TUO's Folcrum Hoodie is now live and shipping to hunters. The 249g grid-fleece hoodie features a built-in facemask, Polygiene StayFresh™ and OdorCrunch™ odor management, and flatlock seams, available in Deadfall and Ryse Camo patterns at $179.99.

Custom Bow Equipment announces the launch of the Tactic Hybrid 2V, a two-pin vertical archery sight featuring hybrid elevation adjustment, a 12" fiber-optic management system, and included rheostat sight light. The sight ships now at an MSRP of $139.99 and is available through authorized CBE retailers.

Beretta USA announced that its Beretta AX800 Suprema earned Top Range Performer of the Year and the Beretta 92G Elite LTT II, developed with Langdon Tactical Technology, received Competition Gun of the Year at the 2026 Industry Choice Awards.

Lauryl Akenhead of Team Ruger earned High Lady honors at the 2026 Sheepdog Showdown, a national PRS Pro Series point match held in New York's Catskill Mountains. Competing with her Ruger American Gen II rifle in an MDT LSS chassis, Akenhead finished with a score of 151, demonstrating the rifle's reliability and accuracy in demanding competitive conditions.

Davidson's will broadcast a live manufacturer spotlight on July 28, 2026, featuring Dan Wesson Firearms with Eric Wesson, Sheldon Duncan, and Alex Tumlin of CZ/Dan Wesson. The event explores the brand's history and current CZ-USA partnership, with one lucky FFL dealer winning a free DWX optic-ready 9mm pistol valued at $2,999.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is increasing safety measures at Grand Haven State Park during the Grand Haven Coast Guard Festival, July 24-Aug. 2, with enhanced enforcement of park rules regarding alcohol, marijuana, and amplified music to ensure visitor safety.

High temperatures and low river flows stress fish populations in eastern Montana, potentially causing disease outbreaks and increased mortality. Montana FWP recommends anglers avoid fishing during peak heat hours and practice proper catch-and-release techniques to minimize fish stress.

The Arizona Game and Fish Department opens the Copper State Draw on July 29, offering hunters a chance to draw permit-tags for mule deer, white-tailed deer, elk, and Gould's turkey. New this year is a two-tag hunt option allowing one application fee for both mule deer and elk in Game Management Units 22 and 23.

North Dakota's 2026 pronghorn hunting season offers 1,310 licenses across 18 units, maintaining last year's allocation. Biologists conducted extensive aerial surveys estimating a 12% population increase, supporting conservative harvest strategies. The season features a bow-only period (Sept. 4-27) followed by a gun/bow season (Oct. 2-18).

Forty-four youth deer hunters aged 12-17 can participate in 11 private land deer hunts across Oklahoma counties from October through December 2026. The Oklahoma Wildlife Conservation Commission endorsed program allows beginning hunters to gain experience with landowner support, and antlerless deer harvested count as bonus deer not affecting annual bag limits.

Nebraska Game and Parks Commission will offer leftover 2026 big game permits starting Aug. 5 at 10 a.m. Central time. Available permits include general and landowner elk, landowner antelope, and deer permits for residents and nonresidents, purchasable online at OutdoorNebraska.gov or at commission offices.

Traditions Firearms announced Keith Heinlein as Product Manager, bringing nearly two decades of shooting sports industry experience. Heinlein, an avid hunter and fisherman, will lead product development initiatives and help expand Traditions' firearms and accessories portfolio.

Bowtech and Diamond Archery are relocating operations to Houston, Texas to enhance innovation and growth. The move includes expansion of operational capabilities, with Excalibur Crossbow transitioning to Savage Arms leadership, while Black Gold Premium Accessories continues production in Belgrade, Montana.

Fusion Thermal, LLC, owner of the WAVE Infrared brand, appointed Professional Marketing Inc. (PMI) as its manufacturers' representative agency for a 10-state Southeastern territory. PMI will represent WAVE Infrared thermal imaging optics to firearm retailers, sporting goods dealers, and distributors across Mississippi, Tennessee, Kentucky, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, West Virginia, Virginia, and Florida.

ATN Corp released a major firmware update for the ATN ThOR 6 Elite thermal rifle scope, improving image quality, SharpIR processing, digital zoom clarity, and battery recognition. The free update is available through the ATN Connect 6 app or USB-C for all ThOR 6 Elite owners.

The Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation celebrated Oregon's Initiative Petition 28 failing to gather sufficient signatures for the November 2026 ballot. The measure would have eliminated exemptions protecting lawful hunting, fishing, trapping, and livestock production. CSF worked with conservation and agricultural partners to oppose the initiative.

The More Like Wynne Foundation donated to the Outdoors Tomorrow Foundation to expand its Outdoor Adventures curriculum in Richardson ISD schools. The program teaches conservation, wildlife management, hunting, fishing, and shooting sports, with a presentation ceremony scheduled for August 5th at Moss Haven Elementary.

Safari Club International (SCI) welcomes interim final rules from the U.S. Department of Commerce and Department of State that modernize export regulations for suppressors, allowing U.S. hunters to temporarily travel internationally with eligible suppressors for lawful hunting and sporting activities without burdensome ITAR licensing requirements.

CCI Ammunition has released four options of its new High Bar Air Gun Slugs designed for enhanced accuracy and terminal performance in modern air rifles. The 22-caliber slugs are available in 30- and 35-grain hollow-point and segmented hollow-point designs, packed in 100-count boxes at $16.99 each.

Snakestaff Systems released the Universal Snakeskin, a versatile tourniquet carrier compatible with Snakestaff ETQ™ and ETQ Wide™ models. Designed for multiple mounting applications across vehicles, equipment, and recreational gear, the carrier provides secure hemorrhage control access in diverse environments for military, law enforcement, first responders, and civilians.

SB Tactical, in conjunction with Die Free Co., announced the SBA6, a 5-position adjustable pistol stabilizing brace for MIL-SPEC carbine receiver extensions. The brace features improved ergonomics, a rubber arm cuff, and ambidextrous QD sling socket, now shipping in Black with FDE and ODG models expected in Q4.

GTM Original, an award-winning leader in women's concealed carry handbags, launches the GTM-201/PBBONE Mini Crossbody Concealed Carry Purse featuring premium USA top grain cowhide leather, built-in RFID-protected wallet, and a three-sided zippered concealed carry compartment with included Mernickle Holster for Sig P365 firearms.

Stealth Cam launches its upgraded 3.0 Series cellular trail cameras featuring AI-powered false image detection, PIR zone selection, and Rack Alert technology. The Deceptor MAX 3.0, Revolver PRO 3.0, Spectre 4K Pro, and Fusion MAX 3.0 models offer dual-core technology for simultaneous image and video capture with free 4K downloads via the Command app.

CNC Firearms announced a new distribution partnership with Bill Hicks & Co., Ltd., a respected firearms wholesale distributor. This collaboration expands dealer access to CNC Firearms' exclusive line of limited-edition, collector-focused firearms with premium finishes and custom engraving.

Taylor's & Company will exhibit at the 2026 Gun Owners Advocacy and Leadership Summit (GOALS) in Des Moines, Iowa on August 1st and 2nd, showcasing their historical firearm reproductions including the new TC73 9mm lever-action rifle at booth #2930.

TriStar Arms will exhibit at Ducks Unlimited Expo 2026 from July 31 through August 2 at the Renasant Convention Center in Memphis, Tennessee. Attendees can visit Booth #450 to explore TriStar's shotgun lineup and meet with product experts. Ryan Bader, President of TriStar Arms, highlights the opportunity to connect with waterfowl hunters and showcase reliable firearms.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources invites the public to a virtual meeting on August 5 to review and provide feedback on a draft general management plan for Interlochen State Park in Grand Traverse County. DNR staff will present park improvements and planning details, with an interactive survey available through August 23.

Ralph and Vicki Cianciarulo head to Round Valley Outfitters in Utah for a management mule deer hunt in the 26th season of The Choice on Pursuit Channel, airing July 27th with guides Brett and Blake.

Gun Talk Media launched Shooting Sports Life, a free 24/7 streaming network dedicated entirely to shooting sports content. The FAST channel, featuring Gun Talk franchises like Guns & Gear and First Person Defender, is available on multiple platforms including FreebieTV, STIRR, and TugoTV with no subscription required.

The High Road with Keith Warren releases a new episode featuring Keith Warren, Johnny Piazza, and Jude Mequet from Team Voodoo hunting trophy alligators in Louisiana. The action-packed episode airs on Pursuit Channel and online, showcasing alligator hunting techniques, WiseEye game cameras, and wildlife management in the Louisiana bayou.

If someone asked me which conservation organization I would want standing beside hunters when the next political assault arrives, my answer would be immediate: Safari Club International.

That isn't because SCI is the largest hunting organization or because it hosts world-class conventions, celebrates hunting achievements, or promotes international adventure. I support Safari Club International because it understands something many sportsmen still underestimate: every conservation victory won on the landscape can be erased if no one is willing to defend it in courtrooms, legislatures, regulatory agencies, and the court of public opinion.

Habitat alone cannot protect hunting. Science alone cannot protect wildlife management. Someone has to defend the institutions, policies, and legal framework that make conservation possible in the first place.

For well over a century, North American hunters have built what many consider the most successful wildlife restoration model ever devised. Billions of dollars have flowed into conservation through hunting licenses, Pittman-Robertson excise taxes, wildlife stamp programs, private land stewardship, conservation easements, and hunter-funded organizations that have restored millions of acres of habitat.

While hunters may pursue elk, ducks, sheep, deer, or quail, the forests, wetlands, prairies, rivers, and grasslands they finance support hundreds of nongame species that benefit from the same investments. Wild turkey populations have rebounded dramatically. Rocky Mountain elk thrive across much of the West. Whitetail deer are more abundant today than at any time in modern history. Waterfowl populations have recovered because wetlands were protected. Bighorn sheep, pronghorn, wood ducks, black bears, and countless other species owe much of their success to a conservation system largely funded by hunters themselves.

None of this happened by accident. It happened because generations of sportsmen invested their own money, donated their time, and embraced science-based wildlife management decades before conservation became fashionable.

Ironically, despite this extraordinary success, the greatest threat facing conservation today is not biological—it is ideological. Animal-rights organizations have become fundraising giants, raising enormous sums through emotionally charged campaigns that portray hunting as cruel while readily ignoring the very funding model responsible for restoring wildlife across North America and much of the world. Increasingly, their objective goes beyond opposing individual hunting methods. Many seek to dismantle hunting itself and, with it, the conservation system that has financed wildlife management for generations.

Their strategy has grown progressively advanced. Rather than debating wildlife science, they attempt to reframe it. Rather than persuading professional wildlife managers, they seek political appointments that allow them to influence wildlife commissions and regulatory agencies. Rather than trusting peer-reviewed management, they promote emotionally appealing plots often built upon chosen data or questionable research. In too many cases, university professors and researchers have been willing to lend academic credibility to advocacy dressed up as science, particularly when outside funding aligns with predetermined political outcomes.

At the same time, ballot initiatives and social media campaigns have reduced complex wildlife management decisions to simplistic, emotional slogans. "Ballot-box biology" has become one of the most effective weapons in the animal-rights movement's arsenal, allowing complex biological questions to be decided by advertising campaigns rather than by professional wildlife managers.

This is precisely why Safari Club International has become indispensable. While many organizations do extraordinary work restoring habitat, increasing public access, and funding wildlife research, SCI has willingly accepted the far less glamorous responsibility of defending the entire conservation system. The organization understands that restoring habitat means little if lawmakers eliminate the hunting opportunities that finance it. It understands that wildlife agencies cannot efficiently manage wildlife if they become political battlegrounds rather than science-based institutions. Above all, SCI recognizes that conservation ultimately fails whenever ideology replaces biology.

That mission becomes even more important on the international stage. Across Africa and elsewhere, foreign governments and well-funded advocacy groups continue to push trophy import bans, driven largely by emotion rather than measurable conservation outcomes. Those policies may generate favorable headlines in wealthy nations, but their consequences are borne by rural communities that live alongside elephants, lions, leopards, buffalo, and other dangerous wildlife every day. In those communities, wildlife must provide tangible value if it is to survive.

Revenue generated through regulated hunting funds anti-poaching efforts, habitat conservation, schools, medical clinics, meat distribution, local employment, and incentives that encourage people to tolerate wildlife instead of eliminating it. Remove that value through politically motivated trophy import bans, and wildlife quickly becomes an expensive liability competing with crops, livestock, and human safety. The people who suffer most are not the activists celebrating the bans from thousands of miles away. They are the families who share their farms and villages with dangerous animals.

For decades, Safari Club International has given those communities something they rarely receive in international policy debates: a voice. SCI has consistently reminded policymakers that successful conservation depends upon local people benefiting from wildlife rather than simply being asked to coexist with it for someone else's moral satisfaction. That message is not always politically convenient, yet decades of conservation experience across southern Africa continue to demonstrate its validity.

Closer to home, SCI remains equally vigilant. Its attorneys monitor legislation, its policy experts analyze regulations, its advocates engage federal agencies, its communications professionals respond when misinformation gains traction, and its lobbyists work the halls of Capitol Hill protecting hunting rights that many sportsmen mistakenly assume will always exist. Increasingly, those rights cannot be taken for granted.

Ballot initiatives seek to prohibit lawful hunting methods. States consider restrictions on trophy imports despite having no wildlife populations affected by those decisions. Activist organizations target predator hunting, bear hunting, mountain lion hunting, trapping, and other longstanding wildlife management tools one campaign at a time. None of these efforts exist in isolation. Together, they represent a deliberate, long-term strategy to gradually weaken public acceptance of hunting until political elimination becomes achievable.

That reality requires far more than excellent habitat work. It demands organizations willing to play defense (and offense) every single day. Safari Club International serves as the global insurance policy for hunters and for conservation itself. It monitors legislative strategies, evaluates international treaties, challenges unlawful government actions, educates policymakers, funds litigation when necessary, and continually reminds the public that hunters remain the world's single greatest private investors in wildlife conservation.

Much of that work happens quietly. Most sportsmen never hear about the lawsuit that prevented a harmful regulation, the agency decision that changed behind closed doors, or the legislation that was defeated before it ever became a headline. Like any good insurance policy, its greatest value becomes apparent only when disaster has been avoided.

For those of us who believe hunting and conservation are inseparable, supporting Safari Club International is about far more than protecting hunting opportunities. It is about defending the conservation model that has restored wildlife across North America and sustained biodiversity around the globe. If hunters fail to defend that model politically, legally, and culturally, no amount of habitat restoration will preserve it for future generations. The future of conservation will certainly continue to be shaped in forests, wetlands, mountains, and African savannas, but it will be decided just as often in legislative chambers, courtrooms, regulatory agencies, and the marketplace of public opinion.

Fortunately for hunters—and for wildlife—Safari Club International has chosen to stand watch wherever those battles are fought.

– Chris Dorsey

Chris Dorsey is a 30-year media veteran and conservation thought leader who is the founding partner of Dorsey Pictures, a Global 100 Production Studio, and Mission Partners Entertainment Group, a leading IMAX/giant screen natural history producer.