The Origin of our Montana Bow Sling and Slik Sling for Rifles
The Need: Lack of Efficient Options for Carrying a Bow
I came up with the the idea for the Montana Bow Sling several years ago while out bow hunting elk in the mountains were I live around Bozeman Montana. For all of the years that I have been bowhunting I had always struggled to find an efficient way to carry my bow while running my pack. Nothing that the market offered seemed to work to my expectations. I tried several of the popular options from the big brands but was never really happy with how they performed for my needs. In fact, more than once, my bow slipped out of the sling and right to the ground; not good. I just needed something simple, light-weight, and efficient. I just wasn't finding it so I decided that it was best to design my own. I had my neighbor at the time sew up my first prototype. it was actually pretty effective but I was still having the same problem; it never seemed that I could carry my bow comfortably while I was using my pack. It felt like I was on the right track with my idea but this definitely needed some work. Frustrated but optimistic, I went back to the drawing board.
The Idea: A Bow Sling that Attaches Directly to the Pack
Fast forward a season or two, my hunting buddy Kevin and I were back in the woods chasing those September bulls, climbing our favorite trail to our favorite spot when it hit me. I should make one that attaches directly to my pack, that seems like it would work. Why wouldn't it right? I chewed on that thought the rest of the day and as soon as I got home that afternoon I went out and bought the materials that I needed to put my idea into motion. After that task was complete I talked my neighbor into sewing it up. The first time that I tried it out, I knew that this was what I was looking for. It worked better than I could have imagined.
Testing and Refinement Phase
I ran that setup for about 3 seasons though never physically changing the design. In my head I was constantly tweaking it, trying to figure out a better way to put it together and make it more efficient. During that time period I had a few guys, friends or just random hunters that I would run into in the woods, ask where I had gotten my bow sling and that they were very intrigued by how it worked. They had never seen anything like it before. That got my wheels turning even more. In the fall of 2017 I bought my first sewing machine, had my mother in law teach me how to sew, and I was off and running!
Right off I changed the design to what I felt was a more efficient set up. I gave one to Kevin and another buddy Jared who lived out of town and right away they both thought that it was better than anything else that they had ever tried. From then on I have had more positive than negative feedback from friends and customers alike, and I look forward to what the future has in store. If anyone that buys one of my Montana Bow Slings has any questions, comments or concerns I would be more than happy to try and answer them, customer service builds the business.
A Big Thank You to Supporters of the Montana Bow Sling
Since then I have been fortunate enough to get them into a few different locations, FHF GEAR, Big Sky Archery, and Scheels of SD, so thankful for all their help! A special thanks to Paul and Jen of FHF GEAR, they really have gone above and beyond to help me out, I cant thank you two enough. Another special thanks to my buddy Kevin Chase who has pushed me more than anyone else to get this product out there, thanks for believing in and supporting the product. Of course I couldn't have done any of this without the love and support of my beautiful wife Misty and my two beautiful girls Emillee and Lyncoln, I love you very much.
-Owner & Creator, Josh Susic