Jerry’s Outdoor Sports owner Tim Holt.

Jerry’s Outdoor Sports staff from left include Jace Hatterman, owner Tim Holt and Glen Shoemaker.

Courtesy of Tim Holt Jerry’s Outdoor Sport owner Tim Holt with his son Hayden on a recent hunt.

Jerry’s Outdoor Sports owner Tim Holt.

Jerry’s Outdoor Sports staff from left include Jace Hatterman, owner Tim Holt and Glen Shoemaker.

Courtesy of Tim Holt Jerry’s Outdoor Sport owner Tim Holt with his son Hayden on a recent hunt.

In 1985, Jerry Stehman heard there was a sporting goods business for sale and Stehman decided to buy it.

Since he had experience selling sporting goods equipment, he thought it would be a good purchase and he decided to target a niche group of outdoor shooting sport enthusiasts.

After nearly 30 years of moving between business locations, Stehman and his wife, Renee, decided to purchase the building located at 2999 North Avenue in 2012, and almost 10 years later, their business still thrives and serves as a hometown shooting sports store for people all over Colorado and eastern Utah.

Last September, Jerry Stehman decided it was time to retire, and his daughter and her husband, Jessica and Tim Holt, bought the business. Stehman, who had dedicated more than 36 years of his life to the company, was glad to see Jerry’s Outdoor Sports and the store’s legacy remain in family hands. Prior to becoming one of the business owners, Tim Holt worked as a sales consultant for an industrial supply company for six years, and Jessica Holt works as a full-time Realtor with RE Colorado.

Tim Holt was born in Rifle but grew up on the Front Range, where he met Jessica in 2003, and after getting married, they decided to move back to Grand Junction in 2007.

Tim Holt loves to go hunting in his spare time and hunts almost everything including elk, deer, duck, geese, pheasant and more — you name it, he’ll hunt it. He has been hunting since he was 12 years old, although Jessica and he now have three boys, who take up a lot of their time. Holt enjoys taking his boys out hunting as well.

When he isn’t working, Tim and his family also do plenty of golfing, fishing and camping, and just anything that gets them outdoors is fun for them.

Holt said he loves sharing his memories and hunting stories with other hunters. Whether it’s game planning where they’re going to hunt, telling stories about previous successes or getting together after not seeing friends for a year or so, Holt said hunting is all about the memories and good times.

Of course, it’s also about putting food in the freezer.

Holt prefers hunting with rifles and shotguns but respects the dedication and focus archery hunting takes, and he appreciates the sport of it and how much skill it takes to shoot accurately.

He admits that he would like to see more youth and kids hunting, and it seems as if the hunting areas are becoming more and more limited. There is less bird hunting to do, and for big game hunting, such as elk and deer, Holt enjoys seeing people come in to the store and purchase their first gun, learn how to shoot or acquire a hunting tag they’ve been working hard to get.

The store also sees customers that are looking for weapons for home protection and want to learn more about gun ownership.

The store also sees plenty of women customers. As their gun ownership increases, they begin to understand what they want, start looking at higher quality firearms and become more regularly involved in shooting. Holt finds it interesting to watch their growth.

Even with a staff with more than 300 years of shooting experience in the store, Holt feels that they learn a lot from their customers, and they get to share and retain that knowledge as they learn and grow in the sport.

“I love the customers and our personnel,” Holt said. “We all get along and have a good time.”

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Considerable clouds early. Some decrease in clouds late. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 68F. Winds SE at 10 to 15 mph.

Isolated thunderstorms during the evening, then partly cloudy overnight. Low 67F. Winds ENE at 5 to 10 mph. Chance of rain 40%. Locally heavy rainfall possible.

Cloudy skies early will become partly cloudy later at night. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 66F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.

Partly cloudy skies. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds ESE at 5 to 10 mph.

A few clouds. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible. Low 67F. Winds E at 5 to 10 mph.

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