Easton Marks 100-Year Anniversary

Founded in 1922 in California, 2022 marks the 100th anniversary of Easton as an archery equipment manufacturer. Easton’s inception began with a young Doug Easton crafting his own wooden longbows and arrows in a garage. By the time he was 17, his craftsmanship was renowned in target archery, and his arrows were regarded as the finest in the country. In 1929, Doug moved to Los Angeles, opening Easton’s Archery Shop (below, left), where he would hit the sport full force with a host of wood arrow innovations including the first screw-in point system. A real pivoting point came in 1949 with the production of the world’s first aluminum arrow, the 24SRT-X. The 24SRT-X shafts were far superior to wood in accuracy. Tournament scores skyrocketed and archery would never be the same.

The small family shop moved and grew. Over the next decade, Doug and team created the venerable XX75, the best-selling arrow shaft of all time. Jim Easton came to work for his dad in 1960, and his engineering mind expanded the company to new altitudes with ski pole shafts, aluminum baseball bats, the use of carbon in hockey sticks, and new frame technology for road and mountain bikes.

Doug Easton was laid to rest in December 1972, but his legacy lived on with his son, Jim, and his grandson, Greg Easton, who would help pioneer virtually every major advancement in arrow technology to this day. Under Jim and Greg’s leadership, the introduction and evolution of carbon, and aluminum-carbon (A/C and FMJ) hybrids would be the next innovations to dominate bowhunting and sweep Olympic podiums.

The powerful draw of the sport, and the relentless push to innovate, are the hallmarks of the company, and archery success is what keeps Easton looking down-range, since 1922 and to the next 100 years. Easton’s archery products continue to be produced in the United States at their facilities in Utah, Indiana and Iowa.

 

Gearhead Archery Sold

Skip Peterson, president of Peterson Archery LLC, recently took over complete ownership of Gearhead Archery.

Gearhead Archery was created in 2008 by Paul Trpkovski with Skip being the machining force behind Paul’s creative new archery designs. The goal at that time was to sell the ideas to current archery manufactures.

In 2015, Gearhead Archery entered the archery market with the super-compact T18 compound bow measuring 18.5 inches axle to axle. Gearhead quickly grew its product line to 20-, 24-, 30-, 33- and 36-inch axle-to-axle compound bows. These initial offerings had no adjustability with draw length specific cams and draw weight specific, pinned limbs.

The B Series was introduced in 2019. Gearhead listened to the customers’ desire for adjustability and delivered one of the most adjustable compound bows on the market today. The limb pocket allows for a 15-pound draw weight range. The cam has a rotational module that changes the draw length in half-inch increments over a 4-inch range, and multiple string posts change the draw cycle feel of the bow. Couple that with the Gearhead “Pick a Grip” slider system and the draw length can be increased or decreased in .25-inch increments of .50-inch forward or 1.25-inch back within the grip. The grip can also move left or right .375 inches in .125-inch increments to correct grip torque and keep the center shot aligned.

Today, Gearhead Archery has a complete product line of compound bows, crossbows and slingshots to suit every archer’s needs and abilities. Skip Peterson said, “Gearhead has a solid foundation of producing high-quality, top-performing archery equipment. To be able to carry the torch into the future is an honor.

“Expect more of the same with Gearhead Archery, radical looks that are superior in design and function. We need to work harder on making it more beneficial for every archery shop to carry the Gearhead brand. I am so grateful for this opportunity as a founding member of Gearhead to not only keep the brand alive, but to see it thrive in this marketplace.”

 

Under Armour Announces New President

Under Armour, Inc. recently announced that David Baxter will take over for Stephanie Pugliese as president of the Americas. Baxter will begin his position on Oct. 24, 2022. Pugliese is stepping down from the position and leaving the company, but she will support the transition until early 2023.

Before joining Under Armour in 2020 as senior vice president of Americas Wholesale, Baxter was the president and CEO of Lids Sports Group from 2016 to 2019. Before that, he was vice president of Adidas’s America’s Sport Performance division from 2010 to 2014, where he directed its North American product and marketing strategies. Before that position, Baxter oversaw Adidas and Reebok’s sports-licensed businesses with the major U.S. professional sports leagues. And for 9 years before that, Baxter held various leadership roles at Reebok, including working on-field and in its sports-licensed divisions.

 

Veil Camo Acquires Crane Graphics

Veil Camo has taken ownership of Crane Graphics Converting Company and all of its processes. Crane Graphics is a heat transfer paper and hydrographic film converter that has been supplying Veil patterns since Veil’s inception. Veil will now have control over the supply chain from start to finish, ensuring better overall quality of Veil camo patterns.

Casey Weisser, EVP of Veil, says that this move for the company is “strategic in having the best distribution model of camouflage patterns, and improving quality and speed to market in an industry where lead times are lengthening, and supply chain is challenging for most.”

For licensing opportunities, contact Shelly Moore, SVP Sales and Marketing Veil Camo, by calling (225) 223-8110, or email smoore@veilcamo.com.

 

Inaugural Virginia Elk Hunt Generates $606,000 in Conservation Funding

Hunters supporting Virginia’s first-ever managed elk hunt, which took place Oct. 8-14, 2022, generated $606,000 to bolster wildlife and management projects within the state’s elk management zone.

“This funding is an indicator of the significant contributions of hunters who support Virginia’s elk and elk country,” said Kyle Weaver, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation president and CEO. “We also salute our partners at the Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources (DWR) for their diligence in successfully managing the state’s growing elk herd. Those efforts open the door for this first, historic hunt.”

DWR awarded its first elk conservation license to RMEF, which conducted a raffle that generated more than $93,000 for conservation. That came on the heels of DWR’s initial lottery of five antlered elk tags that raised more than $513,000.

“That’s approximately half a million dollars that will go right back into wildlife conservation because of the contributions of these hunters,” said Ryan Brown, DWR executive director. “Though a small hunt, it’s significant in marking the early success of the restoration of this magnificent animal to Virginia, and also a tremendous opportunity to show the greater public the conservation benefits of hunting.”

More than 31,000 people entered DWR’s lottery, while both the lottery and conservation tag raffle drew applicants from all 50 states.

RMEF has a long, active history in Virginia that includes providing both funding and volunteer support to help successfully restore wild, free-ranging elk to their historic range in 2012. Dating back to 1993, RMEF and its partners completed 82 conservation and hunting heritage projects in Virginia with a combined value of more than $2.1 million.