SYRACUSE, N.Y. (NCC News) — The Great New York State Sportsman Expo is underway this weekend at the State Fairgrounds, bringing hunting, fishing, and outdoor recreation to Central New York families and outdoor enthusiasts.
From Friday, Jan. 23 to Sunday, Jan. 25, the Expo is providing a weekend of hands-on seminars, the latest in outdoor gear, safety education, and conservation.
President of the Expo Norm Wightman said the event has everything any outdoor enthusiast could want.
“Whether you hunt, fish, or don’t hunt and fish,” said Wightman. “Man, woman, child, there’s something for everyone here.”
VIDEO TRANSCRIPT: The great outdoors comes indoors: Sportsman Expo returns to Syracuse
Reporter Hunter Caparelli: Hunters, fisherman, and outdoor enthusiasts from across Central New York are packing the Expo Center at the New York State Fairgrounds for this year’s New York Sportsman Expo.
New York Sportsman Expo President Norm Wightman: Whether you hunt, fish, or don’t hunt and fish. Man, woman, child, there’s something for everyone here.
Caparelli: The weekend-long event is filled with the latest gear and hands-on outdoor experiences. President of the expo Norm Wightman says the event actually debunks a false perception of New York State.
Wightman: A lot of people think New York is concrete and steel, but it’s not. We all know that New York is probably one of the biggest hot spots for hunting and fishing.
Caparelli: Organizers at the New York Sportsman Expo say their goal here today isn’t just to sell gear. It’s to help share knowledge and better protect the outdoors with groups like the Hunters for Eagles Conservation.
Hunters for Eagles Conservation Director Adam Miller: The difference between the performance of lead versus lead free.
Caparelli: Meet Adam Miller, Director of the Hunters for Eagle Conservation group. Miller says their mission is to encourage hunters to consider switching to non-lead ammunition to help protect eagles from lead poisoning.
Miller: Our goal is to get lead out of the food chain so we can help, you know, protect and promote the future of hunting, protect healthy wildlife populations, and ensure effective harvests.
Caparelli: New York State Environmental Conservation Biologist Matt Palumbo says when a hunter harvests a deer, the impact from lead bullets can produce hidden fragments that can travel two feet away from the point of impact.
New York State Environmental Conservation Biologist Matt Palumbo: It only takes about a lead fragment the size of a grain of rice that can potentially be lethal to a bald eagle.
Caparelli: For hunters who have historically used lead bullets, Miller has a solution: Using bullets made of copper, which don’t have the same deadly effects.
Miller: We know that won’t have any lead fragments out there. It’s a pretty easy solution. And for hunters that want to make that choice, that’s a choice I made, and I’ve been really happy with the performance I’ve seen.
Caparelli: The Expo runs through the weekend at the New York State Fairgrounds, with wildlife conservation at the forefront of the event. In Syracuse, Hunter Caparelli, NCC News.
Wightman said education is a major focus of this year’s expo. A series of seminars throughout the weekend is highlighting responsible outdoor practices, including wildlife conservation efforts aimed at protecting bald and golden eagles. New York Hunters for Eagle Conservation Director Adam Miller said the group’s mission is to encourage hunters to consider switching to non-lead ammunition to help protect eagles from lead poisoning.
“Our goal is to get lead out of the food chain so we can help protect and promote the future of hunting, protect healthy wildlife populations, and ensure effective harvests,” said Miller.
According to the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation, eagles often ingest toxic lead fragments from deer carcasses left by hunters, causing illness or death. The Hunters for Eagle Conservation is a program run by Conservation Science Global to reduce lead poisoning in bald and golden eagles.
New York State Environmental Conservation Biologist Matt Palumbo said the impact from lead bullets can produce hidden fragments that can travel two feet away from the point of impact.
“It only takes about a lead fragment the size of a grain of rice that can potentially be lethal to a bald eagle,” said Palumbo.
The group is also offering hunters a rebate for using non-lead ammunition for deer hunting in specific areas to help study and project these birds of prey. According to the Hunters for Eagle Conservation, a successful New York program could become a model for other states to reduce eagle mortality as well. Miller’s primary solution is for hunters to use copper ammunition, which don’t have the same deadly effects, instead of lead ammunition.
“We know that won’t have any lead fragments out there,” said Miller. “It’s a pretty easy solution. And for hunters that want to make that choice, that’s a choice I made, and I’ve been really happy with the performance I’ve seen.”
Wightman added that this year’s expo, which is expecting over a thousand attendees over the course of the three days, is proof that outdoor recreation is as popular as it’s ever been in New York State.
“A lot of people think New York is concrete and steel, but it’s not,” said Wightman. “We all know that New York is probably one of the biggest hot spots for hunting and fishing.”
