Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Lead firearms associate Greg Mattke, left, and store manager Jody Black stand at the gun counter that is at the center of the totally revamped sporting goods section of the Bomgaars store here in North Platte. If you are an outdoor enthusiast, you need to check this out and see what the store has to offer.

If you haven’t been into the Bomgaars store in North Platte recently, and you are an outdoor enthusiasts, you need to do so. I bet you’ll be impressed!

Bomgaars has been expanding their sporting goods department — let me rephrase that — mega-expanding their sporting goods department. Most notably when you first see the area is the gun counter and surrounding aisles. I believe that now have the most complete sporting goods section in town.

“This is something new for the company,” said Jody Black, the store manager. “There are only four Bomgaars stores in the company that carry firearms at the moment and we are lucky enough to be one of them. The store in Cody, Wyoming, was the first.

“We opened this section Aug. 30, but we’ve been moving things in and around since April,” Black continued. “We are still working on getting the isles the way we want them and making the best use of space. The response has been very positive and customers seem excited to have more opportunities for items they can purchase.”

Black explained that they deal with supply chain issues like many other businesses. Ammo is one area that seems to have a lot of supply chain issues, but they strive to get whatever they can and have it available for customers.

Greg Mattke is the lead firearms associate for this section of the store.

“I came in at the end of July and spent about a month training, then started getting this department set up,” he said. “We are always looking to improve what we can offer the customer. For example, we just expanded our optics line to include Burris and Sig scopes.”

I scanned around the area and adjacent glass cases. The central fixture of the area is the gun counter. There are several shelves that are filled with handguns, both semi-auto and revolvers. The glass cases to the east of the main counter holds the long guns — rifles and shotguns of just about anything a hunter/shooter could want.

“I don’t know of anyone else in the area that carries a line of steel targets,” Mattke added and pointed to a row of targets. “We added that line of products. Steel target shooting has become very popular.”

“Hunting apparel is another area that we have really ramped up to serve our customers,” Black interjected. “If you don’t see what you are looking for, talk to us. We can special order it, and there is no extra charge for that. Our hunting blind stock has doubled in the last year. We have ground blinds, elevated blinds and everything you need for them.”

“Our gun sales have been strong. Right now, 64% of our sales have been handguns,” Mattke said. “Our firearm offerings give the customer the opportunity to see what we have and find what they are looking for. If you are looking for something in general, we probably have it. If you are looking for something specific that we don’t have, we can order it.”

“Gun safes are another product line we offer. You might not think so, but it is a big thing to a lot of people,” Black stated. “Every year we offer good sales on gun safes, one of our Black Friday specials. They are a good enough buy that we’ve had people in the parking lot a couple hours before the store opens and they head right for the guns safes when the doors open. When I first started with Bomgaars, my job was to just put stickers on the safes that were sold and get them out the door and to the right customer. We sell a lot of them!”

“We have a pretty good team here is sporting goods,” Mattke added. “Come in and give us a chance to show you what we can do.”

This is an interesting concept, especially if you have trouble tying your hook onto your line? If you have large hands, aging eyesight or little experience tying on fishing hooks, this item may be for you.

The Valley Tieless Fishing Tackle EZ Hook is a patented design and comes in size 6. The one specific item I noted in reading about this hook was that it must be used with at least 8 to 10 pound test braided line. That type of line makes a bigger knot.

To use this hook, start by tying a simple overhand knot, loop the line around the hook and pull it up into tight Sheppard’s crook at the top of the shank.

The knot at the end of your line will not pull through the Sheppard’s crook. That’s all it takes. Cast it into the water and fish like you normally would. The size 6 hook is a good middle-of-the-road size that can be used to catch many species of fish.

The cost will be about $3.50 for five hooks. I don’t know of any place in the area that carries these hooks yet, but you can purchase them online at thetielesshook.com. You can also watch video on how to use this new hook.

The Lincoln County Wildlife Gun Club at Lake Maloney will be hosting its annual meeting and membership shoot on Oct. 15. The day’s schedule of trap, wobble trap, skeet and wobble skeet will run from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

This event is open to the public. You do not have to be a member of the club to participate. It would be a great way to see what kind of shotgunning venues are out there and see if you like the. All rounds will be at a reduced rate.

There will be a lunch served at the club house at noon. The Gun Club will be serving up hamburgers and brats with drinks. Anyone can bring a side dish to share. The club’s annual meeting will follow the lunch. Show up, shoot and have some fun.

Get local news delivered to your inbox!

Fans have been demanding the company bring back the items previously called "KFC Twister Wraps" since they were pulled from menus in 2014.

Wells Fargo Foundation granted $15,000 to North Platte Area Habitat for Humanity to help build one of several homes in the organizations Buffa…

Pandemic experts say the vast majority of COVID-19 deaths today would be preventable through vaccinations and indoor masking. But support for those protective measures has waned.

The Nebraska State Quilt Guild is hosting the 17th annual Threads Across Nebraska Oct. 7 and 8 at the Buffalo County Fairgrounds, 3807 Ave. N,…

McDonald’s will serve Happy Meals in Halloween pails starting Oct. 18, featuring characters introduced in 1986: McBoo, McPunk’n and McGoblin.

Today, I’m answering the most asked questions from many gardeners on how to prepare their garden for winter. As our beautiful Nebraska landsca…

If you love the flowers in your garden but don't love the idea of spending money on new ones, why not save their seeds to plant next year?

Wow, there is a lot going on in the outdoor world right now in our region. Hunting seasons are underway. You can still go fishing if it doesn’…

HOLDREGE — The Central Nebraska Public Power and Irrigation District will lower the water level this fall at Jeffrey Lake south of Brady in pr…

Lead firearms associate Greg Mattke, left, and store manager Jody Black stand at the gun counter that is at the center of the totally revamped sporting goods section of the Bomgaars store here in North Platte. If you are an outdoor enthusiast, you need to check this out and see what the store has to offer.

Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device.