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PRADCO Outdoor Brands Rocks Alabama Boy Scouts

Knight & Hale Smooth Talker duck calls could be heard echoing throughout the event.

It was the largest Boy Scout Encampment ever held in Alabama , and PRADCO Outdoor Brands stole the show. Knight & Hale Smooth Talker duck calls could be heard echoing through the cool Friday night air even before the event, held at the Talladega Superspeedway Nov. 5-6, officially kicked off. Early arrivals had discovered the PRADCO midway and began purchasing the duck calls, which were made available to the Scouts at a very special price of $1 each.

Knight & Hale Smooth Talker duck calls could be heard echoing throughout the event. The Greater Alabama Council of Boy Scouts of America presented “Race To Scouting — 2005 Alabama Encampment” in celebration of its 95 th anniversary of Scouting and the 75 th anniversary of Cub Scouting, with events scheduled throughout the weekend in the infield and some portions of the 2.66 mile Superspeedway’s grandstands.

The 50 or so Scouts who purchased the calls Friday night before more than 18,000 campers arrived served to whet the appetites of the newcomers. When the doors opened at 9 a.m. Saturday, the throng of eager campers descended to snatch up the noisemakers. What the Scouts lacked in duck calling technique, they made up for in volume.

“It was a lot of fun,” said Knight & Hale pro staffer Teddy Carr, a hunting and fishing guide from Virginia , who was on hand to teach the Scouts the proper way to use the calls. “Right now I don’t ever want to hear another duck call,” he said jokingly, “but it is great helping kids who really want to learn how to call properly.”

Bruce Stanton, general manager of PRADCO-Fishing, explained that EBSCO has been a longtime supporter of the Boy Scouts. “The Boy Scouts are vital to the future of our industry because Scouts are taught to appreciate and respect the outdoors,” he said. “They are the future stewards of the outdoors, and in most cases, these young men are the consumers of the future for us.”

PRADCO and EBSCO’s interest in the lives of today’s Scouts is rooted in more than just branding, Stanton said. It is also a way for the outdoors-oriented company to encourage youth participation in sports and educate them on proper hunting and fishing techniques.

The Greater Alabama Council of Boy Scouts of America presented “Race To Scouting — 2005 Alabama Encampment” in celebration of its 95 th anniversary of Scouting and the 75 th anniversary of Cub Scouting at the Talladega Superspeedway Nov. 5-6.

“Statistics prove that participation in hunting is in a slow and steady decline and that the hunting population is aging,” said Johnny Woller, general manager of PRADCO Outdoor Brands. “It’s so much different than when I was young – more people live in cities, there are far more alternative activities competing for kids’ time, and families are more fragmented than ever. The Boy Scouts help expose youngsters to the outdoors and what a wonderful world it is out there.”

It is this exposure that, in turn, helps recruit future fishermen and hunters — a cause that PRADCO feels passionate about. Stanton explained that often in business it is hard to justify a lot of community outreach, or “feel-good activities.” PRADCO, however, hopes that activities with the Boy Scouts will result in priceless payback in the years to come.

“Youth recruitment is vital to our continued existence in the outdoor market, and giving young people the opportunity to enjoy hunting and fishing is a great alternative to the video and computer games craze of today,” Woller said. “It allows these youngsters exercise and a break from the rush of today’s modern world. These activities have been part of our culture for many generations, and it would be a shame to allow them to disappear due to our inactivity." PRADCO Outdoor Brands won First Place Participant at the Encampment. More than 100 companies and vendors were on hand. Knight & Hale did not dominate the event alone, however, as all of the PRADCO brands entertained the Scouts throughout the day. PRADCO-Fishing displayed all of the lures that have made its brands leaders in the industry, but it was the casting contest that excited the kids. Each Scout who cast a plastic weight into a target won a prize. Bobby Murray, two-time winner of the prestigious Bassmaster Classic tournament (in fact, he won the very first Classic) and host of the “People Who Fish” television show, and professional fisherman Tim Horton, were on hand at the PRADCO-Fishing exhibit to sign autographs and instruct the youth on fishing. A game that incorporated Knight & Hale calls and Carry-Lite Decoys also drew a tremendous number of participants. Special Events Coordinator Jim Strelec and Pro Staffer Mike Wolfe made various animal sounds, and the Scouts completed a form indicating the animal they thought the pair was mimicking. Prizes were awarded to the Scouts who correctly identified each sound. Champion turkey caller Chris Parrish was also on hand to sign autographs and instruct the Scouts on proper turkey calling technique. The Summit Treestands exhibit also entertained the Scouts with hands-on instruction on the proper use of a safety harness and treestand climbing. “I love doing these events,” said Summit Pro Staffer Bear Kelly, whose son is an Eagle Scout. “It was more work than usual because a lot of these kids are younger than the ones we usually teach, but it was great.” Amanda Williams, Moultrie Feeders marketing manager, said the event was larger than she expected. “It was a perfect opportunity to expose our products to a tremendous number of current and future consumers while doing something good for a great cause.” PRADCO Merchandising Group Manager Larry Walthall organized participation in the event, which included giving away more than $2,500 worth of products. Scouts simply filled out a coupon included in a special hunting and fishing instructional magazine that PRADCO created for the event and dropped the coupon into a Moultrie Feeder. Winners were drawn at the end of the event. The magazine, titled Race To The Outdoors , was created by POB Hunting PR Manager Lawrence Taylor, who wrote the educational material and produced the photos. The magazine was designed by Grand View Media’s Tod Molina. “Now that was a fun project, and Tod did a great job with the design work,” Taylor said. “Grand View was a tremendous help getting the magazine printed. I love helping kids. With more and more kids growing up in cities where they can’t explore the woods like many of us did when we were young, the Boy Scouts is our vital link to reaching the young.” Prizes given away at the event included Knight Muzzleloaders (in-line muzzleloading guru Tony Knight was on hand), fishing packages, Moultrie Game Spy cameras, Summit treestands and other hunting gear. PRADCO Outdoor Brands formed in 1960 as Plastics Research and Development Corporation and quickly grew to become one of the largest injection molders in the Southwestern United States . Today PRADCO has grown to be the world’s largest manufacturer of plastic fishing lures and a leading producer of game calls, muzzleloading rifles, scents, hunting decoys, game feeders, game cameras and treestands. For more information on PRADCO, visit http://www.lurenet.com.

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