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Welcome to our annual hunting issue, in which we celebrate the longstanding connection between the army/navy military surplus industry and the hunting, shooting and outdoor sports marketplace.

In this issue you’ll find words, pictures, the whole thing already, on the latest trends in the hunting market and sage advice (from sage advisors) on how an army/navy store can strengthen the bond between surpie and hunter of fowl, fish and field.

Although gun and ammo sales (and consequently, ammo can sales) are rising faster than a speeding bullet, participation in the shooting sports is still in need of a stimulus package.

The National Shooting Sports Foundation supports many programs to increase participation in and appreciation of the shooting (and angling) sports. They have made inroads by increasing participation by women and children in particular.

They also promoted National Hunting and Fishing Day, which took place on 26 September, noting that surveys indicate that eight in ten Americans approve of hunting and more than nine in ten approve of fishing.

They also provide us with economic grist for the mill, noting that hunting and angling together contribute $76 billion to the economy, and that that in 2010, while the economic stimulus package will generate its highest level of federal spending at $236 billion, hunters and anglers will spend almost a third of that by themselves.

It turns out that approximately 1.6 million jobs depend on hunters and anglers (maybe some of them at army/navy retailers and suppliers?) and that if hunters and anglers were a nation, their gross domestic product would rank 57th out of 181 countries.

Hunters and anglers contribute heavily towards wildlife management and conservation, not only with their practices, but also with their dollars.