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Be sure to visit the wildlife assets sale and other AZ Game and Fish booths

Be sure to visit the wildlife assets sale and other AZ Game and Fish booths

PHOENIX -- The 15th annual Arizona International Sportsmen's Exposition (ISE) will fill the University of Phoenix Stadium and outside areas in Glendale on Feb. 19-22 with an exceptional presence of outdoor product and service exhibitors, attractions, seminars, and the incorporation of the Arizona Boat ShowTM.

Expanded show hours are 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. on Thursday through Saturday, Feb. 19-21, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 22. Admission is $12 for adults, and free to youth age 15 and under, and active military with military ID. Parking is free.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department will once again have several exhibits. The department will conduct its wildlife assets sale, always a big attraction at ISE. The sale enables the public to legally purchase items such as antlers, head mounts, hides and other wildlife parts that have been seized during law enforcement investigations, obtained from animals killed in vehicle collisions, or acquired through donations. The funds raised through this silent auction-format sale are used to purchase equipment or training to assist Game and Fish officers in more effectively enforcing anti-poaching and other wildlife laws.

Other department booths will include general information on hunting, fishing, wildlife and license sales; information on the California condor program and how using non-lead ammunition when hunting game in condor country can assist in condor recovery; and information on the off-highway vehicle program and the Operation Game Thief program.

This year's ISE will spotlight 250 companies and organizations, including manufacturers and retailers; local, regional and international destinations; guides and outfitters; travel bureaus; enthusiast clubs and groups; and nonprofit organizations representing a wide range of outdoor interests. The show also presents campers, trailers and a huge selection of off-road vehicles, including UTVs, ATVs, trucks and 4x4s.

In its second year, ISE's co-located Arizona Boat ShowTM will feature 12 local marine dealers now presenting 45 national sport- and fishing-boat brands, including wakeboard and ski boats, fish/ski boats, family runabouts, party pontoons, deck boats, personal watercraft, kayaks, and stand-up-paddle boards. A giant houseboat will be on hand, too, plus a wide selection of marine accessories.

New for 2015 is the Outdoor Product Showcase, which features new camping, hunting, fishing, boating and off-roading gear from exhibitors and the outdoor industry. Some of the OPS gear is given away daily to show-goers.

The ISE show offers two outdoor-skills and seminar venues: the Adventure Theater and the Aquarium Demonstration Tank.

At the Adventure Theater, special guests include Scottsdale-based outdoor-gear guru Tim Ralston, and another outdoor legend from the area, big-game bowhunter Randy Ulmer. New this year are special javelina field preparation clinics Thursday and Friday afternoon presented by the Arizona Taxidermy Artists Association. Also for the first time, Kenton Clairmont will present seminars on "The Six Pillars of Hunting Fitness." Clairmont created the Train to Hunt program, which includes a new television show and endurance events throughout the West, including one in Arizona in April. Other presentations will include hunting with an AR-15 and underwater photography when scuba diving. The Arizona Game and Fish Department will give presentations on small game hunting and the Community Fishing Program.

The 40-foot-long aquarium-demonstration tank, hosted by pro bass angler Kent Brown, presents some of Arizona's top fishing guides and pros, including Phoenix-based legendary angler John Murray.

Another first-year event at the ISE show is the Arizona Taxidermy Artists Association's Best-of-the-West show and contest. Mounts from throughout Arizona and the West will be displayed in the AZSTA Banquet Room, which is located on the right side of the hall, just before the show entrance. In addition, Eastmans' Hunting Journals presents a huge display of deer from throughout the West, including one from Arizona.

The show's 9,000-square-foot, three-dimensional-target archery range hosts a high-energy tournament that draws local and other competitors from Colorado, Utah and New Mexico.

Investing in the future of outdoor sports, ISE's Youth Fair offers free instruction in catch-and-release fishing. The Airsoft shooting range is hosted by NRA-certified shooting instructor Rob Potter.