NAW TV team members Greg Miller, Lance Tangen and Don Kisky (l-r) share a deer tale at the 2007 SHOT Show in Orlando.
Every year, those of us at North American Whitetail attend a number of events. While we enjoy them all, we always look forward to a couple in particular. One is the SHOT (Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade) Show; the other is the ATA (Archery Trade Association) Show. Coming as they do in mid-winter, these events give us a chance, right after hunting season, to visit with advertisers, television sponsors, writers, photographers, outfitters and other good friends in the deer business.
The 2007 SHOT and ATA shows were held in mid-January, in Orlando and Atlanta, respectively. SHOT was Jan. 11-14; ATA was Jan. 18-20. While it was tiring to have two huge shows back to back, at least they were in the same region of the country. (Next year, SHOT returns to Las Vegas, and ATA returns to Indianapolis.)
Everyone involved with NAW got a lot accomplished at the two shows just held. With video highlights from our 2006 deer season playing on a monitor in our booth, at each event we greeted dozens of old friends from throughout the industry and checked out the many new products on display.
NAW editor in chief Gordon Whittington displays the new Ford Expedition EL at the 2007 SHOT Show in Orlando.
Literally tons of cool items make their way onto the deer market every year, and 2007 will be no exception. NAW editor Duncan Dobie was extremely busy at both shows, attending press conferences and examining new gear that will be on store shelves and in mail-order catalogs this year. Starting with our next issue of the magazine (July), we’ll be publishing special features on the best of these products.
Like the proverbial kid in the candy store, any whitetail hunter would develop a severe case of “wantitis” at the trade shows we just attended. I know, because every winter I find myself coming away from those events with a lengthy list of items I know I’ll be carrying when deer season opens. For instance, as I look forward to filming NAW Television next fall, I have my eye on Thompson/Center’s new Icon bolt-action rifle (www.tcarms.com), which I plan to pair up with Swarovski’s groundbreaking Z6 riflescope (www.swarovskioptik.com). And then, there are the new bow sights from TruGlo (www.truglo.com), including the Apex line. These are but a few of the great new products I’ve seen within the past two weeks, and I can’t wait to try them in the field.
Muzzy’s Michelle Eichler shows the new MX-3 broadhead to NAW TV’s Greg Miller and Stan Potts at the 2007 ATA Show in Atlanta.
The vehicle I’ve been driving around for the past month would be just the ticket for carrying these goodies. It’s the 2007 Ford Expedition EL (www.fordexpedition.primediaoutdoors.com). The standard Expedition is already a big rig, but the EL version has an additional 24 cubic feet of cargo capacity. I drove the Expedition to Orlando, then parked right outside the main entrance to the SHOT Show so everyone there could check out the rig.
NAW TV’s Greg Miller and Stan Potts check out the Summit Predator Pod portable stand at the 2007 ATA Show in Atlanta.
I’m really looking forward to getting the vehicle into the field next week, when I’ll hunt Alabama with NAW photo editor and cameraman Ron Sinfelt. (Alabama’s gun season runs through Jan. 31.) I’ll let you know how that trip turns out.
In the meantime, everyone on our team is finalizing their schedules for the rest of the winter and spring. There are a number of great deer events between now and early April, and as usual, we’ll be attending as many as possible. In my next blog update, I’ll tell you which specific events we’re scheduled to attend. All of us on the team enjoy meeting our readers and viewers, so we hope you can fit one or more of these shows into your own off-season schedule.
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