Click here to download the catalog as a PDF file. To view this site you need Adobe Flash Player and your browser must allow javaScripts. Go here to get the latest Flash Player. Mark Kayser SELLING T T o be a successful, safe blackpowder enthusiast, muzzleloaders constantly adopt new trends and upgrade their current setups — which is exactly how dealers should approach their black-powder sales. Embracing what’s been selling in the past will result in lackluster sales. To keep your black-powder sales strong, learn the current muzzleloader trends and what’s driving sales. Nearly every state offers special muzzleloader hunting seasons or, at the very least, the use of muzzleloaders during big-game seasons. Hunters living in states with shotgun-only zones also embrace the new class of muzzleloaders, because of their increased accuracy and range over conventional shotguns. This is good news for dealers. Unlike many hunting and sporting pursuits, big-game hunting has not lost participants in more than 10 years of surveys, according to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s 2006 National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife Associated Recreation. Sporting-goods stores and gun shops still have a base of more than 10 million deer hunters and more than 12 million big-game hunters to sell to — folks who are serious spenders. Overall, U.S. hunters spent $23.5 billion in 2006 on hunting-related pursuits, the bulk of which was for big game. That’s a 24-percent increase from 1991 to 2006. What does that mean to you, the dealer? Times are changing, and in order for your profits to increase, your knowledge and attitude about muzzeloading must mature as well. Hornady’s Lock-N-Load Speed Sabot allows preloading pellets onto Hornady’s SST-ML bullet. MUZZLELOADING For Success, Know The Trends, Your Hunting Seasons TODAY’S Traditions’ Yukon inline muzzleloader features a unique drop-breech action. www.shootingindustry.com JUNE 2008 41