Hunting and Fishing News Blog Articles

SK Guns recently contributed to fundraisers held by the National Police Bloodhound Association (NPBA) and MidwayUSA Foundation through its SK Gives Back program. The philanthropic branch of SK Guns is dedicated to supporting local and national 501(c)(3) non-profit organizations invested in the betterment of the firearms community. The most recent fundraising efforts are evidence of the company’s commitment to that initiative. 

“SK Gives Back has started 2025 with a wealth of success in supporting partners new and old,” said Simon Khiabani, owner and founder of SK Guns. “We are thrilled to introduce our partnership with the local sheriff’s department in our new home.” 

Following its relocation to St. Augustine, Fla., SK Guns partnered with the St. John’s County Sheriff’s Office and its Bloodhound K9 Division. SK Gives Back helped raise over $7,000 for the NPBA at its January 2025 seminar. SK’s involvement in the event contributed to doubling the donations typically received at an NPBA seminar. 

“I’m excited to share that the NPBA successfully raised thousands for the association through the partnership with SK Guns during our Florida seminar,” said NPBA Public Information Officer Megan Osborne-Smith. “It was an amazing contribution that really got our members excited!” 

SK Guns donated branded shirts, patches, 1911 full-size Purpleheart grips and one Lost State of Transylvania “Daniel Boone” 1911 pistol, which were included in the seminar raffle. These donations led to the seminar raising more than twice the funds than any previous event. To learn more about NPBA or its seminars, click here. Information on the NPBA’s history can be found here, as well as contact information for the organization’s board members. 

By Ashley Dugan, CMP Staff Writer

BUTNER, N.C. – Register today for the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s (CMP) 2025 Eastern CMP Games!

Eastern Games is set to be held April 25 through May 4 at the Camp Butner Training Facility in North Carolina. The recreation-oriented event, part of CMP’s Travel Games series, is an exciting assortment of competitions and educational clinics open to adults and juniors of all experience levels.

Guests can expect a lineup of CMP’s own modern and vintage military rifle competitions, like the Springfield, Carbine and John C. Garand Matches, as well as the .22 Rimfire Sporter Rifle Match and Vintage Sniper team event. Mid-Range 3×600 and 1,000-yard Long Range matches, added to Eastern Games in recent years, will also make a return in 2025, as well as CMP Cup Rifle Matches – comprised of 4-Man Team, 80 Shot and EIC Rifle competitions.

Like other Travel Games events, those competing in the John C. Garand Match with As-Issued M1 Rifles will have the chance to earn a GCA (Garand Collectors Association) Master Marksman medal – based on performance at designated events.

Written by Ashley Burgess Gall, Laura Burgess Marketing, no behalf of Big Horn Armory

For decades, the lever-action rifle has been synonymous with the Old West, hunting, and classic Americana. However, in recent years, these rifles have experienced a resurgence—not just among collectors and hunters but also in tactical and survival scenarios. Once considered obsolete in the face of semi-automatic platforms, lever guns are proving their worth in the modern era, particularly in states with restrictive firearm laws and among those seeking a versatile, powerful alternative for defensive use.

The Tactical Advantages of Lever-Action Rifles

Lever-action rifles offer several tactical advantages that make them a viable option for today’s shooters. Unlike modern sporting rifles, lever guns often bypass many restrictive state regulations due to their traditional design. This makes them an attractive choice for those living in states with magazine capacity limits or bans on semi-automatic rifles.

Beyond legal considerations, lever-action rifles are lightweight, maneuverable, and fast-handling. Their slim profile makes them easy to carry and store, and their cycling speed—while not as fast as a semi-auto—is quicker than many assume. With practice, a skilled shooter can deliver rapid follow-up shots with surprising efficiency.

Written by Ashley Burgess Gall, Laura Burgess Marketing, no behalf of Big Horn Armory

For decades, the lever-action rifle has been synonymous with the Old West, hunting, and classic Americana. However, in recent years, these rifles have experienced a resurgence—not just among collectors and hunters but also in tactical and survival scenarios. Once considered obsolete in the face of semi-automatic platforms, lever guns are proving their worth in the modern era, particularly in states with restrictive firearm laws and among those seeking a versatile, powerful alternative for defensive use.

The Tactical Advantages of Lever-Action Rifles

Lever-action rifles offer several tactical advantages that make them a viable option for today’s shooters. Unlike modern sporting rifles, lever guns often bypass many restrictive state regulations due to their traditional design. This makes them an attractive choice for those living in states with magazine capacity limits or bans on semi-automatic rifles.

Beyond legal considerations, lever-action rifles are lightweight, maneuverable, and fast-handling. Their slim profile makes them easy to carry and store, and their cycling speed—while not as fast as a semi-auto—is quicker than many assume. With practice, a skilled shooter can deliver rapid follow-up shots with surprising efficiency.

MISSOULA, Mont. (March 20, 2025) – The Boone and Crockett Club presented Bill and Linda Demmer and Mark Rey with its most prestigious award, the Conservation and Stewardship Award, for their leadership on the William A. Demmer Scholars Program. The award was presented last week during the Club’s annual Spring Meeting held at the 90th North American Wildlife and Natural Resources Conference in Louisville, Kentucky. The Conservation and Stewardship Award is given annually to the organization or entity that best exemplifies excellence in natural resource conservation and stewardship—core values of the Boone and Crockett Club and its founder, Theodore Roosevelt. 

“The Boone and Crockett Club’s Conservation and Stewardship Award recognizes a group that plays an essential role in implementing Theodore Roosevelt’s vision of Conservation: acts of guarding, protecting, developing, and using natural resources wisely and sustainably; and Stewardship: planning for and managing natural resources responsibly,” commented Tony Caligiuri, President of the Boone and Crockett Club. “The Demmer Scholars Program is having a profound effect on the training of future wildlife conservation policy professionals and we were honored to recognize Bill and Linda Demmer for their vision and sponsorship as well as Mark Rey for his leadership in implementing the program.” 

The Demmer Scholars Program was conceived in 2009 by Bill and Linda Demmer to provide college students with exposure to and experience in policy making on a national level related to natural resources and conservation. Mark Rey has led development and teaching of program content to each of the 389 Demmer Scholars to date. The students come primarily from three Boone and Crockett Club-affiliated universities: Michigan State University, Mississippi State University, and the University of Montana. The program requires a competitive application for a 12-week natural resource policy course and paid internship with a government agency or non-governmental organization active in natural resources policy making in Washington, DC. So far more than 100 agencies and organizations have hosted Demmer Scholars. Course work and internships provided through the program have exposed these students to a variety of natural resource management challenges, introduced them to a broad range of both working professionals in the field and policymakers (many of whom are Boone and Crockett Club members); and enriched their overall academic experience with applied conservation policy analysis and training. More than 70 former Demmer Scholars are now employed in natural resource policy positions in Washington, DC, with numerous others working in the state policy arena, with non-profit organizations, in the private sector with forestry or other industries, or have gone on to pursue natural resource law degrees.

“Through the Demmer Scholar internships, the students get real-world experience, see classroom principles applied in practice, and make valuable career contacts for educational and employment opportunities in the future,” commented Mark Rey upon receiving the award. “I greatly appreciate the leadership of Bill and Linda Demmer for their vision in creating this program and their continued support to make it so effective.”

“We are excited that the Demmer Scholars Program has developed into what we all hoped it would become,” said Bill and Linda Demmer. “Receiving the Boone and Crockett Club’s Conservation and Stewardship Award is a tremendous honor and recognition for this program.”

The 2025 Vegas Shoot and the World Archery Indoor Series Finals have furthered the incredible legacy of the Easton X series as the world’s most successful indoor arrow shaft.

The World Archery Indoor Series produced a gold medal sweep and a near-total podium sweep throughout the 2024-2025 open circuit events. These events culminated with the first two days of The Vegas Shoot to seed the final 16 out of thousands of participants. These finals, like those at The Vegas Shoot, were held in the iconic PH Live Theatre in Las Vegas before a sold-out audience, adding extra pressure on the competitors. In the end, Easton shooters claimed every single gold medal through remarkable head-to-head performances.

In the recurve divisions, matches are decided by set play. In Men’s Recurve, the USA’s Brady Ellison used a 20-year-old set of Easton X7 Cobalt shafts, which belonged to his late Olympic teammate Butch Johnson, to dominate every match with overwhelming wins. Ellison concluded his campaign with a final match against Olympic Champion Mete Gazoz of Türkiye, winning 7-1.

The women’s recurve division was a battle between two Olympic bronze medalists: USA’s Casey Kaufhold and French archer Lisa Barbelin, both equipped with Easton X10. Their match escalated to an incredible shoot-off, with Kaufhold securing victory on the final arrow due to her distance from the center of the 10-ring.

The compound categories use a five-end straight points system, with 150 points being perfect. However, in World Archery, the 10-ring is only two centimeters in diameter, the size of the Vegas X-ring. Men’s Compound showcased epic elimination round battles, culminating in an ultimate display of precision from winner Nico Weiner of Austria in the gold medal match. The world outdoor champion shot a perfect 150 points to claim gold against French sensation Nico Girard, who had previously secured a victory in the quarterfinals with a 150-150 shoot-off. Netherlands’ star Mike Schloesser also scored a perfect 150 in his bronze match against Denmark’s Mathias Fullerton.

The 2025 Vegas Shoot and the World Archery Indoor Series Finals have furthered the incredible legacy of the Easton X series as the world’s most successful indoor arrow shaft.

The World Archery Indoor Series produced a gold medal sweep and a near-total podium sweep throughout the 2024-2025 open circuit events. These events culminated with the first two days of The Vegas Shoot to seed the final 16 out of thousands of participants. These finals, like those at The Vegas Shoot, were held in the iconic PH Live Theatre in Las Vegas before a sold-out audience, adding extra pressure on the competitors. In the end, Easton shooters claimed every single gold medal through remarkable head-to-head performances.

In the recurve divisions, matches are decided by set play. In Men’s Recurve, the USA’s Brady Ellison used a 20-year-old set of Easton X7 Cobalt shafts, which belonged to his late Olympic teammate Butch Johnson, to dominate every match with overwhelming wins. Ellison concluded his campaign with a final match against Olympic Champion Mete Gazoz of Türkiye, winning 7-1.

The women’s recurve division was a battle between two Olympic bronze medalists: USA’s Casey Kaufhold and French archer Lisa Barbelin, both equipped with Easton X10. Their match escalated to an incredible shoot-off, with Kaufhold securing victory on the final arrow due to her distance from the center of the 10-ring.

The compound categories use a five-end straight points system, with 150 points being perfect. However, in World Archery, the 10-ring is only two centimeters in diameter, the size of the Vegas X-ring. Men’s Compound showcased epic elimination round battles, culminating in an ultimate display of precision from winner Nico Weiner of Austria in the gold medal match. The world outdoor champion shot a perfect 150 points to claim gold against French sensation Nico Girard, who had previously secured a victory in the quarterfinals with a 150-150 shoot-off. Netherlands’ star Mike Schloesser also scored a perfect 150 in his bronze match against Denmark’s Mathias Fullerton.

Z-Man®/Evergreen International alliance delivers new ChatterBait® JackHammer Baby Jack

Ladson, SC (March 18, 2025) – Three years ago, the idea was conceived. Realizing most great anglers were throwing ChatterBait JackHammers at every derby and on every bass lake in America and beyond, Brett Hite and Japanese bass wizard Morizo Shimizu quietly returned to the lure lab. 

From the jump, the goal was to create an even more refined bladed jig that chattered to bass on a slightly altered octave; to deliver a familiar sound and vibration, yet one with subtle revisions to its underwater frequency, action and profile.

Today, Z-Man and Evergreen celebrate their power-packed third bladed jig collaboration, codename Baby Jack.

Cultivated to combat the toughest bass fisheries in America, Japan and beyond, the JackHammer Baby Jack wields numerous tournament-grade accoutrements, leading with a cultivated, downsized stainless steel ChatterBlade®. Sharing the JackHammer’s acclaimed instant-start vibration, the Baby Jack leans on its direct blade-to-jighead connection to deflect cover, produce relentless blade/jighead collisions and generate vibrant ChatterBait music—albeit on a slightly higher vibrational frequency.

“Japanese fisheries are notoriously tough, and the Baby Jack has been tested in Japan with impressive results,” states Evergreen’s Morizo, perhaps the preeminent bladed jig practitioner across the Pacific. “That was the driving force behind the Baby: tough conditions and heavily pressured playing fields where just a few more big bites can make all the difference.”

Downsized Blade Schematics
For Hite and Morizo, tricking tough bass meant, foremost, building a bait with a wider range of retrieve speeds, from super slow roll to speed demon. To achieve perfection, both bladed jig artists vetted numerous blade sizes before punching out a thumbnail-sized hexagon, mere clicks smaller than original.

“On the ChatterBait performance spectrum, the Baby Jack moves with a tighter vibration and a more restrained flash than the original JackHammer, but still noticeably stronger than the StealthBlade,” notes Morizo. “Similar to the original, the Baby Jack hunts freely, too, especially when you give the lure little pops with the rod.

Additionally, Morizo says the smaller blade and its reduced water resistance enable faster retrieves in the same water column. “When the water’s warmer or you just need to cover more territory or to trigger a quick reaction under tougher conditions, the Baby Jack is the ultimate adjustment that will entice extra bites.”

Hite adds: “Even with the smaller blade, the Baby Jack still has a good thump to it. You can really feel it and read what’s happening. You know right away if it’s fouled a blade of grass, and you can rip free. Or when a bass quietly inhales the lure and swims toward you . . . the blade goes dead and signals a rapid-fire hookset. Those are key details that made the JackHammer into an all-time great—and the Baby Jack is all that and a little more.

As Morizo also suggests, “The Baby’s reduced size means its more aerodynamic and casts like a bullet, even in wind. And for fishing across shallow grass or super skinny water, you can really burn this lure, while the blade stays down and doesn’t blow out.”

For these specific scenarios, Morizo wanted a new 1/4-ounce variant (in addition to 3/8- and 1/2-ounce sizes) for rocketing cleanly across the skinniest water and the gnarliest cover.

Weight-Balanced Jighead 
To further ensure the Baby Jack stays down in the water column and swims with a balanced, natural horizontal posture, Hite and Morizo devised an astute alteration to the jighead. “We shrunk the size of the head itself, while shifting more weight—including an enlarged, restructured collar—further back down the spine,” says Hite.

“Besides moving more fluidly through the water, this reconfigured jighead also lets the lure skip super far and easy, and with minimal commotion.” 

Attention Collectors, Historians, and Firearms Enthusiasts!

The Civilian Marksmanship Program (CMP) is proud to present a never-before-seen opportunity to own an extremely rare set of three M1C sniper rifles with sequential serial numbers! Beginning March 17, place your bids on the CMP Auction site for your chance to bring home these incredible relics.

These legendary rifles, produced between December 1944 and January 1945, represent a critical evolution in military marksmanship. The M1C, officially adopted in 1944, was the first semi-automatic sniper rifle used by the U.S. military, built for precision and reliability in combat. With a specially designed side-mounted scope system and robust engineering, this rifle became a trusted tool for American snipers in World War II and beyond.

Why This Auction is Unprecedented

Bid on this Unmatched Collectible Today!