It was early June, and I had saved my pennies. I researched a just-to-market GPS to the hilt and had cleared the purchase with my lovely bride. Not only did she give it her stamp of approval, but she told me it was something I needed. Can a guy get more of a green light?

We made a family trip to the Mile High City — for a quick vacation more than anything else — but the first stop was a small backpacking/outdoor shop I had researched on the web. They had the unit I was looking for, allowed customers to test products in the shop and claimed to have extensive knowledge of every item they carried. The good news: what they claimed was all true. The shop was clean, the staff was knowledgeable and extremely friendly, and I was able to test the GPS. The manager walked me through the unit. I loved it. It was easy to use and met all of my backcountry needs. I didn’t buy it.

I’m not sure why I couldn’t get the saved greenbacks out of my wallet. I just couldn’t. Somehow I convinced myself the product I’d been saving for, planning to purchase and longing to get wasn’t really necessary. The human brain is a tricky thing. Two weeks later, I dropped most of the money I’d saved on my third pair of boot gaiters, a new high-beam headlamp, four packs of reflective tacks for marking the trail to my treestand, a dozen screw-in tree steps and a handful of other deer-hunting-related items.

I’m not the only bowhunter I know who has skipped purchasing a quality product just to put the money toward some deer gear. A couple elk seasons back (bear with me here), two of my buddies and I went into a small pro shop in search of some quality rain gear. The elk mountains were wet and one of my companions had forgotten his set. The shop had multiple pieces of rain gear. Yes, they were pricey, but they boasted great quality. Guess what? He didn’t buy rain gear. Nope, he decided it was better to stay wet. He did, however, purchase an on-sale grunt call, a pack of broadheads he’d been wanting to try and a bottle of scent-eliminating spray. Why? He’s a deer nut. Why did I blow most of my saved GPS pennies on the items I did? I, like so many across the country, am a deer-aholic as well.

I’m not a psychologist, and I don’t want to pretend to be, but here’s what I know to be true: in an up market or down, in times of financial growth or trouble, deer hunters will buy deer gear. In other words, deer gear sells. Here at Archery Business, we feature articles on some of the best bowhunting gear on the market. Learn how these items can boost your sales and draw deer nuts like me to your archery shop