The FHF team of Bret and Dan Amundson combined to win 15 awards at the annual conference for the Association of Great Lakes Outdoor Writers (AGLOW). Outdoor writers, content creators, podcast hosts, tv hosts and more gathered with outdoor brands, tourism destinations and non-profits at Kentucky Lake, September 22 – 27th to network, enjoy the outdoors in the area and learn about new products.
I was excited to get to Kentucky Lake since I hadn’t been there before, but had heard good things. Elena Blevins from the Kentucky Lake CVB and Team Kentucky orchestrated a great event at the Kentucky Dam Village State Park. I wrote about that experience here.
One product we learned about is from the Minnesota-based company RLVNT. They have a line of polarized sunglasses, fishing lures and more including StealthScreen. Think of it as sunscreen only for uv reflection. From the RLVNT website:
When applied to your face and any exposed skin, StealthScreen completes your concealment by absorbing UV wavelengths and eliminating the reflection that animals and birds see so easily.
I won’t say I was skeptical, but I was surprised when I saw the white lotion go clear when applied, and then under the UV light, it appeared black, essentially removing your skin from the vision of whatever game you’re pursuing.
Sellmark also had a booth set up and let us play around with their new Pulsar thermal optics. They had an assortment of thermal scopes, such as the Thermion, as well as their Axion thermal monoculars. Not only do these allow you to search using thermal imaging, but the built in range finder gives you an idea on distance. It also has a photo and video recorder so you can save whatever cool things you find. The wifi allows you to pair with your smartphone to transfer images and videos for easier viewing.
We also had the chance to talk to tourism destinations such as Fort Myers, Punta Gorda, Devils Lake, and Gaylord, Michigan, Niagara Falls, Eau Claire, and Lake of the Woods. We talked with reps from Spypoint, Real Avid, JP Rifles, Riton Optics and more. In fact, I picked up a new spotting scope from Riton in the live auction this year and had the chance to use it scouting for snow geese in Saskatchewan shortly after.
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“It was another great event down at Kentucky Lake,” said Dan Amundson. “There was no shortage of things to do or people to meet.”
I saw Dan eyeing up the iKon boat that Brent Butler trailered to the conference and wondered if he would try to convince Brent to let us hook up to the Fundra and take it back to Minnesota.
There were more brands and friends that I had a chance to talk to but if I included them all here, it would take you all day to read.
We’ll have more content coming out from the conference between Fish Hunt Forever, Sporting Journal Radio and through the AGLOW social media channels and The Outdoor Feed. You can also search the hashtag #aglowatkentuckylake24 to see more content from members.
We were also fortunate to have another great year at the Annual Awards in Craft ceremony, with a new personal best 15 awards. We’re thankful for the opportunity to be a part of AGLOW and wish to thank the judges for this recognition. I’ll link the winning content below and you can also go here for the list of all the AIC winners. We have a talented member base and I’m glad to be a part of it.
Photography Division: Click the links to see the content below.
| Hunting 2nd Place | Bret Amundson | Striking a Pose |
| Hunting 1st Place | Dan Amundson | Well-Earned Rest |
| Fishing 2nd Place | Dan Amundson | Wet, Cold, and Happy as Can Be |
| Fishing 1st Place | Bret Amundson | Northern Pike Jerkbait |
| Outdoor Recreation 1st Place | Bret Amundson | Biker on Path |
| Outdoor Scenic 2nd Place | Bret Amundson | Rainbow Island |
TV, Video, Webcast or Vlog:
| Hunting 2nd Place | Dan Amundson | 1956: Recreating The Legendary Waterfowl Hunt |
| Hunting 1st Place | Bret Amundson | Raising Tiny: The Ups and Downs of Raising a Hunting Dog |
| Fishing 2nd Place | Bret Amundson | Hooks and Hazards |
| Open 3rd Place | Bret Amundson | Fall on the Marsh |
Radio/Podcast:
| Hunting 3rd Place | Bret Amundson | Wolf Management, Lawsuits, and Hunting Rights |
| Hunting 2nd Place | Bret Amundson | Duck Hunting History in Minnesota |
| Fishing 3rd Place | Bret Amundson | State of Sturgeon |
Electronic Blog:
| Open 2nd Place | Bret Amundson | Who’s Eating those Gut piles? |
