We sure do live in some uncertain times. Last month the stock market was on fire, Warren still had a shot (long…), and China had a bad case of the flu bug.
Now you can’t find toilet paper to wipe your butt, you, your spouse and your kids are fighting over bandwidth at home, and God forbid don’t look at your 401K!
Yes, COVID-19 or the coronavirus sure has upset our way of life. Or has it?
Spring is a great time to head outdoors and practice social distancing. There are fish to catch, flowers to smell, turkeys and bears to hunt. Why not recognize your opportunity, saddle up and head out?
Kids are notorious slackers, and why not, they have learned from the best! However, there has never been a better incentive program than to promise a weekend outdoor adventure. Hurry up, get some math, reading and writing in, then hit the trail.
There are small businesses out there that need our support. There’s mom and pop restaurants to patronize, gas, camo, shotgun shells, and Doritos to buy. Check your local game and fish regulations, figure out where you can get the biggest bang for your buck, and get to it.
As of this writing, almost 200,000 people worldwide have tested positive for COVID-19, but we know it’s most dangerous to the elderly among us (> 80 years of age). Watch out and support your elders during this difficult time, but be safe. Do your due diligence, keep your distance, wash your hands and face often, sanitize in between, cover your mouth when you cough or sneeze, and practice good personal hygiene like your parents taught you.
We are so lucky, we have been told to practice social distancing - so get outdoors, find wide open spaces where there’s ample room for everyone! Seriously, this is not a time to sit at home. Boring. If you don’t live in Seattle or New York (sorry city folk), you have a great opportunity here to get outdoors, spread out, breathe some fresh air, and get back to your roots! Go practice your hunting and fishing heritage. Go online and support your local Fish and Wildlife agencies and buy a hunting and a fishing license. This small token of appreciation truly fuels conservation, it’s more important than you know.
We are in a little different situation than many of our customers. I look out the window here in Southcentral Alaska and I see 2 feet of beautiful white snow glistening in the backyard. Our spring adventures require snowmachines, ice augers and ice fishing equipment. Soon though, we are planning to head down to Tennessee to enjoy the blooming dogwoods, pick some ramps and chase some turkeys with friends.
We had an amazing trip down there last year, and we can’t wait to do it again this year. We haven’t made a final decision yet as to whether we’ll go or postpone our trip amongst the world pandemonium, but I can tell you the whole family really is looking forward to enjoying some more outdoor time nonetheless.
Honestly I cannot imagine sitting home for weeks on end watching doom and gloom on the boob tube. Nope. There’s some really important tax paperwork to get filed, there’s some kiddo homework to get finished, then there are outdoor plans to be made.
Seriously though, there’s never been a better time to be a sportsman! Social distancing is what we do! Because fishing on top of each other isn’t going to work for anyone. (Well, unless you regularly fish the Kasilof in Alaska for reds then you just get used to it).
Back to spring outdoor adventures! We actually have some really exciting news to share. After our spring adventure last year, these Alaskans experienced all kinds of creepy crawlies we were not used to. Since our partners are avid southern outdoorsmen (and women), we had some great discussions about how to improve the outdoor experience specifically in the world of ticks and chiggers.
There’s nothing worse than taking a quick peek under your waist band just to see ticks cruising around looking for a cozy place to rest for the night. Oh hell no! Not going to happen (again).
We spent all year working closely with InsectShield, a trusted US company that has successfully developed a proprietary treatment process that repels ticks, chiggers, ants, mosquitoes and more for up to 6 months.
Our relationship has yielded two great new products we are excited to launch this spring! Our new TickBanz Tick Repellent Waist Band and Ankle Bands! There’s no better way to deter a tick around your midsection than to see it get near our TickBanz Adjustable Waist Band and have it drop to the ground. Yes, the treatment process is so effective that ticks and other insects that come in contact with it immediately experience dizzying effects and they die. The best part is this treatment is perfectly safe for people including children. It’s non-toxic to us and has no smell. It’s really pretty amazing.
No more spraying on layers of bug repellent, no more wondering if you got every spot. The TickBanz Waist Band effectively deters ticks from entering at your midline. The TickBanz Ankle Bands are equally effective at keeping ticks from entering from below. The ankle bands have enough adjustment where they can be used directly on your ankle, over your calf under the top of your boot, or over the top of your boot. Whatever works best for you.
We cannot stress how excited we are to get TickBanz out there. These bands will make outdoor recreation so much safer. From gardening and chores in the backyard to turkey hunting and bass fishing, you won’t want to go anywhere without TickBanz. Great for kids and adults alike, these are going to change the way you enjoy the outdoors. Our family, friends and neighbors are so pumped about these. We have a local Alaskan friend headed down south again in the next few weeks who’s planning to take a set. He got bit last year by a tick and was diagnosed with Lyme Disease. A frightening disease with no cure. He’s not taking any risks this year. I don’t blame him.
We promise to keep in touch and let you know as soon as TickBanz hit the market! We are extremely fortunate that our friend and huge outdoor proponent Jim Shockey has an equal distaste for little creepy crawlies! Stay tuned…
In the mean time, get outdoors and do some exploring. Take this opportunity to get back to your roots. Practice a little outdoor learning with the kids, get away from the screens and devices, and get back to nature!
Above all else, practice appropriate social distancing folks! Who said it had to be inside…
Be safe and have fun.
