Archery Business Jan-Feb 2012
BETTER BOWHUNTING CONTESTS Weavers Archery Store owners Keith and Judy Weaver with daughter Martina like to keep their scoring simple and consistent for their popular deer bowfishing and turkey contests As an example turkeys are measured by adding undressed weight the beards longest strand and both spurs Brunett said Bay Archerys contest evolved from a basic big buck bowhunting contest to the current Big Buck Bonanza that sells 4000 raffle tickets each fall Entrants must buy their tickets which cost 1 each or six for 5 before the bowhunting season opens Entrants are eligible for 20 prizes in the big buck contest for adults 10 prizes in the youth ages 10 to 16 big buck contest and 20 prizes for the raffle drawing contest Entries in the youth contest are also eligible for the adult contest whose top prize in 2011 was a PSE X Force Bow The top raffle prize was a BowTech General bow Raffles create additional interest because entrants dont have to register a deer to be eligible In fact Marvin said Streiff Sporting Goods creates even more demand for its multiple big deer contests and raffle drawings by limiting ticket sales to 500 entrants Tickets sell for 15 for Streiffs bigbuck and big doe bowhunting contests 26 archeryBUSINESS January February 2012 25 for its rifle hunting contest and 15 for its muzzleloading contest Tickets for the youth contest age 15 and under are free We could probably sell at least 520 to 530 tickets for the rifle contests but we encourage people to buy their tickets early to create demand and build interest Marvin said Your customers need to know theyre competing for the tickets Our guys know well be sold out if they dont act fast Marvin said the store chooses its prizes from excess inventory selecting only items of high perceived value Entrants in the bowhunting contest compete for bows treestands hunting blinds and trail cameras For the rifle hunting contests top prizes the store gives away eight guns For bowfishing contests most events offer a purse pooled from entry fees and pay it out to the top teams which typically include three bowhunters Clanahan said Paducah Shooters Supply charges 100 Tips To Better Bowhunting Contests 1From the start follow the KISS rule Keep It Simple Stupid If your deadline requires enrolling or weighing in before 6 p m dont accept new entrants or deer registrations at 6 02 p m 2 To generate more late season bowhunting offer a Big Doe contest after the firearms season 3 Do not offer free taxidermy service for top prizes Few contestants want to wait until after a contest to take a trophy to a taxidermist 4 Make an attractive leader board and post it in a strategic place to draw customers past featured merchandise inside your store 5 To add interest to your leader board include categories to identify the date of kill and which bow and broadhead and or other gear they used 6 To increase profits while encouraging camaraderie offer snacks refreshments and sandwiches to contestants and spectators at your weigh in station 7 Celebrate each entrants trophy When a youngster registers a doe or young buck take their photo and offer heartfelt congratulations 8 For bowfishing contests set geographical boundaries using well recognized easily understood landmarks to avoid confusion and encourage self policing 9 Remember size doesnt matter especially for start up events and contests for juniors You can generate a lot of fun and good will with just 25 to 30 people paying 5 entry fees 10 To dispose of a bowfishing contests rough fish be flexible if the serviceprovider requests a fee even if hes selling the fish for consumption fertilizer or compost If hes your customer try offering equipment discounts or free range time
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