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This episode of Eye on the Target Radio, hosted by Amanda Suffecool and Rob Campbell, features interviews recorded on the floor of the SHOT Show. The hosts speak with industry guests about new initiatives in the shooting sports community as well as hunting and outdoor television.

The first segment features Paul and Brooke from The Range Network, a program designed to help gun range owners collaborate and improve their businesses. Paul explains that the idea grew out of earlier industry “roundtable” meetings he helped organize with the National Shooting Sports Foundation. Those meetings allowed ranges, manufacturers, and retailers to discuss common problems and share solutions. When the program was halted during the COVID period, Paul and his partners created the Range Network as a way to continue helping ranges connect and share best practices. Their focus is on ensuring that gun ranges remain strong because ranges provide the places where people can learn, practice, and stay engaged with shooting sports.

The Range Network organizes virtual and in-person “huddles,” similar to a team huddle in sports, where range operators discuss issues such as hiring employees, insurance options, operational challenges, and successful business strategies. Members share what works and what fails so others can avoid costly mistakes. The organization now includes more than 120 ranges across 45 states and even some locations in Canada, and it is free for ranges to join. The goal is cooperation rather than competition, encouraging ranges to work together and create better experiences for customers while strengthening the overall firearms community.

Paul also describes a related program called MyCaliberCard, which complements the Range Network. For an annual membership fee, shooters can receive discounts at participating ranges and on shooting-related products. The card encourages gun owners to visit different ranges when traveling and helps bring new customers into participating businesses. Some ranges even include the card as a benefit within their own membership programs. The hosts note that this model allows the Range Network to remain free for ranges while the Caliber Card program provides financial support for the broader effort.

Later in the show, the hosts interview hunter and television personality Melissa Bachman, host of the outdoor series Winchester Deadly Passion on the Sportsman Channel. Bachman explains how she built a career in the hunting industry after studying television production. Unable to find work initially, she volunteered at the North American Hunting Club and gradually gained experience producing hunting content. Eventually she launched her own production company and television show, allowing her to combine her passion for hunting with media production.

Bachman describes the challenges she faced entering a field that had relatively few women when she started more than two decades ago. She emphasizes that persistence, hard work, and willingness to take risks helped her succeed. To get her first season of airtime, she invested everything she had, including risking her home, while working to secure sponsorships. Over time the show grew, and she now hunts around the world while filming authentic experiences that show both the successes and challenges of real hunts.

Much of Bachman’s message focuses on introducing new people—especially families and women—to hunting. She believes hunting helps families bond and teaches people where their food comes from. She often involves her own children in hunting trips, letting them participate in age-appropriate ways so they feel connected to the experience. Bachman stresses that new hunters should learn gradually, find mentors, and avoid feeling pressured to harvest an animal before they are ready.

The episode concludes with Bachman discussing some of the unique hunts featured on her show, including alligator hunting in states like Florida and Louisiana, as well as big-game hunts such as elk and whitetail deer. She explains how much of the harvested meat is processed for her family or donated to people in need when possible. Throughout the interview, she emphasizes that the most important aspect of hunting is not just the harvest but the experiences and relationships built along the way.

Overall, the program highlights two key themes within the shooting and hunting community: strengthening the infrastructure of the sport through cooperation among gun ranges, and encouraging new participants to become involved in hunting and outdoor traditions through mentorship, family experiences, and education.