HERE'S SOME OF WHAT WE'RE HEARING FROM AROUND THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY PRIOR TO THE SHOT Show:

FROM THE NSSF: The first Shotgun and Rifle qualifying event for the ESPN Great Outdoor Games V will be at the Desert Lake Country Club in Las Vegas, Nevada, February 20 - 21. The qualifier is the first of three open events for each discipline to be held around the country. The top finisher at each will be invited to participate in the Great Outdoor Games V in Madison, Wisconsin, July 8-11. The Shotgun qualifier, open to everyone, will have competitors attempting a series of five-target sequences offering flying, bouncing and rising shots for a total of 25 targets. Practice will be available February 20, and competitor seeding will begin February 21. The fast-paced rifle event will feature a bank of 10 aperture targets and a plate of four dueling targets, shot with a .22 rimfire rifle. Practice will be available February 20 and competitor seeding will begin the next day. Qualified athletes will compete in the finals the morning of February 22. The Rifle finals also will be broadcast on ESPN.

SCTP SHOTGUN OFFER . . . Sigarms has joined NSSF's Scholastic Clay Target Program (SCTP) in a unique fundraising opportunity for participating teams. For a limited time, Sigarms will offer selected models of its Aurora TR over/under shotguns to SCTP teams. These specially priced shotguns are for fundraising purposes only, such as raffles, and are available to teams registered in the program or SCTP state directors. Those purchasing shotguns must supply Sigarms with an ink-signed Federal Firearms License (FFL) from their local retailer as well as a signed statement declaring that the firearm will only be used as an SCTP fundraising tool. To order a firearm for your team, go to http://www.nssf.org/sctp.

The Archery Trade Association (ATA) says their 2004 Archery Trade Show in Indianapolis, Indiana, last month was a success. Exhibitors rented a record 136,500 square feet and attracted the largest crowd ever to attend a show at the Indianapolis Convention Center during its Jan. 22-25 run. The size and attendance of ATA Archery Trade Show ranks it among the top 200 trade shows in the United States.

"Exhibitors were working harder than ever to attract the attention of buyers and dealers on the show floor," commented Denise Parker, ATA Vice-President and Trade Show Director. "Companies were creative in their use of show space with many using elaborate structures, suspended signage and other innovative gimmicks to grab the attention of attendees." We attended the event, and found it to be both informative and fun. Especially interesting were the many opportunities to actually test-fire the majority of the bows offered for sale at the ATA Trade Show. Our only disappointment was not getting to fire the Swiss Crossbow Company's new product. At nearly $4,000 per bow, we figured it would be our only opportunity.

The hills of Rowan County, Kentucky are alive with the sound of - coon hounds? And the neighbors are getting tired of it. Rowan County commissioners have given a preliminary approval to a measure that would fine dog owners whose pesky pooches annoy neighbors. The anti-barking measure would require Rowan County pet owners to either silence their dogs or pay fines of up to $100. Rowan County, and Morehead, the county seat, is in something of an uproar over the issue. Coon hunters - and there are plenty of them in Rowan County - take special pleasure in their dog's voices - and a premium is placed on the big-voiced do that can be heard as he pursues his prey. The anti-barking measure is up for a final vote on February 17, but we can bet that whatever the outcome, we haven't heard the last of this story.

And finally, in Auburn, New York, it's somewhat quieter than this weekend. Auburn is a town about 20 miles west of Syracuse that has had a long-standing problem with crows. The crows "winter" in Auburn - in a flock estimated to contain as many as 25,000 this year. That's down from as many as 50,000 in the past - and well more than the human population (28,574). Sunday, organizers of a two-day crow hunt reported that about 200 participants, some from as far away as Arizona and Kentucky killed more than 1,000 birds over the weekend. About 50 people protested the Sunday hunt and urged lawmakers to ban wildlife shooting contests without limits on the numbers of animals that can be killed. One member of "The Crow Committee" says that instead of shooting the crows, they should celebrate them with a festival. The hunt organizers say there will be a crow festival next year - celebrating the right to hunt crows.