Jeff and Sarah Hagerty with the pelts of spotted Western bobcats. (Photo courtesy Jeff Dunlap)

ESCANABA — Trapping in the Upper Peninsula will be the theme of the weekend when the U.P. Trappers Association holds its 63rd annual Trappers Convention and Outdoor Expo in mid-July at the U.P. State Fairgrounds in Escanaba.

Scheduled for Friday and Saturday, July 11-12, organizers expect those in attendance to hear from their top-notch lineup of presenters and events with activities meant not just for trappers, but their families, too, including children.

The speakers and presenters include Don Nyman, Les Johnson, Jeff Hagerty, Laura and Zac Gidney, Jeff Dunlap, Dave Radandt, Jim Churchill and “Mountain Man” TV show’s Paul Antczak.

The grounds will be open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. each day with admission of $10 covering both days and children under 12 years old getting in free.

Camping on the grounds is available, while food and refreshments will be sold on site.

Part of the family-friendly atmosphere includes the continuation of the popular Friday night fish fry and fundraising banquet, which includes locally caught fish; fun; gun, card and bucket raffles; and beer, soft drinks and bottled water on sale.

Visitors can meet new friends while reconnecting with old ones, while also swapping hunting, fishing and trapping stories, laughing and enjoying the time, all in the name of raising funds for an organization that supports scientific wildlife management.

Tickets for the fish fry are available for $25 each from Julie Gartland at 906-786-1227.

Dunlap is a popular figure in the trapping community — few trappers can say they’ve not heard of him. He owns a highly respected lure and bait business and makes himself available at many venues, sharing his methods and experiences at conventions and also online on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube and Trapping Radio, among other platforms.

Search online for “Jeff Dunlap Trapper” and you can absorb years of trapping knowledge in a short time.

At the U.P. event, he plans to contrast Western bobcat trapping with trapping of that animal during this state’s unforgiving winter conditions, all while showing his audience how to be successful at both.

Visitors from out of town or out of the U.P. can bring the whole family and friends and plan on staying in “God’s Country” for an extra week or two.

Kids at the convention will have a chance to build mink boxes from precut, predrilled lumber to take home and use on their own traplines.

The younger set can also enjoy the popular hay scramble to find money and prizes, along with beanbag and trap throw booths to win prizes there, too.

Kids’ events organizers plan on several additional but yet-undisclosed events especially for youth.

Vendors will set up in two large buildings on site, with several outdoor vendors, too. They will have guns, knives, trapping equipment from A to Z, crafts, quilts, other outdoor equipment, local edibles and more.

For more information or the possibility of reserving a vendor booth at what is now the last minute, call Mary Theoret at 906-241-6155.

For other detailed convention info, visit online at uptrappers.com.

Story contents based on Mining Journal Virtual Newsroom submission received from Bob Steinmetz of the U.P. Trappers Association. Journal Sports Editor Steve Brownlee’s email address is sbrownlee@miningjournal.net.