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MONDAY, FEBRUARY 4, 2019

- AWARDS -
Gray’s Sporting Journal has awarded the GPO USA PASSION 3X 3-9x42 riflescope its coveted Gray’s Best Award as one of the editors’ top choices for hunting and shooting gear for 2019 in Vol. 43, Issue 7 of the magazine. 

On Target magazine recently recognized Federal Premium Hydra-Shok Deep with an Editors’ Choice Award for best-of-the-best in ammunition, as part of the magazine’s 17th annual awards program. The redesigned bullet delivers improved penetration to optimal depths and significantly higher FBI protocol scores.  
 

- COMPETITION -
More than 50 rifle athletes from the United States, Canada, Brazil and Columbia will compete in the Robert Mitchell Rifle Championships February 5 – 10 at the Olympic Shooting Center in Colorado Springs.

The 52 anglers converging on Knoxville March 15-19 will be gunning for the largest share of the $1 million prize fund, and they’ll be aiming to establish their angling legacy by winning the most important title in professional fishing.
- ENFORCEMENT -
The Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR) has closed the adjudication phase of what has become the largest case in the 146-year history of the ODNR Division of Wildlife.
- EVENTS -
QuietKat, the leader in Low-Speed Electric Vehicles (LSEV) for hunting and outdoors, is proud to attend the NRA's Great American Outdoor Show in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania.
The twentieth annual Muzzy Classic bow fishing tournament will happen July 13-14 out of the Lee S. Jones Park in Eddyville, Kentucky.

- FISHERIES -
Texas Parks and Wildlife Department biologists confirmed that ShareLunker 577, a 14.57 pound bass caught at Marine Creek Lake Jan. 26, is a full sibling to the 2017 Marine Creek Lake fish, both stocked from the same group of selectively bred largemouth bass 13 years ago.
- INDUSTRY -
After three days of demonstrating the newest in muskie rods, from January 18 through January 20, a panel of muskie experts voted the new for 2019 Legend Tournament LMD90MLF Bantam Bait Musky Downsizer rod “Best New Muskie Rod” at the show.
Lipsey’s, a nationally renowned firearms distributor, again earned accolades as the leading distributor from some of the industry’s most notable manufacturers, including Daniel Defense, Armscor and Savage Arms.. 
- JOBS -
Barrett Firearms Manufacturing, Inc. seeks industry experienced product designer candidates. The successful candidate will support the chief design engineer in defining and development of the latest firearms innovations. 

Currently Outtech is seeking candidates for a Georgia or South Carolina based Regional Manager. This position will professionally represent Outtech vendors to retailers within a territory by providing outstanding sales and customer service. 
- LITIGATION -
The Second Amendment Foundation has joined several other parties in filing an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court, asking the court to accept for review a case that challenges the “justifiable need” standard that is at the heart of New Jersey’s restrictive carry law.
- NEW PRODUCTS -
Galco Gunleather announced four new products at SHOT Show: the Paragon IWB, KingTuk Classic, EDC Belt and ATM-Kit (Ankle Trauma Medical Kit).
- ORGANIZATIONS -
The American Sportfishing Association (ASA) is pleased to announce that Rob Keith, most recently with The Wilderness Society, is the organization’s new Member Services Manager.

As the National Wild Turkey Federation expands upon its efforts to recruit, retain and reactivate hunters, it’s adding high tech firepower to its communication plan – a partnership with GoWild.
Registration for the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation’s Elk Camp & MTN Festival, presented by YETI, opens today (February 4, 2019). The totally revamped national convention will take place on the slopes and in the shadows of the Wasatch Mountains July 11-14, 2019, in Park City, Utah.
- PROMOTIONS -
Register today in the SIG SAUER ROMEO4T Sweepstakes for your opportunity to win the sight used by elite government and military agencies now through Wednesday, February 6, 2019 to participate in this promotion.
Now through April 30, 2019, Beretta will be running a promotion in which you will be eligible to receive a $75 rebate when you buy any Beretta APX striker-fired pistol.

- PUBLISHING -
In spite of the recent polar vortex, spring’s long-awaited and popular turkey hunting season is near. To ensure dealers capitalize on this early-year season, Shooting Industry’s February issue features ways to boost sales of turkey hunting guns, ammunition and gear. 
- RADIO -
Paul Anderson with Fly Fishing Strategies Fly Shop in The Dalles, Oregon has suggestions on where to go fishing in the weeks ahead in North Central Oregon and South Central Washington.
- RETAIL -
Mammoth Coolers, a leading provider of premium rotomolded coolers, drink ware, and accessories, announces its new line of Limited Edition Second Amendment/Freedom Coolers.
The Realtree EDGE Camo Silicone Sport Band Compatible with Apple Watch is ideal for the outdoor enthusiast who appreciates both style and durability. 

- SPONSORSHIPS -
Leupold & Stevens, Inc., has announced that it will be a product sponsor of Wentz Bros Outdoors, a digital-only video series starring Carson and Zach Wentz.
The High Road with Keith Warren announces it will continue to represent Pyramyd Air and Air Venturi and their lines of airguns and accessories via their online and broadcast properties.
- STATES -
Some people see smoke in the vicinity of N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission game lands and their immediate thoughts go to wildfires. What they’re witnessing is actually one of the most beneficial and cost-effective methods of managing habitat for wildlife ­– a prescribed burn.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has sponsored legislation proposing limits on select license and permit fees. Senate Bill 50, if passed, would not raise any hunting or fishing license or permit fees and no fee increases are under consideration.

Residents of Alpine, Arizona, Reserve, New Mexico and surrounding areas may notice a low-flying helicopter in the region between February 7 and February 20 as biologists conduct their annual Mexican wolf population survey and capture.
The Alabama Wildlife and Freshwater Fisheries (WFF) Division and Alabama Forestry Commission (AFC) are on an enlistment drive to help count one of the iconic species in Alabama’s longleaf pine forests, the beloved gopher tortoise.
Anglers will get the chance to load up on trout prior to repairs to the lake planned to begin March 15.
The Division of Boating and Waterways (DBW) is now accepting grant applications for local government agencies to purchase boating safety and law enforcement equipment.
The Washington Fish and Wildlife Commission will take public input on various topics – including hatchery reform, salmon management in Grays Harbor and Willapa Bay, and several land transactions – during an upcoming meeting in Olympia.
Warm temperatures followed by extreme cold and then warming again have caused variable ice conditions and potential danger spots across the state.
The Kansas Department of Wildlife, Parks and Tourism (KDWPT) has sponsored legislation proposing new limits on select license and permit fees.
The Oregon Department of Agriculture (ODA) and the Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife (ODFW) announce recreational and commercial crabbing is now open for the entire Oregon Coast, free of restrictions.
Semiautomatic centerfire rifles will not become lawful for hunting big game in Pennsylvania's 2019-20 seasons.
- WASHINGTON -
The National Wild Turkey Federation commends Congressman Austin Scott (R-GA) for reintroducing the Modernizing the Pittman-Robertson Fund for Tomorrow’s Needs Act, a bill that will help secure future funding for wildlife and habitat conservation.
 

SIG SAUER's private event before SHOT featured ex-"operators" parachute and helicopter assaults, targets that counterattacked using artificial intelligence -and that was only one "act" of the day-long event. OWDN Photo

SIG SAUER’s presence at SHOT Show 2019 made what one observer described as a “serious statement.”

Before the show officially opened, SIG staged an event that brought in the A-list media, key buyers and government officials for what was better described as an “event” than a “range day.”

Their multi-level, booth inside the Sands Convention Center was, in a word, gigantic. And the size alone wasn’t what made it stand out. Sure the “Never Settle.” message was impactful-especially when you could see it from aisles away, but there was “something” that made the booth stand out-aside from the near cheek-to-jowl crowds inside.

A trade show, by its nature, isn’t a bright, airy space. Expo areas are really nothing more than tall, dark warehouse spaces. So SIG’s designers -accidentally or intentionally- went from the rich wood and dark fixture motif to the opposite end of the scale. Their booth was the opposite of the dark tones of the “operator” world. A company that prides itself on producing “tools for the modern warfighter” looked more like a booth from the Nashville Home & Antique Show I attended this past weekend. It was brightly-lit, featured clean, white, surfaces and only their products and staffers used the dark motif.

In the words of home decorating scion Bunny Williams, SIG went “counter intuitive”-using the opposite of the dark craft of war fighting to sell the very instruments that are gaining traction across the world.

SIG execs intimated there were some “big things” ahead -other than the land-office business they were writing in the consumer segment, but otherwise kept mum about how their products are gaining traction with military and law enforcement units around the world.

Over the weekend, I was tipped off to a report in The India Express news service that talked about SIG’s latest contract. India, the world’s second largest standing army, has placed an order for 73,000 SIG rifles under a “fast track mode” contract.

India Defense Minister Nirmala Sitharaman has approved procurement of the SIG SAUER rifles for “troops deployed along the nearly 3,600-km border with China” The India Express reports.

According to officials cited in the report, the contract was expected to be finalized “within the week” and delivery of the full contract to happen within the next 12 months. The SIGs will replace the Indian army’s existing Insas rifles.

The procurement search apparently began in 2017 after rifles built by Ishapore, the state-run rifle factory “miserably failed firing tests.” Now, they’re looking to replace “44,000 light machine guns, and nearly 44,600 carbines” - in addition to the existing contract. The total contract to be placed by Indian officials is valued at “something in the neighborhood of $503 million (USD).”

There’s no official word from SIG officials- or the U.S. government - regarding the contract, but military contract experts tell me that it’s “very unusual” that a contract of this size would be completed in a 12-month timeframe due to the fact that a contract over $1 million requires Congressional approval.

However, increased tensions along the India-China-Pakistan border have been a concern for U.S. officials for some time. Cementing the sometimes-tenuous U.S.-India relationship could be one reason for the “fast-track” process referred to in the India Express report.

SIG SAUER officials, as of our editorial deadline, have not commented on the report.

—Jim Shepherd

OUTDOOR WIRE
Event Calendar

FEBRUARY 2-10
Great American Outdoor Show

The annual Great American Outdoor Show will be held at the PA Farm Show Complex in Harrisburg, PA.

FEBRUARY 13-17
National Wild Turkey Federation 42nd Annual Convention & Sport Show

Gaylord Opryland Hotel 
Nashville, Tennessee
http://www.nwtf.org/convention

FEBRUARY 14-17
Western Hunting & Conservation Expo

Salt Palace Convention Center, Salt Lake City. Website: www.huntexpo.com

FEBRUARY 15-17
Mid-South Sports, RV and Boat Show

The 56th annual Mid-South Sports, RV and Boat Show will be held Feb. 15-17 at the Agricenter in East Memphis. The show has added RVs to its title this year (www.memphisboatshow.com or 901-867-2007).

FEBRUARY 20-24
Ducks in the Desert Continental Shoot

Clark County Shooting Complex, Las Vegas, Nevada
Info: 
 (661) 992-2941, email shoot@ducks.org or visit www.chshootresults.com

 
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