Theses organizations are committed to the outdoor sports & recreation
Summer 2025
By John Trussell
Ag-Pro
Ag-Pro is a Georgia grown company that started in Boston, Georgia in 1958. Ag-Pro has grown to be one of the largest John Deere dealerships in the world with locations in Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, Tennessee, Kentucky, and Ohio.
Although I knew that Ag – Pro and John Deere Tractors had teamed up across many parts of the Southeast, I really started to pay attention when they started hosting large booths at the Georgia Outdoor News Outdoor Blast show in Atlanta and the Great Outdoor Show in Perry, sponsored by the Georgia Wildlife Federation. In addition to the usual display of John Deere tractors and equipment, they really lured in the public with their giveaway program. Step right up, spin a dial and win one of several prizes from a hat, bag, cooler or other small goodies, and it was free!
It is also worth noting that Ag-Pro is a major sponsor of the Georgia Big Deer Contest and the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association.
They were selling farm equipment, which also is useful to hunters, but really they were giving away good public relations. When you need a new ATV for getting to your deer stand or a tractor for preparing your food plots, you would give John Deere products a good look. I think that approach is a great way to not only sell products, but to help support the outdoors and the people who help pay the bills for our wildlife programs and environmental conservation.
Ag-Pro has strengthened their product offerings with top-tier brands such as JLG aerial equipment and RAYCO tree care products. They also are positioned to provide superior sales and service support throughout the Southeast for all your landscape, construction and hunting needs. No matter if you need to rent or are ready to purchase, be sure to contact your local Ag-Pro rep for all your equipment needs.
I became very familiar with John Deere tractors during my youthful years, when I often helped my dad and another farmer plant corn, soybeans and wheat in over 200 acres of farmland. One of our main tractors was a John Deere 4020 that was a real workhorse and very dependable. Many of those old tractors that were put into service back in the 1970s are still running today!
Whether you’re using them for work or hunting, John Deere Gator UTVs are a great fit for any activity. If you’re looking for enhanced cargo features for hauling that big buck out of the woods, consider one of the 2WD models. Navigating tough terrain? One of the 4WD models might be just right for you.
When hunting season rolls around, or even in the hotter months when preparing food plots, Ag-Pro is there to help you find what you need. Visit your nearest Ag-Pro location to learn more about the John Deere Gators and tractors. For a full listing of all Ag Pro products and services, go to their website.
O.F. Mossberg & Sons
Mossberg is the maker of my favorite shotgun, a Mossberg 930 in 12 gauge and dark camo pattern. Mossberg really works hard to make quality firearms that deserve a place in your gun cabinet. I’ve had my model 930 in semi-auto style for many years and it has served me extremely well while duck, dove, turkey and rabbit hunting and never let me down in the field. The shotgun has performed flawlessly.
The author with his son Brandon and grandson Jack on a September dove field with his 12-gauge Mossberg. Photo courtesy of John Trussell.
I recently also acquired a Mossberg SA-20 that comes in lightweight 20 gauge and it is a joy to shoot! It handles perfectly on the skeet range and I’m looking forward to trying it on dove, quail and rabbits this winter during hunting seasons. The fit and finish on the SA-20 are extremely well done and looks like a shotgun that cost hundreds more!
In case you didn’t know, O. F. Mossberg & Sons is an American firearms manufacturer, specializing in shotguns, rifles, scopes, and pistol accessories. Oscar Frederick Mossberg (1866–1937) was born on September 1,1866, in Sweden, and emigrated to the United States in 1886. Mossberg went to work at the Iver Johnson Arms & Cycle Works in Fitchburg, Massachusetts. Eventually he started his own company.
During World War II, the company made parts for Browning M2 .50-caliber heavy machine guns and for the Enfield No. 4 rifle, as well as the U.S. Model 42 and Model 44 .22 caliber bolt-action rifles, which was used for preliminary small arms training for the Army and Navy.
In 1960, the company shifted production to a new facility a few miles away in North Haven, Massachusetts . At one time, the plant employed hundreds of skilled workers, many of whom had previously worked at other well-known firearms manufacturers. O. F. Mossberg & Sons is the oldest family-owned firearms manufacturer in America.
Today, while the corporate headquarters are still in North Haven, the company has moved nearly all firearms production to Eagle Pass, Texas. My suggestion is that next time you’re thinking about purchasing a new rifle or shotgun, give Mossberg firearms a serious look and consideration. You won’t be sorry and might even save a little money! For more information, go to their website.
Glock USA
As a long-time Smith and Wesson, Colt and Ruger supporter, I was amazed many years ago when an Austrian manufacturer, Gaston Glock, unveiled the first revolutionary Glock pistol. It had many new designs and offered a grip that was made of modern polymer. Many said the pistol would be a failure, but they were wrong!
The company’s founder and head engineer, Gaston Glock (1929–2023), had no experience with firearms design or manufacture at the time his first pistol, the Glock 17, was being prototyped for the Austrian military . Glock had extensive experience in advanced synthetic polymers, which was instrumental in the company’s design of the first commercially successful line of pistols with a polymer frame. Glock introduced ferritic nitrocarburizing into the firearms industry as an anti-corrosion surface treatment for metal gun parts.
The Glock pistol has an outstanding record of dependability, accuracy and value. The author used this Model 27, in .40 caliber as a state of Georgia Probation/Parole Officer.
Today Glock is one of the most popular and dependable pistols available in the world firearms market. Over the years, Glock has become one of the standard pistols issued for many police departments across the USA and around the world.
As an example, the standard issued pistol for the Georgia State Patrol is the Glock 45 MOS Gen 5 in 9mm. As a State of Georgia Probation/Parole Officer, I carried a Glock model 27 in .40 caliber and today, now retired, I often carry this same Glock 27 in concealed carry.
While working, I had the opportunity to attend every advanced firearm course offered by the Georgia Law Enforcement Training Center in Forsyth and attended Glock Armorers school, thus I developed a deep respect for the Glock pistol.
Glock is one of the sponsors for the Georgia Big Deer Contest originated by the Georgia Department of Natural Resources back in 1967. The company strongly supports the public’s right to personal protection and lawful firearm carry as allowed by state law.
The Georgia connection goes even deeper. Glock USA is headquartered in Smyrna, in the Atlanta metro suburbs.
If you are in the market for a great pistol for target shooting, self-defense, sport shooting or hunting, give the many Glock pistol models some serious consideration. For more information, go to their website.
John Trussell is a freelance writer making his home in Warner Robins. He is a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association and has been inducted into the GOWA Hunting and Fishing Hall of Fame.