Estimated read time: 4,5 min.
The recent Pulsar ambassadors’ meeting in Lithuania got together hunters from various parts of Europe joined for the first time by three hunting enthusiasts from the USA. Four days of getting familiar with the European roots of Pulsar products, intense and fun workshops and even a shooting championship flew by in an instant. Yet new friendships and traditions were built on a solid foundation enriching both the guests and the people behind the brand.
A little challenge never hurt nobody
As noted by many, the highlight of the event was the shooting competition where the new members of the Pulsar family unexpectedly (and well deserved) collected all three medals.
The participants had to demonstrate their accuracy, precision, and speed skills in five shooting activities: Handgun competition; Tripod vs freehand shots at alternating targets; Running boar shooting with Krypton front-attachment; Target hitting at different distances using internal ballistic calculation in Talion XG35; Skeet shooting.
The final results were surprising and quite unexpected to many. Three new Pulsar ambassadors showed the best results and were awarded medals and special prizes, including the Axion thermal imaging monocular. Matthias Schultner from Austria took the third place, his counterpart from the USA, Andrew Volleman, ended up on the second, while Nick Schaеfer from Germany confidently took the title of the Fastest shooter.
Nick Schaеfer
The gold medal was a surprise for himself, Nick admitted. “I honestly did not expect to win at all. I just enjoyed the opportunity to use the different devices provided. There were some fine shooters among the participants, so winning the gold medal was a major surprise,” says Nick. “It felt amazing and really rewarding to come out on top among such talented participants.”
Practice makes perfect
Nick notes that attending the meeting for the first time was an incredible experience. What surprised the hunter from Germany most, was the openness of Pulsar and pro staff members: “From the moment I arrived, I felt welcomed and part of the family. The exchange of experiences and opinions about the products and their usage was fantastic. Pulsar did an amazing job identifying such a diverse group of people who hunt with either a rifle or a camera. Most workshops provided deep insights into the technology and its benefits. Overall, it was a perfect mix of theory, practice, and team building.”
During the practical workshop part, the hunters learned how to be creative behind the photo camera capturing the most memorable hunting experiences. Dimitri Hullebroek, an avid hunter from Belgium shared his tips and tricks on inspiring photography.
Dimitri Hullebroek
Magnus Winbjork, a photographer from Sweden (and the only non-hunting member of the Pulsar team) added some valuable insights on the use of thermal devices in a different field and environment.
Magnus Winbjork
While Pulsar’s longtime friend Riccardo Tamburini from Italy held a remarkably interesting and important presentation “From field to freezer”. Being not only a hunter but, obviously, a real food afficionado, Riccardo shared his knowledge on ensuring that your game meat is in the best condition and as nutritious as possible. You can find his “golden rules” in this article too.
Riccardo Tamburini
From dreams to practical ideas
The workshop “Dream on” proves that teamwork makes wonders. Divided into groups, hunters had to improve the existing Pulsar devices in all four categories of riflescopes, monoculars, binoculars and clip-ons. What started as a game turned later into a flow of most unexpected and sometimes unbelievably simple yet brilliant ideas.
As Nick Schaefer notes, such workshops are a terrific way for hunters to contribute to the development of future products: “I am honored to be part of this process and to have the opportunity to impact future generations of Pulsar products. Our real-world experiences and feedback are an important part for continuous improvement and innovation.”
With the Pulsar ambassadors circle expanding every year, some of the hunters were visiting the Pulsar facility in Lithuania for the first time. For them and their counterparts from the USA, seeing how Pulsar devices are developed in real time by engineers was an exciting experience.
Cory Chilton, a coyote hunter from Iowa and Pulsar USA pro staff member was thoroughly impressed to see with his own eyes how the product gets from idea conception to a useable optics in the field, including a tour to the Pulsar headquarters facility and assembly.
“The European team made me feel at home and readily welcomed me as part of the family. To meet so many members from various parts of the world who all share something special is difficult to describe any other way than simply “family”. Although we all have quite different applications for the product, we all share common experiences,” Cory says.
Mark Lewis, Cory Chilton, Aidan Campbell
All three American hunters enjoyed the friendly competition at the shooting range and the productive workshops and discussions. “I believe the information I provided was genuinely considered and my input was valued by everyone,” shares C. Chilton. “Time spent outside of meetings was very relaxing, I enjoyed getting to know other staff members and learning what they do with Pulsar products. I made some good friends and hope to have the opportunity to return someday. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for including me and making my time spent feel worthy. Till we meet again!”
Before purchasing any night or thermal vision device, please make sure you adhere to the local legislation and only use it when it is allowed. Our ambassadors come from various countries and travel a lot, which allows them to test different devices. We do not encourage or support the illegal use of our devices in any events. If you wish to learn more about export and sales restriction policy, please visit the following link: Export and Sales Restriction Policy.