local trapper and longtime member of U.P. Trappers.

“With so many things to see and do, the NTA Convention/Outdoor Expo is a great event to attend this summer.”

For further information, contact Convention Coordinator Vickie Wright at (231) 907-0977, vwright@nationaltrappers.com or Roy Dahlgren (906)399-1960 or visit the website http://convention18.uptrappers.com/