Pope and Young Hires Justin Spring as Executive Director

Pope and Young recently announced the hiring of Justin Spring as its new executive director. Justin is a very well-established conservationist, measurer, and a lifelong bowhunter who has found great success in the field.

Justin's experience he brings to Pope and Young comes from both his professional goals and personal passion for hunting and conservation. He is a lifelong bowhunter and has spent the last 15 years with The Boone and Crockett Club, starting as its assistant director of Big Game Records in 2008 and moving into the director of Big Game Records role in 2015. He holds a BS degree from Northland College where he studied biology and natural resources.

In addition to managing the records department and Boone and Crockett's triennial Awards Program, he also serves on both the Records and Ethics Committees for the organization. He has served on three of Pope and Young’s judges’ panels and was an administrator of five panels for Boone and Crockett. Justin recently termed out as a director for The Montana Wild Sheep Foundation, completing a 9-year tenure on their board.

Justin has had guest appearances on numerous podcasts including MeatEater and Pope and Young's podcast, and his writings have appeared in Boone and Crockett Club’s books and magazines, as well as other outdoor publications. He has hunted 15 of the recognized categories of big game in North America, nearly all unguided, and successfully taken four of those with archery equipment.

“I am greatly honored to be selected by Pope and Young’s Board of Directors to serve as the next executive director for the organization”, said Justin Spring. “The passion and dedication of both the staff and leadership I have had the opportunity to work with over the last 15 years has me very excited about taking on this new position. I look forward to help shape the positive impacts the organization can make for conservation and bowhunting in the coming years.”

Zanders Sporting Goods Promotes Dan Siegler and Luke Poston

Zanders Sporting Goods, a national distributor located in Sparta, Illinois, has announced the promotions of Dan Siegler to president and chief operating officer, and Luke Poston to director of procurement.

Both employees since being hired have demonstrated exemplary leadership skills, an unwavering “company first” attitude and a passion for company growth. Siegler’s passion for the outdoors and the opening of the sales manager position is what led him to Zanders almost 10 years ago. Siegler was the sales manager for 4 years where he quickly excelled and was then promoted to director of marketing, then took over Marketing & Purchasing a little over a year ago, and now has been promoted to president and COO.

“I am proud and honored to have been selected to be the President/COO of Zanders Sporting Goods,” Siegler said. “I have so much respect for this company, and the people that have made it what it is. I look forward to continue working extremely hard to make sure we are successful for many years to come.”

Prior to joining Zanders, Poston held various sales and marketing positions for companies in the St. Louis area. He was hired by Zanders in 2017 filling the sales manager’s role vacated by Siegler. Poston’s commitment to Zanders, understanding of the industry and market trends is what sets him apart and why he is a perfect candidate for the position.

“I want to thank Stefanie Zanders for this opportunity,” Poston said. “We have a great team in place at Zanders, and I am proud of what we have accomplished as well as how bright the future looks for Zanders. I have enjoyed the time I have spent with so many of our great dealers, and look forward to working more with our strong partners on the manufacturing side of the industry.”

“We are excited to formalize this new structure that will provide a tremendous opportunity for our leadership team,” said CEO Stefanie Zanders. “The dedication and loyalty displayed by Dan and Luke are unparalleled and further solidifies that these two are the right choice for the job. We are confident that these changes to the executive team will enhance and lead our business operations strategically forward in new and innovative ways and ultimately elevate our business to new heights.”

For more information about Zanders and its many dealer programs, call (800) 851-4373 or visit www.gzanders.com.

Bowhunters United Announces Free Membership Level

Bowhunters United, an organization dedicated to protecting your passion, is now expanding its advocacy reach by offering a free level of membership.

Bowhunters United is focusing on reaching and uniting an even larger audience of bowhunters to keep them informed of laws, rules and legislative changes that are important to them. BU is working in Washington, D.C., and at the state level to protect hunting access, preserve hunting opportunities, and make sure your voice is heard with policymakers when and where it counts.

“BU’s strength is in its numbers, and by offering a free membership, we’re able to greatly increase the impact of our voices to protect against threats to bowhunting and expand bowhunting opportunities,” said Jeff Poole, president of Bowhunters United.

A program of the Archery Trade Association, BU is backed by the industry and provides insider access you can’t find anywhere else. Bowhunters who take advantage of this new, free membership will still have access to the great information available on the BU website, including how-to’s, legislative updates, discount gear offers and the latest industry news.

BU lets members know of threats and legislative issues impacting bowhunters through its Action Alert System, which allows members to share their voice in support of hunting’s future – for themselves and future generations. With a few simple clicks, members can forward a message to their local senators and/or representatives letting them know where they stand. This is powerful grassroots advocacy, providing strength in numbers.

Most recently, BU worked to elevate and push back on the unintended impact from the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act, which inadvertently halted long-standing federal support for educational programs involving archery and hunter education. At the state level, BU successfully fought to keep arrow shooting “airguns” out of Oklahoma’s archery season this spring.

In addition to advocacy benefits, you’ll also receive:

• Exclusive industry news and discounts on gear
• Tips and tactics
• Entry into the Bowhunters Bonanza sweepstakes
• Access to other giveaways and discounts

Caza Outdoors Hires Professional Archer and Outdoor Industry Specialist Cara Kelly

Caza Outdoors recently announced the appointment of Cara Kelly as the email marketing specialist. Kelly comes to Caza with experience in sales, marketing, and a background in professional archery, sponsored by Mathews, making her a valuable asset to our brands: Pnuma Outdoors, Heated Core, Trophy Scan, and Los Cazadores.

Kelly’s track record in the outdoor industry includes successful marketing strategies and building solid customer relationships. Her understanding of outdoor sports, especially archery, will offer a practical perspective to Caza's marketing efforts.

Her primary responsibility will be email marketing, focusing on content that informs and resonates with our audience. Caza aims to deepen our customers' connection to Pnuma, Heated Core, Trophy Scan, and Los Cazadores through her efforts.

"We are excited to bring Cara aboard,” said CEO Craig Harrison. “She is a fantastic addition to the Caza team, and will be a great asset as we continue to grow our digital footprint."

Young Guns Heath McDonald Memorial Scholarship

Young Guns Archery coach and founder Heath McDonald lost his battle with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma cancer on Sept. 30, 2022. Matthew Steward was recently awarded the first annual Memorial scholarship honoring his late coach. Heath’s wife, Julie McDonald said, “Matthew is exactly why we started our Young Guns Archery program, and we are extremely proud to help this well-deserving young man.”

Matthew is a 2022 graduate of Miami Valley CTC (Ohio) and his home school was Valley View. Matthew did not think he was going to go to college until he found his passion for archery. Matthew joined the Young Guns Archery team his senior year and had always bowhunted; however, he was unaware that competition archery existed. Matthew caught on quickly with his new competition bow and racked up various podium finishes both at the state and national level. In 2022, Matthew was the S3DA State and National Shooter of the Year, S3DA Indoor National 3rd place, S3DA National 3D 4th place, and S3DA Outdoor Target National 1st place finisher.

Matthew was the first graduate out of the Young Guns Archery program and the first to receive an archery team scholarship from Wabash Valley College. His freshman year at Wabash Valley College, he had an outstanding archery season and finished the year as an Archery Collegiate All-American.

Heath and Julie McDonald founded the Young Guns Archery youth program. Heath was an avid outdoorsman and taught his wife and kids shooting sports. The McDonald kids competed in competition archery and received many opportunities through archery. Brooke McDonald was recruited to the University of the Cumberlands and earned scholarship money for archery, while also being on the dance team and choir. Trey McDonald received an Olympic Sportsmanship Award (The Jack Kelly Fair Play Award) in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and also participated in the World Archery competition in Puerto Rico for Team USA, where he won two gold medals in 2015. Archery has always been good to the McDonald kids, and Young Guns University was created to help get more kids into the sport of archery and bowhunting.