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Author: Irwin Greenstein

Outdoors Mentors Group Helps Warren Johnson Get His Pheasant-Hunting Breakthrough

Sunday, April 13, 2025
Written by Irwin Greenstein
Categories: Shotguns

Sometimes we know where we need to go, but it’s not entirely clear how to get there.

For 15-year-old Warren Johnson, he was on his way to a life of deer hunting mentored by this father, Brandon. That suddenly changed when bought a new business that demanded 50 to 70 hours per week of his time. Brandon was showing his son the way of the hunter by getting him to pursue deer – with the occasional pheasant hunt thrown in, until their hunting adventures were forced to take a detour because of Brandon’s business schedule. But Warren wouldn’t be deterred. So committed was Warren to hunting that he got his hunter safety certification at age 11.

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MidwayUSA Foundation Surpasses Records to Help Youth Shooting Programs Flourish

Tuesday, March 11, 2025
Written by Irwin Greenstein
Categories: Organizations
Tags: #midwayusafoundation, #youthshooting, #youthshootingsports

Larry and Brenda Potterfield are angels for youth shooting sports. The founders of the shooting supply and outdoor-gear retail giant Midway USA in Columbia, Missouri has endowed through their MidwayUSA Foundation some $433 million to about 2,600 youth shooting programs through the cycle that ended December 31, 2024.

Founded in 2008 by the Potterfields, the MidwayUSA Foundation is a 501(c)(3) public charity committed to sustaining and growing youth shooting sports by providing long-term funding to youth shooting teams through different types of cash grant programs.

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ROCKY Kids’ Waterproof Insulated Hunting Boot

Sunday, January 26, 2025
Written by Irwin Greenstein
Categories: Briefs

This Rocky kid’s outdoor boot is styled to resemble and be just as durable as an adult’s hunting boot. The upper has been crafted from a combination of brown split-suede leather, extraordinarily-strong nylon. The kid’s boot also has a lace-up design on its upper, this will make their feet feel secure within the footwear and allow them to adjust the fit. In the past you would worry about your child coming into contact with puddles, wet grass, creeks, or even snow because you feared that their boots would end up getting soaked.

This kid’s boot is little different; it has been made with Rocky Waterproof construction, which means that these boots will remain completely dry. During the colder months of the year, you’ll love that your child is wearing this footwear because it has 800 grams of Thinsulate Ultra Insulation. The insulation is lightweight, so it won’t weigh the boots down or disrupt the fit, but your child’s feet will be kept warm while they are outdoors. The TPR rubber outsole offers reliable traction, which allows your child to have stable footing as they are walking on uneven ground throughout the countryside.

Prices start at $59.66

Visit https://tinyurl.com/5n83yptk

From Livestock to Pistol Matches, the 4-H Has Shown Jacob Meads the Way

Tuesday, January 07, 2025
Written by Irwin Greenstein
Categories: Handguns

Jacob Meads of North Carolina started getting involved with his local 4-H chapter at five years old by showing livestock. Now age 17, thanks to the help of this father and his shooting coach, Jacob has become a serious 4-H competitor in the disciples of muzzle loading, shotgunning, archery and pistols.
Jacob’s journey as a 4-H competitor actually started about 11 years ago when 4-H shooting coach and family friend Mike Copeland asked him if he’d be interested in “trying it out,” as Jacob tells it.

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After Moving From India to Washington State, the Manney Sisters Learn How to Bag Their First Deer

Monday, November 25, 2024
Written by Irwin Greenstein
Categories: Rifles
Tags: #firsthuntfoundation

In Hyberabad, India, Vikram Manney was a competitive international trap and air-rifle shooter. Come 2022, though, when his job as a human-resources professional brought the Manney family to Issaquah, Washington, he was determined to have his daughters Yuthika age 15 and her 10-year-old sister Jeevika carry on his shooting legacy in America by acquainting them with the trap, skeet and deer hunting that are so widely available here.

“I think for me, being a competitive shooter, the opportunity came up with the local youth club to get my daughters into shotgunning and gun safety,” Vikram said. “And since there’s not much hunting in Inda, I was eager to get them into hunting. My wife and I want to support them in these endeavors.”

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At 16, Competitive Shooter Jace Walters is Now Glock’s Youngest Certified Armorer 

Wednesday, November 13, 2024
Written by Irwin Greenstein
Categories: Handguns

As Jace Walters discovered, sometimes life takes on an indirect path that leads us to where we should be – in this case a young, rising star on the pistol tournament circuit.

A native of Elyria, Ohio, Jace’s journey started when the eleventh grader, at age three, was introduced to motocross by his father. At four, he competed in his first race, moving up in classes over the years and collecting trophies in local and state competitions. But after his brother and a few friends suffered injuries in motocross, Jace retired from the sport at 16. Early bowhunting adventures led him to competitive archery. It turned out that Jace was a quick study. His natural shooting abilities – honed with the help of his family, local supporters, dedication to hard training (and YouTube videos) – scored Jace several podium-level wins in 2017 and 2018 when he was about 10 years old.

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Meet Riley Motrych: The 17-Year-Old Waterfowl Taxidermist

Monday, November 04, 2024
Written by Irwin Greenstein
Categories: Shotguns

Just about every weekend around Shawnee, Oklahoma, Riley Motrych is either hunting, scouting for hunting, or bass fishing either for fun or in tournaments. And although he clearly loves the outdoors, it’s the indoors where we can express his creative passion through waterfowl taxidermy.

“I like taxidermy because I’m recreating the animal to look as realistic as possible and put it together in an artistic way and showcase the beauty of it,” he explained.

There’s that old saying about necessity being the mother of invention, and in Riley’s case taxidermy helps finance his hunting and fishing exploits.

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How the 4-H Shooting Sports Program Turned Jack Rogers into a Leader

Tuesday, October 15, 2024
Written by Irwin Greenstein
Categories: Organizations

Ask Jack Rogers what he got most out of National 4-H Shooting Sports Program and he’ll tell you it brought the once-shy boy “out of my shell.”

Now 18, Jack was introduced to a North Carolina National 4-H Shooting Sports program at age 10 by his father, Mark, who also participated as a boy.

“The 4-H changed my life,” Jack said. “I used to be extremely shy. Now I’m running the club and helping new clubs. I’m helping other shy kids – it’s life skills, teaching people to be polite, speak properly, kind of old school.”

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