WHAT
IS A READY-T0-HUNT™ BOW PACKAGE?
A Read-to-Hunt™ Bow Package isn't just a "kit" or "outfitter"
bow with some extra accessories thrown in the box. A
Ready-to-Hunt™ Bow is a COMPLETE FIELD-READY bowhunting system which has
been professionally prepared, adjusted, tested, tuned, and
pre-sighted in our pro-shop. No additional
parts to buy. Nothing left to assemble at home. Our Ready-to-Hunt™ bow systems come
READY AND LOADED with everything:
bow, sight, rest, quiver, stabilizer, sling, case, custom arrows,
broadheads, mechanical release, peep sight, nock set, string
silencers, and more!
Most importantly, when you open the case and unpack
your Ready-to-Hunt™ bow, it is 100% ready to shoot - right
then. Simply strap on your release, pick up the bow,
nock an arrow, and let it rip. Our pro-shop shop builds
the bow system FOR YOU - TO YOUR SPECIFICATIONS. So it's
shooting properly from the very first shot you take. All
you have to do is finish setting your sight pins to the
distances you prefer, and you're literally ready for the woods.
A BETTER WAY TO BUY
A NEW BOW
We understand that
just choosing a new bow can
be a daunting task in itself. And then you'll have to choose from
hundreds of different parts and accessories, try to figure out
what parts you really need, see what accessories will work on
your bow and what won't, find arrows to match your
system, and then get someone to set it all up and tune it in.
What a hassle! When you buy a Ready-to-Hunt™ Bow Package,
you get something totally different.
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THE SETUP PROCESS
With our exclusive Ready-to-Hunt™ bow packages, you get a complete
bowhunting system that is already configured and
setup for
optimal field performance. We begin with the bare-bow,
adjusting your bow to the precise draw weight, draw length, and
let-off settings you select. We then professionally
install all of your accessories, string inclusions, and
additional devices. Our technicians then build custom
arrows for your particular bow, matching the arrow spine,
weight, length, and FOC to the output characteristics to your
bow. When our initial parts assembly process is complete,
the bow is
pre-cycled for string stretch, and then moved into
our "shooting-tunnel" where we conduct our basic paper-tuning
processes to examine base arrow flight. But we don't stop there.
With the bow now in relative tune, we then range-test
(group-tune) every
Ready-to-Hunt™ bow for accuracy and make
adjustments as necessary until every arrow is flying laser-beam
true. We test-shoot every
Ready-to-Hunt™ bow, literally dozens of times, until we're
satisfied that the bow is performing properly. This also gives us an opportunity
to debug any noise problems, peep or string issues, fletching
contact problems, etc. |
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Once the bow is grouping properly downrange, our staff shooters
rough-set your top sight sight-pin (for a 15-20 yard shot). So your very first shot with your new Ready-to-Hunt bow is
likely to be land within a few inches of the bullseye. Of
course, every shooter is different. So the fine
pin-settings will be up to you. But our process puts you
comfortably "on the paper", so you don't have to start from
scratch - possibly
sending an arrow into an unforgiving neighbor's yard.
 Finally,
we chronograph the final field-ready rig, weigh and spec the
custom arrows, compute the actual tested KE output, and document
the bow system's settings and final specifications. With
every Ready-to-Hunt™
Bow Package, you will receive a copy of our Shop Order Assembly
& Test Report - your bow's "technical report card"
- which
details the results of our setup and testing process. We
suggest you keep this report with your bow's literature for
future reference. You'll
also receive a copy of our Getting Started Booklet, which offers
helpful advice on setting sight pins, maintaining your bow,
making minor adjustments, etc. |
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 When our setup process is complete, we inspect and double-check
all the bow's settings and specifications one final time
before carefully loading your finished bow, arrows, and all
loose components into your bow case for transport.
READY TO
HUNT™ BOW PACKAGES ALSO SAVE MONEY
We don't believe archery
consumers should have to choose between getting good service and
getting a fair deal. So we work hard to make sure our
Ready-to-Hunt™ Bow Packages are affordable and competitive.
Ironically, the increasing popularity of the program has helped to make
this possible.
As our Ready-to-Hunt™ bow package program has grown, we've been
able to make special arrangements with a number of manufacturers
to purchase common parts as bulk/OEM shipments, in order to
lower the per-unit cost of the package components. So in most
cases, we can offer a full Ready-to-Hunt™ Bow Package at a retail
price that's 10-30% less than the price of the the individual
parts purchased separately. |
 VOLUME BUYING STRATEGY
You may notice that many of our bow packages feature some of the
same parts and accessory choices (Whisker Biscuit Rests, TruFire Releases, Trophy
Ridge Sights, Alpine Quivers, Easton Arrows, NAP Broadheads,
Flambeau Bow Cases, etc.). This isn't by accident.
We know that quality is important. So we select these
parts carefully to ensure our bow packages are outfitted with
reliable components that will perform well in the field.
But we also know that price is important too. What good is
a great bow setup that nobody can afford? So we employ a
buying strategy, where we focus on a few selected arrow and
accessory lines, rather than offer a smattering of parts from all over
the market. This allows us to purchase key items in larger
bulk quantities - at a much better price.
PASSING ALONG THE BENEFITS
While it may sound cliché, we really do pass those savings along
to our Ready-to-Hunt™ customers. We don't believe in
hoarding those savings for ourselves - that's not how our
pricing philosophy works. If we get it cheaper - you get
it cheaper. There are more than a dozen different
accessories and components that go into assembling a
Ready-to-Hunt™ bow package. And a few dollars savings on
every item really starts to add up. So when you compare
bottom lines, the retail price of a Ready-to-Hunt™ Bow Package
is often UNDER your local dealer's wholesale cost for the same
list of components, and usually considerably less than you could
buy those same parts from a "big-box" discount catalog store.
This makes our Ready-to-Hunt™ packages some of the best deals in
the industry.
So you really don't have to
choose between getting good service and getting a fair deal.
You CAN get them both with a Ready-to-Hunt™ Compound Bow Package
from Hunter's Friend. |
EVOLUTION OF THE
READY TO HUNT PACKAGE PROGRAM
We haven't
always offered Ready-to-Hunt Compound Bow Packages at Hunter's
Friend. Since the traditional wisdom was that the archery buyer
must physically be in the store to ensure a proper fit and setup
on a new bow, we simply hadn't considered doing things any other
way. At one time, the pro-shop was where we served our
walk-in customers, and the stockroom was where we filled our
internet orders.
But as we got to know our new internet customers, we began to
discover that a good number of bowhunters abroad had no reasonable
access to a fair and reputable archery pro-shop. Time and time
again our internet customers remarked that their "local" archery
stores were too far away, too expensive, closed
in the off season, only willing to offer certain brands,
difficult to deal with, etc. |
So upon request, we began to offer some basic shop-services to
our internet customers. Before shipping a new bow, we were
often asked if we would adjust a draw length, or tie-in a peep
sight, or square-up an arrow rest, etc. Of course, we were
glad to do it, generally at no additional charge. We
thought of it as a courtesy to our buyers. We never
thought the idea would totally change our business!
As a general rule, archery buyers have two choices: pay
top-dollar to buy from a local pro-shop where you can get some
technical service, or try to save money buying from a discount
mail order store which leaves you "on your own" regarding setup
and tuning. So
we began to wonder if it was possible to bridge that gap.
We had the equipment, the technical staff, and the facilities to
get the job done. But was it possible to build, fit, and tune-up
a new bow for a customer 1,000 miles away? Could we offer
our internet customers ALL the same services as our walk-in
customers and make it work? In spite of what the critics
would surely say, we decided to give it a try. |
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 In
the fall of 2001,
we decided to get
things underway. So we began by writing and posting a
buyer's help-guide on the web, called simply the
Help with
the Details page. This guide gave our customers the basics
on what they needed to know before placing an order: how to
measure draw length, choosing an appropriate draw weight,
selecting fletchings, nock set options, peep choices, let-off
percent, etc. We then put together our first Ready-to-Hunt™ bow
system offer, an inexpensive single-cam setup called the Champion
Buck Bow System. Everything was included: bow,
sight, rest, quiver, arrows, broadheads, sling, stabilizer,
release, silencers, even a hard-shell case. We advertised
that bow bow would arrive setup, adjusted, tuned, pre-sighted,
and ready-to-shoot. |
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 To even our surprise, the orders starting coming in the very
next day. We filled orders for the Champion Buck Bow from
literally all over the US & Canada, and even a few to Europe and
South Africa. When the season was finished, our pro-shop
had built and shipped more than 125 Ready-to-Hunt™ Buck Bow
Systems. It certainly wasn't easy. In fact, it was a lot
of work, as we wanted to get it perfect and prove our critics
wrong. The pro-shop guys spent HOURS working with every
bow until it was perfect. We adjusted every bow to exact
draw weight, draw length, and let-off. We pre-cycled,
paper-tuned, group-tuned, chronographed, powder-tested,
pre-sighted, and documented results every single unit
meticulously. |
INITIAL
RESPONSE
 Of course, just selling something doesn't make it successful.
We knew the real proof would be the response from our customers.
And we were thrilled that of the 125+ "test" bow systems built
that season - ZERO units were returned for the money-back
guarantee, and only a small handful of customers needed any
adjustments whatsoever. Our pro-shop had found a way to
consistently hit the nail on the head, providing internet
customers with a professionally setup bow, built to fit, and
shooting great right out of the case.
In fact, we got a number of thank you letters and
photographs from our happy Ready-to-Hunt™ customers, many of
whom had bowhunting success that first season. The
hard work had paid-off and we were really proud of the results.
Incidentally, since the inception of the program, our Ready-to-Hunt™ bow packages
continue to have the highest customer satisfaction rate of anything we sell
in our store. Check out our
Customer
Testimonials. |
READY
TO HUNT PROGRAM EXPANDS
The next season, we began to expand our Ready-to-Hunt™ bow program to offer a
larger variety of popular bows and accessories to suit archers
of varying budgets and skill levels. And by the end of the
2002 season, we had setup another 623 Ready-to-Hunt™ Bow
Packages for our internet customers. As we continued to
improve our program, offering more services and premium bow
lines, the popularity of our Ready-to-Hunt™ packages has
skyrocketed. |
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Today we are one of the busiest independent
archery pro-shops in the United States and we're proud to be the
#1 standalone dealership for many of the brands we represent.
Over
the past 5 years, our pro-shop has become a busy place.
Today we setup more over 3,500
Ready-to-Hunt™ Compound Bow Packages each year, and we receive
over 8,000 visitors (visitor sessions) on our website
every day.
THANK YOU!
While we
never dreamed our pro-shop experiment would be so successful, we
are sincerely thankful to all of the bowhunters who took a
chance on us - and for the many loyal and repeat customers who
buy their new compound bows from Hunter's Friend. |
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FAQ'S:
 WHY DON'T ALL ARCHERY E-STORES DO IT THIS WAY?
Quite simply, because it's difficult and expensive to do - as
you must maintain stock, personnel, technical equipment, and the
facilities to complete this kind of work. The typical
independent archery e-store is basically a "drop-shipper" with
little or no in-store stock. In fact, several of the
popular online archery stores have no physical storefront at
all. They never actually see most of the products they
sell. When you place an order on their site, the
e-merchant simply logs into a wholesale distributor's website
and keys-in your order for someone else to fill. So the
only real tools needed are a keyboard and mouse. That's
easy money! Preparing a Ready-to-Hunt™ Bow Package isn't
quite so easy, so it's a task that most e-stores would rather
not undertake.
WHAT ABOUT CUSTOM
PACKAGES, CHANGES, DELETIONS, ADDITIONS, ETC.?
While we try
to offer a great package setup to suit everyone, we do get a
number of requests for "Custom" packages. If you don't see
the bow you want in a package, or if you would like to make
changes to an existing bow package, we will be more than happy
to accommodate the request. The bow package components
certainly aren't set in stone. On most bow packages, you
can add items, delete items, upgrade items, etc. Or if you
want to start from scratch, we'll
be happy to help you assemble a custom system to suit your
specific needs. Please call the pro-shop at 1-877-410-7811 for a consultation or
e-mail us
anytime. We'll help to get you into a great bowhunting system that's just right
for you and your budget.
SHOW
ME THE CURRENT READY-TO-HUNT BOW PACKAGES |
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