Dress For Hunting Success

Shooting Industry, August, 2000 by Roger Combs

Outfit Your Customers For The Fall Season While Tagging Impressive Profits!

Your customer has just purchased a new rifle (or shot gun) with a fine scope, several boxes of ammunition and powerful binoculars. He's all set for the hunting fields, right? Not if your customer and you are looking for total success this fall.

Think clothing. Not many hunters go afield these days dressed in jeans, a worn Army jacket and old work boots. Whether it's for comfort, the right look or gaining a hunting edge, today's hunter has got to be dressed for success.

There is money in clothing, especially in today's market, where margins on firearms and ammunition are less than attractive. Compare that to 35 to 50 percent for clothing! Just as important, your customers need to have the latest fashions. That's why the clothing segment of the industry continues to grow at an impressive pace.

Moving Clothing

Selling clothing in a gun shop isn't the oddity it once was, especially for gun dealers who refuse to give up that profit to the "sporting goods" shop down the street. There are plenty of name brands to select from, especially those carrying camouflage clothing.

Realtree, Advantage, Mossy Oak, Trebark, Tru-Woods, Image Country and DK Flatwoods are but a few of the patterns covering clothing for today's hunter.

Browning has garments for every kind of hunting conditions and specialty items for the shotgunner, rifle hunter, black powder shooter, handgunner and bowhunter. You can outfit your customers, men and women, from top to bottom, with a Browning label. Browning has full underwear (Hunderwear), sweaters, socks, shirts, vests, trousers, jackets, parkas and hats, in insulated and non-insulated, camouflage or solid colors, waterproof, interchangeable, lined and unlined versions for every condition.

You and your customers know, from bitter experience, that becoming cold or wet or both while hunting is a sure way to not to have a successful hunt. Today's hunting garments are not only fashionable, but also functional, utilizing high-tech materials and treatments to provide maximum protection.

Hardy Tradition

C. C. Filson dates back more than 100 years, starting with gear for Northwest loggers and Alaska gold-seekers. Filson's hunting clothing reflects these beginnings, being warm and waterproof or water repellent. Unlike all other major clothing brands, you won't find camouflage in Filson's offerings. Most Filson jackets, vests, coats and trousers are made of natural wool or oil-finished cotton. Filson's Tin Cloth is a paraffin-based, oil-finished heavy cotton material that provides protection against wind, rain and snow. Your customers will be pleased to note that many of the coats and jackets have padded shooting patches in the shoulder.

Traditional And Modern

Since 1830, Woolrich has been furnishing outdoor workers and hunters with warm, dry clothing. Dealers can show their hunting customers a wide range of colors, weights, camouflage patterns and materials for every situation.

Woolrich offers plenty of garments with that traditional look, including plaid shirts, coats and trousers, all made of wool, as well as the latest designs of green, tan, brown or camo hunting clothing. Many customers prefer traditional wool clothing. Wool will keep the hunter warm and dry in the coldest, wettest weather. Plenty of your customers will want to put on their hunting gear for everyday wear. Bowhunters and turkey hunters who must sit quietly for long periods under often adverse weather conditions will appreciate Woolrich's special CamWoolflage jackets and trousers, made of 100-percent wool.

Several of Woolrich's hunting garments are made of Squires Hightech's Saddle-Cloth, a soft, quiet, stormproof and windproof fabric. This year, Squires improved on the popular Saddle-Cloth with Saddle-Lite. The new fabric is 40 percent lighter than Saddle-Cloth, highly water repellent, breathable, odor resistant and more.

Woolrich has also introduced a Ducks Unlimited line of sportswear. No camouflage here, but high-style field wear that also crosses over to the popular on-the street outdoor look.

No Lack Of Labels

Liberty, l0X, Walls, Wolf Mountain, Columbia Sportswear, Flint River, Oversize Outfitters, Whitewater Outdoors, Remington Arms and Wells Creek Outfitters feature full lines of hunting clothes. Beretta has also expanded their entire line of hunting and outdoor clothes. This year, U.S. Repeating Arms introduced an extensive array of clothing, including those for the serious hunter.

In outfitting your customers, don't forget the head and hands. Gloves and hats are important to a successful hunt, no matter the game. In cold weather, a large percentage of body heat is lost through the head. Good insulation on top will help the hunter stay out longer, increasing the possibility of seeing and taking game.

Boots Galore

There are hundreds of boot choices for you to offer your customers, depending on the type and location of their hunt. Just like clothing, one type of boot won't meet all the requirements. That can lead to the sale of more than one pair of boots.