Mark Melotik

1 month ago | archerybusiness.com | Mark Melotik

Appeared in print as "In the Spotlight: Schaffer Performance Archery" Few gear manufacturers can relate to archery pro shops quite like Schaffer Performance Archery, and that’s because this long-standing Minnesota-based innovator features a very unique “two-pronged” business structure. Up front it’s one of the country’s most successful archery pro shops, while upstairs — in the very same building — Schaffer staffers build some of the industry’s finest arrow rests and bowsights. As you’ll...

Dec 12, 2024 | archerybusiness.com | Mark Melotik

Appeared in print as "Winning Out West" “If you build it, they will come.” The line is very similar to one made famous in a popular baseball movie — but that very mantra is now being realized by one of the archery industry’s longest-running success stories. Veteran archery distributor Western Recreation, with business roots that date all the way back to 1928, recently made the leap to add a brick-and-mortar retail location in the wide-open, sparsely populated West. And against some sizable...

Dec 5, 2024 | shootingsportsretailer.com | Mark Melotik

Appeared in print as "The Art of the Cross-Sell " Do you hear it? The crossbow train is rolling and continues to gain momentum — a sound most all shooting sports retailers need to heed. In 2023, Minnesota legalized the use of crossbows by any eligible hunter during the state’s archery season, which resulted in thousands of hunters getting outfitted with new crossbow packages. Rest assured, many more are to come. Interestingly, Minnesota’s decision came a full 10 years after the state’s...

Nov 7, 2024 | grandviewoutdoors.com | Mark Melotik

Appeared in print as "Breaking Down the Bigwoods" It had been one of those marathon mornings. Into my favorite bigwoods rut stand in the inky pre-dawn, with no deer encountered on the long, winding hike in. Avoiding deer was no small victory in this spot near a prime aspen-regrowth bedding area, and I grinned at the thought on the way up into my stand. My trap was set. But now, about 10 a.m., the calm, clear and crisp morning was lacking one very important ingredient: deer. With no special...

Oct 10, 2024 | yahoo.com | Mark Melotik

October lulMost deer hunters look forward to the “October lull” with as much enthusiasm as they would have for sharing a cab ride with a PETA member. The lull, they say, is that period of time when mature bucks stop moving, or go completely nocturnal. But the October lull — as most hunters perceive it — doesn’t exist. For sure, there are some pretty darned good deer hunters who will tell me I’m full of it.