Spotlight on First Shots
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Helping You Get the Most From Your Hunting Dogs


Spotlight on First Shots





REPORT: CUSTOMER DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM MAKING BIG IMPACT . . . The true test of success for a program designed to introduce beginners to the shooting sports is in how many participants return to the range and continue with the sport. NSSF's First Shots® customer development program is clearly passing that test, according to recent survey results. The latest "Industry Intelligence Report" details some staggering findings about the two-year-old program. A few highlights: 40 percent of First Shots participants say they have returned to the host range; 50 percent had met their state's requirements for handgun ownership; 61 percent had introduced someone else to handgun shooting; and 23 percent purchased a membership at the host range. Developed by NSSF and hosted by independent shooting facilities, First Shots provides participants with a comprehensive introduction to handgun shooting by qualified range operators and instructors that includes handgun safety, local ownership requirements, shooting fundamentals, hands-on instruction and how and where to continue. The program is being adopted by shooting ranges around the country. Full Story

  • FIND A PLACE TO BIRD HUNT . . . Crisp, cool autumn weather signals the beginning of the upland bird hunting and waterfowl seasons. Don't let this season go by without inviting family and friends out to hunt. Everyone will enjoy great dog work and challenging, hard flying birds. Use NSSF's portal Web site, www.huntandshoot.org, to locate a gamebird preserve near you. Companies in the hunting and shooting sports industries can help promote this great resource by including a link to HuntandShoot.org on their Web sites and in their catalogs. Learn more by contacting Dave Miles, NSSF's director of marketing, at dmiles@nssf.org.


  • FLORIDA SHOOTING RANGE AWARDED NASR FOUR-STAR RATING . . . Deer Creek Sporting Clays of Tampa Bay has been awarded a 4-Star Rating from NSSF's range division, the National Association of Shooting Ranges (NASR). Deer Creek's success is the result of paying attention to the details, but there's an overriding focus on making sure visitors have fun. The facility is set on nearly 300 acres in Land O'Lakes, Fla., and features three sporting clays courses with more than 30 different target presentations, wobble trap and 5 Stand. Deer Creek provides lessons from U.S. and British coaches, free clinics for women and children and shotgun and golf-cart rentals. Its pro shop sells clothing, accessories and ammunition.


  • NEW YORK POST COLUMN: TAKE A YOUNGSTER HUNTING . . . The New York Post on Sunday featured a column by outdoor writer Ken Moran on the importance of introducing young people to hunting, spotlighting the Families Afield initiative of NSSF, the National Wild Turkey Federation and U.S. Sportsmen's Alliance.


  • GUN RIGHTS POLICY CONFERENCE CALLED MOST SUCCESSFUL EVER . . . Alan M. Gottlieb, founder of the Second Amendment Foundation, expressed extreme pleasure over his organization's recent Gun Rights Policy Conference, calling that 22nd annual edition the most successful ever. Photos of the conference are available online, as is the opportunity to purchase recordings of proceedings at this and past conferences.


  • NEW JERSEY BILL MINIMIZES HUNTING IN WILDLIFE MANAGEMENT . . . State legislative bills that would change the composition of New Jersey's Fish and Game Council contain a more insidious change, reports the Asbury Park Press. Section 32 of the assembly version -- A3275 -- which describes the council's responsibilities, removes "for their use and development for public recreation and food supply" from the council's mandated wildlife management considerations.


  • OLIN TO SELL METALS DIVISION . . . Olin Corp. (NYSE:OLN), makers of Winchester Ammunition, announced it signed a definitive agreement to sell its metals business to a subsidiary of Global Brass and Copper Holdings Inc., an affiliate of KPS Capital Partners LP, for a purchase price of $400 million. The sale includes all of the company's worldwide metals operations, including its manufacturing facilities in East Alton, Ill., Montpelier and Bryan, Ohio, Waterbury, Conn., and Cuba, Mo., as well as its A.J. Oster metals service centers. Olin is a manufacturer concentrated in three business segments: chlor alkali products, metals, and Winchester.


  • BERETTA LAUNCHES 'PROJECT ALLEGIANCE' PROGRAM . . . Beretta last week announced Project Allegiance, a new program created to honor the commitment of law enforcement officers across America. Through the program, which takes effect Dec. 1, Beretta will offer active-duty law enforcement officers who purchase a Beretta Px4 Storm pistol a $10,000 line-of-duty death benefit valid for three years, at no cost to the officer and his or her family.


  • CABELA'S REPORTS PRELIMINARY THIRD-QUARTER RESULTS . . . Outdoor retailer Cabela's Inc. (NYSE:CAB) announced preliminary third-quarter results. It expects to report total sales of approximately $547 million, representing an 11.5 percent increase compared to same period a year ago. Additionally, the company said two of its stores that opened in 2006 did not meet its sales expectations for the quarter. As a result, the company expects diluted earnings per share to be between 18 cents per share and 20 cents per share for the quarter.


  • WINNER OF 75TH FEDERAL DUCK STAMP CONTEST NAMED . . . Wildlife artist Joe Hautman of Plymouth, Minn., won the 2007 Federal Duck Stamp Art Contest with his depiction of a pair of pintail ducks. Hautman's painting, chosen from among 247 entries from artists across the country, will be featured on the 2008-2009 Federal Duck Stamp. It is the third time Hautman has won the contest. His brothers Bob and Jim are also multiple contest winners. Federal Duck Stamp sales raise about $25 million each year to fund wetland habitat acquisition for the National Wildlife Refuge System.

  • RICHARD CHILDRESS JOINS CSF BOARD OF DIRECTORS . . . Former NASCAR driver Richard Childress has joined the Congressional Sportsmen's Foundation's board of directors. Known for his success in the NASCAR racing world, Childress is also the proprietor of Childress Vineyards in Lexington, N.C., as well as the Yadkin River Angus cattle ranch.


  • DEADLY DEER DISEASE CONFIRMED IN NEW YORK . . . Recent tests for insect-borne Epizootic Hemorrhagic Disease (EHD) in several Albany County, N.Y., white-tailed deer have come back positive, marking the first confirmed cases of the deadly disease in New York. Several other states have reported outbreaks of the fatal disease, which, the New York's wildlife management agency says, does not pose a human health threat, and the agency's chief official says experiences in other states suggest no long-term effect on the health of the state's deer herd.


  • PHEASANT HUNTING AND STOCKING PLAN FOR CAPE COD . . . Following a recent court ruling to resume hunting at the Cape Cod National Seashore, after a four-year hiatus caused by the lawsuit, the National Park Service has announced a plan that will reinstate pheasant stocking for the next 17 years and pheasant hunting indefinitely.


  • ELLER TAKES DOUBLE TRAP TITLE AT WORLD CUP FINAL . . . Two-time Olympian Glenn Eller of Katy, Texas, won the 2007 Double Trap championship at the 2007 International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF) World Cup Final in Kovilovo, Belgrade. Eller, the 2003 world champion and a member of the U.S. Army Marksmanship Unit, broke 192 targets, four more than second-place finisher Hu Binyuan of China. Fifty-six athletes from 21 countries competed in the World Cup Final.


  • BRITISH LAWMAKERS: REPLACE PARLIAMENT'S GUN RANGE WITH POOL . . . British lawmakers are calling for the replacement of Parliament's shooting gallery with a swimming pool, the Associated Press reports. They said the move would be aimed at helping members of Parliament get into shape. A decision to close the range would be met with protests, one lawmaker warned.


  • INDUSTRY CAREER CONNECTION . . . Visit www.nssf.org/jobs for current employment opportunities in the shooting, hunting and outdoor industry. Employers: Log in to post a job opening.


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