It’s About The People

A few weeks ago we finished up our very last issue of Alabama Outdoor News—GON‘s sister publication for 15 years. For that decade and a half, our staff in Madison worked with a number of folks in Alabama to produce those pages.

So what am I going to miss about AON? Simple. The people.

My favorite thing about going to the Deer Show in Birmingham, Ala. every July was that I would see Michael and Kathy Perry. This husband/wife hunting duo hunts public land, and they are very good at it.

My takeaway from them is their humility. They never once bragged about their success. In fact, they were regular contributors to AON‘s hunting reports and currently spend countless hours on different podcasts just trying to help others be successful hunters. That sort of life speaks volumes to me. It encourages me to be a better Christian, as well.

When Michael killed the new Alabama state-record muzzleloader buck from Black Warrior WMA the same month we were sending the final pages to the press—and we were able to put that story in the very last magazine—it was so fitting. I love to watch God’s timing in things like that.

Michael Perry’s Alabama state-record muzzleloader buck is his third record-book buck taken from the Black Warrior Wildlife Management Area. It had 195 inches of antler.

I worked with two AON freelance writers—Greg McCain and John Felsher—and I’ll never forget them. Reliability goes a long way with me. These guys kept the great ideas flowing and never, never, never missed a deadline. Were there last minute hiccups and changes along the way? Sure, but together we worked through them so that we could beat that deadline every single time.

In another 15 years, I’m not going to remember the awesome Logan Martin crappie story that McCain wrote or that great piece on saltwater redfish that Felsher penned. I’m going to remember these guys and their character and their willingness to work and provide the best product available to our readers.

There’s certainly others that I could mention.

So how does the future of GON look in this uncertain time of print pubs? If there’s one difference between AON and GON, I think it’s that GON began in 1987, AON not until 2007. That’s 20 more years of getting people involved in our community and watching them turn into family that contributed to this great magazine.

Recent changes have taken place at GON, and these changes probably encourage me more than I have been in my 23-year career with the company. I think we have a bright future together. However, we know the real driving force behind GON is its people. Without you, there is no GON.

Get involved somehow and in someway. Drop me an email at [email protected] and let’s’ talk about how to get you involved in the community so we can watch you turn into family.