Since 1866 Winchester has continually manufactured quality products designed to provide security to Americans and their families. In 1991, that mission was taken to a new frontier and Winchester Safes was born. On today’s episode we’re joined by Greg Walters, a leader at Winchester Safes. With a passion for security, reliability, and the great American tradition of responsible firearm ownership, Greg brings us inside the world of Winchester Safes—where strength, technology, and peace of mind come together. Whether you’re a longtime safe owner, a firearms enthusiast, or simply someone looking to protect what matters most, this episode has a little bit for everyone. So sit back, lock in, and welcome to The Winchester Life Podcast.

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with Col. Nick Nichols, President of Folds of Honor, a nonprofit organization that provides educational scholarships to the families of fallen and disabled service members. Col. Nichols shares his life in a military family growing up, to his journey from military service to leading this impactful mission, offering insights into the power of education to transform lives and honor sacrifice.

From the history and growth of Folds of Honor to exploring compelling stories of the families they’ve helped, we’ll discuss the importance of giving back to those who’ve given so much for our country. It’s a testament to the resilience of military families and the extraordinary ways communities can come together to support them.

Service, legacy, family and the impact of Folds of Honor’s work…whether you’re a veteran, a military family member, or someone looking to make a difference, it’s a conversation that makes an impact at many levels.

The National Wild Turkey Federation has been at the heart of wildlife conservation since 1973, founded with the mission of restoring wild turkey populations across North America. At that time, there were fewer than 1.5 million wild turkeys in the United States. Thanks to the hard work of this organization and its 250,000 dedicated members, wild turkey populations now exceed 6 million. It’s one of the greatest conservation success stories in history.

On this week’s show we’ll sit down with the Pete Muller from the NWTF and talk about everything from conservations stories, incredible spring turkey hunts, the NWTF Convention and the history of the national turkey calling competition and dive into the importance of their partnership with Winchester since the inception of the NWTF in 1973.

Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has been dedicated to the research and conservation of the wild turkey. Now with over 500,000 members and 2,000 chapters nationwide, the NWTF has brought the wild turkey back from the brink of extinction, to present day population numbers over 6.5 million. Each year in February, thousands of turkey hunting enthusiasts find their way to Nashville to celebrate their turkey hunting heritage at the NWTF National Convention at the Opryland Hotel and Resort. Over 80,000 attendees from Thursday to Saturday stalked the aisles for the latest and greatest from call manufacturers, clothing brands, firearm and ammunition companies, taxidermy and wildlife artists…the list goes on.

In Part Two of this special two-part live episode we sit down with NWTF editor Matt Stewart as he shares the behind the scenes preparation of running the Grand National Turkey Calling Championships. We’ll then sit down with outdoor legend Mark Drury and chat about his early days of turkey calling competitions and what it takes to win at the highest level. Waterfowl expert Shawn Stahl of Team Winchester shares some stories from his waterfowl season and how Winchester’s Last Call ammunition has changes the game for him. We’ll chat with Greg Sugg of Mossy Oak about the latest and greatest from their team and their partnerships with NWTF and Winchester. Finally, Jason Gilbertson of Winchester drops by to discuss the importance of their partnership with NWTF and talks about one of the best events of the week, the Veteran’s Breakfast.

For almost 20 years, Jason Gilbertson has been orchestrating the marketing efforts and brand initiatives from behind the scenes at Winchester Ammunition. Born and raised in Wisconsin, the outdoors were part of the very fabric in which he was raised. After spending the first four years of his career cutting his teeth at the National Wild Turkey Federation, Jason was hired into the world of Winchester, where he eventually worked his way up through the ranks and would lead groundbreaking initiatives like the launch of Longboard XR, Deer Season XP, 350 Legend and 6.8 Western to name a few. Carrying on the legacy of a 160 year old legendary brand is never easy, but with a work ethic unmatched, Jason exudes the very qualities and foundation of what the horse and rider has always stood for.

Since 1973, the National Wild Turkey Federation has been dedicated to the research and conservation of the wild turkey. Now with over 500,000 members and 2,000 chapters nationwide, the NWTF has brought the wild turkey back from the brink of extinction, to present day population numbers over 6.5 million. Each year in February, thousands of turkey hunting enthusiasts find their way to Nashville to celebrate their turkey hunting heritage at the NWTF National Convention at the Opryland Hotel and Resort. Over 80,000 attendees from Thursday to Saturday stalked the aisles for the latest and greatest from call manufacturers, clothing brands, firearm and ammunition companies, taxidermy and wildlife artists…the list goes on.

In Part One of this special two-part live episode we sit down with Winchester Ammunition engineer Grant Jeremiah and talk about the new Longbeard TSS turkey load. We also chat with Foster Bartholow from Team Winchester and his incredible story about a once in a lifetime gobbler. We’ll also chat with Mandy Harling from NWTF about how their education and outreach programs are making an impact on youth across the country. Finally former NWTF CEO of 30 years and turkey hunting legend Rob Keck talks about the early days of the NWTF, about how the Grand National Turkey Calling Championship got started and shares his new quest for the wild turkey provincial slam.

It’s 1989 and the outdoor industry was on the presuppose of exploding. A turf war of sorts was being waged between camouflage companies and record numbers of VHS hunting tapes were being distributed across the country to a rapidly growing contingent of hunters. In the middle of it all was a young Mark Drury, still in college and winning turkey calling contests at the state and national level at a rapid rate. In a stroke of luck that would forever change his life, through a crowded show floor, young entrepreneur Toxey Haas sought out a conversation with Mark, just minutes after winning another turkey calling competition. A lifelong friendship was forged and the rest is history. 

Since that day 35 years has passed, and the loyalty to Mossy Oak has never wavered. Early mentors like Will Primos and Cuz Strickland would help light the fire for Mark and his brother Terry as they entered the world of video production…where they have since released well over 125 titles that now reside in their library. Now one of the most accomplished and knowledgable whitetail deer hunters in America, Mark began to build that legacy in 1998 when he closed the deal on the largest free-range buck ever taken on film at the time. 

In 2019 Drury Outdoors was inducted to the Missouri Sports Hall of Fame, further cementing their place as innovators in outdoor media as producers and personalities. Mark’s determination to build a business and career in the outdoor space, paired with an unrivaled work ethic has lead his company to being at the forefront of the multi-billion dollar industry he helped build.

While SHOT Show is a kickoff to a new year with new product offerings, it’s also a celebration of another year in the books. On the third day of SHOT, about 180 of Winchester’s employees, media partners and industry professionals gathered in an outdoor venue right on the Vegas Strip for the Winchester After Party. As the sun set and the stories began to flow, Team Winchester’s Chris Keefer, Casey Keefer and Host Jason Brown sat down with a handful of partners and talked about everything from whitetail deer, to a Kodiak Island waterfowl hunt…to the latest and greatest from partners like Kids and Clays. Sit back and be part of this week’s episode, Live from the Winchester After Party.

Every year Las Vegas hosts the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trades show, also known as the SHOT Show, to over 60,000 attendees from over 100 countries. Throughout the week, I was there with the Winchester Life Podcast crew hunkered down in the Winchester booth while thousands of consumers and dealers checked out everything new from Winchester Ammunition and Repeating Arms. During the madness, I was able to steal some time from about a dozen of the industries finest to talk about hunting, shooting, technology innovations and some of the new offerings from the World of Winchester. 

In Part Two of the three-part SHOT Special, we’ll talk with Doug Kiesewetter about everything new at Winchester Optics and Winchester Pet, chat with competitive shooter from Team Winchester Becky Yackley about what’s new and upcoming for the Yackley family on 2025 and how they train, Troy Fouche at Winchester Licensing about what’s new, talk about what’s new with TV Personality and Team Winchester Shooter Michelle Viscusi and finally, we’ll go one-on-one with the highly decorated Team Winchester duo of Zach Kienbaum and Desi Edmunds as they reflect on their busy 2024 season on the sporting clays tournament circuit and look forward to what’s new in 2025.

Every year Las Vegas hosts the Shooting Hunting and Outdoor Trades show, also known as the SHOT Show, to over 60,000 attendees from over 100 countries. Throughout the week, we hunkered down in the Winchester booth while thousands of consumers and dealers checked out everything new from Winchester Ammunition and Repeating Arms. During the madness, we were able to steal some time from about a dozen of the industries finest to talk about hunting, shooting, technology innovations and some of the new offerings from the World of Winchester. 

In Part One of the three-part SHOT Show special, we sit down with Ben Frank from Winchester and talk about everything new this year from Winchester Ammunition, then chat with Olympic legend Kim Rhode and her push for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles, hear from Robert Crow on what’s new at White Flyer, Ryan Swaner and what’s trending at Winchester Repeating Arms, Team Winchester’s Melissa Bachman on her year hunting across North America and wrap up with John Dunlap and his resurrection story on the Winchester Model 98 Canon.