(Kallispell, Montana) POMA Camps rounded out the final day of the 2016 conference and provided a great deal of fun before the Pinnacle Awards dinner and auction. POMA member tested trucks and off-road vehicles, shot crossbows, and some took part in ever famous Camp Chef cook-off. A big thanks to the owners of the Lakeside club just outside of Kallispell, Montana for letting us use the property.
The Southern Crossbow Revolt 370 and the new Crossman Pioneer Airbow sent bolts down range at a variety of small targets set up from 20 to 40 yards away. The Airbow was an addictive piece of equipment to use as more than one industry professional walked away with a smile on their face. The Airbow caused many of us to stop and consider the incredible benefit for disabled hunters since the loading mechanism sits in the butt-end stock and is super easy to load. The Revolt 370 pushed arrows at amazing speed, as per the name, and provided shooters a clean break on the trigger. Just for fun, the Southern Crossbow team had put a Sightmark Photon Digital Night Vision Riflescope on the bow which provided a great deal of fun to use.
The trucks may have been the biggest draw of the day. Chevy, Toyota, Nissan, Ram, Honda, and Argo let us rip around the Montana countryside in some of their new vehicles. As if truck envy wasn’t already tough enough to deal with by watching TV ads, test driving them down dirt roads didn’t help the cause.
Toyota Tacoma: The Toyota Tacoma may be the perfect truck of the single guy or gal needing plenty of room to store gear and be able to get you back into hunting camp. I felt like I was driving on a cloud with 4-wheel drive.
Chevy: The Chevy 2500 we had the chance to test drive is built to haul horse trailers and other heavy construction equipment. I really thought the handling would be much more difficult. It wasn’t. Just make sure to turn wide.
Titan XD: Nissan brought the newly redesign Titan XD to play. The Titan gives drivers the Endurance® 5.6-liter DOHC 32-valve V8 Engine providing 390 HP and 401 lb-ft of torque. In other words, this provided great power on those dirt roads.
Ram Power Wagon: Ok, if you have ever wanted to climb a mountain without getting out of your truck, buy one of these vehicles. The Power Wagon has an electronically disconnecting front sway bar and hill descent control which helps the truck handle tough terrain.
The end of the evening festivities included the Pinnacle Awards and a quick speech by Montana Congressman, Ryan Zinke. Zinke addressed the room with optimism of being able to get our country back on track and brought to light the serious challenge we have ahead in fighting for our public lands. Zinke told us he was the only Republican to vote across the aisle against the transfer of public lands. A sobering thought.
The evening was very enjoyable as Tony Smotherman MC’d the evening awards, raffles and auctions. Smotherman’s quick wit kept people smiling and laughing the entire night. The Pinnacle Awards are presented by Mossy Oak and recognize individuals and their work in a variety of different categories Like internet articles. This year’s winners include Tom Keer, Lindsay Thomas, Jr, Wade Robertson, Allan Smith,Tim Christie and Ken Cook. www.mossyoak.com.
The Professional Outdoor Media Association conference in Kalispell, Montana, was one of the best in years. It was dynamic, important conversations were had and business was generated. If you want to learn more about POMA, follow the link and maybe we will see you next year.www.professionaloutdoormedia.org