TrueTimber Names Richard Howard as Director of Licensing 

TrueTimber recently announced that industry veteran Richard Howard has been hired as the company’s new director of licensing. Howard will oversee licensing and implement strategies to expand the TrueTimber brand. He’ll also steer licensed products into new opportunities and markets both domestically and internationally.

“We are really excited to have Richard join the team and look forward to what he brings to the table,” said TrueTimber CEO Rusty Sellars. “Richard has a ton of experience within the outdoor industry and with camo specifically, so his value to the brand and our partners is very high. We are thrilled to add him to our extremely talented team.”

Howard has more than 24 years of licensing and sales experience working within the outdoor industry with multiple key brands. Sellars says that Howard’s expertise will be used to expand existing and build new relationships with partners in both the hard and soft goods licensing categories for TrueTimber.

“I have been blessed to be able to spend my entire career in the global outdoor industry and to have experienced success with all the brands I have worked with,” Howard said. “I am extremely grateful to find a home with the TrueTimber team, where I can utilize my experience and relationships in the industry to ensure the future success of TrueTimber.”

 

National Deer Association Reports 282 New Deer Stewards and 2.3 Million Acres Impacted in 2022 

The National Deer Association (NDA) tallied another successful and exciting year for its Deer Steward program with a powerful lineup of courses.

“This program has proven to have such a large impact across the country and it’s really exciting to see it continue growing,” said NDA President and CEO Nick Pinizzotto. “These programs give deer hunters the knowledge they need to go make an actual difference where they hunt. That is an extremely powerful tool when implemented on this scale and we are already seeing noticeable changes.”

 2022 began with a unique in-person Deer Steward Level 1 custom course for Whitetail Properties in Illinois, followed by a Habitat Enhancement Module for their Land Specialists in Kentucky. This year also marked their biggest Deer Steward course yet, featuring a custom training for the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission in Little Rock. With nearly 90 biologists, technicians, foresters and WMA managers in attendance, this proved to be the largest audience in the program’s history. NDA has held custom courses for five other state wildlife agencies including Georgia, Kentucky, Missouri, Ohio, and Tennessee.

In August, NDA wrapped up another public Level 2 course in Wisconsin alongside event partner, Vortex Optics. Vortex Optics offered a private tour for all attendees to experience their impressive headquarters and world class shooting and training facility, the Vortex Edge. With nearly 40 students from 15 states, the organizations spent several days discussing all things deer biology, habitat management, population ecology, hunting strategies and more led by NDA’s Kip Adams, Matt Ross, Ben Westfall and Dr. Craig Harper from the University of Tennessee.

Across all of NDA’s Deer Steward in-person and online courses this year, the 282 attendees are projected to impact more than 2.3 million acres by implementing course knowledge on the lands they hunt or manage. The friendships, knowledge, and appreciation for deer management gained through these in-person courses are an integral part of the program. It is important to the NDA that they are back in full swing, educating and interacting with deer hunters, landowners, and natural resource professionals.  

With big things planned for the Deer Steward program next year, NDA plans to announce the dates and locations of their 2023 in-person courses in the next issue of Quality Whitetails, along with exciting news about the online Deer Steward 1 program.

 

Bowtech’s Paige Pearce Wins NFAA 2022 Shooter of the Year

Team Bowtech shooter Paige Pearce recently won the 2022 NFAA Shooter of the Year title. The winner is determined on the highest combined scores from 2022 tournaments. Paige has racked up an astonishing three-for-three Shooter of the Year honors this year in ASA, NFAA and USA Archery.

“Winning NFAA Shooter of the Year is a true testament of consistency across five different tournament styles,” Paige said. “From indoor to 3-D to field, you have to be at the top of your game from the start of the season to the very end. I am thankful I could rely on my Bowtech Reckoning 38 every step of the way to help me achieve such a prestigious title.”

“We are so proud of Paige,” said Jeff Suiter, director of marketing for Pure Archery Group. “It shows immense talent and skill for an archer to top the podium in one tournament, and she has come out this season and broke national records, made the podium in every event, and won Shooter of the Year in three different classifications.”

During the recent NFAA Outdoor National Target Championships in Yankton, South Dakota, Pearce took part in the 2-day outdoor tourney featuring the NFAA Classic 600 Round on day one and a NFAA 900 Round on day two. She broke two national records by shooting an 899/900 and a cumulative 1,495/1,500. Winners are determined by cumulative total scores.

Pearce took gold at the annual NFAA First Dakota Classic held August 26-27, 2022, in Yankton, South Dakota. This tournament is an indoor distance tournament. It features a qualification round, followed by head-to-head eliminations. The qualification round is four ends of five arrows shot at three distances (4 minutes each). After the qualifications, the ranked archers move to the head-to-head bracket, and winners are determined by cumulative total scores. Paige Pearce did some very impressive shooting this year and came out on top.

Pearce said, “The Dakota Classic is one of the more challenging events to win in the year because a lot of archers shoot amazing at this format. I haven’t won this event since 2016, so I am super happy to finish at the top of the podium. I trusted myself and my Reckoning 38 to come through when the stakes were high, and it all worked out.”

Bowtech’s Tim Gillingham Named 2022 NFAA Shooter of the Year

Team Bowtech shooter Tim “The Hammer” Gillingham recently won the 2022 NFAA Shooter of the Year title. The winner is determined on the highest combined scores from 2022 tournaments. Tim was able to put together enough points to receive the coveted spot. This is Tim’s second Shooter of the Year win this year; he also won it for ASA.

“To rise to the top in this sport, you must be consistent and not have any equipment issues,” Gillingham said. “Bowtech bows never fail me when the time comes. I never took a backup bow all year. That’s how confident I am in these bows.”

When asked about Tim’s win, Jeff Suiter, director of marketing for Pure Archery Group said, “Tim is the most steady, consistent, clutch shooter I’ve ever watched. He is extremely talented and when combined with his collected demeanor, it’s a winning combination.”

Gillingham recently took the top podium spot at NFAA Outdoor National Target Championships in Yankton, South Dakota. This shoot is a 2-day outdoor tourney featuring the NFAA Classic 600 Round on day one and a NFAA 900 Round on day two. The cumulative top score wins. This is a challenging tournament with wind always being a factor.