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Welcome
to Ghost Reports!
Welcome to the first issue of
Ghost Reports – our quarterly newsletter! Our goal
is to stay in touch with the customers and
supporters that make us so successful; to help
educate the public on the principles of camouflage
and what makes our products so effective; to talk
about hunting (of course!); to give consumers a
“heads-up” regarding new and exciting products
being released; and of course to provide some fun
reading and maybe a contest or two to the folks who
subscribe to the newsletter. We welcome
your submissions, photos, suggestions, and input!
Now, let’s get going! The
Man Behind Ghost Camo Ghost Camo
is the result of one man’s dreams. It’s not a
boardroom full of faceless businessmen. It’s not the
brainchild of a giant Manhattan marketing firm.
Several years ago, Clay Mathews was a busy plumber,
a Tae Kwan Do enthusiast competing on an
international level, and a dedicated hunter. He was
also growing tired of not having camouflage
available that matched the terrain in which he
hunted. To get by, he bleached existing camo
patterns, but that just wasn’t cutting it. Clay
created Prairie Ghost, and starting in 1999 with a
$2000 tax return, kicked off a Company that today is
valued at several million dollars. Along with his
Chief Operating Officer Rob Efinger, Clay Mathews
has built a Company that now stands as a leader in
western camouflage, and is going toe-to-toe compete
with the big camouflage companies that have all but
controlled the market for a number of years.
Clay says
that their success is due in part to the fact that
customers can identify with the guys behind Ghost
Camo. “We’re just average guys”, says Clay, “and 80%
of the consumers are people just like us. They know
what Ghost Camo is about, and we know what they are
looking for in regards to quality and price.” Clay and
Rob both love to hunt. Clay admits though, that
nothing gets him going like an archery elk hunt. He
also enjoys hunting black bears via the “spot and
stalk” method. He relates that his most enjoyable
hunt so far was in Prince William Sound, where he
spent four days fishing and scouring the coves for
black bears. The kicker? He never tagged a bear.
They hunted hard, and got to see lots of bears,
dolphins, and killer whales. Everyone stayed
positive throughout the hunt, and it was a great
experience for all involved. His worst hunt so far
was a mulie hunt on a private ranch in Montana.
There were no deer, attitudes left a lot to be
desired, and every day brought a new story or
excuse. Somehow it’s reassuring to know that the
heads of camo companies have bad hunts, just like
the rest of us! When asked
about elk hunting tips, Clay said “Conditioning.
Many people overlook physical conditioning. They
also don’t account for the difference in elevation.”
Clay recommends taking aspirin to combat elevation
sickness. He suggests that the new energy gels in
packets can help sustain hunters in the field. “They
are great pick-me-ups”, says Clay. “Watch the
triathletes – they have sustaining energy levels
down to a science.” When asked
about upcoming patterns, Clay coyly replied “We have
lots of ideas, but right now, we’re keeping them to
ourselves.” He did say that there is some pretty
revolutionary technology on the way. Ghost Camo is
committed to keeping products affordable while
really raising the quality and effectiveness. It
looks like some more excitement on the way for ’07!
Newsletter Challenge Now that
we’ve successfully launched our newsletter – we want
it to grow! Here’s the deal. Have your friends send
an e-mail to Ghost Camo, and subscribe to the
e-mail. Make sure they mention in the e-mail who
sent them over. The 5 current subscribers that refer
the most new newsletter sign-ups get a Ghost Camo
hat in their favorite pattern! (Subject to
availability) How’s
Business? Rob Efinger
is the Chief Operating Officer of Ghost Camo. He’s
the guy that helps take Clay’s drive, his ideas, and
his dreams – and effectively blends them with a
business plan. Rob is no slouch in the field,
either – he is a dedicated hunter, as well. Asked
how business was going, Rob says “Business is good.
We’re adding the right type of dealers. We’re
focused on growing our dealer base. We’re on track
with all of our projections, and intend to stay the
course with our business plan – a plan that includes
innovation.” Rob says that Prairie Ghost has been
their mainstay, but points out that Ridge Ghost is
now their most popular pattern. River Ghost is
gaining quickly in popularity, building a reputation
as a great pattern that is effective in a lot of
different terrain types. Sales of their newest
pattern – Northwoods Ghost – are going very well. Rob said
his ’05 season “sucked”, but by most accounts, it
wasn’t too shabby – he managed to take a bear last
year, as well as a bull elk that taped out to 333
inches. All in all, Rob admits that he “had a fun
season”. On the
marketing end of things, Rob says that the TV show
“Ghost Stories” will continue for another season.
Ghost Camo is also looking forward to some more
print coverage, and taking part in a number of
events in the coming year.
Northwoods Ghost is Taking Off Rob tells
me that Northwoods is “ an eastern hardwoods pattern
that actually works”. He says sales are going pretty
good. Ghost Camo had had a bigger launch in mind,
but in spite of that, they are seeing a lot of
interest in the pattern, and have no doubt it will
continue to sell well. Ghost Camo describes their
new pattern this way – “Deer and oaks go together
like mice and cheese. With Northwoods Ghost we take
our philosophy of using plenty of distinguished,
vertical lines – with browns and tans – so deer
cannot see past the gray background. Northwoods
Ghost’s erratic black lines, which outline the tans,
allow deer to focus there, not on you. If you ever
hunt in hardwood forests, where the trees are dark
and the ground is littered with leaves, Northwoods
Ghost is for you”. Ghost
Stories I spoke
briefly with Steve Puppe, the host of the TV Show
“Ghost Stories”. Steve says that the 3rd
Quarter will feature all re-runs, but that they are
getting busy filming new episodes. Show schedules
can be found on the show website
www.huntingtvshow.com Steve says
they plan on sticking to the “educate but entertain”
formula, because it has worked so well for he and
the other guys over at Ghost Stories. Make sure
you catch Ghost Stories, on the Outdoor Channel! The
Science of Camo Anyone who
has served in the military has probably had some
exposure to the “principles of camouflage”. First,
what is camouflage? Merriam-Webster defines it this
way:
camouflage (n) With that out of the way, what are the principles of camouflage and concealment? Lists may vary slightly, but here is a standard one: *Shape We plan on
addressing each principle in upcoming newsletters.
For now, let’s understand shape. Modern camo,
if nothing else, is designed to break up the shape
of a human being. Ever see pictures of warships,
especially from WW I, painted with garish “dazzle”
camouflage schemes? Among other things, those weird
patterns weren’t meant to hide the vessel – rather,
they are designed to break up its shape. In other
words, if and when such a ship was spotted, it was
hard to determine what it was. Observers may know
that there was a ship there, but were more
challenged to determine what kind of ship, how big,
etc. The same theory applies to camo clothing for
hunting. Making you invisible is nice, but the goal
is really, to break up your shape. Ghost Camo Pro
Staff and writer Jeff Murray has a great article
called “Camo 101” posted on the website :
http://www.ghostcamo.com Great
Photo Contest! We thought
we’d leave you this time around by announcing a
great contest! Submit a photo of you in a hunting
scene wearing your favorite Ghost Camo products.
Attach a brief description of the scene (250 words
or less). A Ghost Camo panel will judge the photos
on composition, presentation, quality, and the
attached write-up. The winner will receive a
complete set of Ghost Camo, in the pattern of their
choice! (Subject to availability). Look for the
winning entry and possibly runners-up to be posted
on the Ghost Camo site, and featured in the next
newsletter! Contest deadline will be December 31st,
2006. Note
from the Editor We want to
produce a newsletter that matches the quality of our
clothing. Submissions are welcome, as are kudos,
criticisms, suggestions, tips, photos, etc. Now get out
there, and get hunting! Marshall MacFarlane |
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