Education

The National Wild Turkey Federation will host a conservation curriculum workshop created by the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency, the Tennessee Wildlife Federation, Tennessee Forestry Association and the NWTF's Tennessee State Chapter at the 30th annual NWTF Convention and Sport Show in Nashville, Tenn. The workshop, Let's Talk Turkey, will be available to educators on Friday, Feb. 24, from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., at Nashville's Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center.
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Fishing

Upstate New York's 2006 Ice Fishing Tour began Saturday, January 28 as more than 400 ice anglers came to the central Adirondacks for the Lake Pleasant Ice Fishing Contest.
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Pro Robert Lee of Angels Camp, California lead day one of the Stren Series Western Division FLW event on Lake Havasu, California.
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Hunting

Pennsylvania's hunters crushed the Commonwealth's all-time black bear harvest when they took 4,164 bruins in the regular and extended 2005 bear seasons in November and December, according to the official final tally released today by the Game Commission. Hunters set the previous record of 3,075 bears in 2000.
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Media Advisory

Media attendees of the Miami International Boat Show will have opportunities to test drive a variety of Yamaha-powered boats.
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Partnerships

The Paralyzed Veterans of America (PVA) and Kershaw Knives, Inc. have announced a partnership between the two groups. Kershaw will introduce the Zero Tolerance (ZT) line of combat knives, with a portion of the proceeds going to PVA's Outdoor Recreation Heritage Fund. The Fund underwrites outdoor recreational activities such as hunting and fishing for veterans and others with physical disabilities.
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People

The Outdoor Channel (TOC), a wholly owned subsidiary of Outdoor Channel Holdings, Inc. (NASDAQ:OUTD) has promoted Greg Harrigan to Senior Vice President of Advertising Sales.
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Recreational Vehicles

Fleetwood Enterprises, Inc. (NYSE:FLE) announces the re-opening of its Edgerton, Ohio, manufacturing plant. The plant will initially manufacture travel trailers for orders placed by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as part of the agency's disaster relief plan in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. The plant will then transition to producing Prowler, Wilderness and Terry products.Fleetwood plans to hire 150 associates with plans to grow to 200 associates within the year.
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Television

Legendary six-gun, fast draw exhibition shooter Bob Munden will be joining the Shooting USA television series in 2006. Munden will be producing a series of exhibition shooting demonstrations entitled "Impossible Shots".
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Only days before the 2006 SHOT Show brings together virtually the entire outdoor industry in Las Vegas, the industry generally starts to go into a period of virtual hibernation with last-minute preparations.

Not this year. There's a whole lot of shakin' going on.

Here's a portion of what The Outdoor Wire has learned:

BUYING:
Venerable firearms brand Colt's defense division has been sold to General Dynamics. The purchase preempts a public offering for that portion of the Colt company. The consumer portion of the bifurcated company (consumer/defense), is also being sold, with sources telling The Outdoor Wire the deal is "all-but-done". A total of eleven potential suitors were said to have been kicking the tires on the venerable brand. The winner may shock most of the firearms industry - as well as the other bidders.

SELLING:
SIGARMS continues to sell high-visibility police contracts. Yesterday, the Boston Police Department's Entry and Apprehension Team (that's Boston's politically-correct way of saying "SWAT") notified SIGARMS President Ron J. Cohen that "following extensive testing and evaluation" of "several models of 1911s" SIG's 1911 .45ACP Revolution had been chosen as their new sidearm. According to Boston PD's Deputy Superintendent Thomas Lee, the choice of the Revolution gave his special-duty officers "the exact weapon" they wanted. With this sale, the Revolution series joins SIG's P-series pistols among the top-choices for sidearms by law enforcement and military teams.

SUING:
Several firearms manufacturers are huddling with legal counsels following receipt of letters from Shooting Times Ballistics Editor Rick Jamison. Jamison's not asking for information or assistance, and his letter doesn't come on behalf of the magazine where he's a long-standing expert editor.

Jamison's offering a legal settlement in avoidance of a lawsuit. According to these letters, Jamison's intellectual property was purloined by Winchester in their short magnums. He sued, winning a decision in a Missouri court (his state of residence). Winchester, the letter states, settled the claim as has fellow short-magnum rifle manufacturer Browning and Olin Winchester ammunition. In the heretofore unreported letters, Jamison is reportedly seeking a monetary "cure" from each manufacturer, in addition to an ongoing royalty for the sale of each rifle in the contested calibers.

The lawsuit is doubtless causing some heartburn at publishing powerhouse Primedia. As one of their established experts in shooting, Jamison's lawsuit may cause a backlash against them. At least one firearms company tells The Outdoor Wire that, on advice of counsel, they will defend the claim in court, and will begin amassing a "war chest" by cutting back on their advertising. Any guesses where their first belt-tightening might begin?

SHOT 2006 may prove very interesting.

--- Jim Shepherd