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WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2020

- ARCHERY -

A record high of nearly 5,000 archers entered the most competitive edition of USA Archery's Indoor Nationals in 51 consecutive years of this event. Archers of all ages competed at one of thirteen locations across the country and the final results are in.

- BOATING -
Consumers remain confused about the multiple fuel product offerings in the marketplace, says a new study commissioned by the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI) and conducted online by The Harris Poll among over 3,000 U.S. adults.
- COMPETITION -
Zombies are preparing to invade Nebraska once again for the Hornady Zombies in the Heartland 3-Gun Match on May 29-31 at the Heartland Public Shooting Park in Grand Island.

- CONSERVATION -
“Learning the skills of the field, from tree and plant identification, track knowledge of various wildlife, wildlife trails, creek crossings, tell-tale nests, dens and bedding areas can only be learned by getting kids and adults, outdoors. Let’s call it “Wildlife Scouting”, states Craig Alderman of QUWF.
- EVENTS -
Bass fishing fans headed to the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex for the 2020 Bassmaster Classic and the Classic Expo will have no shortage of opportunities to cash in on great gear deals and meet their favorite Berkley pros.
Participants will choose four activities from more than two dozen offerings, including fishing, archery, geocaching, wild edibles, wildlife tracking, shooting muzzleloader guns and outdoor cooking.
Legendary rod and reel maker Abu Garcia is using fishing’s biggest stage to give anglers the opportunity to cash in on great sales promotions, meet their favorite pros and learn about new products that will give them the advantage in their quest to fish to win.

Mossy Oak Fishing Pros Brandon Palaniuk, Gerald Swindle, Greg Hackney, Matt Lee, Kevin VanDam and Ott DeFoe will appear at the Mossy Oak Fishing booth # 723 this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at the Bassmaster Classic Outdoors Expo in Birmingham, Alabama.
Iowa Natural Heritage Foundation (INHF), the Iowa Parks Foundation and the Iowa Department of Natural Resources will kick off INHF's 2020 volunteer season and celebrate the Iowa State Parks Centennial with three volunteer events at Iowa state parks on Saturday, March 21.
- FIREARMS -
The American made Savage Renegauge Field is available with a 28” or 26” barrel. The gun’s fit can be adjusted in 20 different ways.
- FISHERIES -
Catchable-size rainbow trout are being stocked in city ponds and lakes across the state by the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission.

- FISHING TOURNAMENTS -
Inshore anglers from across Florida and surrounding regions will converge at Steinhatchee, Florida, March 7-8, for the first of two regular-season events for the Florida West Division of the 2020 IFA Redfish Tour Presented by Bass Pro Shops & Cabela’s and IFA Kayak Fishing Tour.
- GEAR -
Nose Jammer® Predator Spray is specifically formulated to overwhelm a predator’s sense of smell without alarm.
- HUNTING -
Congratulation to Jeff Melillo, of New Jersey, on the confirmation of his 2019 Black Bear as the new World Record for the species.
- INDUSTRY -
SAR USA by Sarsilmaz, one of the world’s largest manufacturers of firearms, proudly announces one of the most successful post show seasons to date.

FalconStrike has chosen GoWild to reach a rapidly expanding network of shooters and hunters.
- NATIONAL -
According to a release from the Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, Democrat Joe Biden made it clear in Texas that he despises American gun owners by declaring former rival Beto O’Rourke, the gun-grabbing former Texas congressman, as his point man on what he called “the gun problem.”
- NEW PRODUCTS -
Streamlight, Inc. launched the TLR-1 HL Dual Remote Kit. The new kit, with included TLR-1 HL light, allows for the individual or simultaneous activation of the light and an external aiming device.
German Precision Optics (GPO) announces two new riflescopes to its line of premium optics. Designed for today’s demanding hunter, the new PASSION™ 5X riflescopes offer precise, reliable and high quality performance for diverse hunting scenarios.

- ONLINE -
MyOutdoorTV is bringing outdoorsmen and women a selection of free episodes now available at MOTV.com -- a subscription streaming service from Outdoor Sportsman Group.
- OPTICS -
Holosun 407C V2 and 507C V2 reflex pistol sights feature solid 7075 aluminum housings, up to 50k hours of battery life, long battery life with Solar-Failsafe, Shake Awake technology, and available Multi-reticle System.
- ORGANIZATIONS -
After 23 years at the helm of the Quality Deer Management Association (QDMA), Brian Murphy has announced he will be transitioning from CEO to a newly created part-time role focusing on strategic partnerships. The QDMA Board of Directors will immediately begin the process of searching for his replacement.
The National Association of Sporting Goods Wholesalers announced the winners for the shooting sports retailer giveaway in partnership with the National Shooting Sports Foundation. NASGW and NSSF partnered to promote SCOPE CLX an industry owned, distributor led retail data initiative.

The Pope and Young Club announces the results of the 2020 Board of Directors election. You can meet the new board members at the P&Y 2020 Convention March 26-28, 2020 at the Westfields Marriott, Washington Dulles in Chantilly, Virginia.
- PROMOTIONS -
Bass Pro Shops and Cabela’s are celebrating the return of fishing season and inviting customers to trade in used gear to be donated to local charities in exchange for big savings.
- SPONSORSHIPS -
Stealth Cam, makers of the world’s first 4K trail camera, has renewed their Whitetails Unlimited national sponsorship.
- STATES -
The DNR Division of Fish & Wildlife (DFW) presented the 2020 Partners in Conservation Excellence Award to Friends of Goose Pond, the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation, and Duke Energy at Goose Pond Fish & Wildlife Area on Feb. 28, prior to the kickoff of the Linton area’s Marsh Madness event.
Utah is doing something that only a few other states are doing: real-time tracking of wildlife. And now some of that data will be available to the public via a new website that launched Tuesday, March 3.
Pennsylvania Game Commission Executive Director Bryan Burhans Tuesday presented the agency’s annual report to the General Assembly, and delivered testimony before the House Game and Fisheries Committee.
- TELEVISION -
Terry continues his epic coyote hunt in Mexico with Skip Knowles, Editor of Wildfowl and Predator Nation Magazines and Sergio Alcazar, owner of ALC Global Adventures.
Jim and John Scoutten and Chris Cerino run the aisles to report what’s making news in firearms, ammo, and accessories, in a full hour of non-stop reporting from SHOT Show.
Capt. Rick Murphy climbs aboard the Star brite mothership with owner Greg Dornau to fish the Bahamian Island of Andros.
- WORKSHOPS -
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources (DNR) is sponsoring workshops for K–12 and early childhood educators on Iowa’s outdoors this spring.
The Iowa Department of Natural Resources is offering a three part Learn to Hunt series this spring focusing on hunting turkey at Butch Olofson shooting range, Polk City.
- YOUTH PROGRAMS -
Taylor’s Archery in Tullahoma, Tennessee hosted the final TN Indoor Regional of the 2020 season at the King’s Cross Church. With spectator numbers close to six-hundred people on the day, more than one-hundred and sixty-three archers competed in the event.
Eastern Sales Company (Archery Shop) in Conway, South Carolina, recently hosted the 2nd SC S3DA Indoor Regional Tournament of the 2020 season.
 

After speculating on the potential impact of the coronavirus on the industry, we received a communication from Shimano that put just how seriously some are taking this virus globally.

Here’s the announcement:

The Fred Hall Long Beach Show, the Houston Fishing Show and Bassmaster Classic Expo are all times to celebrate and connect with the fishing community that we love. We share new products, best practices and most importantly, face time with our fans, retailers and passionate anglers from around the world.

After significant deliberation, Shimano has decided to not attend these shows due to escalating concerns about the Coronavirus and any potential post-show quarantine for our team. The health and wellness of our employees and continuance of our business are our top priorities in this continually developing situation. “

With that announcement, a big hole opened in the Bassmaster Classic Expo show floor in Birmingham, the Fred Hall Show in Long Beach and the expo in Houston. That’s because Shimano’s pullout means Shimano companies Jackall, PowerPro, and G Loomis will all be absent.

The decision is one no company will make lightly, and Shimano’s announcement leaves little doubt other companies are weighing go/no-go options as the coronavirus continues to spread.

Checking around the industry, there aren’t many who are willing to talk for attribution about their plans for the rest of the year. But the gist of the conversations we have had point to the conclusion that it won’t take much for companies to simply ban any unnecessary travel until further notice.

There have already been announcements in the past 24 hours concerning other, smaller, shows that will be postponed or cancelled entirely. Both the Natural Products Expo West and the North American Handmade Bicycle Show have made the announcement they’re not being held this week. Between the two shows, that’s nearly 100,000 potential visitors and attendees lost to Anaheim, California (Natural Products West) and Dallas, Texas (Bicycle Show). In announcements both groups say their intent is to hold their shows later in the year, although both groups have yet to offer alternative dates.

The 50th Edition of the Bassmaster Classic is set to get underway tomorrow with Media Day, and Birmingham has a reputation for turning out the crowds.

On a personal note, the past two days have put the things we routinely consider “important” into perspective. Living just outside Nashville, we spent a tense evening Monday as we watched local TV track what they called “potentially deadly” storms across the region. Waking up Tuesday morning, we realized they weren’t crying wolf to help build ratings. A line of severe weather spawned tornadoes that savaged middle Tennessee, killing twenty-two and injuring nearly two hundred others.

This kind of destruction doesn’t always have an impact on you when you see it on television. When the building is across the alley from your daughter’s home, however, it causes more than a little consternation. Photo with permission.

It was considerably more disconcerting for us as we watched the local reporters and realized our eldest daughter’s home was in the heart of the East Nashville area that got the brunt of the EF-2 tornado.

Her home was spared- but only just. The photo you see is the restaurant that’s directly behind her home. Her only damage was a cracked window, but only a few yards away, the buildings are gone.

My point’s simple: there are no guarantees about the future. So cherish today - and the people in your life right now. As The Eagles sang “In a New York minute, everything can change…”

We’ll keep you posted.

—Jim Shepherd

OUTDOOR WIRE
Event Calendar

MARCH 4-8
Ducks in the Desert Continental Shoot

Las Vegas

74th Annual Fred Hall Show

Long Beach, CA; www.fredhall.com

APRIL 17-19
NRA Annual Meetings

Nashville, TN

 
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