Sportsmen have taken Bass Pro Shops' acquisition of Cabela's with a mixture of excitement and apprehension.
Jon Storm, for example, was the longtime former editor of Bassfan.com, the ultimate insider's source for bass tournament fishing. He resigned several years ago for a new career in information and technology. In a recent Facebook post, he wrote that the Bass Pro/Cabela's deal illustrates the reasons why he left the fishing world.
Corporate consolidation, Storm wrote, is ultimately bad for consumers because it diminishes the number and diversity of products.
It's also disadvantageous because it reduces competition, he said, as evidenced by the virtual disappearance of advertising by fishing tackle manufacturers in the media.
From this perch, the Bass Pro/Cabela's deal appears to be two-dimensional.
Separately, the companies are entirely different cultures with distinctly different clienteles. Bass Pro Shops is, at its core, a southern company with a national presence that primarily caters to bass anglers.
Its Tracker brand also gave Bass Pro a strong presence in the bass fishing boat industry. It recently consolidated its share of that market by acquiring Flippin-based Ranger Boats, the most prominent bass boat brand.
Cabela's, in contrast, has always catered to the hunting market. Its personality is distinctly western, with a strong nod toward big game hunting, outfitting and hunting travel.
Its biggest strength has traditionally been its mail-order business, but Bass Pro Shops has become increasingly competitive in that arena.
A former Cabela's employee at the company's headquarters in Sidney, Neb., said Bass Pro Shops ultimately bought Cabela's to strengthen its mail-order presence.
The acquisition was possible, he said, because Bass Pro Shops is still privately owned, and Cabela's is publicly traded. Individual owners, he said, are more motivated to grow a company. A publicly held property, he said, is merely an asset to be bought and sold.
When it was privately owned, Cabela's bought its share of competition, too. Herter's, for example, was a storied name in the hunting industry. Cabela's acquired the brand in 1981 after Herter's went bankrupt, and it still uses the Herter's brand on products such as hunting ammunition.
In 1996, Cabela's also bought Gander Mountain's mail-order division.
On Friday, I asked an associate at the Cabela's store in Rogers if Cabela's Club members would lose their Cabela's Club points. She said Cabela's will continue as a distinct and separate entity, and that Cabela's Club members will retain their points.
It's also noteworthy that a big sign on that storefront says Cabela's is hiring employees.
In time, according to the former employee, the lines separating the companies will blur and eventually blend. For example, he said, Cabela's brand clothing will quietly roll into Bass Pro's Redhead brand.
Given the inherent value of the Cabela's brand, I see that part of the equation going the other way. Redhead apparel is good, but Cabela's apparel has much stronger brand recognition and brand loyalty. If either brand phases out, I expect it will be Redhead.
Between the two companies, hunters, anglers, boaters, canoeists, kayakers, campers, backpackers and other outdoors enthusiasts can choose from a dazzling array of products in all ranges of the quality spectrum. We hope the merger does not constrict selection.
If it does, small, locally-owned companies will have a great opportunity to fill the void. It's the balloon principle at work. If you squeeze a balloon, it doesn't burst. It simply forms a bubble somewhere else.
Turkey futures
Jason Honey, the turkey program coordinator for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, delivered some sobering news to the commission Wednesday at its meeting in Springdale.
Because of a cool, wet summer, turkey reproduction was very poor across the state, Honey said. Observers counted an average of about one poult per hen, which indicates a declining population.
Weather was ideal in April and May, but it started raining May 29 and continued well into July. Wet weather hit when poults were at a vulnerable age, and many did not survive.
Arkansas wasn't the only state to suffer. Honey said Missouri reported the same trend.
We've lived off a strong hatch in 2012, but those birds are mostly gone.
Opening the 2017 spring turkey season will probably increase pressure on a weak gobbler population, Honey said, adding that opening the season on a Monday might mitigate the effect somewhat.
Sports on 10/16/2016