Archery Business Jan-Feb 2012
BETTER BOWHUNTING CONTESTS 36 archeryBUSINESS January February 2012 Starting up a general season long coyote contest can appease some of your gun hunting customers and you may also get strong interest from turkey hunters and late season bowhunters a big buck contest because no one agrees on an easy way to judge the bucks For bowfishing though he believes Paducah Shooters Supply is tapping into the sports rising popularity Id say our sales of bowfishing gear by Muzzy AMS and Cajun have tripled the past two years as more people compete in contests around here Clanahan said Most people start with bottle top reels and then start switching to Muzzys reels the Zebco 808 which use smaller line for better arrow flight Weaver said he noticed his stores busy season shifted to June rather than mid July when he began hosting bowfishing tournaments in June July and August It seems more guys bring their bows in earlier once they become active in bowfishing he said We definitely saw a business uptick in June We also felt squeezed in August when the bowfishing contest overlapped with our normal deer season preparations For 2012 well offer a May contest instead of one in August Im eager to see if that causes an even earlier uptick in business Marvin thinks deer contests increase Streiff Sporting Goods bottom line but he cant ballpark their financial impacts The real value for us is the marketing and the fact more people are coming through our doors he said We offer the biggest contest by far in our area When you have people registering deer and more hunters coming here to see what other hunters bring in theres a lot of fun storytelling and camaraderie Brunett agrees I dont know if contests provide a direct financial payback he said We take a picture of every buck we put the photos in books and people pick up the books and page through them yearround We also put the photos on our new website I want 400 to 500 pictures on the website as soon as possible All those pictures add to our credibility I might not be able to show a profit on our contests but their value to our store is priceless Dont Overlook Coyotes Retailer sponsored hunting contests for deer rough fish and wild turkeys can help draw customers to archery stores during spring summer and fall Thats great but which contests boost store visits during winter Chance Clanahan store manager for Paducah Shooters Supply in Paducah Kentucky says coyote contests offer more potential than he once realized We started a coyote contest three years ago on a whim to satisfy some of our rifle guys and to get more turkey hunters to shoot coyotes Clanahan said It quickly became our biggest contest We had 150 guys signed up for it this year Ive had guys drive here from 50 miles away to check in coyotes Clanahan said most contestants hunt coyotes with rifles but the contest is also popular with late season bowhunters If they see a coyote while bowhunting deer they have more incentive to try shooting it he said Last year we ran the contest from January 1 through mid May but this year well start December 1 or 15 to make it more accessible to bowhunters Clanahan uses a handheld scale to weigh each coyote and takes photos of hunters with their dogs For prizes Paducah Shooters Supply gives away electronic callers to hunters shooting the largest coyote and the most coyotes Further each time hunters register a coyote their names get entered into a drawing for a free varmint rifle In 2011 one five man group registered 106 coyotes during the 55 month contest The top two hunters registered 38 and 31 coyotes For the Midwest thats a bunch of coyotes Clanahan said
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