Trade News

Think the crossbow industry needs standards? You're not alone. The North American Crossbow Federation is set to hold a meeting to establish those standards.

If you're heading to the Lancaster Archery Classic, make sure to carve out some time to meet your favorite pro archers.

The stage is set for the 15th annual Lancaster Archery Classic, Jan. 26-28, at Spooky Nook Sports, 75 Champ Blvd., Manheim, PA. About 1,500 archers from more than a dozen countries around the world will compete in this unique tournament for over $160,000 in cash and prizes from Lancaster Archery Supply, plus another $190,000 in potential contingency awards from equipment manufacturers. The top prize of $15,000 — plus thousands more in contingency money — will be paid to the Men’s Open Pro champion. Big-name competitors The Classic is the largest indoor archery tournament on the East Coast, which is why it draws many of the sport’s biggest stars, including World Archery’s top three archers in Men’s Compound: Stephan Hansen of Denmark, Braden Gellenthien of USA and Mike Schloesser of Netherlands. Also registered to compete are 2016 Olympic individual bronze medalist and team silver medalist Brady Ellison of USA, World Archery No. 1 ranked Women’s Compound archer Sarah Sonnichsen of Denmark, 2016 USA Olympian Mackenzie Brown and dozens of other elite archers, such as Jesse Broadwater, Levi Morgan, Cara Kelly and Sharon Wallace. The competition also draws a large amateur crowd, with payouts, $40,000 in door prizes and live video coverage for all 15 divisions. Included among the amateurs this year will be more than 200 young archers under the age of 21, who will be competing in a special Youth Trophy Tournament. This “tournament within the tournament” gives young archers the chance to compete in a major competition like the Classic for a fraction of the cost and a fraction of the time commitment. Footage from the three-day tournament will be broadcast live on YouTube, Facebook, www.lancasterarchery.com and Blue Ridge Cable TV 11, attracting tens of thousands of TV and online viewers. An appealing format The Classic’s format is what makes it so popular. One bad arrow doesn’t necessarily eliminate an archer from contention. On Friday, Jan. 26, each competitor will shoot a qualification round of 60 arrows, shot at targets 18 meters away. A perfect score would be 660, since the inner-most bull’s-eye ring — about the size of a penny — scores 11 points. After ranking archers’ Friday qualification scores, the field in each of the 15 competition divisions will be whittled down to top finishers, who will then shoot head-to-head elimination rounds in a bracket-style competition on Saturday morning. Finalists in each division will emerge from those brackets to compete in 12-arrow, shoot-up style elimination rounds, where lower-ranked archers can shoot their way up to the top to win the competition. Some divisions will hold their shoot-ups Saturday afternoon, while the remaining divisions — including Men’s Open Pro — will finish Sunday. Get a look at the latest gear Besides the competition, more than 40 vendors will have booths set up at the venue, showcasing the latest and greatest in target archery equipment.  The 200,000-square-foot TRUBALL/AXCEL Archery Hall could accommodate up to 2,000 archers within the 17-acre Spooky Nook Sports Complex.  Seminars will be conducted all day Friday by various industry experts in the Carbon Express Practice Hall. Tournament hours are 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27; 8 a.m.-3 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 28. Spectators are invited to attend the competition for free, however Spooky Nook charges for parking. Lancaster Archery Supply thanks its 2018 Classic sponsors: T.R.U. Ball/Axcel, Hoyt, Dead Center, Carbon Express, Victory Archery, Mathews, Black Eagle, Carter, Bloodsport, Doinker, BCY, Scott, CBE, Easton, Shrewd, SKB, Shibuya, Gold Tip, B-Stinger, Vortex Optics, American Whitetail, Top Hat, Stan, Win&Win, Cartel, Prime, Elite, Leupold, PSE, Gateway, Last Chance, Limbsaver, Neet, Beiter, Big Shot Targets, Speciality Archery, Bowtech, Yeti, Rogue Bowstrings, Gas Bowstrings, No Limit Archery, Competition Archery, Zbros Archery, Brownell and Gillo.

Kinsey’s has been considering opening a second warehouse for many years, which would allow the distributor to serve existing customers better and reach new markets with faster service. To that end, Kinsey's recently acquired Pape's Inc., which now gives Kinsey's the ability to reach a majority of whitetail states in a one- or two-day shipping window. That will significantly improve service to independent retailers across the country, creating quicker inventory turns for their customers. “The core values and family ownership atmosphere of Pape’s Inc. align seamlessly to create a strong partnership," said Rick Kinsey, Kinsey's vice president of sales. "Pape’s has been a long-standing and well-respected distributor. This acquisition brings together the two largest archery distributors in the country to create one synergized platform from which we can continue to increase the flow of products from manufacturer to dealer with increased speed and efficiency.” When Archery Business caught up with Kinsey on the Show floor of the 2018 ATA Show, he stressed the importance of the two distributors' shared values in making this decision. "Like Kinsey's, Pape's cares about their customers and about giving back to the archery industry. By combining our strengths, customers will see fewer out of stocks and faster ship times." "I think this is going to be a great merger," said Malcolm Snyder of Pape's, who will remain with the distributor. "Customers can buy from Pape's if they want, or they can buy from Kinsey's. They're going to see better pricing and faster service. It's a win-win." Obtaining Pape's, located in Louisville, Kentucky, marks a significant investment in the future for Kinsey’s. It is further evidence of the company's commitment to continually serving its loyal customers better. The change in ownership will occur on April 2, 2018. “We are truly excited for this opportunity to grow our reach in the archery industry and for the benefits it will bring our customers with a greater selection of product ready to ship at a moment’s notice," said Justin Gorman, Director of Sales: Independent Retail, International, OEM. "We wish you all the best of luck in 2018 and look forward to continuing to earn your business.”

The Archery Trade Association has chosen Matt Kormann of Marietta, Georgia, as its next president/CEO after a nationwide executive search.

Archers and bowhunters alike are familiar with the frustration of losing an arrow. A company called Breadcrumb has solved that problem.

Department of Interior looks to public-private partnerships to improve infrastructure on public lands, committed to keeping public land public and “right-sizing” public-land hunting.

The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has informed Cabela’s it has concluded its investigation of Bass Pro’s $4.2 billion buyout and has given the deal the official go-ahead.

ScentLok Technologies, a leading manufacturer in the scent-controlled clothing arena, is excited to announce its acquisition of Robinson Outdoor Products. The transaction was finalized earlier today and includes all assets of Robinson Outdoors, including ScentBlocker, ScentShield, Tree Spider and Whitewater Outdoors products and brands, as well as all patents and intellectual properties. “The Robinson portfolio of products and loyal customers is powerful and wide-ranging,” says Patrick Hylant, owner and CEO of ScentLok Technologies. “Our company’s goal is to offer total odor-management solutions while maintaining the highest levels of customer satisfaction, and this acquisition will help us fulfill that mission. We don’t need to be the biggest; we just want to be the best. Our research and development team has already begun looking at the various Robinson technologies. We’re improving on them and finding their best applications. Customers can expect to see some of that DNA incorporated into new products as early as next year. We will continue to relentlessly drive to solve real problems for real customers and bring the absolute best products to market.” ScentLok was quick to point out that though certain technologies may cross over between the brands, its primary plan is to invest in ScentBlocker and other Robinson brands and products separate from the ScentLok name and product lines. “We understand that ScentBlocker is a go-to name brand for a large and loyal population of the outdoor community. We want to ensure these strong and loyal customers that we are going to maintain the ScentBlocker brand, technologies and quality they are known for. That authenticity will carry on as it always has,” Hylant added. It is expected that all operations will be consolidated into the ScentLok offices and distribution centers located in Muskegon, Michigan.

The new site offers quick and easy access to essential information on the company's comprehensive line of arrows, crossbow bolts and other archery accessories.

FeraDyne Outdoors, LLC, announced Tuesday that the U.S. International Trade Commission (ITC) has issued a powerful General Exclusion Order (GEO), protecting FeraDyne's popular and innovative Rage line of broadheads from foreign patent and trademark infringers.

Lancaster Archery, the world’s largest archery supplier, is currently seeking talented archery enthusiasts to join its team.

Members of the Archery Trade Association (ATA) talk to key archery and bowhunting industry leaders at it's annual trade show, held January 10-12, 2017. This year, we also share the viewpoints of several ATA members on crossbows and how they’ve impacted the bowhunting community and industry.