The indoor-outdoor show season began last week with the three-day Tri-Cities exposition in Pasco.

Following close on its heels is this week's five-day O'Loughlin Trade Show exhibition at Puyallup, the lone surviving Western Washington hunting and fishing oriented event, which runs through Sunday, Jan. 27.

Also getting under way this week is Seattle's annual 10-day water world winter extravaganza - the combined Indoor and Boats Afloat shows.

February in Washington, Oregon and Idaho brings five more shows, and in the outdoors equivalent of March madness, five regional exhibitions, including one north of the border, are slated.

With controlled hunt drawing application periods in progress in Wyoming and Idaho's non-resident deer and elk license sales under way, it's time to plan next summer or fall's great fishing and hunting trips. Attending one or more of these winter outdoors shows is a good start.

One note: Some promoters charge a small processing fee for online credit card transactions for tickets but several offer advance ticket sale discounts.

2013 SHOWS

For those of us in Whatcom County, visits to the Puyallup and Abbotsford shows require the least travel.

Regional events:

? Washington Sportsmen's Show, Jan. 23-27 at Western Washington Fairgrounds, Puyallup. Hours: Noon-8 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Gate admission: Adults $12; youth ages 6-16 $5; kids age 5 and under free. Save $3 with online purchase or get a $2 discount coupon at: otshows.com/shows/wss/attendees/discount_coupon.htm. Parking: Free.

Many hunting and fishing seminars daily, Head and Horns competitions, indoor steelhead river, camp cooking demonstrations and survival training.

Organizer online: thesportshows.com/wss/ (O'Loughlin Trade Shows).

? Seattle Boat Show (combined indoors and afloat), Jan. 25-Feb. 3 at Qwest Field Events Center and South Lake Union, Seattle. Hours: 11 a.m.-8 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturdays; 10 a.m.-6 p.m Sundays. Admission: Adults $12; youth $5; and kids age 10 and under free; "Big Show" 5-day pass $24. Box office sales discounted for seniors and veterans. Or order tickets online at seattleboatshow.com/buy-tickets.html. Parking: $11 per day or $5 after 5 p.m. at Centurylink venue. A free shuttle runs between the two venues. Free parking voucher with purchase of four or more tickets in advance.

This show features more than 1,000 watercraft on display, boating accessories vendors, how-to seminars and financing options.

Organizer online: seattleboatshow.com/.

? Pacific Northwest Sportsmen's Show, Feb. 6-10 at Portland Expo Center, Portland, Ore. Hours: 11 a.m.-9 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-6 p.m. Sunday. Admission: Adults, $12; youth $5; and kids 5 and under free; discount for cash ticket sales or online coupon and two-day pass $18 advanced sales at Wilco Farms stores. Parking: Free.

Organizer online: thesportshows.com/pnwss/ (O'Loughlin Trade Shows).

? Central Washington Sportsmen Show, Feb. 15-17 at the Sundome in Yakima. Hours: 1-8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: Adults $9; youth ages 6-12 $4.50; kids 6 and under free. Discounts for senior, family and military. Tickets valid for all three days. Parking: Free.

Daily seminars include regional focus on fishing and hunting in the Columbia Basin. Northwest Big Game Display, outdoor cooking camp and trout races. For kids, air rifle and lunker trout pond.

Organizer online: shuylerproductions.com.

? Wenatchee Valley Sportsmen Show, Feb. 22-24 at Town Toyota Center, Wenatchee. Hours: 1-8 p.m. Friday; 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: Adults $7; youth ages 6-12, $3.50; kids 6 and under free. Senior and military discounts. Tickets valid for all three days.

Daily seminars include regional focus on fishing and hunting in the Columbia Basin. Northwest Big Game Display, outdoor cooking camp and trout races. For kids, air rifle and lunker trout pond.

Organizer online: shuylerproductions.com.

? Idaho Sportsman Show, Feb. 28-March 3 at Expo Idaho Center in Boise, Idaho. Hours: 5 p.m.-9 p.m. weekdays; 11 a.m.-9 p.m. Saturday; 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission: Adults $5; kids 12 and under free; senior discount. Parking: Free.

Features outfitters and guides from Idaho and Montana to Alaska, Central Idaho air and Snake River boat charter services.

Organizer online: idahosportsmanshow.com (Spectra Productions).

? BC Boats and Sportsmen's (22nd year) & BC Hunting Shows (10th year) March 1-3 in the TRADEX building in Abbotsford, B.C. Hours: Noon-9 p.m. Friday; 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. Admission and parking: Adults $13; seniors $10; youth ages 6-16, $9, kids age 6 and under free; family discount. Parking: Free.

Major North American vendors and hundreds of outfitters, resorts and guides from British Columbia.

Organizer online: masterpromotions.ca.

? Central Oregon Sportmen's Show, March 7-10 at Deschutes County Fair and Expo Center, Redmond, Ore. Hours: Noon-8 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission: Adults $10; youth ages 6-12, $5; and kids 5 and under free; discount coupon available online. Parking: Free.

Central Oregon hunting and fishing venues will be highlighted in seminars.

Organizer online: thesportshows.com/coss/ (O'Loughlin Trade Shows).

? Northwest Fly Tyer and Fly Fishing Expo, March 8-9 at Linn County Expo Center, Albany, Ore. Show opens at 9 a.m. both Friday and Saturday this year; full schedule will be posted online later. Admission: $7 a day - no charge to Federation of Fly Fishers members, veterans, and youth age 18 and under. Parking: Free.

More than 187 tyer stations where you may sit and watch, 50 vendors, 90 classes, plus fly casting demonstrations and talks about fly fishing getaways. Daily raffles, banquet and auction Saturday night.

Organizer online: nwexpo.com.

? Bighorn Outdoor Adventure Shows, March 21-24, at Spokane Interstate Fairgrounds, Spokane. Hours: Noon-8 p.m. weekdays; 10 a.m.-8 p.m. Saturday; 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Sunday. Admission: Adults $9; seniors, military and youth, $8; kids 6 and under free. Parking: Free.

Boone and Crockett together with Pope and Young trophy judging contest in all firearms and weapons categories, laser shooting simulators, trout fishing ponds for kids, fishing demo tank and vendors from as far away as Africa and South America.

Organizer online: wildlifecouncil.com/bighornsubsite/index.html.

? ATK Inland Northwest Outdoors Show canceled this winter. This show is now known as the Where Business Meets the Outdoors Show and was held in October.

Organizer online at: lcchamberofcommerce.com.

? Flyfishing Show West, Feb. 16-17 at the Lynnwood Convention Center, Lynnwood (formerly, this show took place in Bellevue).

This show features fly fishing gear manufacturers, regional fly-tyer demonstration tables and talks by experts including Gary Borger, Rick Hafele, Steve Rajeff and Ed Engle.

Organizer online: flyfishingshow.com/Fly_Fishing_Show_Home_Page.

THE HANDS-ON APPROACH

A great deal of research and coordination is needed to bring off a successful angling or big game trip, especially for one new to the territory. These shows offer an opportunity to do some firsthand comparing and contrasting about an intended hunting or fishing venue.

And they make subsequent scheduling of vacations, booking of guides, making motel reservations and consulting the family CFO to see about financing of your personal safari much easier.

Certainly if you lack even a hint of inspiration, checking out a winter show or two is a must. While these shows are all organized according to a similar formula, they offer hunters and fishers a dimension that's simply lacking in surfing the Internet.

You can talk directly with guide service or resort owners and, in many cases, see the trophies and mounts that are fruits of their efforts.

A wide array of boats, equipment, firearms and tackle also will be available to examine.

SECOND JANUARY RAZOR DIG GREEN-LIGHTED

A second winter razor clam dig has been given the go-ahead by the state health department.

Beaches are closed until noon each day. The recommended time dig is one to two hours before the slack ebb.

The schedule for the upcoming dig and evening low tides is:

? Jan. 25, Friday: Twin Harbors, Long Beach. Low tide: 5:44 p.m.

? Jan. 26, Saturday: Twin Harbors, Long Beach, Copalis, Mocrocks. Low tide: 6:18 p.m.

? Jan. 27, Sunday: Twin Harbors, Long Beach. Low tide: 6:50 p.m.

Diggers are limited to 15 razor clams per day, and must keep the first 15 clams they dig. Separate containers are required as well.

All diggers age 15 or older must have a 2012-13 license. Licenses, ranging from a three-day razor clam license to an annual combination fishing license, are available on WDFW's website at https://fishhunt.dfw.wa.gov and over the counter from license vendors around the state.

Current and proposed dig schedules as well as directions to Washington's razor clam beaches are available at http://wdfw.wa.gov/fishing/shellfish/razorclams/current.html.

WINTER-RUN HATCHERY WATCH

Editor's note: Inter-basin transfers of hatchery winter-run steelhead eggs are now prohibited, so it is more important than ever for adult fish to reach their artificial spawning destinations.

Under the state's steelhead management plan and individual hatchery genetics management plans, facilities are directed to spawn the earliest returning adipose fin-clipped adults they get back.

For more details in individual hatchery programs for winter-run steelhead, visit http://wdfw.wa.gov/hatcheries/hgmp/2002-2005_archive.html#pugetsound and http://wdfw.wa.gov/hatcheries/esa.html.

As of Thursday, Jan. 17, these are the numbers, reported by installation, of adult hatchery winter-run steelhead trapped as well as eggs already taken and other details:

Maritime Heritage Center Hatchery (Whatcom Creek): One adult reported, no eggs taken.

Kendall Creek Hatchery (North Fork Nooksack River): 61 adults, 60,000 eggs taken (target 165,000 egg take).

Marblemount Hatchery (Cascade River, Skagit): 140 adults, 259,000 eggs taken (target 275,000 egg take).

Whitehorse Hatchery (North Fork Stillaguamish River): 124 adults, 227,890 eggs taken.

Tokul Creek Hatchery (Snoqualmie River, Snohomish): 559 adults, 657,373 eggs taken.

Soos Creek Hatchery (Green River): 77 adults, 108,000 eggs taken.

Dungeness Hatchery (Dungeness River): 33 adults, 26,000 eggs taken.

Bogachiel Hatchery (Bogachiel River, Quillayute): 1,519 adults, 306,000 eggs taken.

Humptulips Hatchery (Humptulips River): 685 adults, 187,250 eggs taken.

Forks Creek Hatchery (Willapa River): 587 adults, 200,000 eggs taken.

Cowlitz Hatchery (Cowlitz River): 847 adults, no eggs reported taken.

Doug Huddle, the Bellingham Herald's outdoors correspondent, since 1983 has written a weekly fishing and hunting column that now appears Sundays. Read his blog and contact him at http://pblogs.bellinghamherald.com/outdoors.