If what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas, they can have it — the flu, I mean. My big gamble was that I could get on an airplane and not catch it. I threw the dice and lost. But I did manage to make it to day one of the main event.

Last week’s Shooting, Hunting, Outdoor Trade Show attracted 31,769 company buyers and guests and 2,074 members of the sporting press to the Sands Expo and Convention Center. There, all facets of the $4 billion industry were captured under one roof, with 1,600 exhibitors and 630,000 square feet of booth space.

The state of Oregon was well represented. Pat Mundy, of Beaverton-based Leupold, showed me the Mark 8, a 1.1-8-by-24mm rifle scope, the newest model in its line. This unit is built on a 34mm main tube with “pinch and turn” locking knobs for windage and elevation and a third turret on the left, which is a rheostat that controls the brightness of the M-TMR reticle. A rugged scope, built to military standards, it is available to civilians at a retail price of something like $3,500.

Mike Shantie and Mark Thomas from Kruger Optical, of Sisters, showed me the second generation 1-8-by-40 Dual Tactical Sight. Designed for a complex battle environment, the carbon fiber DTS can be instantly switched — with no head movement — from a close quarter reflex to a 2-8-by- mil-dot sight with independently adjustable windage and elevation systems.

Bob Nosler and Mike Lake let me handle the latest Nosler rifle, the Legacy Model 48, a tribute to John Nosler, who passed away last October. With a hand-oiled black walnut stock, a Rifle Basix trigger and its graceful lines, I knew this was a rifle Big John would have carried.

Nosler has also entered the world of air-powered projectiles with the eXTREME Ballistic Tip, engineered to feed the new Benjamin 357 caliber Rogue air rifle.

I’ve watched Tualatin-based Warne Scope Mounts carve out a place in the industry with their rugged scope mounts under the direction of Charlie Lake. Their latest product is a 65in/lb torque wrench used for mounting optics.

Wilsonville’s Crimson Trace Corporation has expanded its offerings from the world of laser lights into gun-mounted white lights that work in tandem with its famous grip-mounted laser systems.

Speaking of handguns, I ran into Travis Noteboom and Brad Thomas with Diamondback Firearms. The product is an American-made micro-compact 380 semi-automatic pistol that can be ordered with Crimson Trace grips.

Another handgun that caught my eye was the Kimber Solo, a micro-compact with 9mm power in a 17-ounce platform and all the features of a full-size handgun, including an ambidextrous safety.

There was no shortage of black guns, the so-called modern sporting rifles, which are very often not black anymore. A new rifle that caught my eye was neither black nor modern. A scaled-down single-shot Sharps, the Lyman Ideal Model is fitted with a rear tang sight and is chambered in 22 Hornet and 38-55. With a stream-lined lock and double set triggers, this would make a fine varmint rifle for those days when the spring wind blows soft over the growing alfalfa.

Mark Lipari’s Oilfield Camo caught me by surprise. A hunting camo pattern that doesn’t look like camouflage, it is made up of patterns of helicopters, derricks, cranes, pumps and other implements from the working man’s world. “We’re working men. It’s who we are, it’s what we do,” Mark said.

You could put this camo on a tie and blend right in at the office. If you wore a tie. If you had an office.

I ran into Dale Mitchell from Redmond, who pointed me toward Hunten Outdoors. One of the features I liked in their higher-end trail cameras was the ability to scroll through the pictures without removing the card from the unit. I’ve used trail cameras enough to know that I want to use them more in the future.

At the SOG Specialty Knives booth, Chris Cashbaugh and Bill Daddi introduced me to the Trident Mini folding knife. It opens easily with spring assist. A unique groove in the handle allows the user to cut paracord, fishing line or whatever without opening the knife.

For Irish Setter Boots, Kim Emery showed me the latest rubber Rutmaster for treestand hunters. Seventeen inches high, with 800 grams of Thinsulate, an ExoFlex fit system and aggressive treads, these are not your father’s rubber boots. But I’d bet he’d like a pair.

At the Adventure Medical Kits booth, they showed me the SOL (Survive Outdoors Longer) Origin kit. About the size of a baseball, but more appropriate in an emergency, the unit includes a knife, fire starter, rescue flash, LED light, compass, rescue howler and a fishing gear.

With the industry shows wrapping up, the consumer shows are underway and all the new gear is going to get its real test, in the marketplace. Closest to home is the O’Loughlin Sportsman’s Show, which returns to the Deschutes County Fairgrounds, March 10-13.

See you there.