NE Ohio Sportsman Show heats up Mt. Hope on chilly weekend
One way to warm up a freezing weekend was the recent 2025 Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show in Mt. Hope, where hunters, campers and anyone associated with the great outdoors ventured to Holmes County to see what is new and exciting in the world of outdoor activities.
It may have been close to subzero temperatures during Martin Luther King Jr. Weekend, but inside the Mt. Hope Expo Center, all were warmed by the thought of fishing, hunting, camping and everything outdoors during the 2025 Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show.
The annual Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show filled the expo building with vendors who displayed hunting apparel, archery equipment, plenty of stuffed wild animals, ground and raised hunting blinds, fishing lures, guided hunts, and everything that accompanies hunting, fishing and camping.
Meanwhile, up in the Dean Beachy Horse Arena, there were fishing and hunting demonstrations by professionals and the crew from Buckeye Big Buck Club measuring and scoring deer.
It all added up to a record-breaking day for the event, which is run by JW Promotions, which has successfully run well-established hunting and fishing trade shows for years.
For JW Promotions’ Jody Witzky, who promotes and operates the show every year, Holmes County is the ideal place to host such an event because this area is a haven of outdoor activities.
It has helped the Northeast Ohio Sportsman Show to blossom into what Witzky said is the premier hunting and fishing show in the state.
“Every year we continue to bring in more and more people and more great vendors, and the vendors said it was the best show they have ever had,” Witzky said.
While there was hunting, fishing and camping gear galore, one of the biggest drawing cards is the availability to book a hunting excursion through the professional companies who book hunting tours and fishing lodges all over the world.
“We have outfitters from all over the United States and into Canada, and if someone is looking to book a hunting trip of a lifetime to places like Alaska and Africa or anywhere in the U.S., this is the place to come because we have a huge variety,” Witzky said.
From giant vendors like Fin, Feather and Fur to local vendors peddling knives, bows and camping gear, the expo center was the place to be to warm the hearts of outdoor fans on a wintry weekend.
The weekend included seminars that educated visitors about how to track whitetails, reel in a monster bass and call in big-bearded gobblers. The hunting and fishing seminars took place in the Dean Beachy Horse Arena and once again featured the monstrous Hawg Trough, where kids were taught the tricks on how to hook plenty of bluegill or crappie this summer.
Witzky said one key feature of the show is not only does it focus on adult outdoorsmen, but also it creates an atmosphere that is inviting for the whole family.
“We want to make this event interesting for the kids too because they are the future of our outdoor hunting and fishing,” Witzky said. “With hunting and fishing seminars at the top of the hour, every hour, and with plenty of great food, this facility is ideal for the whole family to come and enjoy everything here. The kids absolutely love that huge Hawg Trough.”
Witzky said every year the show has grown, and there is a vendor waiting list to get in. Fortunately, with the planned event center addition that is on tap, those additional vendors can find a spot next year. With everything under one roof, it will make the show even more advantageous for outdoorsmen.
Every time they bring the show to Mt. Hope, Witzky said they are greeted warmly and treated like royalty, and he said with Holmes County being a top tourism destination in Ohio, it creates a wonderful market with visitors from Holmes County and tourists who plan to visit every year.
Because of that, Witzky said the outfitters who travel all over the U.S. enjoy this show as much as any.
“It’s amazing to hear them talk about how they do more business in a small-town atmosphere like Mt. Hope than they do at other shows in big cities like Cleveland or Columbus,” Witzky said. “A lot of that is because of the atmosphere here and the way people feel so at home and how well they are treated.”
For many years the Witzky family enjoyed partnering with Wayne Miller to promote this show. However, Miller passed away last year, and Witzky said it was nice to honor the man who started the show.
“Wayne was a warm, wonderful man,” Witzky said. “He started this show, and when he partnered with us, he said he was simply a sportsman who sells guns and equipment, and I was a promoter. He wanted to take it to the next level, and together we did.”