Snake Protection!

When I first launched Uplanders Warehouse on the internet back in March, I really wasn’t expecting much traffic or sales to come from the site throughout the summer.  My strategy was to launch the site in the off-season so I could get all the kinks worked out before fall rolled around.

But I’ve been pleasantly surprised! The volume and orders that have come through the website over the past few months has exceeded expectations.  And the number one product (or group of products) that has been driving the volume is snake protection.  Which makes sense when I think about it – but it honestly wasn’t on my radar prior to launch.

I initially launched with only Turtleskin SnakeArmor branded snake protection gear (snake chaps, snake gaiters, snake pants, etc.). I must tell you, the Turtleskin product is extremely light-weight and comfortable to wear.  Most snake territories are in the warm-weather states – making this light-weight product that much more enjoyable on hot days.  I own a pair of the Total Protection chaps and have worn them in south Texas – but fortunately haven’t run into any snakes… yet. But with snakes, and ounce of prevention is a lot better than the pain, suffering and medical bills tied to a snake bite.  Makes a $192 pair of chaps look like a wise investment.  The gaiters and knee-below protection chaps don’t cost as much, but I bought the chaps for briar and brush protection as well as snake protection.

Based on the demand for snake protection, I expanded my offering to include Crackshot Corporation’s Snake Guardz brand snake gaiters.  I’ll also be adding Crackshot’s Snake Chapz soon as well.  By the way, there is a cool video to watch on Crackshot’s website.  Click here to check out the video – then come back to Uplanders Warehouse to buy some gaiters ;) Crackshot guarantees thier product is ’snake proof’ with a $1 million insurance policy if anyone were to actually be bit through their product – which has never happened.

I’m curious what fall will bring with regards to snake protection sales. I’m curious to know if the spring snake protection business is bigger than the fall. I guess I’ll have to wait and see.  -JT

Are you ready for fall?

I must admit, this is a brutal time of year for me.  I’m a die-hard bird hunter and die-hard college football fan.  Both seasons are right around the corner, close enough where I can taste it, but far enough that the wait is painful!

Just yesterday I was trying to figure out the logistics of getting back down to Texas for the dove opener on September 1.  A good friend of mine, Eric Henline, runs a hunting guide service called Big Sky Outfitters of Texas.  I’ve hunted the opener with him for the past several years – and have had incredible success (and thankfully, he doesn’t charge me!).  If any of you are looking for a good hunting resource in Texas, Eric’s your man – I can personally vouch for him.  He has great setups for various hunts from big game to waterfowling (and dove).

Anyway, I have some conflicts this year that may make me miss the dove opener in Texas.  I can always hunt locally in Utah – which can be good at times, but I have never experienced anything to the dove hunting in north Texas (I hear Argentina’s a kick, but that’s even further out of the question for me).  Last year for example, me, Eric, our 12 year old sons and grandpa had 75 birds on the ground in less than an hour (15 bird limit each).  I don’t know how it gets better than that.

By the way, I’ve got a great dove vest if any of you need a new one.  It’s light weight and perfect for those warm dove days.  It’s the Browning Prarielands Dove Vest (comes in olive or camo).

Let me hear where your favorite dove hunt spot is.  I’m not asking you to reveal secret locations or anything, just give me general areas.  And let me know if you’re as anxious as I am for fall to get here!  -JT

Chester’s Arthritis

Some of you who’ve read the “about” page on my site may have seen the picture of my 3 shorthairs.  The brown one in the middle of the picture is named Chester.  He’s now 6 years old and should be in his bird hunting prime. 

About 2 months ago, I noticed the muscle structure in his front shoulder area was really deteriorating.  I also noticed he is putting his elbows under his body to help support his weight on his front legs.  I did some internet research and thought it might be “elbow displaysia” – same as hip displaysia, but in the front joints.  Well, I took him into the vet with my concerns, and the vet diagnosed him with arthritis.  He mentioned some $3,000 surgery that ‘might’ help him. 

The vet mentioned a couple other treatments – one of which I’m trying, but have not seen any results after a month-and-a-half.  I’ve been giving him some glucosamine/chondroitin/MSM pills I picked up from the online pet-care site Doctors Foster and Smith.  Maybe it hasn’t been long enough to see results yet, but there has been no change in Chester.

My heart breaks as I see Chester yelp in pain when he runs – yet his DNA is telling him to run.  He’s becomming much less active and laying around more.  I’m losing a hunting buddy, and it’s painful.  Are their any of you dog owners that have successfully treated arthritis in your dogs? 

I’ll keep playing this out for a while, but my fear is I’ll come to the point where I have to make a hard decision.  Is it better to keep a hunting dog around that can no longer hunt, and who’s in pain?  Or is it better to put him down?

Let me know if you have any suggestions.  -JT

i chase tail

Every new business needs a slogan or tagline, right?  I’m a marketer by profession, so this kind of stuff is a lot of fun for me.  And when you’re doing it for your own business, it makes it that much more fun.  Well, I think I came up with a pretty good one – and based on the demand for the “i chase tail” t-shirts, I think many of you might agree. 

Being a religious man, I did have some internal conflict with the slogan with the double meaning.  What really sealed the deal for me and pushed me over the edge was when my mother-in-law displayed her disgust for the slogan – I couldn’t not use it after that   And since I’ve taken the plunge and started promoting it, the comments I get make it all worth it.  It has brought smiles and laughter to a many people already – and I’ve yet to be reprimanded for going too far (excluding my mother-in-law).

You may have noticed that I’m selling them on the site for $5.95 – basically at my cost.  I see it as an advertising expense – the more people I can get wearing a t-shirt promoting Uplanders.com hopefully equates to more business for me.

I worked with a company down in Dallas to get the t-shirts made, and if you ever need to get anything done, give Holly at Dallas T-Shirt a call and he can help you out.  He gave me a good deal, so I thought I would give him a plug here.

I’m working with a ball cap vendor right and have created a custom Uplanders Warehouse cap with our rooster logo on the front, and “i chase tail” embroidered on the bill of the cap.  It looks really sharp – and I’m guessing it will soon be more popular than the t-shirts.  The problem is the caps get manufactured in China, so there’s a 3 month wait before I can get them.  Sometime this fall/winter, you’ll be able to get your very own.

Next February, there is a Pheasant Fest tradeshow in Madison, Wisconsin.  I’ll be there displaying Uplanders’ goods and trying to meet as many of you fellow pheasant hunters as possible.  If you plan to attend the show, be sure to look me up (we’ll be in booth #728).  My goal at the show is to have everyone wearing “i chase tail” shirts and ballcaps!  I’ll be posting more about this event as it gets closer.

I’d love to hear your comments and feedback on my new slogan.  If you have an opinion, let me know.  -JT