Outdoor Life Newswire

SHOT Show never disappoints with strange displays. This morning the buzz in our pressroom was about a security system called the Smokecloak. It supplements normal burglar systems by, get this, filling a room up with fog. No joke. Within a few seconds of being triggered, the machine will cause a white out. That, or it will make your house look like a Kiss concert. (Maybe that's a double feature the company should pitch: home safety and afterwards throw a killer party.) The idea is that the burglar won't be able to go anywhere in the white-out conditions, giving time for the cops to arrive. Problem is, how can the cops find the thief? Whatever, this video explanation is good for a laugh. 

The legendary Jim Carmichel stopped by the Leupold booth this morning to talk about the company's new  VX-L scope. What's so impressive about  this optic is that it mounts at the same level as a  typical 36 mm scope, but the objective lens on the VX-L is either 50 or 56mm. The low mount is accomplished by making an elliptical cut in the bottom of the objective glass. Take a look and Carmichel will explain how it works.

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We're watching the sunrise over the Vegas strip from the Hilton. Today is a writer's day at the range, meaning, we're going to be testing the latest and greatest from gun makers. Not bad, huh? Assuming our shoulders aren't too sore to type, we'll try to get some comments up later about what we saw.

The gun company, best known for the Model 37, closed its doors last year in upstate New York. Now, it will be reopening under the ownership of Craig and Floyd Marshall in Upper Sandusky, Ohio. The two men bought the design and name rights in December. They also own MoldCraft, a company which manufactures supplies for fast food chains, among other items. Ithaca guns will now be made at their operating facilities in Ohio. According to reports, the Model 37 will resume production.

Hunters like stuff, and they like to spend money on stuff. According to a report from the National Sporting Goods Association (NGSA) hunting-related equipment saw the biggest jump in sales among all athletic gear. Now this might seem like an odd post given I just wrote about Winchester's downsizing, especially given this excerpt:

    Within the hunting-related equipment category, firearms saw a 9.5
    percent sales increase in 2004 to $1.9 billion, according to the report.
    Rifle sales ($722 million) showed a 16.5 percent increase, handgun sales
    ($524 million) increased 10.4 percent, shotgun sales ($534 million) were
    up 1.9 percent and air gun sales ($120 million) rose 3 percent.

But guns didn't lead the category in terms of percentage jump. That honor belonged to hunting footwear. Boots and the like topped all athletic footwear with a 21-percent leap. For you number hounds, here's the rest of the info:

    At $2.8 billion in total sales, hunting-related equipment ranked third
    among all athletic and sports equipment categories in 2004, with only
    golf ($3.1 billion) and exercise equipment ($5 billion) ranking higher,
    according to the report.

When the press release hit our desk, there was a collective jaw dropping by us editors. U.S. Repeating Arms Company, which owns Winchester, announced that it would be closing their New Haven, Conn., facility on March 31. Along with this shocker is news that Winchester models 70, 94 and 1300 will cease production.

Here’s an excerpt from the press release:

Winchester Firearms will continue to see and grow its current line of Select over & under shotguns, the new Super X3 autoloading shotgun, the new Super X autoloading rifle and Limited Edition rifles.  The company also plans to introduce new models in the future.  There will be no change in Customer Service.

The baby boomers will soon start a massive wave of retirement. They will be leaving behind business casual dress codes, personal computers and other industry revolutions the generation has been a part of in the last 30 years in search of the golf club lifestyle. Of course, they will also be leaving posts as leaders of the conservation effort. A story published by the National Shooting Sports Foundation's Bullet Points bears the ominous news:

"...nearly half of all employees of state conservation agencies, including more than 75 percent of those in leadership positions will retire in the next 10 years."

Now why is this a big deal, you ask? Keep reading padre:

"Unfortunately, many incoming replacements...seem to lack an appreciation of hunting and its historic ties to conservation."

Well, that ain't good. Luckily the Wildlife Management Institute and the McGraw Wildlife Foundation are starting a program at the University of Wisconsin and Penn State to teach non-hunting natural resources students about the links between conservation and hunting.

ESPN is canning their annual Great Outdoor Games for 2006, and planning for a triumphant return in 2007. When they first began, the games incorporated several hunting and fishing events, including skeet, trap and accuracy fly casting. This year the focus switched to timber sports and dogs. Not even retriever trials, mind you, but obstacle courses and jumping. Here's the official line:

"...ESPN will evaluate everything including site selection, sports categories and the best time of year to stage the Games."

Site selection is key. I covered some of the events this year in Orlando (that's right, timber events in Florida), and it was a quagmire. Not only did the humidity press against the 100 percent mark, but we were on the edge of a fiesty hurricane. The wind and rain made watching the axe throw a little nerve-wracking.