I cannot believe that we are at the start of another new year. Weren’t we just sitting in a treestand a couple of weeks ago? The holidays came and went. Another New Year is upon us and here we are at the start of trade show season. For those of you who do not attend the outdoor industry shows, I would have to say that it is an absolute whirlwind and there is no other place that I would rather be. There really are too many shows for me to attend so I pick and choose which I think our publication will benefit the most from. Being a board member of the Northeast Chapter of the Dallas Safari Club, I naturally attend that convention in early January. The DSC convention is a consumer show. It is full of outfitters and retail brands. It was a very good show this year and the attendee’s were in good spirits enjoying everything that the convention had to offer while doing their part to preserve our hunting traditions and helping with conservation and youth education.
The following week is the big one – Shot Show. Seven full days in Las Vegas. Sounds fun, right?? In some respects, it is an absolute blast! Starting with Media Day at the Range – you have the opportunity to test any firearm that your heart desires while learning about the new firearms that will make their 2023 debut at the show. There are pistols to shotguns and hunting rifles to AR’s. It feels like Christmas all over again until the next morning. When Shot Show begins. That is when the work begins. There are nearly three thousand exhibitors and over fifty-two thousand industry professionals in attendance to view all of the new innovative hunting, target shooting and outdoor recreational products packed into nearly 14 miles of aisles. Sounds like a lot? The odds are that you will walk at least three times that distance throughout the show running from one client to another. One interview to the next. If you turn to the back of the magazine, you will see only a hand-full of the trade shows because there are really too many to list.
In this edition of American Outdoor News our feature interview with Mario Kalpou from Man Eats Wild. This interview was filmed during Shot Show. This was my first- time meeting Mario and I have to say that he is one fascinating individual and I truly enjoyed speaking with him. You will not want to miss this fun and informative interview with Mario.
Does it seem like we have something about wild hogs in a good majority of our American Outdoor News Editions? That might be because We Love Hogs! We love hunting them almost as much as we love cooking them! Luke Clayton shares some of his wild hog cooking secrets with you in our Cooking Corner section. Is hunting season really over? Larry Weishuhn shares with us why deer season is really just beginning. We have something for every outdoorsman in this edition. As always, we look forward to your feedback.
Thank you again for your support and we are looking forward to a very exciting 2023.
Sincerely,
Chris Avena
Publisher