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THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 7, 2024

- COMPETITION -
Hornady congratulates competitors of the 2024 Precision Rifle Series Finale held on November 1-3, 2024, near Mountain Home, Idaho. A special congratulations is extended to the competitors using Hornady products.
The Civilian Marksmanship Program hosted the New England Games for the eighth time in beautiful Jericho, Vt., at Camp Ethan Allen. Staff members were so grateful to the Vermont National Guard for being generous hosts and for allowing the use of their beautiful facilities.
- CONSERVATION -
The National Fish Habitat Partnership announces its “Waters to Watch” list for 2024, a collection of strategic conservation efforts implemented on rivers, streams, estuaries, and lakes to protect, restore, or enhance fish habitat.
- ELECTION -
The NSSF says: "Millions of Americans cast a #GUNVOTE® to protect and preserve their Second Amendment rights. NSSF was proud to lead in that critical effort, but the credit goes to you – the voters – for doing yours when it mattered most."
Attorney General Letitia James and Governor Kathy Hochul have updated New Yorkers on the ongoing work to protect the fundamental freedoms of New Yorkers in preparation for President-Elect Donald Trump’s second term.

- EVENTS -
Dead Air Silencers is set to make an appearance at CANCON 2024. Taking place November 8-9 at its new location in Clinton, South Carolina, CANCON brings together top brands, enthusiasts, and professionals for the world’s largest fully suppressed range day event.
- GEAR -
When late-season comes calling, be ready with the Cottonwood Collection from NOMAD. Having the right gear to capitalize on late-season cold fronts is what it takes to be in the right place at the right time when that target buck shows up.
- HUNTING -
The Vermont Fish and Wildlife Department issued 180 moose hunting permits this year, resulting in 62 moose harvested between the October 1-7 archery season and the October 19-24 regular season.
Ohio archery hunters have checked 48,321 deer through Sunday, November 3, which includes the first six weekends of bowhunting. The season continues through Sunday, February 2, 2025.

- INDUSTRY -
White Flyer announces the launch of its new website, featuring an improved user experience, updated branding, access to engaging content, and branded merchandise in the gear store.
Liberty Ammunition is proud to be approved as a Supporting Member of the Sporting Arms and Ammunition Manufacturers’ Institute, Inc. SAAMI remains at the forefront of promoting safety by the creation of standards that ensure safety, reliability and interchangeability of firearms and ammunition.
NSSF®, The Firearm Industry Trade Association, welcomes the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s  publication of a Final Rule that allows more opportunities to be opened for sportsmen and women to hunt and fish on National Wildlife Refuges. 
Bleecker Street Publications has acquired GAT Marketing, combining forces to spearhead a new wave of growth and innovation. This acquisition integrates GAT Marketing’s top-tier publication sites and award-winning team with Bleecker Street’s rapidly expanding media empire.

Silencer Central announced its acceptance as a Patron-level supporting member of the National Shooting Sports Foundation. The NSSF is the primary trade association for the firearms industry and a leader in gun safety education, firearms-related research and legislative advocacy.
Lancer Systems recently named Molly Teutimez as the new Sales & Marketing Manager. Ms. Teutimez will join Lancer with more than ten years of experience in sales management, marketing, and operational sales, most recently with American Outdoor Brands.
Patriot Ordnance Factory Inc. announced its new partnership with H&G Outdoors, a prominent sales representative group specializing in outdoor and sporting goods. This collaboration will enhance POF-USA’s distribution channels across key markets.
- JOBS -
BPI Outdoors is seeking interested candidates for the Product Manager position. This position is responsible for managing CVA products throughout the product lifecycle, gathering and prioritizing product and customer requirements, defining the product vision and strategy.

- NATIONAL -
Gun Owners of America noted that "... In addition to the White House, America elected a pro-gun Senate majority, which will open the gates even further for GOA’s No Compromise lobbying efforts. Additionally, this Senate will support the confirmation of numerous federal judges who will support and defend the Second Amendment."
- ORGANIZATIONS -
“Wildlife Research Center is continuing as a Whitetails Unlimited national sponsor, and we both proud and humbled that they are continuing their long-term support,” says WTU President Jeff Schinkten.
Scholastic 3-D Archery recently held a memorable and educational deer hunt for two youth archers at Victoria Crossroads (a private hunting lodge) in Western Kentucky. This unique event provided the young archers with the opportunity of a lifetime to hunt on 7,000 acres of privately owned land, guided by seasoned hunters.
Colorado's Proposition 127, which would have banned hunting mountain lions, bobcats, and lynx, failed at the ballot box. The Wild Sheep Foundation applauds the efforts of all those who stepped up and supported those who worked tirelessly to defeat this misguided anti-wildlife measure.

“The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) wants to thank our members, sponsors and supporters who contributed their time and financial resources to help defeat Proposition 127 in Colorado. RMEF has been engaged in this fight for more than a year and a half, investing hundreds of thousands of dollars in a targeted campaign designed to tell the truth about Prop 127."
Ducks Unlimited announces Liberty Safe as its newest Corporate Partner. As a licensee, Liberty Safe will manufacture, market, and sell a series of custom gun safes, each containing exclusive attributes, including the iconic DU logo and a serialized brass medallion signifying the limited collection.
Safari Club International (SCI) congratulates President Donald J. Trump on his victory in the 2024 presidential election, marking a crucial win for America’s hunters, anglers, and conservationists.
- PRODUCT NEWS -
Nosler, Inc. announced the release of their 2024 Limited Edition M21 Carbon Rifle. Nosler’s Limited Edition M21 Carbon is a feature-rich rifle centered on the precision-built Model 21 action, crafted using advanced wire EDM technology.

Safariland announced that the Incog X Inside-the-WaistbandHolster now accommodates Glock pistols with large lights. This new addition further expands the versatility and functionality of the Incog X, making it even more accessible for concealed carry enthusiasts.
- STATES -
The Gulf of Mexico Fishery Management Council presented the 2023 Law Enforcement Officer/Team of the Year award to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Northwest Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV) Team.

The Nebraska Game and Parks Commission is encouraging hunters in six deer management units to bring their harvest to in-person check stations for chronic wasting disease testing during the upcoming firearm deer season.
After several recent illegal introductions this year, the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources is again reminding Utahns that it’s both harmful and illegal to dump unwanted pet fish into local ponds, to use live bait fish or to move sportfish you’ve caught from one waterbody to another.

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources is soliciting applications for open volunteer positions on the Eastern and Western Upper Peninsula Citizens’ Advisory Councils.
Upper Peninsula staffers from the Michigan Department of Natural Resources will appear live on television Thursday night to answer viewer questions on “Ask the DNR” on WNMU-TV13.
Camping at Rock Creek Station State Recreation Area near Fairbury will close for the season November 11, 2024, to allow for improvements at the campground.
Camping at Rock Creek Station State Recreation Area near Fairbury will close for the season Nov. 11, 2024, to allow for improvements at the campground.
- TELEVISION -
Every Tuesday night beginning at 6 p.m. ET, tune in to World Fishing Network for “Fresh Water Tuesdays” featuring fishing adventures from coast to coast.

 

Gunsite Academy continues to expand. And it needs to. The 3,200-acre firearms training facility will close out 2024 with its ninth consecutive year of record student attendance.

Back in May of 2023, Jim Shepherd and I attended a media event hosted by Stoeger at the Gunsite facility, and I wrote about what was then the early stages of Gunsite’s expansion.

During this last week of October I was back at Gunsite, this time for a Mossberg media event, and the difference in the facility 17 months later was obvious.

The first thing you notice when you crest the peak of the road up to the main part of the campus is the wide open parking lot. Once the new administrative offices were completed the old building was leveled and replaced by a packed-rock parking lot now able to handle 110 vehicles in lined parking spots.

Parking at Gunsite used to be extremely tight but now the lot is wide open with plenty of room with defined parking spots. Photo: P. Erhardt

Anybody that has been there in the past knows that parking was often at a premium. Not anymore. It’s now an easy in and out for students and you’re a lot less likely to have your car blocked in.

The new pro shop is up and operational. It’s a major upgrade over the old one, larger and filled with more gear, clothing, swag and, of course, guns. I picked up a mug during my visit and had to give my name at the register. Having never really purchased anything from the pro shop I was taken aback. I later talked to Gunsite’s CEO, Ken Campbell, about that.

Getting out of the new Gunsite Pro Shop without doing damage to your back account is no easy feat. I wasn’t the only one in our group that ended up taking one of these orange Gunsite mugs home. Photo: P. Erhardt

In what turned out to be a mini business course, Ken explained how they use your name to track the additional revenue per class as well as the customer lifetime value of each student. I went back later to buy a candy bar and then again to pick up a hat for a friend. I’m now up to just under $40, which is well below the average spend per student above class costs – including ammo packages.

Ken keeps a close eye on the added revenue Gunsite generates outside of just the courses, like any good business would. I’m on the very, very low end of student spend considering the average is somewhere north in the three-figure category.

Along with new offices, the new spacious pro shop, and a completed instructor bunkhouse, is a new restroom facility. The cement foundation was in place the last time I was visiting. The new ‘facilities’ are very nice and don’t require one-at-a-time trips. And they have showers, which come in handy for those coming off the range and wanting to eliminate any dust or gunpowder residue before heading off to catch a flight.

All told, this first round of expansion cost Gunsite about $2 million, all of which was spent locally, reaffirming Gunsite as a good business partner in the Paulden/Chino Valley/greater Prescott area of Arizona.

While out on the range Buz Mills, Gunsite’s owner, and Ken dropped by to say hello. Buz explained that there is a lot more to their expansion that is yet to come, and it’s needed because of Gunsite’s continued growth.

Before leaving I caught up with Ken to get a rundown on all the additional aspects of what I’ll call the second phase of Gunsite’s expansion.

First up is a new warehouse building for storage. Right now conex boxes are being used for storage. Once a new warehouse is built those conex boxes will be removed, repurposed and constructed into an urban sniper tower. It will be placed out on the Woodpile range to provide students more training opportunities, including shots out to 1,000 yards.

From temporary storage to urban sniping tower the relocation of these conex boxes will make way for the new, larger mess deck. Photo. P. Erhardt

Once the conex boxes are removed from their current location, directly across from the existing mess deck, a new, larger mess deck will be built in their place. With increased student attendance comes the growing challenge of how to accommodate all the students (and instructors) at lunch time.

The new mess deck will be twice as large as the current one with ceiling fans and roll-up garage doors. In the warmer months the doors will be raised and the fans used to keep the eating area more comfortable. When it gets cold – and it does get cold at Gunsite – the doors will be closed and portable propane heaters, like those used at outdoor restaurants, will be brought in.

Gunsite is nearing standing room only in their current mess deck. The constant increase in student numbers means that there is ever increasing need for a new lunch time facility. Photo. P. Erhardt

The placement of the new mess deck means it will overlook the ranges. Ken plans to have windows on the back wall to take advantage of what can often be a terrific view.

The new warehouse building also means the old pro shop, also being used for storage at the moment, can be converted into classrooms. The building will be divided lengthwise, providing more classroom seating.

The additional classroom capacity doesn’t end there. A brand new classroom building will go up to the the left of the restrooms building. With nine straight years of increased student attendance, and no signs of that slowing down, Gunsite, perhaps the premier firearms training venue in the country, needs more classroom space to expand training opportunities.

The old pro shop (above) will be home to two new classrooms. Expanding classroom capacity further, a brand new classroom building will built to the left of the new restroom (below) in an effort to keep up with demand for Gunsite training. Photo. P. Erhardt

The new warehouse, mess deck, and classrooms will likely account for another $1 million investment by Gunsite. And again, that’s money going into the local economy.

Ken estimates this next phase will take up to 18 months to complete. Or in Gunsite terms, somewhere in year 11 of record student attendance.

Long term, we’re talking some time in the next five years, both Buz and Ken are hoping to add a Gunsite lodge. This 30 to 40 room lodge will likely go across the drive from the instructor bunkhouse and would be for Gunsite students only.

Ken sees this as a venue that would be run by lease to a company with experience running a hotel, because as Ken puts it, “I don’t want to operate a hotel. That’s not my business.” He does, however, have some requirements for an operator and that includes providing breakfast and dinner so that students never have to leave the property.

But that could be five years out, so don’t call them to book a room just yet.

Gunsite is still growing, and doing so wisely. Its investment is in keeping with its mission to provide the best firearms training available. Having just gone through a media event, and made more than my fair share of technique mistakes, I can attest to the quality of their instruction. Thanks to Mario Marchman and Paul Garcia I came away with a much better understanding of how to handle and operate a shotgun. (Thanks very much, guys.)

In 18 months those that haven’t been to Gunsite in a number or years might not recognize all the changes but they will appreciate them. And 2026 will be a good time to take a class as it will be when Gunsite celebrates its 50th year of providing the best in firearms training.

Or…as Buz Mills puts it, Gunsite’s first 50 years.

— Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network

 
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