From my August article for The News Journal.
Need versus want and quality versus quantity are age-old debates that continually surface no matter the condition of the economy, the thickness of one’s wallet, or the number of new must-haves that flood catalogs and store shelves before each hunting season.
Marketers are slick in their use of automation systems and customer databases that track customer shopping habits, store purchasing information and promotional responses, and enable precise targeting of marketing messages. Without much human intervention, sophisticated retailers make sure an archery catalog arrives in a bowhunters mailbox in early summer and waterfowl hunting-related emails hit a duck hunter’s inbox in early fall.
What’s more, online marketers can track a hunter’s web-based product searches and automatically display digital ads for those products. Targeted ads can leverage the capabilities of a hunter’s web browser and follow her or him from one website to another.
With the constant bombardment of hunting-product-related marketing messages via digital and print media, it’s no wonder we hunters work ourselves into frenzies as we try to narrow down our annual pre-hunt shopping lists. We really could make cases for needing just about everything in the store or catalog, but, alas, we must be selective.
In an attempt to assign a bit of logic to a normally illogical process, I offer some common sense shopping tips that are frequently overlooked by rut-crazed hunters.
- Spend no more than what you can afford. This tip is about as straightforward as it gets, but such an approach may require a bit of planning. If discretionary income is limited (as it is for most of us), set a fixed amount you wish to spend each season on hunting-related products, and if necessary, save money throughout the year until you reach your goal.
- Prioritize your spending. In other words, buy what you think you absolutely need first, then consider other purchases. When prioritizing, think about required items, like licenses, tags and permits, and look to replace depleted or spoiled items, like shells, broadheads, scents and attractants.
- Think long term. We all love bargains, but it’s wise to remember that cheaper is not necessarily better. Inexpensive clothes and boots may not hold up as well or last as long as more expensive alternatives. For higher-ticket items like binoculars, consider the warranties as well as the price. I purchased a mid-level pair of binoculars (less than $500) about five years ago and recently shipped them to the manufacturer for a slight repair. The binoculars had a superb warranty, so the company sent me a brand new pair with no strings – and no fees – attached.
- Comparison shop. Delaware has its fair share of hunting supply stores. Rather than buying impulsively, use catalogs or the Internet to research items you need, then visit stores to try on, try out, or otherwise interact with the items.Web shoppers should be sure to compare prices on multiple sites, but be wary of shipping costs, return policies and product availability issues.
Steven Kendus’ Hunter’s Journal appears monthly in The News Journal. Kendus is the author of “Hunting The First State: A Guide to Delaware Hunting.” Follow Kendus at www.HuntingTheFirstState.com and on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube. Contact him at skendus@HuntingTheFirstState.com.