i wouldnt no where to begain ,all i can say try to find a good location and the best of luck to you mathewsboy, if thats your dream then go for it

I was working outside Ft Campbell KY a while back and I
was sent to this proshop that delt with Archery, Guns, and bait.
Live shiners, worms, cut bait, etc. They were sure busy. Lots of
nice bass/catfish boats in the parking lot getting bait/gear. Nice archery
counter too! Good luck to ya. Can I have your Archery gear since you
wont need it anymore when you open?

Before you make a decision to even move in that direction, do this:

Go to every bait shop you know during fishing season and ask the owner how much fishing he or she has done lately.

Go to the best archery shop in your area and ask the owner how much bow hunting he usually gets in.

Most are too busy to enjoy the sport they love to any meaningful degree. Think about that.

Ironically, the best way to completely and utterly ruin something you love to do is to try to turn it into a business.

Lastly, the margins in hunting and fishing have, in most instances, been severely trimmed by the Walmarts, Cabelas, and Bass Pro Shops.

My vote is to run away as fast as you can from this idea.

DON'T DO IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1

Its tuff man..........bait and tackle means 5 am to 9pm[]..........tough business to start up.

I got to hunt a good amount this year but Thanksgiven has been my only day off in 4 months..........[:'(]........seven days a week man........

And it is awfully quite around here...................................

MB
Since you said you wanted to do something on the side, that might be the best way to do something like that. I know a guy that used to run a small shop in his basement for many years. He was open from 6-10, m-th That was it. He did alot of business, but didn't let it ruin his weekends.
I used to (for years) build arrows, set up & tune bows, etc... for a bunch of guys around where I live, and all my buddies. It wasn't alot of extra cash, but it paid for all of my hunting expenses for probably7 years.
I had actually thought about doing it full time years ago, and decided against it for the reasons many have stated... mainly not muchtime to fish or hunt. But hey, if you feel like you need to do it, go for it. Only you can decide if its what you want or not.

I know several guys that have now, or have had shops. Most work alot of hours, but that is most likely going to come with any business if you want to truly succeed. Good luck whatever you decide.

Like a lot of others have said and what I have experienced with three archery shop owners who I know quite well,it will put a severe damper on the time you have to do what you love,and has already been stated you are competeing with the box stores,catalog stores and internet sites.I am sure you could make it work with very long hours and tireless customer service.Personally I am to selfish in that area of my life,I am always looking for more time to hunt not less.
Maybe mail order or ebay would be a way to involve yourself with out having it run your life.

Well, thanks for the advice guys.. Maybe I'll take up Taxidermy part time..I've done a few things in my day and find it very interesting and fun.. I would probably stick to just whitetails, considering that is the majority of animals brought to a taxidermist around here..

THanks again

Mathewsboy

I have read article after article about small bait shops closing down that are in close proximity with the big box hunting/fishing stores. There's just little chance of competing with them unless you have some sort of unique service you can offer them. They'll beat you on product every time. Now if you are out in the country and 30 miles from the nearest big box place, you'e got a lot better chance.

I do think an archery pro shop combined with a taxidermy business would be a better idea. I know you can go to Cabelas or Bass Pro and buy a complete package and have them set it up for you and help you get started, but many people still prefer dealing with the local pro shop. They take great pride in it and love the fact they can get the hard to find items there that Cabela's might not stock becasue they don't want to buy large volumes of the items.

If you do go the taxidermy route, and you become good at it, prepare to get hammered in November and December with mount requests. I read an article in the Minneapolis paper saying some taxidermists take a vacation the first week(s) of gun season so they can avoid the never-ending phone calls and parade of trucks in front of their houses. Then when they get back from vacation, they work 14-16 hour days for the next few months just to get things started. Not trying tobe discouraging, just saying that there mightnot be much time for hunting anymore.