Martin Archery and Bowhunter loses our business

And now for something completely different (well, sort of)...

Those of you who know me know that I hunt, and I particularly enjoy bowhunting for whitetails. I got my first bow shot on a turkey (missed) last year, the first year I went spring turkey hunting. I shoot a 1999 Parker Challenger in 50lb at 26 inch draw. Because of the lower Kinetic Energy of my setup I cannot shoot expandable broadheads, which I would love to be able to do.

My current bow is maxed out, so I cannot get any more power from it. But I could probably work up to 55lbs if I had a bow that goes up to 60, and possibly shoot the Rage 40KE expandable, at least (I might be able to shoot them now but it'd be iffy). My daughter's 40lb bow is maxed out also, and nearly new, so we were going to trade hers for a new one for me that goes up to 60lb, and give her mine. That is if she actually wants to hunt, which is doubtful.

The Martin Leopard seemed to be the perfect match. It was created specifically with women in mind, and along with going up to 60lb draw weight, the draw length adjustments put me at the top of the adjustment range, rather than the bottom. It is nearly impossible to find those two criteria in one package. The reason this is important is because the shorter you adjust, the less power you can get out of the bow itself. I have had one on order for about 2.5 months and for some reason, there is a cam shortage at the factory. Several calls to inquire has them putting me at the front of the line as soon as they get their cam shipment. So we have been sitting around waiting for a call.

Now, a little background:

A few years back (around 2000) I had subscriptions to both Petersens Bowhunting and Bowhunter Magazine. One day I received my Peterson's mag and looked at the back cover. Martin had bought ad space and put a picture of a well augmented lady in short cut-off shorts and top, with a mischeivously-fake-surprised look on her face, positioned provocatively in front of their new bow. She was positioned so that she appeared to have just been or about to be goosed by the bow's stabilizer. I was appalled. I called Petersens to complain, they referred me to Martin archery. But, I said, YOU approved the ad. I emailed Martin to complain. I don't remember if I got a reply. If I did it certainly wasn't substantial enough to stick in my head.

The next month the same ad appeared in Petersens. I cancelled my Petersens subscription, and I told them why.

In contrast, back then, Bowhunter didn't seem to carry the provocative ads. I had several months' worth lying around and checked through them. About the worst thing was male performance enhancement but it at least didn't include titillating pictures. However I did eventually let my subscription lapse when I wasn't hunting much for a few years. This year I decided to renew and also to buy a subscription for my nephew.

Back to looking at the Martin Leopard: this year in looking at bows the Leopard's specs really stood out. I am not sure how it would have shot for me, as I have never been able to try it, but I was anxious to do so. There was this nagging concern that maybe they hadn't departed from their provocative erotic ad campaign. But I brushed it off actually hoping that I would not see any before I got that bow in my hands. (How's that for rationalization?)

Well, the other day, my Bowhunter subscription came. I figured/assumed (!) Bowhunter would still have taste and not carry the racy ads. But to my surprise, on the back cover was a Martin ad. I was so disappointed. It featured a young woman in camo hip hugger jeans with a tag that says "realtree girl" across the seat. She is barefoot, with long blondish hair down her naked back. She was wearing a string bikini (string mostly covered by her hair so that on first glance you may not notice), and facing away from you, carrying a bow in one hand as she walks slowly down the trail in front of the viewer. Yeah what a view. :-( The caption is "Choose your hunting partner wisely." Good grief.

Now the last thing I want is for my daughters to be thought of as a hunter's next conquest. These companies make a show of trying to get more women involved in hunting, but then they turn around and portray us as sexual objects. Who wants to be out in the field with a bunch of men who think like that? Yeah I know they're already thinking like that, but now they're being told it's ok. Men have enough trouble keeping their minds where they should be with regard to sex. No, women aren't faultless either on that score, I admit... case in point the woman who posed for that ad and therefore must have thought it was just fine to let herself be used to titillate thousands upon thousands of men... in order to get their money/business.

I have always been pleasantly surprised by the presence of many Christian companies in the Hunting industry. Their character stands out. Obviously Martin Archery isn't one of them.

So I am back to no magazine subscriptions (and it grates on me that I just gave that subscription to my nephew too, expressly because it wouldn't subject him to suggestive ads) and back to researching bows. Currently at our church we are doing the Centershot program at our church so Mathews (A Christian Company with EXCELLENT products) is at the top of my list, although the price makes it quite prohibitive for some of us. I have never seen a racy Parker ad either, and PLEASE, oh PLEASE, Parker Bows do NOT go down that road. There are two Parkers I am looking at: the Parker Blackhawk EZ Draw (short draw version) and the Sidekick Extreme for 2010. (And who knows, MAYBE I'll buckle and get the pink camo version... just because... if it is not too pink to alert the turkeys). Plus the Mathews Passion is an option, if I can find it for an affordable price. Husband is putting in a call to the pro-shop through whom we were going to order the Martin.

Note to Hunting Supplies manufacturers and magazines -- do not treat your target demographic as sex objects.