Sportsman's Warehouse is buying eight Field & Stream Sporting Stores including two in New York State, for $28 million. The move comes as Dick's Sporting Goods evaluates its strategy for its 35 Field and Stream stores that are having declining sales triggered by the retailer's decision to pull back on gun sales.

Sportsmen and gun owners were angered when Dick's Sporting Goods dropped selling of modern sporting rifles that included its Field and Stream stores. The company last year stopped selling so-called assault rifles.

Dick's Sporting Goods went a step further in pushing for tougher gun control laws, calling on lawmakers to ban assault-style firearms, raise the minimum age to purchase firearms to age 21, ban high-capacity magazines and bump stocks and require universal background checks. These proposals further angered sportsmen and gun owners and may be the reason why people boycotted Dick's and Field and Stream stores.

The company has since removed hunting merchandise from its Dick's Sporting Goods stores, notably guns, ammo and accessories and replaced them with items like outwear and batting cages.

Sportsman's Warehouse generates nearly half of its revenue from hunting equipment and selling firearms. The company saw a 5.8 percent increase in same-store sales over the past year and 2nd quarter sales rose four percent because of new store openings and higher demand for firearms.

Sportsman's Warehouse CEO Jon Barker said, “We are very pleased to announce opportunistic expansion of our current 95-store base through the acquisition of these eight Field and Stream locations. Each of these stores operates in strong markets, with well-established customer bases.”

World Catfish

Record Caught!

Eric Scordo of Watertown fishing on Lake Ontario caught a new world record catfish weighing 30 lbs. and was 35.4 inches long.

Ironically Eric broke his own record when in 2018 on Lake Ontario he caught a 26 lb. 32 inch long catfish that stood as a world record until this April when he topped his own record.

Junior Rifle Club!

The Delaware Valley-Junior Rifle Club of Callicoon will be holding their smallbore shooting program on every Wednesday evening throughout October to April. Children 12 years of age and up are welcome.

All rifles, ammo & safety gear are provided free for the children. Safety and marksmanship skills are highly stressed.

For more information contact Al at asdrb721@gmail.com.

jack danchak is the President of the Federation of Sportsmen's Clubs of Sullivan County.