Hunting experts were on hand including Ralph & Vicki Cianciarulo, Cody Robbins, and Les Johnson from Predator Quest. Chris David and the guys from Hunting Chronicles, Jason & Kevin Spenst and Lain Roth, rounded out the Speakers Stage line up. There was also a special Cooking Demo area offering tasty free samples to visitors. Last but not least, a display of mounted trophy bucks was provided by Artistic Antlers.

Huntfest was so successful that organizers hope to bring the event to more Canadian cities next year. Show Manager Shaun Vlodarchyk stated: “There is definitely potential for this event to go nationwide, with a strong possibility of multiple cities for 2010. Keep watching Wild TV to see the latest updates this fall.”

In the video below, Nicki Pacas, a former Canadian National Team biathlete, talks about the “Girls with Guns” biathlon program she leads in Canmore, Alberta, Canada. Nicki’s “Girls with Guns” program has attracted many new female biathletes who enjoy the comradery and the unique challenge of skiing and shooting. Nicki explains: “I enjoy the challenge of biathlon. The best way to describe going from skiing to shooting is, say you just did a 100-meter sprint and a whole bunch of pushups and then you need to try and thread a needle. It’s really, really hard… it’s a total shift in concentration.”

With the help of top Nordic coaches, Nicki has introduced dozens of young women to the sport of biathlon. For many participants this was their first experience shooting rifles. Nicki adds: “It’s so great to see more girls participating in [biathlon]. I think because it’s a girls-only program it’s more appealing…. I think if you give girls the opportunity to have a healthy lifestyle… they’re more likely to make really positive decisions in the future.”

NOTE: You should definitely watch this professionally-produced video. Nicki is a great spokes-person for her sport.

Click here to view the embedded video.