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In this episode of Sportsman of Colorado, host Scott Watley welcomes Ryan Resch, owner of Bighorn Firearms, to discuss the latest in firearm trends and legislative changes. From the booming post-holiday sales to the impending new firearm laws in Colorado, Ryan shares his insights on how these developments are shaping the industry and what consumers can expect moving forward. He emphasizes the importance of community engagement and how Bighorn Firearms adapts to new challenges while maintaining a customer-focused approach.
SPEAKER 02 :
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 Watley.
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado. Thank you so much for joining us today. We’ve got a great show in store for you. And we’re going to kick it off with our good buddy, Ryan Resch. He is the owner of Bighorn Firearms, 2175 South Jasmine. And I tell you, this is a great store. And if you’re looking for a store that has just a terrific staff that’s friendly to you when you come in and ready to help you and excited about helping you, it is the staff at Bighorn Firearms. And with that, we’ll welcome Ryan Resch. How How are you, bud? I’m good, good. Man, I had a guy tell me, yeah, good to have you back. I had a guy tell me the other day, he goes, man, how was your Christmas? I’m like, dude, that seems like it was eight months ago, doesn’t it? I mean, it’s just crazy, that holiday period. We don’t know what day it is for about three weeks with everything going on. And then, man, we’re already in the throes of moving in through winter here.
SPEAKER 10 :
I mean, January is pretty much gone. So that’s kind of a shock. Any –
SPEAKER 05 :
Is there pretty good traffic after Christmas and stuff? People get Christmas money or different things?
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, we’ve been seeing, you know, the steady flow through the front door that we’re used to and hoping for this time of year. So, you know, with the talks of a new assault weapons ban here and that kind of starting to circulate around, we’ve been seeing some people coming in and making purchases that – Again, they just don’t want to put off any longer in case something were to go. I mean, this new bill that they’ve got is just crazy, and it encompasses a lot of stuff. I imagine they’re putting it out there to that effect to try to get maybe something in between. you know, and try to find this middle ground or something. I mean, for us in the, you know, gun industry in the 2A world, there really is no middle ground here. So, yeah, traffic’s been good. Usually things pick up, you know, right after Christmas. You know, people are seeing they got a little bit of cash left over at the end of the year and stuff, and they’re starting to think about tax returns around the corner. So that gets people usually pretty excited to buy. Online sales have been good as well. And on GunBroker, we’ve been having some really phenomenal turnover there with consignments. So now’s a really good time to bring some cool consignment pieces in. And really, I wouldn’t say there’s really much off the table there. Typically with GunBroker, it’s the older guns that really do well there. Or unique high-end items that are modern also do well. Um, you know, kind of entry level inventory. We usually keep that for in store for the most part. Um, and I think, uh, that’ll be kind of become more of a thing as we move into the end of first quarter and the gun tax comes into effect, you know, used inventory is going to be, um, I think a better area to deal in store for a lot of people, including the customers. So we’re still kind of working out the kinks in that as well. So there’s a lot already happening this year. A lot of things that were left over from last year that haven’t been rolled out yet as far as like new legislation and regulations and things like that. So we’re just… You know, it’s going to be a little bit of a bumpy road here the first part of this year. And, you know, we’re already talking about new legislation. We haven’t even rolled out the stuff from last year. I mean, stuff left over from last year, we still have the gun licensing where we’re going to be subject to inspections on a state level now for different things. I’ve met with the Department of Revenue and the Firearms Dealer Division, which is a department within the Department of Revenue who’s overseeing the gun licensing department. They seem like decent folks to work with, and they’re really trying to make this thing something that everybody can work around or work within. And so we got that one coming in. We’ve got the gun tax, excise tax, which is a tax on the dealers, which inevitably is going to be paid for by customers because we’re talking low profit margin on most new guns. So we’re talking about local stores. So that one’s April 1st. That goes into effect. From what I’ve been hearing, talking to other industry professionals on a local level, most are going to be adding it as a line item on the receipt, kicked down to the customer. There’s a couple different approaches I’ve been hearing, but nothing’s really quite set in stone yet. But we’re really trying to hopefully find something that we can – meet in the middle on with our customers, you know, either off by offering more value at the point of sale or maybe splitting the difference on the tax or something to that effect, maybe focusing more into used inventory where there’s a higher profit margin. So, you know, we don’t have to pass it on to customers on those particular items. You know, other schools of thought are baking the excise tax into the price, which is how we pay for it on the federal level, because all of the gun manufacturers are already subject to an excise tax. They roll that into the cost of the firearm that we purchased.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right. All right.
SPEAKER 10 :
So this is essentially the same, more or less the same thing. So, you know, trying to find that. sweet spot where everybody can can live with it is really going to be the key um we also have concealed carry laws going into effect this year that was a bill from last year that was voted on goes in july 1st of this year so all of this legislation from last year still hasn’t even been fully rolled out or figured out for that and if you ask much probably two or three people in each of these departments that you’ve mentioned hey
SPEAKER 05 :
how is this going to work? You probably won’t get through your same answer, you know, because they don’t even know.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, I’ve been a part of the working group for the firearms dealer division. And, you know, it’s been a lot of slow, very slow progress there. I feel like it’s headed in the right direction, considering it’s there and we’re not getting away from it. So that being said, I feel like It’s going to be something that most people are going to be able to adjust to and cope with from an industry level. There’s a lot of people that just don’t want to, and they’re just going to pack up shop or stop selling guns or whatever it is to not have to deal with that. That’s definitely not the plan for Bighorn. Our plan is to continue to do what we do and serve the local community and get them involved. the, the gear, uh, that they’re looking for. Um, that’s always been our approach is just, let’s figure out how to make this work for everybody. We’ve got, we’ve got a great thing going. We’ve got great customers, the local, uh, consumers aren’t leaving because of all this stuff so we got to figure out how to make it work for everybody so we are in this together and that is definitely been the the vibe we’ve been getting when we talk to um some of our um regular loyal customers that come in the store we ask them what their thoughts are on the the gun tax and the gun licensing and this that and the other thing and uh You know, they’re accepting of it because it’s just something we’re going to have to deal with. And they seem to be on board with any decisions we make to keep things rolling moving forward down the road.
SPEAKER 05 :
And hopefully people will start voting differently.
SPEAKER 10 :
Here in Colorado, you know, that would help. I felt like there was a little blip of hope this past November. It’s kind of hard to see it on a level here in Colorado on a state level, but obviously we saw it on a national level. And there’s some big changes coming there, you know. But we do need to see a little more thought behind these who are voting for here on a state level and what the big picture looks like. Because, you know, with all the taxes and all the things that we’re dealing with here, you know, the level of crime and everything just seems very different than it was 20 years ago when I moved here. And I hear a lot of people talking about leaving. Yeah. a lot of people, you know, in my business life and in my personal life. So, you know, they got to get it together here. I don’t know what they’re going for, but it’s not a good look. And, you know… It’s sad to see it go in that direction, but I am hopeful that with what we saw here in this past November that maybe we can get things headed in a better direction here in Colorado in the next 12 months.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yep, absolutely. Again, Ryan Resch is with us. It’s Bighorn Firearms, 2175 South Jasmine.
SPEAKER 10 :
um any new inventory new products you got in so biggest uh new line that we we finally got our staccato um uh dealer status going uh they’re a high-end 2011 so think of 1911 but they’re double stack magazine and chambered in nine millimeter um They’ve been popular in the duty area, you know, for law enforcement, that sort of thing. They also are very popular in the competition shooting world. And then even the everyday guys now are just liking stuff that’s a little nicer, a little more high end, a little more feature rich, something they can go shoot at the range with their buddies and kind of show off a little bit. Um, super nice guns. Uh, very cool. We’ve got a full lineup, uh, six, seven guns in stock right now. Uh, and they range anywhere from $2,000 up to five grand. So, um, Definitely not cheap, but you absolutely get what you pay for when it comes to this sort of stuff. You know, you can come in, get some hands-on with them. Hopefully later this year we’ll look at maybe doing a dealer day or something like that with Staccato where we can demo some guns and get people actual hands-on at the range so you can see the difference between a Staccato and something comparable. So that was a big deal. We were trying to get that dealer status for a couple years now, and I guess some things changed over there internally, and our application was at the top of the stack. So we got the call for that right around Christmas time, I believe. Okay, good. So they were able to fill our initial order pretty quickly. We’ve sold a few guns already and have been able to restock on those. Custom orders are about 60 days out on those. So most of the guns have optional different options, you know, as far as like trigger type, barrel type, threaded, non-threaded, finishes on the barrels. optics ready, non optics ready, different things like that. So you can order a particular model with whichever features you want. If it is not a ready to ship item, then you’re looking at about a 60 day lead time on those. So We did bring in a good selection, though, a good variety of things. And I have been getting the ready-to-ship reports weekly from our rep. And those are pretty full with lots of different options there, too. So we can also just share that report with you. And maybe you get… Most of the features that you’re looking for on something that’s ready to ship versus waiting the 60 days. Maybe you can settle on a flat trigger versus a curved trigger or something simple like that. So that’s a big deal. We’ve been pushing that real hard. If you’re following us on social media, you’ve been seeing lots of posts of the guns and stuff like that. We’ve kind of switched gears on our… instagram platform as well and we’re kind of going more from like uh an art approach versus a sales approach there and really showing you why the guns are cool um and giving you some different uh different angles and and uh compositions to look at there so definitely check out check that out we’re real happy with the direction that’s headed Our guy Brian who does a lot of our online stuff and our in-house marketing and media. He’s been doing some really good But as far as new products, you know, we’re still keeping the silencers rolling in There’s a lot of new products that are gonna be just got released last week during SHOT Show, which we did not attend this year just kind of went a different direction, but We are on the hunt for all the new stuff, so we’re going to be getting our hands on that stuff just as quickly as we can. If there’s something you’re after, call our team at the shop or stop in. We’ll put you on the wish list, and maybe you’re the first guy on the list when the item comes through the door. So, you know, those new products that are released at the shows, they could take anywhere from a couple weeks to ship up to… I mean, I’ve seen some of the stuff they release at the shows take over a year to actually get to the public, so… So be patient, but let us know what you’re looking for, and we’ll get you on the wish list.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yep, absolutely. And once again, if you’re just joining us, Ryan Resch is with us. He is the owner of Big Horn Firearms. We’re located at 2175 South Jasmine. What are your hours?
SPEAKER 10 :
Oh, man, that’s a good question. Tuesday through Friday, 11 to 6, and Saturday from 10 to 5. So same hours we were running last year. Not planning on changing those anytime soon. So we hope hopefully those work for everybody. If you’re having any issues, though, with the hours or something, talk to us. If we can’t accommodate you, you know, we’ll do our best.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay. Yeah, no problem. You mentioned gun broker a little bit earlier. So let’s talk about consignments and, you know, different things like that. So there are some stores, hey, you bring a gun in, they’re going to put it on the rack behind them and cross their fingers and hopefully it’ll sell one day. Okay. Your philosophy on that.
SPEAKER 10 :
So, you know, that’s definitely not how we do things. You know, the whole idea is to sell – if we’re doing consignment for you, we want to sell the gun for you. We want to do that quickly. We’ve got a really good – turnaround on consignments because we do put all of our consignment pieces on GumBroker. So with that, you get a full professional listing, photography, the full support of our GumBroker team handles all of the customer service, all of the questions about your item. We make sure we respond promptly to questions. We don’t just let them ride because if someone asks a question, they may not bid unless they know the answer to that question. So we answer questions on a daily basis. And then as we come up to the closing times of auctions, we make sure we monitor that much more closely. 25% all in. That pays all of your gun broker fees. There’s no hidden fees at the end. That includes the full service of our team from taking the items in, writing them up on our consignment form, and then actually getting them photographed and live on Gun Broker.
SPEAKER 05 :
And that takes time, man.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah. Yeah. So, you know, you got to you got to write the gun up properly. Some of these guns require can require a significant amount of research. But we always want to make sure we get it right. So that way, when the sale is complete, then, you know, everybody knows what they’re getting. The photos are essential and we do we take a lot of time with those depending on the item. You know, you could be looking at. As few as 15 photos, up to 50-plus photos, depending on what the item is. Typically, the higher photo counts are for antique items and military items, things that have a lot of significant markings and things like that on them. So our team is… It’s a two-man team, but they do a killer job. And to do a full batch, we do them weekly. And that could be anywhere from 12 to 15 guns. You’ve got to understand we’ve got other people that have consignments with us. So we try to give you a realistic idea. But typically when we drop off anything that’s not more than, say, 10 items, we can usually have those all posted within two weeks. And we do kind of… sprinkle them in with other stuff that we got going on as far as like in-store items and also other customer consignments and things of that nature so um but we move fast um and we but we uh move with a high level of accuracy in the photography as well as the descriptions of the items so and people can go to your link for gun broker right Yeah. Yeah. If you go to our website, bighornfirearms.com, click on the shop page, click on the Gun Broker link. It’ll take you right there to a full catalog of everything we have listed on Gun Broker. But do keep in mind, if you start searching in the search bar there, you’re going to be searching all of Gun Broker. It will take you away from our page. It’s just the way that that’s that. software was set up to function they do that intentionally because they want you looking at everybody’s guns not just bighorn’s guns so when you click on that link if you just scroll the page it’ll show you everything that we have currently posted it’s usually a really good variety of stuff we’ve been seeing some really great numbers too and a lot of it has to do with the descriptions and the photos you know we’re realizing some some numbers that i think are better than most on there uh you know and that is a result of the time that we put into each listing. So, uh, 25%, that’s your all in consignment fee. Uh, you know, if there are items that are suited for a store or we want to try them there first, we can have that conversation at the counter when, when the items come in. Um, but most people do just default to go to gun broker because as much as they’re, you know, quote unquote, not in a hurry, you know, most people eyeballs on them on gun broker are huge nationwide. So, uh, yeah, We could have 60, 70 watchers on an item within a week or something if it’s a hot item. And we did a good job on it. It’s a great program. We’re also looking to buy gun collections. And on unique items that are in good condition, we can pay up to 70% on those. So there’s not really a big… huge gap there if we’re talking high quality inventory on a purchase because you know having that stuff in the store and having a little more flexibility on getting it to gun broker you know it it opens some more doors for us as a business but at the end of the day You know, if you’re just ready to just liquidate and be done with it, we can cut you a check that day and pay up to 70%. I would say on average, on older desirable items, you’re looking in that 60% to 70% window. You know, you start getting below that, it’s either less desirable inventory or stuff that’s not in great condition that is going to require a greater amount of work to get it ready for sale.
SPEAKER 05 :
Mm-hmm. And last couple minutes here, but then you’ve got classes as well for concealed carry.
SPEAKER 10 :
Yeah, concealed carry. every first Saturday we offer intro to pistol. Uh, that’s basic class just for anybody who’s just looking to get comfortable with, uh, handling a handgun safely, you know, and understanding how it works and, and just some of the, the basics, um, great entry level class. I highly recommend everybody take it. Even if you’re someone who’s got a lot of experience, it’s just good to revisit the basics, uh, from time to time and maybe catch a new, new perspective on it. Uh, Second, third, fourth Saturday of the month is concealed carry. It’s $95 currently. That is going to be changing for sure within the first half of this year because new concealed carry laws go into effect July 1st. I don’t have a clear-cut answer on how local sheriffs will be handling applications that were submitted before July 1st but aren’t actually processed until after July 1st. I don’t know if they will accept the application date as the date and honor those under the old requirements versus the new requirements. If you’re not sure or you’re concerned about that and you want to kind of push the envelope there, then I would contact your local sheriff and I would try to get something in writing via email or something.
SPEAKER 05 :
I want to contact you in getting you to class right now.
SPEAKER 10 :
Or contact us, get in the class, and then go and submit your application. If you do it now, you’re fine. Let’s see, we’re in January here, so I would say April starts to kind of get maybe a little bit fuzzy on whether or not April, May, June. So there’s your 90 days, which is required by state law that they respond to your application within 90 days. So if you get your application in by April, April, you hope that you should be good at that point. But anything beyond April is going to get a little bit questionable. So we’ve got openings now, openings weekly. The classes have been getting a little almost full. every Saturday for concealed carry. So you can jump on bighornfirearms.com, click the training link, and you can see the available classes there. On our class description, it’ll show you how many seats are left available. So if you want to take the class with some friends or something like that, you can find the appropriate class that’ll be able to accommodate your full group and i highly suggest just getting everybody signed up and i have been seeing that as well a lot of sign ups within minutes of each other and uh you know it’s it’s a group of people signing up for that class so the classes have been getting full um almost reaching capacity on most saturdays so go to the link and uh and get signed up you can pay with credit card through the through the link there and you’ll be set uh for saturday at 11 a.m okay cool anything we forgot Oh, man. I don’t know. It’s kind of been a while. I’m feeling a little rusty. I think we covered the good stuff. You know, best thing you can do is come into the shop and see what we’re all about. You know, meet the guys, see who you’re going to be working with. Come in, check out the shop, look at the products. You know, we’ve got a lot of great stuff. I think that is your first step is just come on down during normal business hours and see what we’re working with. Yeah, I think you’ll be really impressed.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, absolutely. Well, Ryan, we appreciate your time, bud. Thanks, Scott. That is Ryan Resch, Bighorn Firearms, 2175 South Jacksonville. Hey, when you go in, let them know you heard them here on the show, and we’d appreciate that as well. But, again, if you’re looking, these guys can help you. And I don’t care what area you’re in in firearms. They got somebody there that knows what you need to know. So they will be glad to help you out. It is Bighorn Firearms. We’ll be right back.
SPEAKER 13 :
Hey, Dan, you know, our jobs are pretty different. I’m a baseball announcer. You’re an attorney and a talk show host. Yeah, but we do have something in common.
SPEAKER 03 :
Really? What’s that? Our favorite car dealer, Len Lyle Chevrolet. Yeah, definitely not your typical dealership. That’s so true, Jack. No high pressure sales tactics. They respect your time. And when you have two jobs, that’s important.
SPEAKER 13 :
You know, I’d recommend Len Lyle Chevrolet to anyone. And with their low overhead, that means lower prices.
SPEAKER 03 :
Yeah, we really do have something in common.
SPEAKER 13 :
Len Lyle Chevrolet. Go east and pay the least. Chevy. Find new roads.
SPEAKER 12 :
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 05 :
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 Amy 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 07 :
You’re listening to KLZ 560, your home station.
SPEAKER 05 :
Welcome back to Sportsman of Colorado again. Thank you so much for being with us. Hey, we’re going to play now for you a couple of interviews that we did, and we’ll be doing this over the next couple of weeks at the recent International Sportsman’s Expo. We had a great number of our sponsors there, and then we got to meet some new friends, but we’re going to be playing some of these interviews, and once again, this is from the recent International Sportsman’s Expo, and I hope you’ll enjoy them. Once again, welcome to Sportsman of Colorado Radio. As we’ve mentioned several times, but folks join the show at different times during the hour. We want to make sure everybody understands the setting. We were recently at the Denver International Sportsman’s Expo and we couldn’t do a live show from there like we normally do. Just a lot of Wi-Fi issues and kicking us off air and also we decided to just record some interviews that are customers leisure as well and replay those and what All of our folks have been kind enough to offer if they’re doing some kind of show special here, they are extending that for us when you hear this interview. So a gentleman we met back in August at the Outdoorsman’s Days with Dan Gates and all was BBB Outfitters and Zach Kramer. And, man, really enjoyed getting to meet him. And Kevin and I, we’re going to be trying to figure out time to go down and do some hunting with him. But Kevin Flesch is also with us here. But Zach, first of all, man, I was surprised to look at the floor plan and I saw BBB out there right across. I want to be cool. So how’s the show been?
SPEAKER 09 :
Absolutely. It was great, Scott. It’s been really good for us. Very beneficial to just be part of the community and, you know, expand ourself in the industry this year.
SPEAKER 04 :
Good deal. As people are just walking by, I mean, what’s the bulk? What are the bulk of people looking for?
SPEAKER 09 :
You know, the bulk of people out here are looking for big game. And we do big game down in the San Luis Valley, so we’re close to home for a lot of people. We offer hunts on private land only, pretty high success rate, bulls and cows both. And we’re able to run a little bit longer than normal seasons as well. We start in September, and we go all the way into January with our hunts.
SPEAKER 05 :
Wow, good deal.
SPEAKER 12 :
So talking about the big game hunts, that’s one part of your, sort of,
SPEAKER 09 :
river of things to do tell us about the other things that you do as well yeah so we uh we’re located in several areas throughout the southern part of colorado um in the san luis valley as i mentioned we also run uh in addition to big game our waterfowl down there a lot of goose hunting uh pretty decent duck hunting we hold a lot of private land down there so we can always find an extra hunt we also offer uh pheasants um upland some upland game there and the san luis valley is an add-on or just a standalone hunt those are farm-raised pheasants But it’s a great way to get your dogs out and work them in a beautiful surrounding. The San Luis Valley is surrounded by the Sangre de Cristos on one side and the San Juans on the other. It’s amazing, you know. We also do waterfowl on the west slope near Delta. We have quite a few leases out there, anything from ag fields with the sweet corn to ponds, creeks, and river access. So we have quite a few spots out there as well for our waterfowl. And then we also do turkey hunts.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yep. I was going to ask you about that.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yep. Turkey hunts near Beulah, Colorado.
SPEAKER 12 :
So is that still in the San Luis Valley or is that on the other side, sort of between the Wet Mountains and the Sangre de Cristos?
SPEAKER 09 :
It’s at the base of the Wet Mountains. It’s on the front range side. Got it. Southwest of Pueblo. So we run turkey hunts out there. We’re 100% on our turkeys. I like to say that. Yeah. So it’s a great opportunity.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s awesome, too, for the folks that are in the front range. I mean, that’s an easy place to get to. And is it over-the-counter? Yes, sir. Okay.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, sir. Over-the-counter tags for that turkey hunt. And, yeah, we’ve got a ton of birds down there.
SPEAKER 05 :
Really? Really. And what do those normally run?
SPEAKER 09 :
Those don’t normally run about $900 a hunt is what they’re priced at right now. We are running a show special with the coupon code ISE25. That gives you 15% off. Nice. And we’ll extend that through the duration of this broadcast as well. Okay, great.
SPEAKER 12 :
When exactly is your turkey hunt then? When’s sort of the bulk of your season?
SPEAKER 09 :
Yep, so mid April to the end of May is our turkey time. Spring turkeys. It’s almost like hunting elk again right in the rut. It’s awesome. We get to get to call those birds right into us. We’re hunting out of ground blinds. It’s really good time.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s that’s really cool now for packaging. We can break them down from each thing you do, but with turkeys is there a lodging food or is that on our own? Or how does that work?
SPEAKER 09 :
Unfortunately, we don’t have a lodge over there right now by our turkey land, so that’s going to be on the hunter’s own. But we do partner with several other companies around there that do Airbnbs, like the Beulah Inn, for instance. So they have some lodging there that we can put our hunters in.
SPEAKER 05 :
That’s awesome. And seven days a week for hunting, or is there certain days of the week?
SPEAKER 09 :
We run seven days a week. You call it, and we’ll be there. It is a two-day hunt on our turkey hunts, but, yeah, absolutely. We’ll do our hunts whenever you all want to come out and hunt.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay, good. You got some openings right now?
SPEAKER 09 :
We do. We booked a few on this show. I think we’ve got four more slots open for this season right now, but we do have a wait list we’re always taking because you never know when situations happen, and we want to fill that seat.
SPEAKER 05 :
Are they in April or May? I mean, later in May.
SPEAKER 09 :
May. May is what’s open right now. Our early ones in April are currently taken.
SPEAKER 05 :
Okay, all right. We might have to go on that wait list. Yeah, exactly. Once again, we’re visiting with Zach Kramer’s BBB Outfitters. You can check out their website, BBBOutfittersLLC.com. The number, if you’ve got a question for Zach, is 719-280-3397. Again, 719-280-3397. Yeah, break down some of your other deals here, like on the western slope there. Man, you got mallards, wigeons, pintails, Canadian geese.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yes, sir. We’ve got it all. If it flies in the state of Colorado, we got them. The nice thing about our west slope stuff, that’s Pacific Flyway. Yeah. So we get a little bit different duck population over there compared to what we’re pulling over here on the Central Flyway. Right. That’s what’s kind of unique about us. Depending on what you’re trying to target, we probably have a spot across the state to do that. If it flies, it dies.
SPEAKER 12 :
And what’s the season for that? When’s the best, would you say, duck season that you have?
SPEAKER 09 :
Best duck season on the West Slope starts November 6th. As of this year, we’ll see what the state comes out with next year. But November 6th until the end of January, we’re slamming birds on the West Slope.
SPEAKER 12 :
Got it. And then how are you hunting those birds? Is it over water or is it fields? How are you handling those?
SPEAKER 09 :
We do a little bit of both. Early season, we like to hunt our water. We’ve got ponds. We’ve got a portion of dry creek. We’ve got a little bit of river access on the Colorado, a little bit of river on the Gunnison as well. As our ponds start to lock up and freeze up, those birds get to the moving water and where they’re going to roost and kind of loaf as well. So we’re able to work those locations. We also have a lot of ag fields over there, sweet corn fields. If you’ve never hunted ducks in a sweet corn field and lay down blind, highly recommend it. That’s super fun. We’re talking Mallard tornadoes above you landing in your face. It’s awesome.
SPEAKER 05 :
I’ve only had that one time. It’s unbelievable. As a kid, I remember. And you remember Red. I don’t know if Red ever told you the story, but we were, and Red had driven his truck. So he dropped us off and had to drive, he had a white truck, so he had to drive quite a ways from where we’re doing. While he was gone, I shot him. And he heard all this boom, boom, boom, boom, boom, boom. And he’s like, what are y’all doing, man? I mean, like you say, they were just swarming us. I mean, it was so much fun.
SPEAKER 09 :
I like to think of them like tornadoes. We classify them by an F1, F2, F3, F4. Hey, on the West Slope late season, we’re talking F4, F5. Really? It’s amazing. No kidding.
SPEAKER 12 :
No kidding.
SPEAKER 09 :
Tens of thousands of mallards above.
SPEAKER 12 :
And those are all birds moving through. So you don’t have to worry about, I mean, you’re shooting them, you get them as close as you can, and you’re taking what you can.
SPEAKER 09 :
That’s right. That’s right. We like to put everything feet down. That’s kind of a thing that we pride ourselves on. But with those mallards, man, there’s so many of them. You’ll shoot one volley, you got another hunter duck stacked up right above, and they didn’t even pop off. So they’re coming straight down. It’s phenomenal over there on the West Slope for our duck hunting.
SPEAKER 12 :
So tell us the duration of your duck hunts.
SPEAKER 09 :
Are you talking a couple-day hunt, or what do people normally set up in a normal… Normally, what we recommend and normally what happens is a two-day hunt. That gives us an opportunity if the birds switch their feed or do something crazy, we can make sure we get a good hunt for our clients.
SPEAKER 12 :
So out of two days, you normally get one good hunt. I mean, you can have better, but much like any other hunting, you sort of have an extra there to figure out if the wind goes bad or weather changes on you.
SPEAKER 09 :
Absolutely. One thing we also do to try to mitigate that, though, is we always have somebody out that’s scouting. So while we’re in the field hunting, one of our other guys is out getting the next hunt ready. Every single day we have somebody scouting.
SPEAKER 05 :
Wow. So cool. Pheasants.
SPEAKER 09 :
So pheasants are going to be our farm-raised pheasants. With that, you know, it’s typically an add-on for people that come down the San Luis Valley because we’ll shoot a limited geese by 930. Right. What do you do the rest of the day? And so we went ahead and started with the pheasants. That makes sense. Yeah. It gives guys a little bit more wing shooting time. Yeah.
SPEAKER 12 :
For those of us that like to pull the trigger a lot. Exactly.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah. Yeah, we have to put our fingers in a splint usually by the time we get to running.
SPEAKER 09 :
Bruises on your shoulder.
SPEAKER 05 :
Exactly.
SPEAKER 09 :
Yeah, so those are five bird hunts. So we do five birds for one person, and that’s at a $300 a day cost.
SPEAKER 12 :
Got it.
SPEAKER 09 :
And those are guided then? Those are guided, yes, sir. So we like to run four hunters per guide, and that’s just for safety purposes.
SPEAKER 05 :
Absolutely. Yep, it’s BBB Outfitters. Hey, give Zach a call. Let him know you heard him here on Sports 1 of Colorado. It is BBB Outfitters LLC.com and once again the number 719-280-3397. Hey, won’t be too long. We’re putting into draw and they’re different things. So what about with points down there? You need quite a few points to draw.
SPEAKER 09 :
Nope. Down in the San Luis Valley, when it comes to elk, our tags are guaranteed landowner tags, so there’s no need for a draw.
SPEAKER 05 :
That simplifies the process.
SPEAKER 09 :
Extremely. So if you strike out on that draw or you don’t want to burn points but you still want to go out and shoot an elk this year, give us a holler and we can take care of it.
SPEAKER 05 :
And a bull hunt, roughly?
SPEAKER 09 :
About 8500.
SPEAKER 05 :
OK, and you do cow hunts as well.
SPEAKER 09 :
We do cow hunts at 3000, but that’s going to include lodging meals.
SPEAKER 05 :
The works gotcha.
SPEAKER 09 :
Fully guided service.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right. Once again, hey, give Zach a call. Let him know you heard him here on the show and we’d appreciate it. And Zach, man, you guys are like you tearing it up. Kevin and I’ll definitely do something to get out here and hunt with you.
SPEAKER 09 :
I hope so, Scott. You better be with him too. That’s right. Absolutely.
SPEAKER 05 :
You’re listening to Sportsman Colorado. We got to take a quick break and we’ll be back with more right after this.
SPEAKER 10 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
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SPEAKER 06 :
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SPEAKER 05 :
All right, we’re moving along here. As I’ve already previously mentioned, we were at the International Sportsman’s Expo and a lot of Wi-Fi challenges there. Keep doing a live show like we’ve done in the past over the many years we’ve been here. So we’re getting with a lot of our folks here, friends and some new friends as well that are partners with us on the show. And one of those longtime partners has been Outdoor Buddies. And we’ve had a great relationship with them. Just a great, great relationship.
SPEAKER 11 :
a group of folks that have just really volunteered and given their life here to this movement of outdoor buddies and so larry it’s been a while but good to have you back on the show how are you it is it’s great to see you scott i’ve been been busy been uh doing everything we do and there’s just no end to it you know when you’re all volunteer group and the the need out out sources the the people that we can do and the places to do it with so we always have something that we got to do yeah and so you get busy plus oh yeah you got a family to raise you know and grandkids so it’s fun i’ve had a blast i’m blessed i am truly blessed well good deal well like i say it’s been a while since you’ve been on for those that don’t know about outdoor buddies kind of
SPEAKER 05 :
Talk about, you know, how it all started and everything. You’ve been with them 30 years. And then kind of what your mission is.
SPEAKER 11 :
So Outdoor Buddies started with a vision from Craig Hospital, Sam Andrews and those folks over there, and Sid Sellers. And then the Division of Wildlife in their hunter safety department. And Craig Hospital needed to get some folks. You do all this rehabilitation on folks with spinal cord injuries and all kinds of injuries. And then you do all this rehabilitation. It doesn’t do any good if you’re not going to go do something. So that’s how it started. And so it was about getting able-bodied people together with folks with disabilities and getting them back in the outdoors. Our mission is to get people back in the outdoors that have been deprived of that experience through traditional outdoor recreation for a great outdoor experience.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right.
SPEAKER 11 :
So that’s it in a nutshell.
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
So it covers about everybody.
SPEAKER 05 :
Sure, sure, sure. And you know what, when you think about it, man, over 30 years, there’s got to be memories that, you know, will live in your mind forever of, you know, this experience. And, hey, I love to shoot stuff as much as the next guy. But, you know, in all reality, it’s not all about just that to us. It’s really just experience for that man or woman that gets to get out there that may be thinking, hey, they would never get to do that again, you know. And then just to see, you’ve probably seen a few tears. I mean, your eyes have probably leaked some. It has. You have probably seen a few tears of joy, haven’t you?
SPEAKER 11 :
It is. That’s all part of it. It’s getting somebody back out that have thought they had lost that part of their life. And they realize that it’s not just about them getting out, but it’s about the relationships. and the memories that they make with their family and folks that they don’t even know yet and that they get to meet out in the field, whether they get an animal, that’s just a vehicle. And, of course, all of our folks want them to get an animal of some sort, whatever we’re doing, fishing, you want them to do that. But that’s not the measure of success.
SPEAKER 05 :
Right.
SPEAKER 11 :
The measure of success is that person saying, yeah, I will go out. Because when you really look at it, All these folks with disabilities, when you get somebody fresh out of the service, they just got, you know, they got this brand new body that’s been blown up or, you know, whatever the case is, they got somebody that has had cancer that all of a sudden, you know, they’re diminishing. And they think their life is over. We cannot go out and do this. but they have this brand new body that they don’t know how to work. So that’s where organizations like Outdoor Buddies picks it up and says, we have the adaptive equipment, we’ve got the knowledge, we have the heart and the soul for people to go back out and get this thing done. What I’ve found in doing this for 30 years, I’ve been on the board of directors for 20, what I’ve found is the ones that we are helping haven’t even been hurt yet. They haven’t even been in war yet. They haven’t even gotten a disease yet. Those are the ones that we are working for. But there are so many that need to get in the outdoors right now. That’s a healing place.
SPEAKER 05 :
Sure.
SPEAKER 11 :
It really is. It’s a healing place. Why do you think all these people want to go, able-bodied or not?
SPEAKER 05 :
Yeah, I’m starting to say everybody.
SPEAKER 11 :
Everybody wants to go. So you get in a blind and you get out there and you just get to be around nature and It’s healing.
SPEAKER 05 :
It’s pretty cool. If you’re just joining us once again and you hear some background noise, we are currently at the International Sportsman’s Expo, but we couldn’t really do our live show. They had some Wi-Fi issues, so we decided to do some recordings with some of our friends and also some new folks you will hear from. Kind of explain the range of different activities that you guys offer throughout the year.
SPEAKER 11 :
So when we first started, they were just trying to get people out and probably do a waterfowl hunt of some sort and an antelope hunt or a deer hunt. You know, something that was simple to go out on a place and do that. We do all kinds of big game animals, antelope, deer, elk. You know, we manage a 30,000 acre ranch up north, northern Colorado, and we manage the herd of antelope on there. We do fishing. fishing events and this isn’t just for folks with disabilities because our mission is to get you know anybody out that has been deprived of that experience so we get families out we do family days that that there’s fishing uh trap shooting archery bb guns man when you get a daisy bb gun out you turn everybody into a kid They all love to get out there and shoot and have a great time learning safety, learning how to operate these guns as a tool to be able to get out and do these different things. Archery, there are so many avenues through archery that people can learn about their own lives. Fly fishing, we have some of the best fly fishing people. that help us. They volunteer. A lot of places, they get paid to do stuff. They come to volunteer with us. So we do fly fishing up on the river. We have a brand new pontoon program, Tri-Tune. We’re doing that on the old Lone Tree Reservoir. It’s loaded with all the best electronics. I can’t even afford those electronics, the LiveScope and all that kind of stuff. But these folks that get to go out It’s about getting them into an experience that they’ve never had before. They see these things on TV all the time and say, oh, wow, I wish I could see that and try that. And you get kids out those. It’s like a video game, you know. Sometimes you’ve got to shut it off and say, hey, let’s fish. yeah right right exactly get down to it so you got fishing pheasant hunts and bird you know the bird hunts and stuff uh we do a huge one in the the spring um with set birds and stuff like that but again it’s about getting youth and parents out we get pheasants forever a lot of those folks that come out with their dogs and knowledge and and that type of stuff so they get to see dogs work that they’d never ever get to get a chance to get in front of and uh We also, of course, you have the everybody that comes there, not necessarily hunts. They they just like to come around and visit, drive the track chairs around and and just be human. You know, just get out there and be a part of life.
SPEAKER 05 :
You know, and you mentioned some of the adaptive equipment. You mentioned the track chairs, which has been game changer, but. I mean, there’s really not too many situations that you cannot get somebody out in the field, is there? No, there’s not. I mean, you guys have really done well there.
SPEAKER 11 :
That is. And I can honestly tell you, when I get a call from somebody and they say, hey, my uncle has been on the couch and just cannot get back out and he probably can’t handle that, bring him out, we’ll take him hunting. Let’s go.
SPEAKER 01 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 11 :
Well, you don’t know their level of disability. If they’re paralyzed from the neck down to, You know, we can’t even see what your disability is. Let’s go. Yeah. You know, I’m not I’m not a doctor. I’m you know, I’m nobody like that. I just know people’s heart. And I know when somebody smiles, something good’s happened.
SPEAKER 01 :
Sure.
SPEAKER 11 :
And sometimes you can kick their kickstart their life a little bit. And. It’s not just about them. A lot of people have their family unit. And if you can get them out and start working, then they also have memories that they got to talk about when they sit around the dinner table. And sometimes people just don’t have things to talk about because they’re not doing stuff. Exactly. So when you do that and you make an avenue for them to do that. That’s what happens. And it’s great stuff. We do it with an all-volunteer group. We do it through all donations. We sell raffle tickets. We do all those type of things. And we do a clay shoot August 2nd.
SPEAKER 05 :
Would you beat me and my buddy? Now I want to be transparent here and then Larry’s let him maybe even take a minute and tell his story. But Larry lost an arm and we were out doing some shooting and a. A pump shotgun. If my memory serves me correctly. I’m shooting a semi-auto, and this guy is out shooting me, my buddy, everybody. So, you know what? I tell you, and I got to hand it to you because I’m just being transparent. I don’t know what it would be like to lose an arm like that, and I can’t imagine, you know, those first few days. And I’ll let you even go reflect on the story as much as you would like. But you got to decide at some point, am I going to live? you know, or am I going to be handicapped, so to speak? And you know what? You chose to live. So, man, I’ve told you this before, but, you know, man, just congratulations on everything you’ve accomplished over these 30 years.
SPEAKER 11 :
I appreciate it. And I didn’t do it alone. You have to have a good family. I was, you know, 26 years old, 10 foot tall and bulletproof and running some crews, learning and teaching how to do this new process. And we got into some power lines, 13,800 volts of electricity. And boom, all of a sudden my life changed. I had a nine-day-old son, 14-month-old daughter, and a beautiful wife of three or four years, three years. And so when I got hurt, I was fortunate that I was down in southern part of Colorado of Louisiana. And there was some burn units there. And I spent seven months just in a burn unit. And my wife today, we’ve been married 44 years now. And so I’m blessed. You know, you work together. And it’s not the easy things in life that you get through. It’s the tough things in life that you get through. I was left-handed. I took my left arm, and so I had to learn how to do everything over again, shoot, walk. We always laughed because my son was nine days old, so him and I both had to learn how to walk together. And I was in a wheelchair for five years, which I got a sense of how that worked and that I didn’t want it. And so, you know, surgeons can do wondrous things. We come with a lot of spare parts. And if you’ve got a great bunch of doctors and surgeons like I did, they said, hey, Let’s put you back together. But I told him, just know I’m going to go out and I’m going to wear it out. My mom always tells me, I give you this great, wonderful body, and you go out and mess it up. But the key part is, after all that, you work through each thing. And there are days that you have downfalls. And when you’re burnt 80% of your body, things are gonna break down. And as you get older, then you just have to fix things. So, but you get through those things. And my measure of being normal again is when my friends forget that I am missing. And they are embarrassed about it sometimes. Like, no, that’s an honor for me because they forget that I have a disability. It’s not an inability. there’s disabilities and you have to do it’s up to you yourself to set up and say what do i have left what can i make work and when somebody tells you i tell you there are more limitations put on me by other people than i have ever put on myself maybe because i’ve never listened to myself and i’m just you know bullheaded just to go ahead through it but People will put – inadvertently will do it. They don’t do it on purpose. They don’t want – it’s easier not to push the limit and be happy than push the limit and say, where are we going to end up, baby? You know? I mean, that’s what happened.
SPEAKER 01 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 11 :
So that’s what we’ve done. My wife and I and my kids, now I’ve got three great kids, got five wonderful grandkids, and life’s good. Man. Yeah.
SPEAKER 05 :
Larry Sanford is with us once again. He is the president of Outdoor Buddies. Check out their website, outdoorbuddies.org. Yeah, .org. And, you know, they’ll keep you in touch with all the events. We’re going to be doing some things here with 2025 with them, so we’ll keep you abreast of all the different things that you can be a part of. But here’s something you can all be a part of, and that’s helping them out. All right? Hey. We all know everything’s expensive. These adventures are expensive. Equipment is expensive. And, hey, maybe you can look at something. Maybe it’s a one-time donation. Maybe it’s, you know, hey, $25 a month or $50 a month you want to give. Whatever. Now, we used to do some banquets pre-COVID, and, boy, those were great banquets and all. But then after COVID, I think the whole direction of – A lot of things changed. A lot of expense in banquets and renting hotels and meals and stuff. So now it’s just, depending on a lot of events, doing some raffle tickets at some different locations. So we’ll keep you abreast of all those in 2025 as well. But I hope you’ll check them out. Again, it’s outdoorbuddies.org. Great, great organization. We 1,000% stand behind them. So anytime you’ll be hearing them on the show, hey, get involved and help them out. So, Larry, as always, we appreciate your time. Good to see you and look forward to more shows with you guys.
SPEAKER 11 :
Oh, yeah, absolutely. I always enjoy coming to visit with you.
SPEAKER 05 :
All right, good deal, bud. All right, man. You’re listening to Sports from Colorado. We’ve got to take a quick break, and we’ll be back with more right after this. All right, if you’re just joining us, those were a couple of interviews from the International Sportsman’s Expo we had here a few weeks ago, and next week we’ll be playing a couple more. We’ve got some with Dan Gates as well from Colorado, and he’s responsible for wildlife management and talking about a lot of things going to be facing us here in the next few months in Colorado. Once again, some of the battles we’ll be facing, so thanks. Thanks for being with us today on Sportsman of Colorado. Remember now, you can catch us twice on Sundays, 8 a.m., 8 p.m., and then on Thursdays, 9 to 10 a.m. So hopefully one of those times will work out for you. So thanks for being with us. Have a great rest of your day.
SPEAKER 08 :
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.
