Western Outdoor Times - Times Spent Outdoors: Priceless!

The Arizona Game and Fish Department's 2013 Outdoor Expo drew 35,000 people over the March 23-24 weekend at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix. Sunday's attendance of 17,000 was a record for an Expo Sunday.

"High mid-morning winds on Saturday temporarily closed a couple of attractions and may have affected that day's attendance, but we still drew a good crowd of 18,000 on Saturday," said Game and Fish Assistant Director Ty Gray. "Sunday's weather was almost perfect, and overall, this ended up being one of our best events yet."

In addition, 3,500 schoolchildren, teachers and chaperones attended the Expo Youth Day on Friday, March 22, meaning 38,500 people total attended over the three days.

The Outdoor Expo is an annual event conducted by Game and Fish to give the public the chance to learn about wildlife-related and outdoor recreation activities, including wildlife viewing, fishing, hunting, archery, shooting sports, camping, off-highway vehicle recreation, and boating recreation.

In addition to the hands-on activities, more than 150 exhibitors were on hand, including sportsmen's and conservation organizations, government agencies, and commercial vendors of outdoor products and services.

The Gold Sponsor for the 2013 Outdoor Expo was Cabela's. Silver Sponsors of the Expo were Remington, Waste Management, and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. Bronze Sponsors were Sportsman's Warehouse, Iron City Polaris, A to Z Equipment Rentals and Sales, and Mule Deer Foundation. Other sponsors included HomCo Ace Hardware Tempe and White Flyer Targets.

Next year's Outdoor Expo will be held on March 29-30, 2014, at the Ben Avery Shooting Facility in Phoenix.