Gun Trade World - January 2023

Turkey in Texas
Every serious turkey hunter deserves
Texas in their spring plans at least once.
Many of us have made a habit of it.
For the most part, the Lone Star
State is a pay-to-hunt stop. On the best
ranches, locals hired by the outfitter, if
only as drop-off/pick-up guys, will put
you on birds and let you have at them
in semi-guided style. Non-residents
typically employ the services of an
outfitter, which is often more expensive
than a traditional DIY gobbler hunt, but
far less costly than booking, say, a Texas
whitetail trip.
Texas turkeys usually aren’t hard
to find, as roost cover is often limited
on big cattle ranches. Birds roost in
thick-branched oak motts, small groves
which surround open fields, and even
on power lines or old windmills. Roosts
are almost always a short walk to a
water source, and since it’s Texas, full
disclosure: there are feeders.
southwestern usa
Deer in Colorado
The overwhelming majority of the
whitetails shot in Colorado are taken
in the eastern third of the state. Most
of these are taken by spot-and-stalk
tactics in the open plains, though some
stand hunting does occur along the
riverbottoms east of Denver.
The state ranks high in the number of
record book bucks as a ratio to the overall
harvest because of this. Hunters can
choose which deer they plan to hunt as
they look them over through optics from
a distance.
Naturally, most hunters choose to
pursue the largest bucks they see that day.
Shooting
Southwestern United
States has one of the most
active competitive shooting
sectors in the US, with
shootings travelling from a
far to compete in the many
tournaments held here.
You can find competitions
for USPSA, IDPA, SASS,
ICORE and IPSC to name a
few in the State of Arizona
as well as neighbouring
States.
There are many shops that
cater to competition pistol
and rifle shooters and users
that like to handload their
ammunition.
Arizona is recognized as
a “Shooter’s Mecca”. Infact,
Guns and Ammo magazine
has rated Arizona the
number one state for gun
owners for nine years in a
row. This is due in part to
the relaxed gun laws, high
numer of shooting ranges
and access to land. About 97
per cent of BLM (Bureau of
Land Management) managed
public lands within Arizona
are available to “dispersed
recreational shooting”.
Notable outdoor ranges
within the Phoenix Metro
area are;
Ben Avery Shooting
Facility, which hosts the
annual SASS “End of Trail”.
A week-long match with
about 800 competitors.
The Phoenix Rod and
Gun Club hosts the annual
Arizona State Revolver
Championship - an ICORE
match with over 140
competitors)
The Rio Salado
Sportsman’s Club plays host
to the annual USPSA Area 2
Championship with over 300
competitors. There is also the
General Joe Foss Shooting
Complex situated in the area.
There are also many indoor
shooting ranges.
NRL Hunter has
been a growing shooting
competition the past
several years. Several NRL
competitions are hosted in
the region throughout the
year.
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