FX informed me this morning that my Dealer status has been revoked (learned when inquiring why a 3 month old order that had been accepted by FX had never been filled) so Effective immediately I will no longer be able to get FX Guns, Parts or accessories. The requirements for dealer status with FX are now beyond what I can meet, given my remote location, lack of a physical storefront for the same reason and lack of customers since I am not near any population centers. No way a part time airgun dealer can continue to sell FX.
Jon (head of FX-USA formerly of AGD) told me in a telephone conversation when they were starting up that small dealers would be treated just as good as large dealers. Well I can tell you that did and does not happen. The entire minimum plan is forcing out ALL small dealers who do not focus on FX sales as their primary business. I have to say that Precision Airgun Distribution (AOA the former importer who FX removed from their dealer list as soon as they (FX-USA) had set up their operation) had a far better model suited to true small dealers with no minimum yearly purchase or minimum order amounts of of FX Items. I was happily buying FX products from them and reselling them until FX-USA took over. All dealers had to requalify when FX-USA came on the scene. No dealer was “grandfathered in”. For large dealers it was no issue but was a great financial burden on the little guys. There were delays in providing me product (see paragraph 1), erred order fulfillment (guns promised and in stock one day were suddenly out of stock when my order was filled), attempted double billing, quality issues on every gun in the initial shipment (these issues are now corrected), repair times of 3 to 6 months (also corrected) and alienation of my customers because of these delays and quality problems are but a few of the issues that effectively put me out of business. I had been promised that I could buy FX Parts and accessories (evidenced in a news message posted here in Summer 2019) without minimums but that word of mouth promise was also broken with the revolking of my dealer status.
I have NEVER done even 1/3 of the dollar amount of business per year on ALL brands that FX demands for their brand alone due to reasons outlined in the first paragraph of this posting. IMHO FX needs to take care of their small dealers as they promised in the beginning! The current meaning of “taking care of” is more in line with wiping them out rather than nurturing their relationship and business with FX-USA! 🙁
Will I ever sell FX again. I will answer a resounding NO as long as their current business model in in place. I have also probably killed any chance I would have by airing my issues if I were ever wanting to reverse my decision ! I simply cannot live with their business model even though their products are certainly innovative and in high demand.
Will I still shoot FX Guns? You bet I really wanted to make a go of selling them but it was just a BAD EXPENSIVE dream unfortunately.
Is FX alone in the injustices to small dealers? By no means. Another major small dealer supplier Air Venturi competes directly with it’s dealers via its two retail outlets: Pyramyd Air and Air Gun Depot.
Hatsan could not be bothered to even answer an inquiry into dealing their guns.
Umarex-USA could not provide what they promised in a timely manner either (Hammer).
Also the companies that offer discounts to various airgun forum members (Pyramyd mostly) just cuts the dealers throat as the 10% or so discount they offer if matched by an independent dealer leaves the dealer at 0% margin on many items. I enjoy this industry but I cannot live on 0% and bet others cannot either.
I don’t want to leave AirForce out here. They will not sell to dealers who have no physical storefront, I spoke to John M. who owns AirForce at the TPWD Commission Meeting in the Summer of 2019 when we were trying to get AirGun hunting legalized for Texas. I explained my location and lack of population to support a store here. He told me he would look into the policy of storefront required. As you might guess I never received any further contact about it!
Even PAD competes with dealers through their retail outlet you know as AOA! Don’t get me wrong I am still a PAD Dealer and they have treated me more fairly (and continue to do so) than all the rest but they do sell the same items retail. Jared Clark who handles dealer sales at PAD is tops in my book. Interactions with him show me he values my business no matter how small it is!
Lets not forget the one item that all these folks have in common, It is called MAP pricing. That means that they will sell you the product BUT you may not advertise it via the internet, auction sites such as EBay etc. including email at a price below the MAP price THEY set . Word of mouth is the only exception to this rule. That is why you see the same prices on all the various websites.
Make no mistake about it the Airgun Industry is FILLED with politics, GREED, LIES, Broken Promises, good old boy behind the scenes you rub my back and I’ll rub yours and under the table deals just like most of corporate America.
So why did I spill the beans so to speak? Hopefully my experiences and losses will prevent another person from seeing Airgun Dealership as anything but a tough dog eat dog business with little to no profit margins, If your in a major city with a large population it is possible but without those two requirements it just can’t work.
Update 27 March 2020: Jon reached out to me after I commented concerning my issues on the latest AEAC 2 Hour FX Airguns Video via YouTube. I will be in touch with FX-USA Monday 30 March 2020 to see if there can be a solution worked out for tiny dealers such as me! Kudos to Him and FX Airguns for this action!
Update 02 April 2020: FX Made a reasonable offer but I still cannot come up with the funds to reup my dealership nor possibly make the yearly minimums so as it stands I am out of the FX Dealer Business.
This document has been edited to remove any dealer requirement details at FX-USA request.
Anyone need a Daystate, Brocock, BSA, Uragan, AirForce etc ………… contact me please.
Hunting Seasons for T3P Ranch (Dickens County, Texas)
To better plan your hunt on the Ranch we offer this link to the TPWD Site for full details on Hunting Seasons at the Ranch.
https://tpwd.texas.gov/regulations/outdoor-annual/regs/counties/dickens
New pricing structure and prices posted for the Fall and Spring Seasons
Deer Season 2020 – 2021 for the Ranch is rapidly approaching.
Through a consultation with notable airgun hunter’s during their recent visit to the ranch for a night predator hunt we are pleased to announce that our pricing for hog and predator hunts has been discounted from $
150per 24 hour period to $100 per 24 hour period per hunter.Included in this fee is entry to the Ranch, Camping, Fishing (channel catfish) and Predator / Hog hunting. No Texas Hunting License for Hog Hunting or Texas Fishing License for fishing is required for either in state or out of state residents at the Ranch.
Additionally you may feel free use our 400 yard range for sighting in or shooting your long range airguns. Engage in nature photography, stargazing and astrophotography in our scenic / very dark sky location. Enjoy being out in a quite location far from the cities hussle and bussle.
All hunts include free breathing grade air fills.
Other pricing now includes Texas Big game.
Whitetail Deer: Doe’s and Antlerless Deer are $300 additional if a harvest is successful *.
Whitetail Bucks: Start at a $400 additional fee and may be more if the deer is scored as a trophy animal.
Mule Deer Start at $500 additional and as above can go significantly higher if scored as a trophy animal.
Animals are expected to be scored at the local feed store (Star Feed and Seed in Spur, Texas 8 miles from the Ranch) which holds a big buck contest with prizes each year. Final pricing of trophy animals will be based on Star Feed’s scoring. Prizes earned in the contest are yours to keep.
Upland Game Bird hunting will be $50 additional.
We reserve the right to set daily and visit bag limits in order to maintain healthy populations of all species of game animals.
We generally will not allow more than 4 hunters per day to reduce hunting pressure on game and maintain a better experience at the Ranch for each guest.
To assure your prefered hunting dates please schedule your visit to the Ranch Today using our hunting contact form.
* An animal that is hit by a hunter fired projectile and unrecovered is still considered a successful harvest. This applies to all Deer.
A Very Memorable Afternoon and Evening
I had the good fortune today of spending the afternoon with Jim Chapman (American Airgun Hunter) and Chacho Gonzales. Jim arrived about 2PM driving in all the way from Minnesota and Chacho arrived from Midland – Odessa about 6PM or so. After setting up camp and an afternoon of great conversation Chacho prepared some of my grass fed angus home grown beef in the form of T-Bone steaks. Once a quick and simple meal was over we went out for a night predator hunt on my acreage. Jim made 4 sets at different locations. Chacho was the red spot light operator and primary transportation / hunting platform provider. It was easy to tell he and Jim operated as a finely honed team and were well practiced in this night hunting exercise. The first location did not bring in any song dogs but the second location proved productive and a song dog came in behind us. The angle and poor visibility in addition to physical obstructions present resulted in a missed shot on this dog who was lucky enough to live to see another hunter one day. The third location yielded a dog coming in at a very rapid pace to Jim’s electronic call. A quick sighting of glowing eyes by Chacho’s expert spot light handling and sharp eye resulted in a shot by Jim at about 50 yards with his Hatsan .457. It was a firm hit about mid dog it looked like from my perspective angle producing a resounding thud. The dog ran into some brush and was not recovered due to thick cover in the area consisting of mesquite trees, bushes and tall grass compounded by a very dark moonless night. We will go out again tomorrow to see if we can recover that dog as he is most certainly dead. A fourth location did not yield a target either although it is certain that the dogs were in the area due to hearing them call and also the fact that it is near one of the only permanent water sources on the ranch. Jim then called it a day and we returned to camp about 11:45 PM. A short hunt for sure but everyone was tired due to a lot of traveling to get here for the hunt.
I am thankful that this hunt has reintroduced me to an aspect of my ranch that I had tended to forget in life’s daily routine. The countless stars and the vast milky way were absolutely fantastic with at least 2 shooting stars being observed. These things are simply lost to modern society in locations where the night sky is mostly obscured by thousands upon thousands of street lights. I am thankful for this remote location far from the cities with dark skies in which to view the absolute glory of the Lord’s creation and enjoy a level of silence mostly lost now in our present society.
Thank you to my new friends Jim and Chacho for showing me what I have and had forgotten to appreciate for so long. It is a pure pleasure to get to spend a bit of time with some actual airgunners at last. Although we just met in person I feel like I have known both for years.
New Hunting Season Has Come, Cooler Temps and Hogs on the Move
Well September 1st began the new hunting season for Texas with hot temperatures here at the Ranch in the upper 90’s to near 100 degrees. Thankfully for both man and animal alike we got our first day of the Fall season flavors yesterday. Temperature fell from 96 degrees to 59 degrees in a couple of hours which of course with the high winds prompted a sandstorm until the ground temp and the air temp normalized. We received a bit of moisture during the night as a brief rain shower and today as mist. Spotty rain and fog are expected until sometime tomorrow afternoon and we need it after a very dry year of only 8 or so inches of precipitation falling to date. High temps today topped out briefly at 50 degrees following a chilly windy night with temperatures in the lower to mid 40’s. Tonight is expected to drop as low as last night but I suspect from past history that we might even see a brief movement into the 30’s. Hogs like humans prefer cooler weather and are on the move with much sign being observed at various places on and off the Ranch. Several groups with 2 to 3 adults and several litters of smaller “pocket” pigs have been sighted as well. The coyotes are on the move tool with much “singing” going on about dusk each evening and throughout the night. It is therefore a good time to book a hunt at the Ranch to get in some hog hunting (no hunting license required for hogs) for a memorable barbeque feast and some night varminting on the side as well. Remember we also provide a tank (dirt reservoir for the cattle to drink from) stocked with channel catfish for our guest (no fishing license required) to enjoy fishing and cooking a catfish meal over a mesquite fire. Mesquite is plentiful at the Ranch. The cattle knock a lot of dead wood to the ground and it does not take long for a guest to pick up an ample supply for a quick cooking fire during a brief stroll through the pasture. Or you can sharpen your small target airgunning skills with a few shots at some of the pest turtles that also inhabit the tank with the fish. They only present their head above the surface of the water so require an accurate shot to dispatch them at ranges up to about 50 yards.
Contact us to book a primitive hunt soon on a first come, first served basis.
Dry Conditions but Wild Hogs still about.
Just a short update on the Wild Hog conditions here. Even though it has become very dry with most of the grassland vegetation dying out, hogs and hog sign are still plentiful.
Sunday morning on the way to church services I saw about 15 pocket pigs with 3 adults near the highway so they are still breeding profusely. There have also been signs of digging and hog droppings on the main road from the highway to my ranch house 1/4 mile from the highway. The prickly pear apples are ripening rapidly in the dry heat of summer and they are always a favored treat of the hogs, deer and other wildlife.
On another note the turkey buzzards are already grouping nearby for their seasonal Fall flight south as they do every year. Hopefully this points to much cooler weather earlier than normal which will be a welcomed change to the MANY 100 to 115 degree days we have had for the last 2 months.
We do have a hunt booked for the second weekend in September by a couple of well known prominent airgunners but other dates are still available for airgunners only. You would be pressed to find a lower cost hunt anywhere in Texas. Give us a try. I think you will be pleased. Remember we have a tank stocked with catfish for hunters to take a break and do a bit of fishing. All fish caught must be released or consumed while on the property. No fishing licenses are required.
We are back after a short outage. Free Fills for Hunters
The site is back up after a 3 or so day outage due to a glitch with a Blue Host requested alteration to the domain structure of my hosting account.
I would also like to announce that Free Fills of breathing grade high pressure air for all Hunters at the Ranch can now be provided due to the Acquisition of an Alkin W31 Compressor and a 2 cylinder reservoir fill station (that is over 900 cu ft of air on tap).
Remember that we offer hunting year round for pigs / coyotes and varmints. We also offer large game (deer and turkey) and upland game birds (as supply dictates) when in season by request only by the day or by the season!
I still can source and order for you most airguns and airgun related items other than the FX brand. It may take a bit longer than a larger dealer but I think the price will please you!
The Wild Hogs are out tonight
Yes the Hogs are starting to become quite active lately. I have seen a lot of signs of rooting all around the property and on the highway right of way. I spied a “Pocket Pig” (10 lb youngster) last Sunday crossing the highway so the sows have fairly new litters already.
Tonight over 30 whitetail were seen within the 19 mile stretch of highway, part of which runs in front of my property. The bulk of the deer were within a 2 mile stretch.
More importantly since Whitetail season is past till fall, wild hogs were sighted at the front edge of the property around 8PM CST. There was a group of at least 4 hogs of around 150 to 250 pound size rooting around for johnsongrass rhizomes.
A late brief snow last month of 6″ to 8″ has made the ground very workable by the hogs and the elevated temperatures in the upper 60’s to upper 70’s are causing both plant and animal to revive from the mild winter we had this time.
If the Spring rains occur in abundance then there just might be a LARGE bumper crop of on the hoof pork available for hunting.
I am also planning to trap smaller hogs in the range of 60 to 150 lbs to provide live for butchering for a nominal fee to non hunters.
FX Dealer Status Revoked! New UPDATE at bottom!
FX informed me this morning that my Dealer status has been revoked (learned when inquiring why a 3 month old order that had been accepted by FX had never been filled) so Effective immediately I will no longer be able to get FX Guns, Parts or accessories. The requirements for dealer status with FX are now beyond what I can meet, given my remote location, lack of a physical storefront for the same reason and lack of customers since I am not near any population centers. No way a part time airgun dealer can continue to sell FX.
Jon (head of FX-USA formerly of AGD) told me in a telephone conversation when they were starting up that small dealers would be treated just as good as large dealers. Well I can tell you that did and does not happen. The entire minimum plan is forcing out ALL small dealers who do not focus on FX sales as their primary business. I have to say that Precision Airgun Distribution (AOA the former importer who FX removed from their dealer list as soon as they (FX-USA) had set up their operation) had a far better model suited to true small dealers with no minimum yearly purchase or minimum order amounts of of FX Items. I was happily buying FX products from them and reselling them until FX-USA took over. All dealers had to requalify when FX-USA came on the scene. No dealer was “grandfathered in”. For large dealers it was no issue but was a great financial burden on the little guys. There were delays in providing me product (see paragraph 1), erred order fulfillment (guns promised and in stock one day were suddenly out of stock when my order was filled), attempted double billing, quality issues on every gun in the initial shipment (these issues are now corrected), repair times of 3 to 6 months (also corrected) and alienation of my customers because of these delays and quality problems are but a few of the issues that effectively put me out of business. I had been promised that I could buy FX Parts and accessories (evidenced in a news message posted here in Summer 2019) without minimums but that word of mouth promise was also broken with the revolking of my dealer status.
I have NEVER done even 1/3 of the dollar amount of business per year on ALL brands that FX demands for their brand alone due to reasons outlined in the first paragraph of this posting. IMHO FX needs to take care of their small dealers as they promised in the beginning! The current meaning of “taking care of” is more in line with wiping them out rather than nurturing their relationship and business with FX-USA! 🙁
Will I ever sell FX again. I will answer a resounding NO as long as their current business model in in place. I have also probably killed any chance I would have by airing my issues if I were ever wanting to reverse my decision ! I simply cannot live with their business model even though their products are certainly innovative and in high demand.
Will I still shoot FX Guns? You bet I really wanted to make a go of selling them but it was just a BAD EXPENSIVE dream unfortunately.
Is FX alone in the injustices to small dealers? By no means. Another major small dealer supplier Air Venturi competes directly with it’s dealers via its two retail outlets: Pyramyd Air and Air Gun Depot.
Hatsan could not be bothered to even answer an inquiry into dealing their guns.
Umarex-USA could not provide what they promised in a timely manner either (Hammer).
Also the companies that offer discounts to various airgun forum members (Pyramyd mostly) just cuts the dealers throat as the 10% or so discount they offer if matched by an independent dealer leaves the dealer at 0% margin on many items. I enjoy this industry but I cannot live on 0% and bet others cannot either.
I don’t want to leave AirForce out here. They will not sell to dealers who have no physical storefront, I spoke to John M. who owns AirForce at the TPWD Commission Meeting in the Summer of 2019 when we were trying to get AirGun hunting legalized for Texas. I explained my location and lack of population to support a store here. He told me he would look into the policy of storefront required. As you might guess I never received any further contact about it!
Even PAD competes with dealers through their retail outlet you know as AOA! Don’t get me wrong I am still a PAD Dealer and they have treated me more fairly (and continue to do so) than all the rest but they do sell the same items retail. Jared Clark who handles dealer sales at PAD is tops in my book. Interactions with him show me he values my business no matter how small it is!
Lets not forget the one item that all these folks have in common, It is called MAP pricing. That means that they will sell you the product BUT you may not advertise it via the internet, auction sites such as EBay etc. including email at a price below the MAP price THEY set . Word of mouth is the only exception to this rule. That is why you see the same prices on all the various websites.
Make no mistake about it the Airgun Industry is FILLED with politics, GREED, LIES, Broken Promises, good old boy behind the scenes you rub my back and I’ll rub yours and under the table deals just like most of corporate America.
So why did I spill the beans so to speak? Hopefully my experiences and losses will prevent another person from seeing Airgun Dealership as anything but a tough dog eat dog business with little to no profit margins, If your in a major city with a large population it is possible but without those two requirements it just can’t work.
Update 27 March 2020: Jon reached out to me after I commented concerning my issues on the latest AEAC 2 Hour FX Airguns Video via YouTube. I will be in touch with FX-USA Monday 30 March 2020 to see if there can be a solution worked out for tiny dealers such as me! Kudos to Him and FX Airguns for this action!
Update 02 April 2020: FX Made a reasonable offer but I still cannot come up with the funds to reup my dealership nor possibly make the yearly minimums so as it stands I am out of the FX Dealer Business.
This document has been edited to remove any dealer requirement details at FX-USA request.
Anyone need a Daystate, Brocock, BSA, Uragan, AirForce etc ………… contact me please.
Big Game season has now ended at T3P Ranch AGS
As of dark yesterday the 19th of January 2020 big game hunting season is closed at the T3P Ranch.
A Spring Turkey season is open April 4 to May 17 2020 for Gobblers or Bearded Hens however due to low populations there will be no season at T3P Ranch this Spring.
Additionally due to lack of interest in our style of Real Hunting rather than catered, shooting blind, bated , game harvesting the Ranch will be permanently closed to all Big Game and upland game bird hunting.
We will, however, still entertain Feral Pig and predator airgun hunters by appointment only!
Late Whitetail and Turkey seasons end January 19th 2020
As the title states time is running out to hunt seasonal game animals at the T3P Ranch.
There are only 5 days remaining of Whitetail Deer and Turkey hunting till Fall 2020.
Of course wild pig hunting as well as coyote and all non game species is open year round.
Wild pig hunting does not require any licensing or permitting to hunt, even for out of state hunters.
This makes for an attractively priced hunt for Wild Pigs.