Just got back from the SHOT Show in Vegas.
Posted: Thu Feb 03, 2005 6:09 pm
I have been thinking....
I was at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas this past week. The SHOT Show is the largest premier hunting trade show where everyone displays their new products for the upcoming year. There were probably 3,500 manufacturers there and well over 50,000 people attended the show.
I walked the whole show and there was nothing about beagles - NOTHING! By nothing, I mean they didn't have advertisement that included beagles, no new beagle or rabbit hunting products that were being hyped, no pictures of beagles on displays, nothing!
Of course the big 5 were very well represented, deer, elk, waterfowl, upland birds and turkey. But, there was even tons of stuff on coyote hunting, crow hunting, dove hunting, coon hunting, etc.
I even went to dog box manufacturer's exhibits and 100% was geared toward bird dogs and retrievers. No signs or ads w/ beagles. No video footage included beagles. Same w/ Tri-tronics, Dogtra, Innotex, etc. Same w/ clothes manufactures - no briar pants directed for rabbit hunting, etc. There was not a picture of a beagle at that show! Almost like it is a non-market in the hunting industry as a whole.
The more I think about it the more disturbing it is. If the law-makers one day try to make it illegal to run beagles, I doubt the hunting industry (manufacturers) would stand up for us at all - no money in it. Sad.
I was at the SHOT Show in Las Vegas this past week. The SHOT Show is the largest premier hunting trade show where everyone displays their new products for the upcoming year. There were probably 3,500 manufacturers there and well over 50,000 people attended the show.
I walked the whole show and there was nothing about beagles - NOTHING! By nothing, I mean they didn't have advertisement that included beagles, no new beagle or rabbit hunting products that were being hyped, no pictures of beagles on displays, nothing!
Of course the big 5 were very well represented, deer, elk, waterfowl, upland birds and turkey. But, there was even tons of stuff on coyote hunting, crow hunting, dove hunting, coon hunting, etc.
I even went to dog box manufacturer's exhibits and 100% was geared toward bird dogs and retrievers. No signs or ads w/ beagles. No video footage included beagles. Same w/ Tri-tronics, Dogtra, Innotex, etc. Same w/ clothes manufactures - no briar pants directed for rabbit hunting, etc. There was not a picture of a beagle at that show! Almost like it is a non-market in the hunting industry as a whole.
The more I think about it the more disturbing it is. If the law-makers one day try to make it illegal to run beagles, I doubt the hunting industry (manufacturers) would stand up for us at all - no money in it. Sad.