Photo from Genesis Archery Facebook
Fact: Not everyone who walks into your archery shop is a diehard bowhunter. Maybe they accompany a friend for family member who is a serious bowhunter, or perhaps they come in alone to buy a thing or two, or simply to ask advice. Whatever the case, it’s critical that archery shop staff not only treat them with respect, but also don’t make the mistake of implying they must be more dedicated to have fun or be successful.
Visit online archery forums and you’d think that bowhunters who don’t shoot daily — year-round — have no business buying an archery deer license and hitting the field each fall. I’ve witnessed this type of condescending talk first hand at archery shops. Sometimes the negative comments come from customers during an archery league night or from store staff. Regardless, the comments are misguided, and simply wrong.
Yes, I understand that taking an animal’s life with an accurate arrow is far more serious business than splitting a golf course fairway with an accurate drive. But that doesn’t mean every bowhunter must have Levi Morgan skills to pursue whitetails with archery gear.
Archery shop staff would do better by welcoming casual bowhunters — men and women alike — with opened arms. And the goal shouldn’t be turning them into a diehard. If that eventually happens, fine. If they never fall in love with bowhunting, fine.
Casual bowhunters still purchase a hunting license and a bit of gear, and all of us need to stick together to ensure the long term survival of our sport.
I do think it’s important to ensure that casual bowhunters understand the limit of their archery abilities. And this should be communicated clearly, but not in a way that comes across negatively.
For example, let’s say someone has a decent/functioning compound bow package. After not picking up their bow in almost a year, they can shoot five out of five arrows into a five-inch-diameter bull’s-eye at 15 yards. You know what? That’s fine, provided they limit their range in the whitetail woods to 15 yards. They don’t need to drill targets daily at 30, 40 and 50 yards to have fun pursuing whitetails for a couple three-day weekends each deer season.
And if we’re being honest, to have fun in the field and experience some success on whitetails, bowhunters don’t have to have thousands of dollars in other gear, too. I can’t count on all my fingers and toes the number of times I’ve hiked into public land and after a bit of scouting, sat in brush or fallen trees downwind of a likely deer trail and eventually had whitetails pass by within 15 yards. Sure, I was carrying an expensive bow, and I was sitting on a top-notch backpack chair, but I would’ve had the same thrilling experience sitting on a dark-colored 5-gallon bucket with a compound or traditional bow costing one fourth as much.
On the golf course, I’m smart enough to not attempt a 275-yard carry over water with a tee shot, and similarly, all bowhunters need to have solid understanding of their skills when setting a maximum shooting distance. I don’t have to hit it like Jordan Spieth to enjoy 9 holes with my buddies, and an archer can be just as casual when it comes to bowhunting.
If your sales staff isn’t doing so already, take the time to address casual bowhunters with a smile and a helpful tone. It’s the right thing to do for our sport — and smart business.
