ICYMI: Jan. 24–28, 2022
Base Camp Leasing Supports Freedom Hunters
Base Camp Leasing (BCL) has announced its support of Freedom Hunters, an organization that focuses on honoring our nation’s finest from field to field. The support BCL provides will help enhance the outdoor adventures for soldiers that have been deployed, families of the deployed, honoring the wounded and remembering the fallen.
“We’re proud to support Freedom Hunters, their focus on the military community is outstanding. Our business is all about enjoying hunting and the outdoors, so this is a great match for us,” said JT Kreager, Base Camp Leasing CEO.
“Thank you to Base Camp Leasing for giving Freedom Hunters life-changing and generous support. We know how important having access to great properties can be,” said Anthony Pace, Freedom Hunters founder. “[This] partnership will open more doors to the great outdoors and witness the power of bringing healing to our military community through our adventures. Your gift helps combat warriors like Joel, who Freedom Hunters recently took on a great private land buck in Nebraska. The healing and camaraderie that takes place on hunts like this is priceless.”
Freedom Hunters is a 501(c)(3) military outreach program dedicated to honoring those who protect our Freedoms. Freedom Hunters reflects the outdoor community’s appreciation to our troops by taking select active duty and combat veterans, families of fallen heroes, children of the deployed as well as those wounded or injured, on outdoor adventures.
Since 1999, Base Camp Leasing has led the way in the hunting lease industry and continues to expand into new states.
For more info: freedomhunters.org, basecampleasing.com.
SIG SAUER To Sponsor IHEA-USA, Offer Discounts To Hunter Educators
The IHEA-USA has announced a new partnership with SIG SAUER that will benefit Hunter Education Instructors in numerous ways.
The IHEA-USA recently met to finalize their multi-year strategic plan, which outlines their commitment to serving and retaining the vital volunteers of our industry and the state agency teams that coordinate public education for hunting and the shooting sports. SIG SAUER has agreed to partner in this mission delivery.
As part of this partnership SIG SAUER will offer instructor and guide discounts on select products, and IHEA-USA will participate in SIG SAUER-hosted events. Additionally, SIG SAUER will support the new IHEA-USA Firearm Fundamentals Course scheduled to launch later this year, which is designed to give new firearms owners thorough training on firearm safety from the International Hunter Education Association-USA, the authority on firearm safety in the field.
“SIG’s generosity allows us to give even more back to our valuable volunteer Hunter Education Instructor Corps,” said Alex Baer, IHEA-USA executive director. “We’re so excited to offer the tens of thousands of volunteer instructors discounts on a variety of SIG products and experiences through giveaways and contests.”
“This is an exciting new partnership for SIG SAUER as we begin to further expand our presence in the hunting community for 2022. We first want to express our appreciation to all volunteer Hunter Educators for everything that they do for the firearms and hunting community,” said Tom Taylor, SIG SAUER CMO and EVP of commercial sales.
For more info: ihea-usa.org, sigsauer.com.
Big Rock Sports Announces New Product Showcase Winners
For the second year in a row, Big Rock Sports has hosted its National Outdoor Expo virtually. At the conclusion of the event, Big Rock Sports announced its 2022 New Product Showcase Winners.
Here are the Shooting Sports winners of Big Rock Sports’ 2022 New Product Showcase:
• Best Rifle/Shotgun: Mossberg 940 Pro Waterfowl Semi-Auto
• Best Handgun: Springfield SA-35
• Best Ammunition: Hornady CX Superformance (.30-06 Sprg.)
• Best Scope/Optics: Leupold Patrol 6HD Scope
• Best Hunting Accessory: Covert WC20 Wireless Camera
• Best Shooting Sports Accessory: Hornady Rapid Safe
• Best Knife and Tool: Buck 212 Ranger Fixed Blade
• Overall Best of Show Winner: Springfield SA-35
For more info: bigrocksports.com.
Rare Breed Triggers Awarded Preliminary Injunction Against Big Daddy Unlimited & Wide Open Enterprises
On Dec. 30, 2021, U.S. District Court Judge Robert L. Hinkle granted Rare Breed Triggers a preliminary injunction against outdoor sporting goods distributor, Big Daddy Unlimited (BDU) and trigger manufacturer, Wide Open Enterprises (WOE).
Some background: Previously headquartered in Orlando, Fla., Rare Breed Triggers has recently relocated its corporate office to Fargo, N.D. The FRT-15 trigger is their current flagship product. U.S. Patent No. 10,514,223 was granted for the trigger Dec.
24, 2019. Rare Breed Triggers formally brought the trigger to market in Dec. 2020.
Shortly after launching the FRT-15, Rare Breed Triggers entered into an agreement with Florida-based Big Daddy Unlimited to act as Rare Breed’s sole distributor of the FRT-15 trigger. Shortly after the agreement, Rare Breed Triggers became aware BDU intended to launch what appeared to be direct knockoff of their patented FRT-15, the Wide Open Trigger (WOT).
WOE and BDU announced plans to launch the WOT in mid-August 2021. Rare Breed Triggers promptly served WOE and BDU with a cease-and-desist letter Aug. 31, 2021, demanding they not bring the WOT to market or they would be met with a lawsuit for patent infringement. The WOT was launched a week later Sept. 7, and a complaint for patent infringement was Sept. 15, 2021.
In his ruling, Judge Hinkle recognized “[u]ntil recently, the FRT-15 was the only product on the market that operates in this way — the only product covered by this patent. Now, though, the defendant Wide Open Enterprises, LLC manufactures and sells the ‘Wide Open’ trigger—a device that was plainly copied from the FRT-15.”
Judge Hinkle ordered that “the defendants must not manufacture, market, sell, offer to sell, import, or transfer possession of any Wide Open trigger or substantially similar device” and that the “preliminary injunction binds the defendants and their officers, agents, servants, employees, and attorneys-and others in active concert or participation with any of them-who receive actual notice of this preliminary injunction by personal service or otherwise.” Any participant in the supply chain, from manufacturer to importer to retailer, can be fully liable for patent infringement.
Lawrence DeMonico, President of Rare Breed Triggers stated, “Now we’ve been granted a preliminary injunction against these two infringing companies, we can shift fire and refocus our efforts on bigger and better things. One, we are still actively engaged in our battle against the DOJ/ATF. And two, we’re right around the corner from bringing two new FRT models to market.”
Wide Open Enterprises announced it will comply and temporarily discontinue its sales of the WOT while notifying the company’s resellers of the cease and desist.
For more info: rarebreedtriggers.com.
