Montana Sporting Journal changing hands

It should shock no one that the sporting publishing realm is not a gold mine. Especially in a tough economy when advertising is often a luxury, magazines that depend upon it suffer.

With that in mind, it is with remorse that I learned that the Montana Sporting Journal has printed its final issue as we know it. Jay Hanson, editor, publisher and owner, made the announcement a few months ago.

It initially appeared it would fade into publishing abyss, but as happens often with magazines, it was acquired by a party who had a new vision for it. Schnee's Boots, Shoes and Hunting Gear out of Bozeman has taken the reins. It will reportedly will lean more toward hunting, and scale back on fishing content (or so I am told - Schnee's retail business offers more for the hunter than angler, so it would follow).

It is my understanding that subscribers will retain their subscriptions plus one issue to compensate for the downtime. E-mail staff@montanasportingjournal.com with inquiries.

The next issue (Schnee's first) is scheduled to drop in early September, and is slated to be focused solely on big-game hunting.