Hunt Monkey offers a complete warm-weather hunting system featuring lightweight gloves, performance socks, and face guards designed for comfort and protection. Founded by Tim Mossberg, the brand combines dexterity and moisture-wicking technology to help hunters manage humid conditions while maintaining gear control throughout long days afield.
Jenny Prenosil, agriculture program manager for the Nebraska Game and Parks Commission, received a Special Recognition Award from the Association of Fish and Wildlife Agencies. She was honored for her exceptional service to Nebraska and for acting as AFWA Interim Agriculture Policy Program Manager from October 2025 to July 2026.
Montana's elusive American bittern produces unique low-frequency sounds like "oonk-ga-loonk" to defend territory and attract mates. These 28-inch ground-nesting migratory birds are experts at camouflage but face threats from habitat loss, water-management fluctuations, fishing tackle, and avian influenza.
Joe Fanizzi of Team Winchester and Team White Flyer won his fifth championship at the 2026 Diamond Classic at Greater Houston Sports Club, using Winchester AA Super Handicap and AA Super Spreader loads. Team Winchester competitors also achieved top finishes including Desi Edmunds and Kayla Wilgus in lady categories.
Team Berger members Austin Buschman and Morgun King are representing Team USA at the 2026 International Precision Rifle Federation World Championship in Lipan, Texas. Buschman enters as the No. 1-ranked shooter in the PRS Pro Series, while King is the 2026 Central Regional Champion.
The Michigan Department of Natural Resources, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and U.S. Geological Survey stocked 7,500 endangered snuffbox mussels in the Clinton River, Huron River, and Cass Lake. The mussels were reared by the USGS Columbia Environmental Research Center and will be monitored using PIT tags and physical identifiers to track survival and reproductive success.
Craig D. Campbell Lake Conway Reservoir has passed the three-year mark of its five-year renovation, with major milestones including a completed bridge over the auxiliary spillway and delivery of a footbridge. The AGFC's largest lake renovation features a labyrinth weir spillway design and work by Mobley Construction, with drought conditions enabling significant progress on boat lane clearing and habitat improvements.
Safari Club International (SCI) filed an intervenor's brief in the Supreme Court of Canada challenging the country's firearms ban affecting approximately 1,500 firearms commonly used by hunters. SCI, supported by the SCI Center for Conservation Law and Education, argued the ban unlawfully prohibits hunting firearms and negatively impacts hunters worldwide.
The National Rifle Association and Second Amendment Foundation filed an amicus brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in Daniel Defense, LLC v. Lowy, challenging whether firearm manufacturers can be sued for third-party crimes allegedly influenced by military-themed advertising. The brief argues that historical firearms advertising has long included military and civilian uses, and permitting such lawsuits would threaten lawful arms commerce and Second Amendment rights.
The National Rifle Association and Second Amendment Foundation filed an amicus brief urging the U.S. Supreme Court to review Beckwith v. Frey, challenging Maine's 72-hour firearm purchase waiting period. The NRA argues the First Circuit's approach improperly revives interest-balancing rejected in Heller and Bruen, contending waiting periods lack historical tradition and burden Second Amendment rights.
Assistant Chief of Law Enforcement Wade Farrar shares stories from his 23-year career with ODWC about the wildest fishing violations encountered by Oklahoma game wardens, featuring unbelievable excuses and behind-the-scenes insights into enforcement.
The 41st annual Gun Rights Policy Conference, co-hosted by the Second Amendment Foundation and Citizens Committee for the Right to Keep and Bear Arms, runs September 25-27 in Dallas. Keynote speaker is retired U.S. District Judge Roger T. Benitez. Saturday and Sunday sessions will be livestreamed on SAF's YouTube channel.
The Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation's Outdoor Calendar features fall events including a Cattle and Quail Field Day at Cross Timbers WMA on September 26, Hunter Education courses statewide, Shotgun Training at Canton WMA, and Monarch Tagging events at Hackberry Flat Center in October.
Barrett Choquette from Troy University won the Bass Pro Shops Big Bass Bash presented by Berkley on Kentucky Lake, earning over $6,000 in prizes and contingencies. The Association of Collegiate Anglers event featured approximately 320 boats with close to 670 anglers competing across multiple sessions for over $20,000 in total prizes.
The Montana Fish & Wildlife Commission has closed Wolf Management Unit 313 to all wolf hunting and trapping effective 11 A.M. Friday, September 25, 2026, after reaching its quota per regulations.
Remington Ammunition's 5th Annual Shoot to Cure sporting clays fundraiser raised nearly $15,000 for Arkansas Children's Hospital, bringing the five-year total to over $70,000. The event featured 150 shooters and notable competitors Madison Sharpe and Olympian Kayle Browning on an all-women's team.
Leupold & Stevens, Inc. launched the MX-6HD spotting scope featuring a Professional-Grade Optical System with 8-48x magnification and multiple reticle options including the new FOV reticle. The scope offers night-vision capability, removable Picatinny and M-LOK rails, and is designed, machined, and assembled in Beaverton, Oregon.
Night Fision has expanded its Precision Optic Plates to include mounting solutions for Glock Gen 6 pistols, manufactured from 17-4 steel and compatible with Trijicon RMR, Leupold DeltaPoint Pro, Holosun EPS, and Aimpoint ACRO P-2 optics. The plates retail for $60, with combo packs including co-witness sights starting at $99.
Federal Ammunition has introduced two new Federal Premium loads: Berger Elite Hunter in 195-grain 7mm PRC and ELD-X in 212-grain 300 PRC. Both loads feature advanced bullet technologies and are now available at dealers nationwide.
Bear & Son Cutlery, based in Jacksonville, Alabama, introduces the new 4 5/8" Large Farmhand folding pocketknife featuring a 3 5/8-inch high carbon stainless steel blade and aluminum handle available in blue, red, or black. The lightweight utility knife weighs 1.9 ounces and retails for $42.99.
Liberty Ammunition announced that Williamson County Texas Emergency Services has adopted its ammunition. CEO Gary Ramey highlighted how Liberty Ammunition addresses law enforcement concerns with superior stopping power, lighter weight, and reliable performance compared to traditional lead-based alternatives.
C&H Precision Weaponry has added MLF x SCO (Molon Labe Firearms x SunCity Outdoors), a veteran and law-enforcement-owned retailer founded by Edward Butron, to its dealer network in El Paso, Texas. MLF x SCO offers firearms, suppressors, accessories, training, and demo days while emphasizing community engagement and customer education.
C&H Precision, a family-owned maker of red dot optics and firearm accessories, will exhibit at the IALEFI 2026 Annual Training Conference September 27-October 2 at the Palm Bay Police Training Center in Florida. The event brings together firearms instructors from law enforcement, military, and the private sector for training and vendor displays.
Night Fision will exhibit and send a four-man shooting team to the Hero Down White Mountains Summit 2026 in New Hampshire. Team captain Sean Martin will defend his Top Pistol Shooter title while supporting the Hero Down Foundation's mission to assist injured officers and veterans.
Beretta will sponsor the Super Sporting competition and exhibit at the 2026 NSCA South Central Regional Championship at Providence Hill Farm in Jackson, Mississippi, September 29-October 4. Team Beretta athletes Desirae Edmunds, Zachary Kienbaum, Anthony Matarese, Jr., and Connor Daniel will compete, while attendees can experience Beretta shotguns including the 694 Black DLC, DT11 Super Sport, and A400 Solo.
Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will hold a public meeting on October 1 in Livingston to discuss removing illegally introduced smallmouth and largemouth bass from Sacajawea Lagoon. The bass pose a risk to the upper Yellowstone River's wild trout fishery. Public comment on the draft environmental assessment is open until October 2.
FWP hosts multiple Bear Aware events throughout September at locations including Missouri River Brewing Co., Montana Wild, Travelers' Rest State Park, and Region 1 Headquarters. Activities include bear trivia, safety training, bear spray practice, and family-friendly programs.
NorthWestern Energy and Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks are opening Cochrane Dam near Great Falls to hikers and bikers on September 26, 2026, for National Public Lands Day. This rare access allows visitors to cross the Missouri River and complete a loop trail on both sides of the river.
Jason Nauert's "Jason the Butcher" Season 2 premieres September 28 on Outdoor Channel, featuring the survival expert and founder of the Rocky Mountain Institute of Meat hunting axis deer in Maui with a retired Navy SEAL. The season includes episodes with military veterans, combat training, and conservation-focused adventures across diverse terrain.
The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources' Hardware Wildlife Education Center in Hyrum offers a free Night Life exhibit during the first three weekends of October, featuring photographs and educational displays about nocturnal animals. Director Marni Lee invites visitors to learn why Utah's wildlife is active at night through interactive activities and family-friendly programs.
Lori Roberts published a scientific paper on detecting grizzly bear parturition using radio collar activity data from the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem project. The study tracked female bears across four western North American ecosystems, measuring behavioral changes during hibernation to identify birth events with greater accuracy than traditional flight surveys.
AI seems to be everywhere, including politics, as companies push city and state governments to approve more data centers and lobby Congress to let the technology advance with fewer restrictions.
The pitch in support of AI is that it’s about countering China’s own AI advances, not boosting shareholder value and making ungodly sums of money.
No, it’s not that at all.
AI is also all over social media, from AI-generated content to people pitching it as the ultimate side-hustle tool.
And for those in the job market, AI is a looming threat as its leaders openly brag about how they’ll be able to replace large swaths of the human workforce.
It’s all AI, all the time, and there’s no sign of it abating.
That includes the firearms industry, where companies are finding more ways to put AI to work.
Don’t get me wrong. AI has a place. One marketing exec told me he used it to turn a product’s owner’s manual and technical specs into a training test for sales reps who would be explaining and selling the product to retailers.
That saved him a mountain of time he could put to better use elsewhere.
If you’ve seen fewer typos, better grammar and fewer cumbersome run-on sentences in my articles, AI deserves some of the credit.
I run my articles through AI and ask it to act as an editor, recommending changes one paragraph at a time so I can decide what works for me. But don’t worry. I ain’t gonna let AI take away my voice or clean up every colloquialism.
If I want dry, AI-generated copy, I’ll peruse LinkedIn, where plenty of would-be influential voices sound suspiciously alike.
But it’s not all AI drivel on LinkedIn.
Over the weekend, I read one of the best pitches for a job opening I’ve seen there.
Nick Andrews, director of marketing for Benelli USA, posted it for a Brand Experience Manager opening.
What caught my attention was how Nick framed the value of real-world experiences in an increasingly digital business:
“We’re entering an incredible era of AI, automation, personalization, and digital content. I’m excited about all of it. But as more of our world becomes digital, I believe tangible experiences become more valuable, not less.”
He follows that with a reminder of what draws our customers outdoors:
“Getting outside. Being present. Sharing a hunt, a camp, a sunrise, or a story with someone else. The experience is a big part of why we do it in the first place.”
Nick sees a role for AI: “Let digital make us faster. Let AI expand what’s possible.” But he also wants to give customers something they can experience firsthand:
“But let’s also create things people can walk into, touch, participate in, photograph, talk about, and remember.”
That last point matters. As Nick puts it, “An experience can become a story someone tells.”
That’s what he’s looking for someone to help create. And it’s what more companies in our segment of the outdoor market should be thinking about.
AI can accomplish a great deal. But it can’t draw on an outdoor experience of its own. It can generate a hunting story, but it has never climbed into a treestand. Never scouted for bighorn sheep. Never broken clay targets to get ready for dove or waterfowl season.
And most importantly, it won’t be sitting next to you around the fire at deer camp, sharing a story from its own time in the woods.
AI has no field experience. When it pretends otherwise, it’s a poser, borrowing from the stories of real sportsmen and women who have actually lived the outdoor life…the authentic outdoor life.
– Paul Erhardt, Managing Editor, the Outdoor Wire Digital Network
