Huntin' Time Review

Duckbill Outdoors recently displayed at the Huntin' Time Expo in Grand Rapids, MI in the Deltaplex arena. We had a great booth location and we saw a lot of traffic. It was great to hear from all of you hunters out there what you thought and your own stories about trying to deal with an excess of gear - we heard hunters say they used everything from backpacks, fanny-packs and spare pockets, to buckets, old military utility rigs, and more.

I think it really solidified for us, and should for any hunters out there, the fact that there really is no one solution to the "clutter problem" out there that can do what the Duckbill Outdoors platform does.

Apart from a modular, ergonomic utility system like ours, backpacks are probably the best (and often most expensive!) solution. But what happens when you need to grab a piece of equipment quickly and quietly? You have to sift through the clutter of the backpack to find that one thing you need - it could be at the bottom of the pack, or anywhere!

This problem is compounded even further if you're in a blind, as it often gets quite dark inside. The same is true if you're out at very early dawn or late near dusk. The Duckbill Outdoors platform works intuitively with muscle memory, so that the more you use the modular system, the quicker and more intuitive your gear-access becomes.

Need your compass, walkie talkie, or gps right away? It's simple to access an item that's already organized on your person. Need a swig of water to parch a dry throat? Searching through gear to find a drink is just so inconvenient. That's why a system like the one we offer is so ideal. Anyone can use it, and not just for one season or game. It's fully customizable and adjustable, and the modular aspect of it means you take what you need with you when you need it.

Once again, we'd like to thank all the hunters we talked to at the show for stopping by, and to all the other friends and contacts we made there. We're motivated to continue innovating and crafting newer and better gear for all the dedicated hunting folks like yourselves out there!

Take care out there everybody,

- Dennis

Big Bucks make headlines in West Michigan

Read the article from the Grand Rapids Press here.

"Every time you go hunting, you dream of seeing a buck this big"

    - Chris James, Jackson County, MI

Quite an exciting story I read on www.MLive.com recently. I guess it goes to show you that hunters come in all stripes. I imagine for this Chris James, this has got to be the story of a lifetime. Now, I thought it was intriguing that he says he never uses a tree stand, but prefers to climb around in the trees without these items. I wonder if anybody knows any statistics on how safe that is? I suppose if one happens to be in peak physical condition, the risks would be diminished, but really how comfortable can it be to sit perched in tree branches without support for hours on end? You've gotta respect the grit and determination that that takes, though.

And he did bring home the big prize, after all. I still wonder about the logistics of unaided tree climbing. My gut feeling is that it's got to be pretty dangerous. Then again, you hear horror stories all the time about hunters' skeletons being found in the woods, a year after their "economical," i.e. cheap, tree stand broke down and they took a fall from 20 feet or more in the air. Other than that, it's just an inspiring story in general, and stories like these bode well for when the gun season starts as well. Sounds like it ought to be a good year here in Michigan.

Take care out there, everybody,

-Dennis

Product Development: Silent Magnetic System

In our ever-developing effort to create products better suited to the environment they will be used in, I'd like to reveal to you a possible solution we're looking at for the matter of our Velcro system and hunting - we presume the two don't go together well, what with Velcro being so noisy and all.

This one possible solution we're looking at is the idea of instead of using Velcro, using Magnetic strips which would be inserted beneath the cloth of the modules, and thus connect and disconnect completely silently. Silence, invisibility, and scentless-ness are all critical aspects of the sport of hunting, and we want to make products that will help with just that.

Camouflage Gear in the works for Duckbill Outdoors

We haven't announced it on the website yet, but I'm going to give a little sneak peak here of something we've got in the works - a camouflage initiative for all our hunting gear.

Right now, we have a forest green camo pattern, and we're planning on coming out with more patterns - snow, prairie, mountain, desert, and blaze are some of the options we're looking at in these early stages. For your enjoyment, here's a sneak peak at our traditional utility belt and suspenders rig, redone in forest green camo pattern:

Stay tuned for more info. about further innovations we've been coming up with!

Take care out there everybody,

-Dennis

Cabela's opening in Hammond IN

Today a new Cabela's location opens in Hammond Indiana, in the greater Chicago area. We were planning to distribute fliers in the parking lot, but our research indicated that it wouldn't be a good idea. Duckbill Outdoors is not necessarily in hiatus at this point, however. Look forward to announcements in the coming weeks about some of the new products and features we have in the works for all you outdoors enthusiasts. The Duckbill Outdoors website will also be getting revamped in the coming weeks as well. I eventually envision a website with more interactive features, to help customers envision their setup before they purchase.

There's plenty to look forward to!

Take care out there everyone,

-Dennis

Pump up the volume

Many apologies for the corny post title :)

This is just a quick post to officially announce my intent to greatly increase, or "pump up", if you will, the volume of posts on the blog. It seems crazy to me, but it's already been over 2 weeks since my last post. Expect to see many more posts in the coming days, friends, even if some of them are as lack-luster as this one :)

Hey, I can't be Ernest Hemingway everyday, you know.

Take care out there everybody,

-Dennis

Proposed Legislation to grant rights to Native American tribes in Michigan

A couple days ago I read an article in the press about an agreement that's being discussed here in Michigan to grant certain rights to American Indian tribes in the state. They would gain legal access to and a certain amount of regulatory authority over several million acres of land here in the Great Lakes State. Members of the tribes would apparently have special hunting and fishing rights, longer seasons, and higher bag limits under this agreement. A treaty signed in 1836, according to the article, was responsible for the Indians losing ownership rights over the land, and to Michigan becoming a state.

Obviously some people are going to have a problem with this. Opponents of programs such as affirmative action and other government programs based on ideas of so-called 'social justice' will see this as granting special privilege to groups of people based on their race or ethnic background. While I'm not here to get into an argument about affirmative action, I have one thing to say to people who will complain about Native Americans getting special land rights: Get over it. It's about time the native people of this country started getting compensation for the atrocities committed against them throughout our country's history.

Now, I realize there's probably some people out there who still believe in manifest destiny, and certainly I think it's clear that the USA wouldn't be the country it is today if not for the westward expansion. However, woven into the fabric of that story is the dark shameful past of the exploitation and cultural murder of so many groups of native peoples. We can't un-write history, most of us probably wouldn't want to anyway, but to ignore or deny the damage done is just irresponsible.

In fact, if you ask me, programs and legislation like this proposed agreement is just a case of too little too late. The damage has already been done, and in most places the native culture is falling apart, or barely eking out an existence. As with so many subcultures in our country, as our younger generations grow up with universalized media and pop culture, it gets harder and harder to preserve traditions and ideas from the past. This proposed legislation would be a good step, and a noble gesture, but in reality there's no way to completely repay the suffering that American Indians have had to go through.

Take care out there everybody,

-Dennis

Outdoors Retail Shopping in the Midwest

For any outdoors lovers in the United States, Cabela's is probably a familiar word, if not a household name. The outdoor sports retail giant, well-known throughout the states for their sprawling, gargantuan mega-stores sparsely scattered around the country, has also announced plans to expand their reach to our neighbor to the north, with a location in southern Montreal expected to open sometime in 2008.

In October of 2007, a new location will be opening in Hammond, Indiana (part of the greater Chicago area.) Earlier this summer an article ran in the Grand Rapids Press discussing early plans for a Cabela's in West Michigan (Walker) - a store which wouldn't open until fall 2009, however.

One memorable quote from that article is: "There are 18 Cabela's in the country. There are 18,000 communities that want them" spoken by developer Jim Bossenbroek. Some people have a problem with this. There are some who say that communities are often required to pay (with tax payer money) large 'incentives' to big companies like Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops. This may run to the $15 million range or higher. Other outdoors retail locations don't get paid incentives by the state government but still open their locations around the country so the argument goes.

There are probably many tax payers who want stores like Cabela's in their communities and would be willing to see their tax dollars go to paying the incentives. Thing is, not everybody is an outdoors enthusiast. That seems to be where people's problem lies. My feeling is that at least here in Michigan, we can use all the business we can get. Adding a nice Cabela's location in West Michigan would be a great boost for the economy, locally and statewide, and a lot better use of our state's money than whatever-the-heck else the government of our state is doing with it now - either padding their pockets or pandering to organized crime and corrupt auto unions in Detroit, who knows. One thing's for certain though - there's no shortage of fine outdoors retail sites in the Midwest - or in the United States in general. And that includes Cabela's and Bass Pro Shops. Of course, the Internet and e-Commerce are breaking down all those location-bound barriers and offering more opportunities for success than ever before!

Take care out there, everybody.

-Dennis