BackLand Outdoors

Seeing is Believing…….

Ok, so here we are again just a few months away from spending that quality time in your beloved tree stand. Countless hours having been spent making sure every part of that bow has been tweaked, each shaft spun, balanced and marked so you grab your best arrow first. All of this being done so that as you manage those last 40 seconds, just as that Whitetail steps into your window of opportunity all goes well and that broad head finds it’s mark.

Well my friends, before we get too close to that magical moment I want you to step back from your PC screen and look out the nearest window. Take a peek at something 30 to 40 yards away, are you seeing everything as clearly as you should be? If you are like most of us mere mortals, our eyesight ever so slowly tends to slip and not for the better I might add. The difference between what you are seeing and what you are capable of seeing can CLEARLY make a real difference in your shooting performance. I’m not talking about a little difference here, I’m talking about changing 5” groups at 40 yards to 3”, I’m talking about actually seeing those hairs right behind the shoulder not thinking I can.

So allow me to tell you about one of the finest experiences of customer service this archer has ever seen and how I became aware of just what could be done to my lenses in order to get these eyes the “Archers Edge”.

A few months ago I had my eyes checked and yes this time there was enough change to warrant a new set of lenses. Normally I would have had my new prescriptions filled by the doctor who just tested my eyes, however this time I remembered a friend of my commenting on a small company who specializes in making lenses from prescriptions that are brought in. This small company in southeastern Wisconsin has been in business since 1918, family owned and full of genuine experience.

I brought in my old frames and new prescription and one of the associates took them into the back room where they make the lenses on sight. Moments later a gentleman came out of the lab area and walked over to me introducing himself. It turns out Dale (who is one of the owners) wanted to learn a little more about my needs before he just cranked out some new lenses. How about that, someone wanted to listen to what a customers usage/needs are before they start.

Dale sat down and started by informing me about my eyes and prescription; it was quite clear about 7.3 seconds later that these folks are true professionals in their field. He found a way to communicate to this simple bow hunter the technical aspects of how my eyes mechanically interact with our surroundings. Dale asked what I do for a living as well as what my recreational hobbies were so that he could create lenses that fit my personal needs.

I have to tell you it was cool to have someone in his field ask very grounding questions, resulting in information I might never have thought to tell him. Listen to a few of them and see how they tie to most every bow hunter who is, or should be (those in denial) wearing some sort of corrective lenses.

He asked, “So, you’re a bow hunter, what problems have you noticed?” “One issue I’ve noted for sure is that because of the way we aim (and I demonstrated), we are looking through the far left edge of our lens (being right handed) and it’s tough to see the pins and/or the target clearly”. Dale smiled contently, nodded his head and informed me that because I wear seamless progressive lenses (which help me read that restaurant menu like normal folk, with elbows slightly bent) the internal contour of my current lenses do not extend to the edge and so I’m indeed looking through nice plastic rather than my prescription. He calmly said “I have an idea” and moved on to the next questions.

"Do you hunt primarily in wooded or open terrain?” I told Dale most all of it is done from an elevated tree stand in the woods or along a field edge. He then wanted to know about light penetration, sun glare issues and if the game might spook from seeing a reflective surface. I answered the best I could and gave him a bonus story or two for free. He then handed me a brochure to read and said “Ok, I understand and have an idea you are going to like, stop back in a few days and we’ll see what you think”.

The next week I stopped in and when Dale saw me he disappeared into the back room only to emerge with a pair of copper lens colored glasses, handed them to me and said “Try these on and give me your glasses, I’ll be right back”. Ok, so I put them on and all I can say is, wow! Seeing is believing and there are times when you just don’t know what you are missing until someone puts some new technology into your vision plans. I stepped outside to see the real world and let me tell ya, these critters rock!

Dale stepped outside, smiled, handed me my regular glasses with the new lenses and asked me my thoughts on the pair I was wearing. I told him what I was seeing again for the first time. He fixed that left edge clarity issue; hand selected copper color lens, polarized them and made them anit-reflective. He then told me to try them out in the field, shoot with them and then let him know what I think once they get a workout.

Ok, they have been field tested for a week now, FACT, groups are tighter and seeing into the shadows without glare helps big time. It’s been done for the fisherman and it’s about time the hunter can take advantage of these technologies and services. These glasses designed for the hunter are indeed Hunt Approved™.

Let me tell you that not only do they know their craft, true customer service is alive and well in this small Midwestern town of Waterford WI.

For those who are interested, the brochure was all about Kaenon® lens technology and the Fluegge Optical lens company has been around since 1918. Yep, they can also take care of out of state customers, call them at 262-534-6090 and tell them BackLand® says hi.

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BackLand Outdoors Staff