Marilyn Bentz, Executive Director of the National Bowhunter Education Foundation since 2003, received the Ann Weber Hoyt Award of Merit for her excellence in archery and bowhunting. Bentz has been instrumental in advancing bowhunter education and safety through her leadership roles and contributions to the archery community.

Pursuit Channel celebrates Ted Nugent's induction into the Michigan Outdoor Hall of Fame and receipt of the Legend of the Outdoors Award. Nugent, host of Ted Nugent Spirit of the Wild, is recognized for his lifelong dedication to hunting heritage, conservation, and outdoor television.

The Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation secured 23,000 acres in Nevada's Windermere Hills through a conservation easement with a private landowner, protecting crucial elk habitat and a mule deer migration corridor. The project, supported by an $850,000 National Fish and Wildlife Foundation grant through Walmart's Acres for America program, also provides improved hunting access across 47,000 acres managed by the Nevada Department of Wildlife.

ScentLok has launched its Women's Ridge Jacket and Pant system, featuring Carbon Alloy® scent adsorption, Silver Alloy™ antimicrobial protection, and Precip-X™ weather finish. The purpose-built midseason apparel combines athletic fit with premium micro-tricot and Berber fleece for female hunters.

Kinsey Brands is hiring a Procurement & Supply Chain Analyst to support its Consumer Brands Division in Mount Joy, PA. The role involves managing manufacturing procurement, supply chain planning, logistics, and inventory across Kinsey's portfolio of outdoor and hunting brands.

Montana Fish, Wildlife & Parks will host a free bear awareness event at its Missoula office on June 24 from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Participants can practice using bear spray with a robotic bear and learn safety information from FWP staff, including bear biology and encounter prevention strategies.

Rocky Boots, a family-owned company headquartered in Nelsonville, Ohio since 1832, continues its partnership as a national sponsor of Whitetails Unlimited. WTU President Jeff Schinkten praised Rocky Boots' premium outdoor and military footwear for delivering dependable performance in all weather conditions for hunters.

Vortex® has launched a limited-edition collaboration with Hunter Constantine featuring the Vortex Constantine Carry Belt, with only 250 units available. A portion of proceeds will benefit the Second Amendment Foundation to support constitutional freedoms and the 2A community.

NEBO has launched the CURVBEAM 850 Flex headlamp, delivering 850 lumens with versatile lighting modes including a 180º area light and adjustable spotlight. The headlamp features BackBalance Fit™ design, USB-C rechargeable battery with up to 5 hours runtime, and IPX4 water resistance, priced at $54.99.

Smith & Wesson, a leading firearms manufacturer, is hiring a Director of Procurement to oversee supply chain management across Tennessee, Massachusetts, and Maine. The role requires 10+ years of procurement experience, including 5+ years in leadership, with a focus on supplier relationships, cost optimization, and strategic planning.

Kinsey Brands is hiring a Director of Brands to oversee its consumer brand portfolio, manage multi-channel sales strategies, and drive operational excellence. The role involves leading relationships with key partners, managing supply chain strategy, and supporting product development across outdoor, hunting, archery, and shooting sports markets.

Ross Purnell, Editor/Publisher of Fly Fisherman Magazine, interviews world-renowned angler Carter Andrews on episode #32 of the Fly Fisherman Loop to Loop podcast. Andrews discusses his fishing career, his new show Gone Fishing with Carter Andrews premiering on Outdoor Channel, and conservation concerns regarding trout fisheries and fish handling practices.

ScentLok has launched its Women's Ridge Jacket and Pant system, featuring Carbon Alloy® scent adsorption, Silver Alloy™ antimicrobial protection, and Precip-X™ weather finish. Designed with an athletic silhouette for superior fit and function, the collection is available for immediate purchase at $189.99 each.

SLG2, Inc. will bring its Shoot Like A Girl experience to Bass Pro Shops in Niles, Ohio on June 13-14 as part of its 2026 Grand Safety Tour. The free event features a mobile range with firearm simulators, archery activities, and product demonstrations from outdoor industry brands including FATS by Inveris.

Lancaster Archery Supply, the world's largest archery supplier based in Lancaster, Pa., is hiring an Academy Manager to lead its training academy. The role involves overseeing instruction, programming, and operations for archers of all skill levels while driving growth through strategic partnerships and marketing initiatives.

The National Bowhunter Education Foundation (NBEF) conducted instructor training and certification in Kansas led by Steve Hall, a retired hunter ed administrator from Texas and NBEF board member. The trainings responded to increased consumer interest in bowhunter education, with attendees including agency staff, R3 department employees, and National Archery in the Schools Program representatives.

Stealth Cam has released the Deceptor MAX 3.0 Cellular Trail Camera, featuring AI-powered false image detection, PIR zone selection, and Rack Alert technology. The camera offers dual-core simultaneous image and video capture with 4K downloads via the Command app and new built-in charging capability with FieldMAX Lithium Rechargeable Batteries.

Moultrie urges hunters to deploy cellular trail cameras during early summer to gather pre-season scouting intelligence on deer movement and patterns. The company's latest trail camera line offers HD imaging, 100-foot detection range, and the Moultrie App for real-time photo and video delivery to phones, featuring species recognition and interactive mapping tools for smarter hunt planning.

MyOutdoorTV launches "AdventureStream," a limited edition live-streaming channel featuring 24/7 outdoor adventure content with no ads. The platform, managed by Sr. Vice President and General Manager Sean Luxton, offers hit shows including Jim Shockey's Uncharted, MeatEater's Cal In The Field, and Wardens, available across multiple devices.

When developing a youth archery program designed to reach more than one million students annually in schools across the country, the equipment chosen—and the partners who help make that vision possible - become critically important. 

The search for the right target became far more significant than simply choosing equipment. NASP® targets would endure thousands upon thousands of arrows from first-time archers learning focus, patience, and confidence. They needed to be safe enough for school gymnasiums, durable enough to survive constant use, portable enough for teachers to store each day, and dependable enough to stand up to the dreams of young archers nationwide.

From the Beginning

When Roy Grimes, former President of NASP®, began building a pilot program in Kentucky in 2002, he had few connections within the archery industry. After meeting Matt McPherson and Kevin Stay of Mathews Inc., he found the perfect bow—one that would ultimately change millions of lives. Through Easton, he found the perfect arrow. Now, he needed the right target.

“Frankly, all of the target providers—except American Whitetail—were introduced to me by Jennie Richardson at one of the first ATA shows I attended,” said Roy. “I knew very few people in the archery industry.”

That introduction from a teacher and competitive archer who would help launch Kentucky NASP® proved invaluable. As the program grew, it became clear that multiple target companies would be needed to meet the increasing demand.

The Block

Larry Pulkrabek began making Block targets in 1997 in Superior, Wisconsin. Like many innovators, he simply wanted a better product. “Larry wanted a target that was easier for people to remove arrows from while still grabbing arrows and holding them once shot,” said Zach Godwin, General Manager of Feradyne Outdoors. Thus, the layered foam target was born.

Kevin Stay oversaw the manufacturing of the Genesis bow from the beginning and was instrumental in the development of NASP®.   “Block target’s Larry Pulkrabek signed on immediately.  They made a great target and after some testing, we made some recommendations that Larry ran with.  The Block target continues to serve us well to this day,” said Kevin.   

“We are a bowhunting equipment manufacturer, and NASP® is pivotal in developing the next generation of bowhunters,” said Zach. Feradyne Outdoors continues to be an important partner in helping NASP® reach more than 1.2 million students annually.  The Block target is famous in schools throughout the country.   

The Whitetail Connection

When Ralph Harris was in high school, he picked up his first bow and never looked back.   This led to a career in archery from bow shop to starting the American Whitetail Target company.   “I began making targets for a few schools that were doing archery in the 80s and were looking for a good target.  I loved this idea and came up with a foam archery target for them.”  Said Ralph.   

Fast forward to 2013 when Ralph would be introduced to a new school archery program that a friend of his was helping with.  “This new program they called NASP® was so popular that the folks in Henderson, Kentucky built a new facility just for the kids to enjoy archery!”  Ralph noted.  “I went down there and was blown away by the number of kids involved.  I knew we could help them with their target needs,” noted Ralph.  He then added, “This program is the future of our sport!”  There are thousands of students across the country that will likely never know Ralph Harris, but they sure know his target!  

Divine Intervention

“In 2002, I recall an incredible dream I had,” said Bernie Morrell of Morrell Targets. “I had just returned from Ecuador and woke up dreaming about a new archery program—50 years down the road—that not only changed lives but actually changed America.”

Bernie went into the office the next day and shared the dream with his brother Dale, President of Morrell Targets. “Dale told me about an upcoming meeting regarding a new archery program called “Archery in the Schools”,” Bernie recalled.

Shortly afterward, Bernie suffered a heart attack—an event that changed his life’s direction. “That shifted my course from being a builder to working full-time for Morrell Targets. I guess God was really trying to send me a message,” said Bernie. “Since that time, Morrell has focused on finding and implementing ways to help states grow their programs.” Bernie noted.  

Morrell Targets serves as the official bullseye national tournament target for NASP®. Each year, more than 21,000 student archers focus their hopes and dreams on Morrell targets at three national events. “NASP® has been one of the greatest things in my life,” said Bernie.  Dale and Bernie Morrell believe in the power of archery to shape the lives of our youth.  

Married Into Archery

Rinehart began supporting NASP® since the program’s inception.  Kevin Stay remembers the early support from Rinehart very fondly.  “I recall giving John Rinehart a phone call and he didn’t blink an eye!  It was about kids and he was all in,” noted Kevin.  

John’s experimenting with self-healing foam compounds lead to the founding of Rinehart Targets in 1999.  It was with great pride when John’s daughter Barbara and her new husband James McGovern joined the company after college. 

James knew he had quite literally married into one of the biggest family names in archery. “Barbara and I got involved right out of college,” said James McGovern of Rinehart Targets. “We had two roommates we wanted out of our apartment, so we created a budget to make that happen.”  

Barbara approached her father with a business plan to develop what would become the R100. “We started at $8 an hour each,” James said. “Soon, we were running the office and marketing.”

“Five months later, we showed up to work and found my father-in-law scraping his name off the door,” James recalled. “He told us he was retiring—and that Barb and I were running the company.”

The Rinehart family are incredible advocates for developing pathways for kids to find archery and the outdoors.  “With all the challenges kids face today, it’s incredible to have a program where students with no prior skills can work hard, practice, and succeed,” said James.  James then noted “NASP® is a huge step forward in getting kids into the woods!” Today, Rinehart is also the official 3D target supplier for NASP®.

Success

Tommy Floyd has watched NASP® grow alongside its target partners—from his early days as a principal in rural Kentucky, to Chief of Staff for the Kentucky Department of Education, to NASP® Vice President, and now President of the largest shooting sports program in the world.

“The individuals who represent these partners truly believe in what archery does for students in grades 4–12,” Tommy said. “Time and again, they’ve stepped up to do great work for our student archers. We are truly blessed, as a program, to have these long-time friends and partners.”  

From targets down range to target focused outcomes, NASP® has been blessed to have several target companies who care so much about our young people by giving over 1.2 million students each year something to shoot for…. success!     

- Jeff Rawlinson, Vice President - National Archery In The Schools Program