We are a sorry lot, us upland bird hunters. One-track mind is the polite term … obsessed is what you say behind your hand when we’re walking away from, well, any conversation that doesn’t involve dogs, feathers or shotguns. Go ahead, say it: We are a cult.
If you’re trying to expand your clientele, you might want to get to know us a bit, understand our motives, and leverage that knowledge into new sales. “To know us is to love us” isn’t just a well-worn cliché — it is your mantra if you want to bring avid upland bird hunters into your establishment. Stock the things we want, need or crave, and turn over the “open” sign.
I’ve been surveying my own followers for more than 15 years, asking what they love, what they do when they’re not hunting, and what they’re buying. The remarkable part is they tell me virtually the same thing every year, so the data is fairly reliable. Marketing is finding a need and filling it, and when it comes to upland hunters, our needs are pretty simple:
- We hunt because that’s where the dogs are. The magic they display in the field is our crack cocaine. Help us help them.
- We want to shoot better because that makes our dogs happy.
- When we’re not hunting, we’re training our dogs or honing our shooting skills on the range.
- Big game, turkeys, waterfowl, fishing and other pastimes are non-starters.
What you do with that information could be the difference between suck and success.
You’ll never out-price the big boxes or have the massive inventory of an online seller, so don’t bother. Instead, you could be an information resource, a haven, headquarters, and the place where uplanders can upgrade their gear and their shopping experience. And I mean upgrade in the broadest sense of the word: transitioning to a subgauge shotgun, pump to over-and-under, utilitarian to specialized, generic to name-brand, and acquiring the little things that make hunting life better.
You know there’s still room in this wacky retail world for touching, trying, smelling and tasting new gear. Sure, some of us, like any enthusiast, will abuse the privilege, waste your time, manhandle your inventory, then save a buck buying from a catalog. But there are plenty who are looking for a place they’re comfortable and welcome, and where we can get what we need TODAY.
And you’re just across town. My survey shows 16% of upland hunters spend most of their hard-earned dollars at a local retailer. That may not sound like a big market, but it’s more than any source other than Cabela’s or even online sellers. And the five-year trend includes fewer uplanders buying from big boxes year after year. Why not become their go-to brick-and-mortar haven?
Stock the right stuff and you’ll get more than your fair share of business from upland hunters who seldom have another good reason to visit you. Entry-level gear is a non-starter, what with margins the way they are these days. That market is also newbies testing their interest, who haven’t got context, commitment or experience to know what they really want. And you’re at the mercy of discounters and online pitches. High-end gear appeals to the few customers flying in the rarified air, hard to reach and harder to impress, even if they darken your door.
But that middle ground is your sweet spot. It goes to a never-ending desire to get better via better gear. Bespoke shotguns may be out of the question without a winning lottery ticket, but a decent Turkish over-and-under is a step up from dad’s old pump gun.
So, without breaking the bank, how do you serve this narrow yet passionate niche? Focus on mid-priced gear in these hot categories: firearms, footwear and apparel. These are the items on our shopping list and how many are shopping for them now:
Boots: 56% will buy a pair this year. Several manufacturers have introduced a model just for upland hunters. Sweet-spot brands include Irish Setter and Crispi, including their new Upland Pro, MSRP $385. We’re usually buying in summer, so they’re well broken-in by hunting season.
Shotguns: 40% of us are in the market. For many, it’s swapping a semi-auto for an over-and-under or side-by-side, or going to a subgauge gun. Others are moving from a Turkish- to an American-made firearm. Legacy Sports is importing a new model, the Pointer Field Tek 912 over-and-under (MRSP $739). Climbing the quality/value ladder and based on reception of the 12-gauge version, Browning’s new-ish A5 in 20-gauge will make some waves. It’s selling for $1,900 to $2,100. Believe it or not, shotguns are a year-round opportunity with a slight uptick in late summer.
Apparel is on the shopping list of 56% of us (add hunting vests and you hit 90%). “Technical” is all the rage, but many brands are only available direct to consumer. One choice may be the Sawbuck Brush Pant by First Lite at $170 retail. Browning offers a lower-priced feature-filled pant at just $79 retail; both put you on the map with avid participants. Vests are a considered purchase, often bought well before opening day; other clothing is a year-round sales opportunity. If you’re offering a well-designed strap vest such as Browning’s Bird ‘N Lite 2.0 (selling at $158), you’re likely solving someone’s problem.
A few other categories are worth a small investment. Dog training is an off-season sales opportunity, say, from February to July. A decent checkcord, a couple retrieving bumpers, bottled bird scent, and bird wings are starters. Take it up a notch and add the new, affordable Dogtra Compass GPS collar. Clay target shooting peaks in summer as we tune up for hunting season. Offer shooting glasses and ear protection, maybe a shooting vest or belt. Most hunters aren’t hard-core competitive shooters, so keep your selection basic and mid-priced.
Not as bad as fly anglers, but uplanders are also impulse buyers, and as the local go-to source, you’re perfectly positioned for the last-minute little things. We can always justify another whistle and lanyard, flush counters in grouse country, a canine first-aid kit, hunting gloves, short leashes (traffic leads), dog boots, and dog treats.
Offer a couple choices in each category, dress it up in a blaze-orange corner or end aisle with a taxidermied ringneck, and you’ll be meeting a lot of our needs, a lot of the time. More importantly, you’re right there when we need something, not a two-day delivery away.
To get on our radar screens, support local chapters of Pheasants Forever and the Ruffed Grouse Society, become active in local dog training groups, host a shooting day at the local clays range or a hunting seminar, exhibit at the local sportsman’s show. Keep the coffee fresh and be hospitable. Social posts that help us are worth some effort — we want to do everything better, so offer useful information. In all your communications, stress local, helpful, available, welcome.
Need more incentive? Our season is longer than most, we hunt more days, own more than one dog, travel more often than big-game hunters. And when we’re not hunting (or training dogs, or practicing our shooting), we’re getting ready to do them. Rinse and repeat.
When all is said and done, it’s pretty simple: understand upland bird hunters’ principal needs, know what they’re buying, and find the middle ground in pricing and selection. You’ll create a loyal clientele who come for the company and stay to buy the gear.
