Join Scott Whatley as he hosts the Sportsman of Colorado, an engaging radio show for outdoor enthusiasts. This week, embark on a captivating journey through the Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo with special guest Abe Aaron. Dive into the exciting world of hunting and fishing expos, where premier brands unveil their latest innovations and conservation efforts take center stage. Discover how this unique event has evolved, offering attendees a jam-packed schedule of events, guest speakers, and incredible hunting opportunities. The Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo is more than just an expo it’s a celebration of America’s rich
SPEAKER 07 :
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SPEAKER 11 :
Hi, this is Scott Whatley with Sportsman of Colorado. Join us every Saturday from 1 to 2 p.m. Each week, we’ll bring you local outfitters and experts on how to make your next outdoor adventure a success. Looking for a place to hunt on your own? We’ve got you covered. Want to book a trophy deer or elk hunt with a reliable outfitter? We can help. And we’ll also get you ready for the upcoming big game season. If you like the outdoors, you’ll love Sportsman of Colorado. Sportsman of Colorado, Saturdays at 1, right here on KLZ 560.
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SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado, Colorado’s premier outdoor radio show heard every Saturday afternoon on KLZ 560 with insights on hunting, fishing, archery, guns, and ammo from Colorado’s top outfitters featuring the industry’s leading experts on how to enhance your experience in the great outdoors. Now, here’s your host, Scott Whatley.
SPEAKER 11 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado. Thank you so much for being with us today. Hey, we’ve got a jam-packed show for you. Well, Colorado’s premier hunting and fishing expo is back. It is April 11th through the 13th at the Gaylord of the Rockies, and it is the Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo. Abe Aaron joins us today. Abe, good to see you, sir. Hey, how are you, Scotty? I’m good, man. I’m good. So when you reflect back at a couple of years ago and Phil Mendoza and you and I, we were walking around Salt Lake City a little bit and at an expo there. And we were just kind of walking around, checking with a few people. Hey, it’s kind of cool because I remember when I started my radio show, I went to people and said, hey, look, I’m going to start a radio show. I had a few people tell me. come back and see me in a couple of years. And I have to say I remember those people very vividly. You wait and see if you’re still doing it in three years, you know. But, man, it was really cool last year when the doors opened for the first year, April 5th, to just see it come to fruition, wasn’t it?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, you know, look, we didn’t know what to expect. We knew it was going to have a very, very good trajectory, high probability of succeeding. We did everything possible. that we could to bring in the right brands and the right conservation organizations and guest speakers and calling contests and banquets and everything we could do, you know, and drawings and whatnot for folks to give them something that they’ve never had before. And, you know, we didn’t want to take it to, let’s say, a couple notches up. We wanted to really, really set a high bar. Mm-hmm. and grow from there, because when it comes to something like a hunting and fishing expo, every year you have to innovate. People don’t want to come see the same thing every year. There’s got to be something new and exciting every year, and it takes some pretty creative, passionate people to do that. Our first year was a success. We definitely set a very high bar, and I can tell you already for 2025, we set goals in mind and things we wanted to bring in, and we’re doing it. So it’s cool to see it. I don’t look at this as a, oh, we did a successful job. I look at it as, hey, this is where the bar was set. You know, for 2024, how many rungs can we set that bar higher for 25 and 26 and 27 and 28, you know? So it’s pretty exciting. I mean, even stuff we have this year, people are going to be very pleased.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. You can go to milehighhuntexpo.com for more information. And, hey, the best thing to do is follow them on social media. Again, it’s the Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo, but the website is milehighhuntexpo.com. And you’ll see all the things. And we’re going to be coming on quite frequently between now and then with Abe and Phil, letting you know about some of these really cool things that… We’re last year and a bunch of new things that were added. And, you know, I knew it was just so good when when so many people would stop by our booth and just say, this is unbelievable. I mean, you know, first year show and to have names. Many people had never seen in Denver. And if they had seen the name before, it was 20 years ago. Right. You know, and and then for the vendors, it’s equally satisfying, gratifying for them because they’re around a bunch of good outdoor stuff and people. Right.
SPEAKER 12 :
You know, I agree with you. And the thing is that. People want to see the big brands, the newest products, those who are innovating, right, as well as, like, your up-and-coming boutique brands. Brands that, you know, because you’ve got to remember, at some point in time, brands like Kuyu and many, many years ago, brands like Swarovski or Zeiss or decades ago, these were all boutique brands. They were small, up-and-coming brands, and look what they became, right? And all it was was innovations. Like, I look at one of our sponsors is Maven, right? And I look at them as one of those optics companies that, as time goes on, they will be looked at as one of the best. They’re already one of the best there is. No, I’ve got several. And they’re getting better by the minute. So, you know, you’ve got to have a mix of it. But really, you’ve got to bring, if you listen to the people, They’ll tell you what they don’t like about other expos across the country that they’ve been to. And most people are more likely to be vocal about something they didn’t like than they are about what they really like.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right.
SPEAKER 12 :
So you just got to listen. You got to listen to what the people are saying. You got to listen to what the exhibitors are saying. Like, I’ll give you an example. We didn’t do a four day show. We did a three day show because the efficiency and the excitement, um, that the exhibitors have right over a four day show kind of drags on, you know, it really does. Uh, there’s too many people working on a Thursday, but there’s enough people that get off early on a Friday that it’s worth having a Friday, Saturday, Sunday, right. And you can’t have an all day Sunday show either because people want to get home, get ready to, for their Monday, for their week coming up, you know, and people just want to have a kind of a wild and fun weekend. I mean, I tell people this is, this is the hunting and fishing party of the year.
SPEAKER 11 :
It really is, man, because I’m telling you, from the time the doors opened last year until I was loading up my trailer, it was just action-packed. It’s fun. I mean, yeah, you’re running ragged, but it was an absolute blast.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, it was awesome. I’ll put it to you like this. You know, when you go to the right kind of expo, you don’t want to leave, right? Because you’re surrounded in a building surrounded by people, like-minded individuals. And it doesn’t matter if you’re just a bird hunter or just a big game hunter or just a bow hunter or just an ice fisherman or just a fly fisherman or whatever you are, or guys like us who do it all, right? Every season, every species, every weapon. I love all of hunting and all of fishing. And so for that, you just there’s no dull moments. There’s never not something to look at. There’s never not somebody to talk to. There’s evenings, there’s activities, there’s events, there’s guest speakers, there’s workshops, there’s calling contests. I mean, there is it’s almost like. To have the maximum amount of fun, you should just not sleep for three days and be there every minute, every second of every day. And I’m telling you, get there early because you’re not going to want to leave. Nobody wants to leave, you know. It feels like you’re leaving the party early. Right. You know, it’s just so much fun. I mean, because here’s the deal, Scott. We’re at the end of, I mean, we’ve got, I don’t know, about a week left. We’ve got until the 16th for Canada goose season. Ducks already closed. Most all big game seasons, if not, especially in Colorado, are done with, right? And… You got snow goose. You got the conservation season coming up. And then, you know, you really got not much to look forward to as far as hunting goes until spring turkey. Sure. And, yeah, ice fishing is pretty good in some parts right now. If you’re willing to brave the cold, fly fishing, there are some hot spots right now. Other than that, you know, you’re not pulling the boat out.
SPEAKER 04 :
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER 12 :
nobody’s getting super pumped about the the walleye spawn hasn’t even started let alone waiting for that to be over so that they could put the feed bag on right you can go catch a bunch of walleye so it’s kind of this dead spot and everybody’s thinking about their 2025 and 2026 upcoming hunting season and it’s like this depression period so we have this awesome hunting and fishing expo during the depression to to keep the excitement year long right because by the time you get through the expo, well, bang, you’re into spring turkey, right? And you’re into thaw and you’re into fishing and the boat’s out. You know, fly fishing’s good, lake fishing’s good, you know, whatever, right? I mean, you get past that January, February, deep winter lull, that depression. So this is kind of our way to spring into turkey season and fishing season and get to planning for the hunting season ahead.
SPEAKER 11 :
Right. Now, again, we’re talking about the Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo. That’s April 11th through the 13th. Go to milehighhuntexpo.com for more information. You get your tickets there. And we’re going to be telling you more about this, but we’re going to give you some highlights today. A couple of cool parties last year. We had the first night there, the Friday night. We had the after party there, which was really cool. And then we had our big banquet. And this year we’re going to do something a little different on that Friday night, a casino night.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yep. So as far as banquets go, so let’s just talk after hours events regardless, right? So Friday night we have a casino-themed party. banquet, you know, and so we’ll have, you know, we’re not going to run a two-hour boring auction. We’re going to have 14, 15 awesome hunts and items on an auction, tons of drawings. And basically, if you get into this banquet, you’re going to have Poker tables and blackjack tables. You’re going to come in and, you know, it’s our casino night, so you just play all the tables. You know, take a little money. You buy some chips and run around and play games all evening. And then by the time you’re done, you can cash in your chips, get your tickets, and we will have some awesome drawing items. Because if there’s one thing you saw last year, we didn’t have no cheap stuff. Nothing.
SPEAKER 01 :
We hadn’t.
SPEAKER 12 :
Nice shotguns and rifles and fully loaded bows and awesome hunts, waterfowl hunts, upland hunts, archery, big game hunts, rifle, big game hunts. I mean, you name it. We didn’t want to bring, you know, we didn’t bring anything cheesy to the table. We brought stuff that. People would really want to go on. And, you know, I’ll give you an example. The gentleman who won our rifle elk hunt, one of many hunts that we did, one guy that just stood out to me because he walked up to us and he said, my God, I’ve never won anything in my life, and I’ve never been on a guided hunt before, and I just won a rifle bull elk hunt with Cuddy Creek, right, with Justin Salibi and his crew. And that guy was just besides himself. Right. Because honestly, he may have never gone spent $5,000, $6,000 on an elk hunt, or he may have gone on a $40,000 elk hunt. Who knows, right? You don’t know who the winner is going to be. But it was cool to see somebody that was that appreciative and got to do something that they’ve never had the opportunity to do before. Right. And we did that 40 times over last year. Right. We had so many hunts and fishing trips and and rifles and bows and shot. It was it was ridiculous. Like nothing like that had ever been done before in Colorado. So we’re going to step it up. Yeah. So back to the. Sorry, I went off on. No, no, no. So Friday night we got the casino themed. With Muley Fanatic Foundation and, you know, our partners, Ducks and Limited Health for Wildlife and, you know, the Colorado Wildlife Council. And so what we’re doing is we’re just making it a more laid back. You know, you show up in your jeans or whatever and your cowboy boots and it’s not super duper. It’s nice, but it’s not, you know, super fancy or. where you’re not looking at $50,000, $60,000, $70,000, $80,000 hunts or $15,000 hunts, none of that stuff, you know. It’s more midline, let’s just say $2,000 to $7,000 hunts on the live auction or something in that realm, right? And, you know, rifle packages, bow packages. You’ll have a good window to just run around, hang out with your buddies, you know, Have your food and beverage and play your games, whether you like blackjack or, you know, poker or whatever you like, right? Whatever card games you like, we’ll have tables for that stuff and an opportunity, a strong opportunity at winning something, going home with something cool. You know, something worth having in your safe or in your arsenal. Right, right. Yeah. Whether it be a full get up of camo gear or a bow or a shotgun or a hunting or fishing trip to look forward to. Right. Saturday night. Saturday night is our kind of it’s our, you know, upscale, real nice event. You know, you dressed impressed kind of situation for the night of conservation. And same partners, you know, Ducks Unlimited, Muley Fanatic Foundation, Howell for Wildlife came on board this year. We’re very happy to have them because they are. Those guys are awesome. And those guys, man, they swing what they swing. They’re spectacular partners, just like, you know, Muley Fanatic. And these guys, you know, they bring awesome hunt. and awesome gear they don’t bring you any riffraff the the stuff that they bring to the table they care you know they know that at this banquet when we raise these dollars they’re they’re out there making a difference and they’ll prove to you they’ll show you where the dollars went and that’s why we chose them these the group of conservation organizations we have um We’ve got some really good, you know, we’ve got celebrity hunts and, you know, without releasing too many details.
SPEAKER 11 :
Sure, sure.
SPEAKER 12 :
We’re wrapping up on, you know, trophy, I’ll just say trophy animal hunts that… aren’t even available regardless of how deep your pockets are or are not some of these wouldn’t be available to you they’re priceless hunts you know so there we’ve got some very very and we are going to release our uh auction list okay and and our drawing list here in the next couple weeks so just be on the lookout because it’s this kind of stuff has never been offered in colorado before
SPEAKER 11 :
And there’ll be some tables available. Corporate tables. Corporate tables. And then individual tickets as well.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yes. And they’re all, when you see them go for sale on our website. Dude, you better get on it.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. You better get on it.
SPEAKER 12 :
Because they sold out fast last year. And we have two nights this year. And I can guarantee you they’re going to sell. I mean, just by the amount of people sending messages to our website asking about it, there’s people just waiting. Yeah. To get a couple of tickets, you know. And we have, you’ll have, as to be expected, you know, a nice setting with a grade A food, dinner, dessert. You know, it’s, you know how it was last year. I mean, it was just.
SPEAKER 04 :
It was unbelievable.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah. I mean, it’s a very, very nice setting. Everything is thought through. And we’ll do our best to, we’re taking it up a couple notches this year.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah, cool. Hey, if anyone’s with us, once again, it’s Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo. Mile High Hunt. For more information, again, follow them on social media. Stay tuned, even on Haystack during our weekday show. And, of course, Sportsman of Colorado, through these next few weeks, we’re going to be giving you more and more and more information. But the quick information is the tickets are already on sale. Get your tickets now. And then once the banquet ticket opens up and the casino night, you want tickets for that, you better get in there and get them because these are going to sell quickly. And another thing, Just a couple of other things to point out is, you know, yeah, a lot of people come there to do excursions, whether hunts or fishing trips or whatever. But it’s not just wall-to-wall outfitters. You guys went about this in a different way and different designs. So kind of give your thought process on that.
SPEAKER 12 :
So we, you know… People come to these events. There is a significant amount of people that come to these expos to buy hunting trips or get to talk to an outfitter, get to know them for their future. And so we try to make sure that we provide vetted and good options per category. Now, if you want to go to Africa and go on a safari there, okay, we’re not going to bring in 30 Africa outfitters. We’ll bring in four or five really good ones, right? You’re looking for an out west mule deer hunter, elk hunt. Well, we’re going to have five, six, seven outfitters in that realm, but we’re not going to have 15 or 20. And the reason why is we pick the best ones that have a good reputation and do as much research as we can. having not gone with this outfitter ourselves, right? No firsthand experience in most cases. In some cases, we do have firsthand experience. Some outfitters are there because we’ve hunted with them. And so that people, we’re taking the guesswork out. You came to buy a hunt. You don’t have to stand in front of this guy and go, oh, is he going to try for me? Is he going to rip me off? Is he a man of his word? No. You know, we’ve done the majority of that work. Yeah, we can’t sit here and give you a contractual guarantee. Sure. But we try to do – make as much of the research – painless for people so that if they want to book a hunt at our event there’s an extremely high probability it’s going to be a good experience number one number two um we cap outfitters by category so that we have room for our different uh for example we have our traditional long-standing hunting companies with new products because they’re innovating every year like Leica and Zeiss and really, really cutting-edge companies like Gunwerks and Revik Optics, right, and Maven, and we have Hoyt and Elite Bows and Montana Rifle and G5. And so growing on that, you know, we’ll go seek out brands that are – that are up and coming right that have a very high quality like peaks and some of these guys that have a very high quality product and you just know that they’re going to have a huge market share in their category once people really know about them they’re there to get the word out right and so um there’s that and then you know we have some cool new additions on the uh map I’m sorry, on the manufacturer side, you know, companies like Seekins Precision, right? If you haven’t heard of Seekins, I mean, everybody knows who they are. And if you haven’t, they’re basically a company that gives you an equal caliber to, let’s say, it’s a semi-custom rifle that shoots like a $7,000, $8,000 custom rifle. Right. You can buy off the shelf because they make everything in the United States in one place in Idaho. Every part they are. I mean, they are the best of the best. Right. So that was obviously a brand we wanted to have at the expo. Right. And that, you know, King’s Camo came in, right? They saw, hey, you know, King’s has been over the last, I would say, five, six years or so, King’s has really got themselves on the map by engineering and innovating some of the best new technical hunting gear that you can get. And, of course, you have your staples, right? Top dogs like Kuyu. Of course, Kuyu’s back, right? And so you have all these manufacturers, these brands. For example, for our waterfowl side, right, we have Avery, Greenhead Gear, Bandit, you know, all these different companies in the waterfowl world that are coming in. So we have a really good spread. Between waterfowl and upland and big game with a bow and big game with a rifle or however, right? So we’ve made sure that we cover all our bases and have more than something for everybody.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s going to be cool, man.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, yeah. Yeah, I mean, it’s going to be fun. You know, sponsors this year, again, we have Grizzly, right? And what I like about Grizzly coolers is they’re not just a cooler company, right? They’re very, very innovative. Like, they have pushed into the cold plunge world, right? And they now offer a big cooler with a chiller system with a partner of theirs that you can buy. They’ve also went into the hunting blinds. world okay and i gotta say they’re hunting blinds because they listened are kind of taking it by storm and from a guy who’s owned and still owns a lot of i’ve owned rednecks i’ve owned banks i mean at one point uh even now we have i don’t know a handful of the nicer redneck blinds some of our farms and and uh and a handful of the uh banks and they’re nice blinds but you look at what grizzly’s done with their windows and they’ve made slots for uh Ozonics, right? Like, why didn’t anybody else do that? The innovation’s there, and I love that. You know, and we have, so we’ve got some real good, you know, of course, Whitetail Properties, they’re a staple in providing, you know, we’ve got quite a few really good sponsors. So Kefaru’s back, best in the pack game there is. You know, nobody’s going to beat them. And so we’ve got quite a few of our same sponsors. And honestly, one of the things I’m most excited about, You know, every year we work with our conservation organizations, the dollars we drive, you know, Ducks Unlimited will show you, hey, this is where the money went. Muley Fanatic Foundation will come and specifically say, hey, you know, we’ve got this project we’re going to fund for a mule deer crossing through winter migration or whatever it may be. Right. A spring brooding area, whatever it may be. So these are wildlife organizations and HAL. HAL is, I’m so excited to have them because they are a serious… They’re as serious as it gets where whatever the issue is, you know, this Prop 127. You know, Dan Gates and those guys, obviously, they worked very hard on that. But Hal was a swinging sledgehammer. Yeah, Charles and Mike were really good, man. Yeah, these guys, Charles and his crew, they figure out who’s trying to take hunting rights away from us, and they just laser focus. And they get it done. You know, they get it done. They get awareness. They’re not afraid. And they put in the work like nothing I’ve ever seen before. And even, you know, the Colorado Wildlife Council came in this year. And they’re a big part of, you know, license. They get a part of license sales and everything. and give back to the hunting and fishing community in Colorado specifically. You know, it’s not going to exterior interest. It’s staying here. So it’s exciting. I mean, anybody who comes through the door this year will be satisfied.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. It’s the Mile High Hunting Fish Expo, April 11th through the 13th at the Gaylord of the Rockies. Now, hey, if you want to make it kind of a really super cool weekend, got a special deal at the Gaylord. And I’m going to tell you, it’s… Victoria and I, we went out for dinner the other night out there and just to go look around again. And we went to dinner out there and I was telling the person at the desk there, you know, so they were coming for the expo again. And and I showed them the rate that we got.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
And the guy goes, that can’t be right. And I go, what? And he goes, I don’t see rates like that. So I’m just telling everybody, if you want to stay at the Gaylord, it’s good. But you guys also went an extra step and across the way, just a couple of miles away, you got some other special deals and a shuttle that will be running from an area, right?
SPEAKER 12 :
You are absolutely correct, Scott. So basically, look, everybody wants to stay at the Gaylord. You know, last year, our room block sold out so fast, we went and tried to get more. But we can only ask for so many, so many times, right? So if you see a room block available, book it. Because it’s an unbelievable rate to be staying at the Gaylord No. 1 and No.
SPEAKER 1 :
2.
SPEAKER 12 :
You don’t really have to worry about it because we’re setting up a shuttle to run back and forth to two nicer hotels a mile down the road so that we can make sure those who want to have a room and stay close by can get to and from the expo.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
And we’ll have room block discounts on that as well. So there’s that option. And then the other thing that we partner with, the Gaylord Rockies Resort, is some folks, first off, let’s talk about Gramps. Let’s talk about the things that people didn’t like last year. It was a first-year show. And let me tell you, people were vocal about, you know what the single biggest and really the only shining issue that we heard about was? parking park oh you nailed it but parking’s too expensive okay all right so we’ve got two solutions number one um we the closest right light rail station to the gaylord rockies which is will be on our website um has a constant shuttle that runs back and forth and picks you up from the uh from the light rail station drops you right off at the front doors of the Gaylord Rockies. So if you don’t want to pay for parking, fine. Just come on the light rail. But we, Phil, and Phil is, really, I got to give him all the credit. He’s amazing. He was adamant. And we negotiated much lower parking rights. So, you know, we had people telling us, oh, I paid $25 a park last year. Well, this year it’s come down drastically less. I mean, it’s quite a bit less.
SPEAKER 11 :
And we negotiated that. Some people that came. And I said, look. You’ve been going downtown for years, you know, different things. You park there, and you know what? Here’s the good part. Your truck’s going to be out there at the Gaylord when you leave, okay? And not broken into. And not broken into. All your stuff will be there. So, hey, it’s a couple bucks. But, man, when you get to be at the Gaylord, and I tell you, just watching people’s faces when they entered into the exhibit area. and just seeing how beautiful it was i mean nice carpeted floors we we went to the night booths were set up properly you know i know just people just showed up with a you know a couple of metal chairs and a table and no backdrop i mean you just man everybody knew they weren’t a real yeah we wanted people to know that look
SPEAKER 12 :
You know, first off, I’ll just say real quick on the parking thing. The way we’ve got it this year, it is now more affordable to park at the Gaylord Rockies for the Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo than it is downtown.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
So how about that for a solution? We promised you we’d fix it, and we did. So that’s taken care of. No more complaints. Second thing is, you know, when you walk in, you want to give people – we wanted people – We didn’t want to tell people we appreciate them. We wanted to show them. So our thought was, hey, we want people to get a certain kind of feeling when they walk into this place. Not just that they belong there, but it was worth it for them to pack their family up or even if they came by themselves to drive all the way out by the airport to the Gaylord Rockies Resort and pay for parking and pay for a ticket for entry, you know. that’s a commitment right sure if somebody is choosing to spend their money and especially their time and come out there and see us they’re going to be pretty serious hunter and angler yeah so we wanted them to have just an off the rails experience from the second they walked in there right we wanted them to take two steps into that expo and they see that this place is nice and it’s welcoming and all the floors are covered you have nice carpet easy on your knees you got beautiful drapery everywhere You know, no, there’s no exposed concrete everywhere. There’s no clackety chairs. This is a really nice establishment. And you belong there. You know, these these we had over, you know, 10,000 people come through the doors on our first year. And every one of them, I imagine, got a feeling of, hey, I belong here. And, you know, we we are showing you how much we appreciate you joining us.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s awesome.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
Can’t wait. Hey, we’ll be there as well. Of course, we’re from Colorado Radio. We’ll be helping emcee a few things. And I hope you’ll just circle the dates now. And when I say dates, come all three dates. I’m telling you what, it’s going to be awesome. April 11th through the 13th. MyHighHuntExpo.com. Get your tickets. And once everything opens up with the banquets and all, once again, if you’re interested in that, which I highly recommend it, It’s going to be a fun couple of nights there in the evenings as well. You can get your tickets there as well, and we’ll be sharing more here in the days to come. So, Abe, appreciate you coming in, man.
SPEAKER 12 :
Hey, thanks for having me. I’m looking forward to coming back.
SPEAKER 11 :
It’s going to be a great year. Absolutely. Hey, we’ve got to take a quick break, and we’ll be back with more right after this. The Tanner Gun Show is Colorado’s premier firearms event, and this weekend’s show is at the Ranch in Loveland, February 8th and 9th. Come explore a wide range of hunting rifles and merchandise, survival gear, AR rifles, accessories, knives, tactical gear, and ammunition, all under one roof. It’s the ultimate destination for the Second Amendment enthusiast, whether you’re a seasoned collector or new to the world of firearms. The Tanner Gun Show offers a gigantic selection for all interests and budgets. Find the perfect addition to your gun collection at the best prices in the state. Tickets available at the door or get them online at tannergunshow.com.
SPEAKER 09 :
Here’s why you need personal injury attorney Kevin Flesch on your side. He understands the way the jury thinks. In the context of a personal injury case, you’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence. The idea is that you’re going to try to recover so that you can get back to where you were just prior to that incident occurring. What that really means from a jurist’s perspective is that you’re going to be asking them to award you money. So when we talk about fairness, we’re talking about six people that you don’t know. Those six people view the evidence and make a unanimous decision that will decide what the fair value is. When you’re the one who’s hurt, you have a good idea of what you think it’s worth. The question is, can you persuade those other individuals whom you don’t know and were witnesses to believe that’s what the case is worth? Kevin Flesch understands the way the jury thinks. Call now for a free consultation. 303-806-8886
SPEAKER 11 :
February is National Pet Dental Health Month. Hey, this is Scott Whatley for my friends at Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center. As a part of their commitment to dental health for pets, Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center is offering a flash special of $50 off all dental cleanings during the month of February. Dental disease can cause tooth loss, bad breath, and pain. It can also lead to more serious health issues like heart disease and blood infections. Remember, a healthy mouth is a happy mouth. Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center has been taking care of our pets for over 20 years. Beat the rush and schedule your pet’s dental today. Call 303-708-8050. That’s 303-708-8050. Check out their blogs at lontreevet.com.
SPEAKER 05 :
Are you in the market for a new firearm or maybe looking to purchase your very first firearm? Well, wouldn’t it be great to have an experience worth telling your friends and family about while making such an important purchase? At Bighorn Firearms, we know how important that is, and it’s our mission to provide this experience to every customer that walks through our front door. Hi, I’m Ryan, owner of Bighorn Firearms, located in southeast Denver, and my team and I are customers too. We know what it’s like to experience the typical specialty store attitude, and we believe everyone deserves a first-class experience when purchasing a firearm. If you’re searching for friendly service, a knowledgeable and passionate staff, and a great selection of firearms, we’d like to invite you to Denver’s best independent gun store, Bighorn Firearms, one mile east of Evans and I-25. Whether it’s your first gun or you’ve been collecting for years, our friendly and knowledgeable staff are passionate about answering all of your questions. Service and selection is our commitment to you. That’s Bighorn Firearms, located at 2175 South Jasmine Street, Suite 105, Denver. Call us now, 303-758-9423, or shop online, bighornusa.com.
SPEAKER 11 :
For over 10 years, hunters have relied on OnX maps to help navigate public and private land boundaries across the country. OnX Hunt is the only tool comprised of more than 400 countrywide maps that give clear private and public land boundaries, trails, hunting-specific data, and more. New map layers are constantly being added by pairing with some of the leading names in conservation and the outdoor industry, like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Boone and Crockett Club, and Eastman’s. Whether it’s on your smartphone or handheld GPS, make the most of your precious time in the field by navigating with OnX Hunt. Go to the App Store or OnXMaps.com.
SPEAKER 06 :
If you’re in the market for a new rifle for the big game season or a new shotgun for some doves or upland game birds, head on over to The Gun Room. Kevin Flesch here from Sportsman of Colorado inviting you to visit Denver’s oldest gun dealer, and that’s The Gun Room at 1595 Carr Street in Lakewood. They offer buy, trade, consignment, transfers, and appraisals. And if you purchase a gun, we’ll cover your background check fee. It’s The Gun Room, 1595 Carr Street. Tell them Sportsman of Colorado sent you.
SPEAKER 11 :
The Outdoorsman’s Attic is Colorado’s very own outdoor gear consignment store. From live bait to lanterns, firearms to ammo, packs to sleeping bags, all the fishing gear you could ever hope for. And if you need some decoys for the waterfowl season, stop into the Outdoorsman’s Attic. Hey, this is Scott Whatley here again for my friends at the Outdoorsman’s Attic, and they’ve got hunting, fishing, and camping gear with huge savings up to 70%. You’ll find new and pre-owned items to choose from, and since the inventory changes daily, hey, this is a store you need to stop in at least a couple of times a week Reviews, here’s what a few of their customers have said. Cody says, hey, two floors of pure outdoorsman paradise. Mickey said, I love this place. Great small business, family owned and run, lots to look at and good prices. Amen. He says, if you need good camping and outdoor gear, go here first. Support a local small business. Such great finds. Everyone is so nice and helpful. So save big. Get to the Outdoorsman’s Attic today on all of your outdoor gear. 2650 West Hampton Avenue in Sheridan. Tell them Scott sent you.
SPEAKER 02 :
Riding an e-bike will make you feel like a kid again. Just try it. Hi, I’m Randy Crancy, founder of e-bike of Colorado. E-bikes are a fun way to ride the trails. Pedal assist technology flattens the steepest hills. We have 14 major brands to choose from and our expert staff will find you the perfect bike. Come take a free test ride at e-bike of Colorado in downtown Louisville next to the historic grain elevator. Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Learn more at ebikeofcolorado.com. Just try it.
SPEAKER 11 :
The Tanner Gun Show is Colorado’s premier firearms event, and this weekend’s show is at the Ranch in Loveland, February 8th and 9th. Come explore a wide range of hunting rifles and merchandise, survival gear, AR rifles, accessories, knives, tactical gear, and ammunition, all under one roof. It’s the ultimate destination for the Second Amendment enthusiast, whether you’re a seasoned collector or new to the world of firearms. The Tanner Gun Show offers a gigantic selection for all interests and budgets. Find the perfect addition to your gun collection at the best prices in the state. Tickets available at the door or get them online at tannergunshow.com.
SPEAKER 09 :
You’re listening to KLZ 560, your home station.
SPEAKER 11 :
Welcome back to Sportsman of Colorado. Again, thank you so much for being with us. Well, you’ve been hearing we try to each month have someone on from the Colorado Gun Collector Association. We met these folks last year while we were doing a live remote over at the gun room. And it’s been very interesting getting to know the different folks from there and just me even personally learning more about gun collecting. And today we’ve got Les Palmer with us. He has been with them quite a while, and we’ll let Les tell us all about that. But, Les, great to have you on the show. How are you? Thank you. I’m glad to be here. Well, we appreciate it very much. So tell us just a little bit about you and how maybe you got into gun collecting.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I guess, first of all, I’m a Colorado native. And I’ve considered myself as a plains Coloradoan. I don’t do elk hunting or deer hunting, but I enjoy bird hunting. So along that line, you get a shotgun to do bird hunting, and I just went from there. I started collecting Winchester Model 12s early on, and… Here I am today, stuck with them. I got a history with that gun. I consider it the finest shotgun that was ever made. It’s a pump shotgun. The patent on the gun is a 1912, and it was produced from 1912 until 1963 when Winchester decided that was enough of that gun. Sales were dropping in one thing and another. So if you look at it in retrospect, The gun was produced from the sinking of the Titanic in 1912 all the years through the assassination of John F. Kennedy. Wow, that’s an interesting perspective, yeah. And there were over a million seven hundred thousand of them made at one time. Yeah. That’s what’s intrigued me is the uniqueness of the gun, the appearance of the gun, and the functionality of the gun stayed basically the same for all those years. Wow. The salesman catalog… In 1973, or excuse me, excuse me, not 73, 53, Salesman Catalog in 1953 listed 175 different variances of that gun. It was made in a 28-gauge, 12-gauge, 16-gauge, and what am I forgetting here? But anyway, it’s been an interesting gun over the years, and I’ve enjoyed all of the collecting.
SPEAKER 11 :
What would a gun like that have sold for brand new, like in the 30s or 40s or 50s? Probably…
SPEAKER 10 :
$70 in the $70 price range. Again, there’s 153 variables you could put on that gun. Sure. Might raise the price $2. Yeah, exactly. So I’d say a $70 gun. Wow, that’s interesting. Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
So someone might ask, you know, they’ve heard you guys on, and how does one even, if they say, do most people have a favorite era or type of gun they get into collection with most of the people in the Colorado Gun Collector Association?
SPEAKER 10 :
You need to stay focused as a collector.
SPEAKER 11 :
Or you end up with a whole bunch of guns.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Or yes. Yeah, you can’t have them all. So I’d say basically most collectors at some point in their collecting will focus on one particular gun. Yeah. Be it a handgun or a long gun or one of a kind. Right.
SPEAKER 11 :
So when people may have a gun maybe that a grandparent passed down to them or it’s just in their family and they have no idea, you know, what it is, the value. Are there are there certain books that you guys will will look at to really give true value? Or is that something that they can come and do at the show, which we’ll talk about later? That’s going to be coming up in May. Is that something that they can maybe bring something to and have you folks look at?
SPEAKER 10 :
That’d be the easiest way because the gun books, reference books that would give you that value will surely cost more than the admission to the gun show to get an appraisal done on that gun. There’s a misnomer in collecting that old doesn’t make it valuable. An old beat-up gun… probably doesn’t have the intrinsic value of an old, nice gun. So, you know, there’s a separation point there where people need to understand that the guy that they show it to isn’t trying to take money out of their pocket. It might be that the gun isn’t that worthy. Right, right.
SPEAKER 11 :
Now, one thing, you don’t want to take, let’s say you have an old gun that maybe passed through the family. You don’t want to do anything to that gun, like refinishing it or anything like that, right?
SPEAKER 10 :
That’s a no-no. That is truly a no-no. Yeah, you know, there’s gunsmiths that would try to talk you out of that. The functionality of the gun, if the gun’s working right, that helps the value of the gun. It’s not that you can’t touch the old gun. But certainly don’t try to dress it up or try to clean it. Right. They’re like coins. The more cleaning you do, the lesser the value of the gun becomes.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. Les Palmer is with us. Once again, he’s with the Colorado Gun Collector Association. You can check out their website. It’s CGCA.com. And… Hey, all of these interviews are building up to May 17th and 18th. It’s the 58th annual Colorado Gun Collector Association show. It’s going to be held at the Island Grove Event Center in Greeley. And some things I read said there’s about over 800 tables. So, I mean, it’s a pretty big show, isn’t it?
SPEAKER 10 :
That is a good-sized show. And there’ll be 40, 50 displays at that show. that collectors will display their collections. We have categories and we have prize money. So you see the best of the best come out at that collector’s show. And that’s always been kind of the cornerstone of our collector’s show is the displays that are at the show. that people can come and study the guns and look at the changes in the guns, how they’ve progressed over the years.
SPEAKER 11 :
Now, if somebody wants to get a booth, do they go to the website and kind of fill out an application or whatever?
SPEAKER 10 :
There are applications on the website, and they can be downloaded and filled out. And that’s the easiest way to do it. Okay.
SPEAKER 11 :
That sounds good. All right. Now, you mentioned there’s some classifications. Let’s kind of take a minute and just, you know, if you say, what makes up the Colorado Gun Collector Association? You know, last show Tom was on, he brought a bunch of cool knives in here. So we say it’s a Colorado gun collector, but there’s a lot of things in this. So kind of break down what makes up this group.
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, I think the word collector invites everybody in that talks about blades or talks about armor or talks about guns. The thing that I see now is the laws that are being passed in the mandate. There are three basic calibers of guns. that we need to recognize as just on-the-street type guys. The first is what they consider an antique, the federal government, ATF. An antique is a gun that was made prior to 1899. Okay. So that would include the old flintlocks, the old percussions, the old guns that your grandfather might have had stowed away that you presently have. Then the next classification of guns is called curio and relics. And a carry-on relic obviously is anything made after 1899 up until 1974. Okay. That classification of guns is what we talk about as collectors as a carry-on relic. After 74 going forward, those are considered modern guns. And each year… The calendar moves forward so that next year at 1920 or 1975 guns will then become 50 years old. So it’s moving forward as far as curion relics are concerned. So we can talk about collectors, whether you collect antiques. ATF has a classification for antiques. The ATF also has a classification of cure and relic and modern guns. So there’s three basic classifications of guns that people may or may not know about.
SPEAKER 11 :
What’s been the most expensive gun you’ve ever seen?
SPEAKER 10 :
You know… I personally saw a gun that sold for $107,000 at auction. It was a Rock Island auction, big auction house. And that was a Winchester model gun. 73 that had been gifted to a president whose name I can’t think of at this point. Gold inlaid, custom engraved, and never used again. And that gun sold for $107,000. Wow. That’s a big gun.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. That was a good day for that guy. Well, maybe not for the guy, but probably for the wife. Yeah, that was a good day. Now, when you get into these guns, you know, of course, we’ve got the background checks and three-day waits now and all that. So… If somebody comes to the show in May and they want to buy a gun there, and let’s say it falls into that, you know, 1899, up to 1899 category, do they go through the same checks today?
SPEAKER 10 :
For an antique gun, there’s no wait period involved. Okay. And there’s no wait period involved in a cure on a rally gun. which makes our show unique.
SPEAKER 11 :
Okay, but they still go through a background check.
SPEAKER 10 :
They still need to do the background check. Right. Commonly referred to as a 1473, I think it is.
SPEAKER 1 :
4473.
SPEAKER 10 :
4473, there you go. That has to be completed, and it has to be done by an FFL dealer, which we have at the show.
SPEAKER 11 :
What would you say kind of the mission is now of the group? I know when I was first talking to President Tom Hillman, which has been on the show a few times, he said, well, we really want to try to get some younger folks in with us and get them going with collecting. Is that right? Part of what you share in that, it would be a great thing to get some more young people involved?
SPEAKER 10 :
There’s certainly a lot of gray hair in the Colorado Gun Collectors Association. I can say that wholeheartedly. Yes, we’d like to get some younger people in. And I think that entry level into that might be in the military arena. We’re at the point now with the calendar at 1974, that 50-year window now, that even Vietnam stuff is considered our own relic for the most part. Okay. So you’ve got World War I and II, Korea, you know, Vietnam. It’s… It’s an entry-level where collectors or people that are interested in the history of the country can get involved. And I feel that that’s the doorway for the young collector.
SPEAKER 04 :
Mm-hmm.
SPEAKER 10 :
Guys my age, they want to see wood on a gun and they want it to be pretty and blue. Whereas a military collector will know the history of the gun and where the gun was shipped to and what battles or what. infantry unit it was issued to so there’s a lot they can do a lot of history and historian stuff that on their own with a specific piece and you said before we started recording today that I ask you the fastest growing segment with collecting and you feel it’s the military side of things right I certainly do I see a lot of interest in the military where yeah it’s It’s interesting to me. Sure. And I’ve been collecting Model 12 shotguns since 1974. Mm-hmm. And I still like looking at military stuff today myself. So I just think it’s the cornerstone for young collectors to start with. If they get into it and find out that the contracts with the government allowed the manufacturer to produce civilian models of that gun,
SPEAKER 11 :
maybe they can spur off and go get the civilian models excuse me yeah and um it’s um uh you were talking about you know with the military too and the calibers that were um used um still some of the most popular calibers today you take the 45 right yes yeah uh military uh calibers
SPEAKER 10 :
have always been at the forefront of collectors, whether it’s a 44-40, 45-70. Those were all military calibers that were issued and used during wars, whatever. Right, right.
SPEAKER 11 :
All right. Once again, if you’re just joining us, Les Palmer is with us, and he’s with the Colorado Gun Collector Association. And, hey, let me tell you about the show now. Again, it’s May 17th and 18th. It’s at the Island Grove Event Center. It’s the 58th annual show. And, again, you can go to their website, cgca.com, and it is a fantastic show. We certainly plan to be there this year and go check it out as well. And so what we’re saying, Les, the calibers, the .45, and what are a few others that are really popular?
SPEAKER 10 :
Well, a 12-gauge shotgun was very popular for the military. They used some entrenched guns and riot guns. The .45 that we just talked about, very popular caliber. Now the .223 is a very popular caliber. So it’s pretty much military. calibers that have set collectors’ interest in guns. Right.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, good. Well, Les, hey, it’s been interesting and fun to meet you. And, man, thank you for sharing all your knowledge here. And you’ve been with the group. When did you join? I joined in 94.
SPEAKER 1 :
94.
SPEAKER 11 :
Yeah. You know, that doesn’t sound like so long ago, but we take a calculator to it. You’ve been in there a while. I’ve been there. Oh, good deal. Well, hey, make your plans to attend. Again, it’s the 58th annual show, May 17th, 18th, Island Grove Events Center. And we’ll be talking about it more through the next few months. But I hope you’ll just circle that date on the calendar now. And I hope you’ll plan to attend. It’s the Colorado Gun Collector Association. And, hey, if you want to know more about it and join in, you can get in touch with them through the website. And they would love to answer your questions and love to have you become a member. So, Les, we appreciate your time. Hey, thanks for being with us today for Sportsman of Colorado. Again, our show is brought to you by the Mile High Hunting Fish Expo. Go to milehighhuntexpo.com for tickets and all other details, and we’ll be coming back with more here in the upcoming weeks. So thanks for being with us. Hope you have a great rest of your weekend. Leave it right here on KLZ 560.
SPEAKER 07 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
SPEAKER 09 :
KLZ AM and FM, AM 560, FM 100.7, KLZ AM HD Denver. This is KLZ Denver, a Crawford Broadcasting Station.
