Blocker has launched two new Performance Hoodies designed specifically for turkey hunters: a Lightweight version for warm weather with moisture-wicking breathability, and a Midweight option with brushed fleece lining. Both feature a 3-piece articulated hood design and Blocker's S3® Anti-microbial finish to prevent odor.
The Pope and Young Club's Board of Directors unanimously approved allowing trophy bison from the Crow Reservation in Montana into their Records Program. Executive Director Justin Spring praised the Crow's efforts to restore the American bison species, while Records Chairman Roy E. Grace confirmed the herd met all Fair Chase requirements.
TightSpot, a Black Gold Premium Accessories brand member, won the Gold Award in the quiver category at the 2026 Bowhunting World Readers' Choice Awards, marking the 14th consecutive year for this honor. The award was presented by Bowhunting World staff during the NSSF SHOT Show 2026 in Las Vegas.
Harold Knight and David Hale, founders of Knight & Hale Game Calls, received the 2026 Fox Haas Conservation Lifetime Achievement Award during Mossy Oak's 40th anniversary celebration. The award honors their fifty-year legacy of innovation, ethical hunting advocacy, and land stewardship that has influenced generations of hunters and conservationists.
Ameristep won a Gold Award in the Ground Blind category from Bowhunting World magazine readers for the second consecutive year in 2026. The company introduced the Frontline Wide-Bottom Extreme, a hub-style blind accommodating up to three hunters with six silent sliding windows and a 180° bowhunter view.
Harold Knight and David Hale, co-founders of Knight & Hale Game Calls, were inducted into the Grand National Calling Championships Hall of Fame during the National Wild Turkey Federation's 50th Anniversary Convention. The ceremony recognized their 50+ years of influence in game call design and conservation.
Over 60 new names topped leaderboards at the 57th USA Archery Indoor Nationals and 2026 JOAD Indoor Nationals across six states. Notable leaders include Olympian Catalina GNoriega in recurve women, Kyle Douglas in compound men, and 2016 Paralympic gold medalist Andre Shelby in para compound men. Prize money will now be distributed to the top 10 finishers based on combined results from all locations.
Whitetails Unlimited granted $8,137 to the Arkansas County 4-H Foundation's Dewitt Chapter, with primary funding supporting the trap team program serving 80 youth. The grant supports Whitetails Unlimited's Staying on Target Program, which promotes shooting sports education and preserves hunting traditions for future generations.
NSSF, the Firearm Industry Trade Association, applauds President Trump's Make America Beautiful Again 250 commission chaired by Interior Secretary Doug Burgum. The initiative aims to increase hunting and public land access while reducing bureaucratic barriers to conservation and outdoor recreation on public lands and waters.
The Indiana Department of Natural Resources Division of Law Enforcement is recruiting motivated individuals for Indiana Conservation Officer positions statewide. Applicants must be U.S. citizens, at least 21 years old by October 30, and pass a new Physical Agility Test. Interested candidates should complete the pre-screening test at on.IN.gov/ico-hiring to enter the hiring process.
The Houston Safari Club Foundation (HSCF) is seeking a Convention & Events Manager to oversee its annual multi-day hunting and conservation convention and year-round member events. The position requires five years of large-scale trade show and convention management experience, with responsibilities including exhibitor coordination, vendor management, and event execution.
Iowa Department of Natural Resources launched PathPerks, a first-of-its-kind program co-developed by IHEA-USA and Guidefitter that rewards hunter education graduates with pro-level gear pricing from over 200 brands including Swarovski Optik, Hornady, and Vortex Optics during their critical first year at no cost to the state.
CZ will exhibit at Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota, February 20-22, showcasing upland hunting firearms at Booth #1227. The event, hosted by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever, is the nation's premier upland hunting and conservation gathering.
Skull Hooker has renewed its sponsorship with Whitetails Unlimited, as announced by WTU President Jeff Schinkten. The company manufactures innovative brackets and stands for displaying shoulder mounts, European mounts, and skull caps, featuring adjustable, easy-to-install designs that eliminate drilling into skulls.
Ralph and Vicki Cianciarulo, hosts of The Choice and owners of Content King Media Inc., announce their continued partnership with Dallas Safari Club, reinforcing their shared commitment to conservation, ethical hunting, and science-based wildlife management. The partnership includes family members RJ and Aubrey Cianciarulo in educating the next generation of hunter-conservationists.
Traditions® Performance Firearms announced The WL Carter Company as its 2025 Rep Group of the Year, recognizing exceptional performance. The WL Carter Company, founded in 1933, has represented Traditions® since 1998 and is praised by President & CEO Tom Hall for integrity, consistency, and partnership.
Patriot Ordnance Factory Inc. (POF-USA) will exhibit at the Sports Inc. 2026 February Outdoor Show, February 18-20 at the Phoenix Convention Center. The company will showcase its full firearms lineup and accessories, including the newly launched PST-7 suppressor, at booth 1242.
The American Suppressor Association (ASA) announced that Virginia House Bill 207, which sought to impose a $500 tax on suppressors, was defeated unanimously in the Virginia House Finance Committee. Following testimony from ASA Executive Director Knox Williams and the Academy of Doctors of Audiology (ADA), the committee voted to table the legislation, recognizing suppressors as essential hearing protection devices.
The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation (RMEF) is hiring a Regional Director for Ohio and Indiana to manage volunteer chapters, organize fundraising events, and oversee the granting program. The remote position requires a bachelor's degree, five years of professional experience, and frequent travel throughout the region.
Pursuit Channel highlights Waterfowl Obsession TV presented by SX Decoys, a fast-growing waterfowl series featuring hardcore hunters pursuing duck and goose hunts across North America. Hosted by passionate waterfowlers and showcasing SX Decoys' realistic motion decoys, the show airs weekly on Pursuit Channel with 158.4 million viewers reached across platforms in 2025.
The Boone and Crockett Club announced nearly $10 million in new funding for big game migration habitat conservation through the Make America Beautiful Again Commission and National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, supporting elk, mule deer, and pronghorn conservation across western seasonal habitats and migration corridors.
The National Archery in the Schools Program (NASP) announced winners of its 2026 T-Shirt and Trading Pin Design Contest with the theme "NASP in the Outdoors." Winners include Enan Leavitt, Bentley Miller, Alia Hamm, Lauren Chuck, and Emily Harms, whose designs will be featured on official tournament apparel and merchandise nationwide.
Federal Ammunition is expanding its 6mm ARC cartridge lineup with three new offerings: American Eagle TMJ 110-grain, Fusion Tipped 110-grain, and Gold Medal Berger BT Target 108-grain. These loads are designed for competitive shooters, hunters, and target shooters using the AR-15 platform.
Wildlife Research Center® has launched a new 9 FL OZ squirt top bottle of Ultimate Bear Lure®, featuring an intense burning sweet aroma formula that works effectively in wet conditions. The product is available at authorized retailers for $25.99 MSRP.
Browning Trail Cameras introduces the Recon Force Elite HP5 Ultra, a premium trail camera featuring true-to-life daytime and nighttime clarity, low-glow infrared flash, fast trigger speed, and a 2-inch full-color viewing screen for wildlife monitoring and land management.
Bass Pro Shops announced plans for a new 70,000-square-foot destination retail location in Paducah, Kentucky, adjacent to Kentucky Oaks Mall, expected to open late 2026 or early 2027. Founded by Johnny Morris, the store will feature localized design celebrating Kentucky's sporting heritage and is expected to employ over 115 Outfitters.
Stealth Cam has renewed its national sponsorship with Whitetails Unlimited, continuing a partnership with the organization dedicated to white-tailed deer conservation. The Irving, Texas-based company, part of GSM Outdoors, has been a leader in trail camera manufacturing since 2000.
Content King Media Inc. has partnered with Innerloc and the Cianciarulo family from The Choice TV show. The collaboration unites Ralph, Vicki, RJ, and Aubrey Cianciarulo's authentic hunting approach with Innerloc's performance strategy and Content King Media's storytelling expertise.
By the time Roberta Jones picked up a bow for the first time, she was well into adulthood. A lifelong New Yorker, a social worker and family therapist by profession, Jones had already spent decades navigating the complexities of people, communities and systems. What she didn’t know then was that archery would become the place where so many parts of her life - mind, body, spirit and service - would finally align.
“I was hooked,” Roberta said simply. “That was it.”
Now 71, Jones is a competitive recurve archer, a USA Archery-certified coach, and a cornerstone of the Center Shot Archers program in New York City. During Black History Month, her story is not just about athletic achievement, but about access, representation and what it means to open doors - especially for young Black girls who may not always see themselves reflected in sport.
Roberta Jones didn’t grow up with archery. She grew up with older brothers, African and Caribbean dance, volleyball, softball and the kind of physical resilience that comes from holding your own in a big family. Professionally, she chose social work, drawn by what she describes as a “rock-bottom belief that we are all connected.”
By the late 2000s, after years in demanding therapeutic and administrative roles, Roberta was feeling the weight of that work. It was a longtime friend - Coach Larry Brown - who suggested she try archery. At first, she hesitated. Then she tried it.
She was in her mid-50s when she started shooting.
“Archery asks you to do many things at once,” Roberta explained. “Your bow arm is doing one thing, your string arm another, your back muscles are engaged, your head is turned - and in the middle of all that, you have to settle.”
That word – settle - has become central to how Jones teaches and lives archery. Not relaxing or giving up tension but finding steadiness within it.
Like many new archers, Roberta jumped into competition early - too early, by her own admission. “It was terrible,” she laughed.
But archery has a way of teaching patience. Over time, Roberta found her rhythm. She competes in her age category at state and national events, with a podium finish at USA Archery Outdoor Nationals among her highlights. She’s ranked nationally in her division, though she’s quick to note she doesn’t chase rankings.
“What keeps me here is not just competition,” she said. “I love being an archer.”
That love extends to coaching, where her impact arguably reaches even further.
Center Shot Archers, founded by Coach Brown, has spent two decades bringing archery into New York City schools and community centers, particularly in neighborhoods where the sport has not traditionally been accessible. Roberta has been part of that work from near the beginning, helping build a program rooted in high expectations, safety, and care.
Children as young as eight participate, alongside teens and adults. Over the years, the program has welcomed archers with ADHD, autism, visual impairments, spinal cord injuries, and a wide range of backgrounds and identities.
“Anybody’s body can be taught to shoot a bow,” Roberta said. “That matters.”
Academics come first. Safety is non-negotiable. Progress is expected, but perfection is not. What Center Shot emphasizes is persistence - the ability to keep working at something that doesn’t come easily.
That philosophy comes directly from Jones’ background in social work, though she’s careful to draw boundaries. “I’m not their therapist,” she said. “But I know how to spot an unhappy kid. I know how to deal with frustration, with pouting, with disappointment.”
The USA Archery membership includes 27% persons of color, though as a Black woman coaching and competing in archery, Roberta is acutely aware of how rare her presence can be. Her visibility is intentional. During Black History Month, that intention takes on added resonance. For Jones, representation isn’t about symbolism - it’s about invitation.
“We want young Black and Brown kids to see this as an option,” she said. “Something other than what they’re told is available to them.”
For girls in particular, that visibility can be powerful. While many sports see steep drop-offs in female participation during adolescence, Center Shot has found that teen girls often stay - and sometimes outnumber the boys.
“They’re surprised when they see me shoot,” Roberta said with a smile. “They know me as the coach, the organizer. Then I step up to the line, and suddenly it clicks.”
That moment - seeing someone who looks like you doing the thing - is often where possibility begins.
Roberta often describes archery as a rare equalizer. At a tournament, it doesn’t matter where you’re from, what you do for a living, or how different your lives might be.
“There’s this bond,” she said. “We step onto the same line, and archery is the common ground.”
It’s also a sport people can come to at any stage of life. Roberta herself is proof of that. She’s seen children grow into adults, adults return to the sport years later, and first-time archers in their 70s check something off a bucket list.
“You can get on and off at different points,” she said. “The joy is still there.”
This year marks the 20th anniversary of the Battle of the Boroughs, a youth tournament that grew out of friendly competition between schools in Brooklyn and the Bronx. What began as a simple local event has become a tradition - one that brings together current youth archers and alumni alike. This year’s anniversary event takes place in Brooklyn on February 28.
Some of those early Battle of the Boroughs participants are now teachers, coaches, scientists, parents. Many credit archery with teaching them grit - the understanding that hard things take time, and that effort matters.
“That lesson stays,” Roberta said. “It shows up everywhere else in life.”
Roberta spends most of her time now coaching, organizing and mentoring, though she still shoots several times a week and competes a handful of times each year. She has no intention of stepping away from the line.
“I could advocate for this sport without shooting,” she said. “But I don’t want to. I want to shoot.”
During Black History Month, Roberta Jones’ story is a reminder that progress doesn’t always come from grand gestures. Sometimes it comes from showing up - week after week, year after year - and creating space where people can see themselves, try something new, and learn how to settle into who they are becoming.
Archery, for Roberta, is more than a sport.
“It’s a thing to do in life,” she said. “And it’s one I’ve chosen.”
At USA Archery, we believe our sport is strongest when everyone has a place on the line. We’re committed to growing diversity in our community, addressing inequities, and expanding access so that archery is open and welcoming to all. Our goal is simple: to create an environment where every athlete, coach, volunteer and family member feels safe, respected and valued.
We know that it’s our different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives that bring depth and strength to the sport we love - and that richness is something worth celebrating, during Black History Month and every month
