John Vernetti
Canon City, Colorado
We undoubtedly sell more bag targets than anything else. We offer Morrell bag targets in several price ranges. We have some Rinehart bag targets, too, but our demographics make Morrell the more popular choice.
For 3-D targets, we carry a few from Delta McKenzie, but most folks buy Rinehart. Elk targets are too expensive for our demographics, so we sell a lot more deer targets, most being in the $150 price range. We mostly deal with the Rinehart Woodland Series for our bowhunting customers, but we also sell the more expensive Rinehart 3-Ds to folks who shoot competitively. Those run about $300 MSRP.
We sell a few Block, Morrell and Rinehart broadhead targets, too. We try to keep all three brands in stock because some of our customers are very brand-loyal. We find the $150 range sells best.
We display our targets on a rack located near our indoor range. It’s near where our customers set their bow cases when they come in to shoot. It’s a good high-visibility location. Now, we have very little storage space, so we typically re-order several times throughout the year to keep stocked up. I’ll bring in 12 Morrells at a time and maybe three to four Blocks and some Rineharts. That’s what our display holds.
Ryan Johnson
Pine City, Minnesota
We sell Rinehart and GlenDel 3-D targets, Rinehart being the more popular option. Longevity is the central reason for that trend, plus we have a range with Rinehart targets, which helps us sell them.
Of the different target types, the versatile ones that can be shot with any type of tip sell best. Block seems to be the go-to for our customers. Rinehart broadhead targets also sell fairly well.
The Hurricane bag targets are a popular choice for our crossbow customers. They seem to hold up very well. We haven’t had any customers come back and complain, so that says a lot. And they’re priced fairly. They’re strong sellers.
Targets are an inexpensive value add-on to a new-bow purchase. If it’s going to make or break a bow sale, then I’ll throw in a target to get the sale. I want to make it worth the customer’s while to pull the trigger and buy the bow.
Brent Smith
El Dorado, Arkansas
We sell targets from Morrell, Block and Hurricane. Morrell bag targets outsell the rest. The Yellow Jacket Supreme 3 is the most popular bag for us. Portability and affordability are the two main reasons bag targets are our top sellers.
If someone knows what type of target they want, I’ll explain the differences between the models I offer, and help them settle on one that works for them.
Block is our most popular broadhead target. Block does a fine job with advertising, and they’re good-quality targets, too. People want a target that lasts, and Block targets seem to hold up quite well.
For 3-D targets, we primarily sell deer. We offer Shooter 3-D and the Delta-McKenzie Backyard Buck. Those targets land in the $150 range or less, which is about the most our customers will spend on a 3-D target.
We don’t normally run summer sales on 3-D targets. However, we ran a big Christmas sale last year on Hurricane bag targets that was very successful. Walmart sells bag targets very inexpensively, so our sale was an incentive to get folks to buy targets as Christmas presents from our store. It worked.
Josiah Richards
Phoenix, Arizona
We sell Rinehart and Block. Most of our target buyers are bowhunters, yet we find that 3-D targets, for one reason or another, are more challenging to sell. That said, bag targets make up the largest volume of our target sales. We sell a lot of Rinehart bag targets. Our best-sellers are in the $50 to $60 range.
Folks looking for a broadhead target typically choose the Block Vault XL or the newer Block 6x6. Most broadhead-target buyers spend approximately $100 to $150, although a few of our hard-core bowhunting customers will shell out $200 for a high-end model.
For 3-Ds, customers rarely spend more than $150. Hog, deer and turkey targets are most popular because they’re more portable and affordable than an elk target. Rinehart’s Woodland Series outsells the other options. Those targets are affordable, yet long-lasting.
We display our targets in various locations throughout the store. We have a lot of storage space in the back, which allows us to stay stocked up. Our shop has a shooting range, but we haven’t held a 3-D shoot yet in our new location. When we do, I imagine it will help us sell more 3-D targets.
