Indian Lake Outfitters LLC

Man Cans at Indian Lake Outfitters

2012-02-07T21:58:00.000-05:00

Who's heard of Hart Main, one of the Huffington Post's Favorite Entrepreneurs of 2011? And rightfully so - he's a young entrepreneur with a mission.

We stumbled across Hart's product, Man-Cans, at another local retailer and we quickly fell in love with the concept. We fell so hard, we decided to carry them in our store. Who doesn't want a candle that smells of gun powder, Grandpa's pipe, sawdust or even a campfire? Several of Hart's scents are now available at Indian Lake Outfitters!

As you read above, Man-Cans are made inside an actual soup can purchased from a local grocer. The soup is donated to kitchens all across the area to help those in need. The label is removed from the can and then made into a candle scented with "manly" appeal, like dirt or fresh cut grass.

For each candle purchased from Indian Lake Outfitters that accompanies an unopened can of soup, you will receive a dollar off the price of your candle.

We're on a mission to help Hart continue his - One Candle, One Meal.

This post is brought to you by Indian Lake Outfitters, your outdoor retail connection for hunting, fishing, camping, archery, marine, firearms and ammunition. We’d love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter!

A Better Way to Save!

2012-01-28T17:50:00.001-05:00

We've partnered up with the Bellefontaine Examiner to offer you a "Better Way 2 Save"!

Certificates are sold on a first come, first serve basis, so don't delay and start saving today with Indian Lake Outfitters. They can be purchased via cash, check or credit card and are valid for thirty days from the time of purchase.

Simply stop by the Bellefontaine Examiner office located at 127 East Chillicothe Avenue in Bellefontaine, Ohio anytime from Monday to Friday to purchase your discounted certificates to Indian Lake Outfitters.

Losing Reality and Winning the Dream

2012-01-11T08:57:00.000-05:00

Picture a day in the life of Indian Lake Outfitters, like most days, putting forth lots of effort, increasing product knowledge and networking with others in the industry. Today's life begins with a smile. Today's life begins with hopes of winning a $5000 cash give-a-way drawing.

Before you can enter the drawing, you have to decide to participate. You have to focus on the goal. You have to meet the deadline. More importantly, you have to funnel your hopes and dreams into wanting the reality. You have to believe you are a winner.

Because you're a dreamer, you have the courage to get started. You devote your entire day to success. You're on a mission to complete the task at hand. You begin to own the dream and think about how the $5000 would effect your life. You're happy. You feel like a winner.

The moment comes to seperate your dreams from reality. The hype is filling your heart. There are fifty $100 bills starring you in the face and hundreds of people to your back. It's just you and the podium - you're numb to the outside world. You still believe you're winner. You think the money is yours...

Then that other guy comes from the middle of no-where, bursts your bubble, crushes your dream and takes your money! You begin to come down off your high, feel depressed, mope for a few minutes, complain about how things never go your way, maybe even shed a tear and tell yourself you're so much more deserving than the other guy? Pretty cruddy right?

When reality finally sets in, bring back your dreams. You were full of emtion that makes you human. You were full of excitement that gave you hope. You had ideas that made you look forward to tomorrow. You had an extra bounce in your step, high blood pressure, a new pitch to your squeal and lots of positivity.

There are brighter things to come.

You are always a winner in your own dreams, it's up to you to make them real. Take Your Shot!

Local Christmas in Lakeview, Ohio

2011-12-16T13:47:00.000-05:00

For the last four years the Lakeview Business Group has partnered with the Indian Lake Area Chamber of Commerce to offer a local parade through Downtown Lakeview. This year's parade was themed "It's a Magical Christmas at Indian Lake". We at Indian Lake Outfitters wanted to support the local hometown event as much as possible so we submitted an entry in the 4th Annual Lakeview Christmas Parade where we were awarded a plaque for "Best of Theme".

After the parade, the Lakeview Business Group sponsored the Lakeview Christmas Event for area residents to stroll the shops of Downtown Lakeview, enjoy a horse and carriage ride through the city and enter to win numerous prizes. Residents could also participate in a scavenger hunt and take the kids to visit Santa at Osgood bank in exchange for a canned food items. Area businesses offered door prizes, drawings and refreshments as well.

It was a great evening in Downtown Lakeview of Indian Lake - thank you to all who came!

This post is brought to you by Indian Lake Outfitters, your outdoor retail connection for hunting, fishing, camping, archery, marine, firearms and ammunition. We’d love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter!

Outreach to Indian Lake for Christmas in the Park 2011

2011-12-16T11:05:00.000-05:00

It’s that time of year again for the annual Logan County Neighborhood Outreach Christmas in the Park at the Indian Lake State Park. If you haven’t seen the light display, it’s a must see! Several area businesses and organizations donate their time to build a display of holiday cheer for local residents and visitors to enjoy. With over 40 businesses on display and two roads of campsites, the program continues to grow each year marking 2011 the 5th Annual Christmas in the Park.

All proceeds from the event benefit the children and families from the Western, Chippewa and Russells Point neighborhoods through the Outreach Centers. Outreach centers partner with neighbors and residents to facilitate and organize programs that promote stability, children safety and strong communities. Locally, the activities include monthly meetings, holiday events, birthday parties, family outings, mentor programs, nutrition programs, job training and homework help. For more information on the Outreach Center, contact Drew Shick or Aaron Pool at 937-843-9283.

Christmas in the Park is open to the public on December 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 9th, 10th, 11th, 16th, 17th, 18th and 23rd from 6-9 at the Indian Lake State Park Campground. The group is asking for a $5 donation per car load that tours the display. Bring the whole family, drive through a Winter Wonderland of twinkling light displays, enjoy the show and send us a picture of you and the family in front of the Indian Lake Outfitters scene. Santa doesn't like to duck hunt alone!

This post is brought to you by Indian Lake Outfitters, your outdoor retail connection for hunting, fishing, camping, archery, marine, firearms and ammunition. We’d love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter!

Trophy Whitetail Deer

2011-10-10T21:56:00.000-04:00

Nestled away in Logan County is a great piece of heaven known as Briarwood Sporting Club. They offer the discriminating outdoorsman a relaxing, natural environment to get away from it all. If you enjoy fishing, hunting or simply immersing yourself in a stunning natural setting, then you've come to the right place. With our current raffle, let Briarwood play host for a leisurely and memorable day.

For over 30 years, Briarwood has been a "slice of wilderness" in central Ohio, embracing a relaxed and casual atmosphere of soothing freshwater and breathtaking vistas. With a majestic landmass covered with numerous lakes and trout streams, Briarwood is considered to be the largest private fishing resort east of the Mississippi. Their large artisan springs from the headwaters of one of Ohio's best trout fishing waterways, the Mad River, offer some of the finest fishing in the country for Brook, Brown, Golden and Rainbow trout. With 125 acres of lakes, their waters are the deepest in Ohio, abundant with Small and Largemouth Bass, Walleye, Perch and Tiger Musky.

Briarwood has opened up their preserve to trophy whitetail deer hunting! On one of their guided whitetail hunts, one can expect to see several whitetail in excess of 200" and will have the opportunity to harvest a "buck of a lifetime".

Our newest raffle will allow you to come see for yourself how serene wilderness combined with excellent fishing and hunting will make your visit to Briarwood a unique and memorable experience.

With only a few tickets left, we will draw one lucky winner on Wednesday, November 30th at 6:00 in the evening. Tickets are just $10 each or three for $20 and we're only selling a selected number of tickets. The winner will receive a one-day hunt to Briarwood Sporting Club for a managed buck up to 149". The hunt includes meals, beverages, guide and deer preparation valued over $2500. The hunter can choose to harvest with a rifle, muzzle loader or bow and must be taken with in this year.
The count down is on to draw a winner - if you're feeling lucky, there's still time to join in! Call or stop into Indian Lake Outfitters for more details!

This post is brought to you by Indian Lake Outfitters, your outdoor retail connection for hunting, fishing, camping, archery, marine, firearms and ammunition. We’d love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter!

Gorilla Sacks, Indian Lake Outfitters & Recycled Billboards!

2011-10-10T12:05:00.001-04:00

Gorilla Sacks, Indian Lake Outfitters and Recycled Billboards - that's a mental image right? GOOD! Because we want you to have the newest "go-green" image with one of the coolest recycled billboard sacks around, available at...you guessed it - Indian Lake Outfitters!

This awesome concept was born by Gorilla Sacks but brought to you locally from the team at ComStor Outdoor. Each Gorilla Sack is made from a recycled billboard vinyl. These are the same billboards you see along the highway throughout Logan and surrounding counties. Each pattern piece is hand cut to create a bag that doubles as a piece of art! Therefore, every Gorilla Sack is one-of-a-kind. You´ll be the only one with this exact bag.

All of ComStor Outdoor's billboard vinyl is made to be resilient through all weather conditions, so it´s tough and waterproof. The durable vinyl is tear resistant, UV protected and will not wear out. Therefore, you can expect your Gorilla Sack to be gorilla tough!

At Indian Lake Outfitters, you can snag lots of great Gorilla Gear styles including the every popular Messenger, the sturdy Giant Market, Classic and Modern Tote or one of our fav's, the Day Tripper. We even have dog collars for Fido!

This post is brought to you by Indian Lake Outfitters, your outdoor retail connection for hunting, fishing, camping, archery, marine, firearms and ammunition. We’d love to connect with you on Facebook and Twitter!

2011 Willard O'Brien Youth Pheasant Hunt

2011-10-10T07:09:00.016-04:00

Behold, the Annual Williard O'Brien Memorial Youth Pheasant Hunt sponsored by the Logan County Pheasants Forever Chapter #285, Logan County Whitetails Unlimited, Logan County Fish & Game and Indian Lake Outfitters.

Pheasants Forever is a non-profit conservation organization, dedicated to the preservation and restoration of wildlife habitat. PF believes that the pheasant and all wildlife can be appreciated and admired by hunters and non-hunters alike. Located in the heart of Logan County, the Logan County Fish & Game offers 109 acres of ample opportunities for sportsmen and women to enjoy their favorite fishing and shooting sports. Whitetails Unlimited strongly endorse the idea and practice that those who choose to hunt should do so in a safe, legal, moral and ethical manner, always making an effort to conserve and maintain our natural resources. While the ethical hunter is a conservationist, and can actually improve the conditions for those who follow, the unethical hunter can destroy not only the image of outdoorsmen but also the environment, thereby depriving future generations of hunters and non-hunters the beauties of nature that we can experience today.

Recognizing the need to provide young hunters with the appropriate hunting educational opportunities, the Logan County Pheasants Forever Chapter, the Fish & Game Club and the Logan County Whitetails Unlimited is presenting the 2011 YOUTH PHEASANT HUNT on Saturday, October 29, 2011.

The Youth Pheasant Hunt, which will be conducted in a morning hunting session, will expose the young hunter to all elements of an upland bird hunt. The participants will meet at the Logan County Fish & Game to discuss hunting safety and ethics. After this short meeting, the participants will be given the chance to warm up their shooting skills on the trap range. Following a brief shooting and instruction session, each hunter will meet with their guides and caravan to the hunting sites. The hunt will last one to two hours, or until each participant has reached his or her limit, whichever occurs first. After the hunt is completed, the hunting party will return to the Fish & Game for participants to share stories and photos and receive hands-on demonstrations on how to clean their birds.

Lunch will be provided to both hunters and their guardians. Over the lunch period, the participants will be introduced to the Fish & Game Club, Pheasants Forever and Whitetails Unlimited at the national and local levels. Door prizes will be drawn and recognition of volunteers and landowners made.

Youth Pheasant Hunt Participants must be age 10 through 17, have a valid 2011-2012 Ohio Youth Hunting License and be accompanied by a non-hunting adult. To obtain an Ohio Youth Hunting License, one must first attend and pass a Hunter Education Course. For course information, please contact the ODNR at 1-800-WILDLIFE. Ideally, the participant will be accompanied by a parent, relative, or close friend who is a licensed and experienced hunter. If such an adult is not available, the young hunter will be paired up with a Mentor who is an experienced hunter. Non-hunting parents are encouraged to participate in all aspects of the training and the hunt.

If you have a son or daughter, or know of any young boys or girls who would like to participate in the Youth Pheasant Hunt, please have them complete an application available from Indian Lake Outfitters at 937.842.1934. Spaces are limited with first time hunters being given priority. The hunt will be limited to approximately 30 youths.

Roughin' It with the Frogg Toggs

2011-09-12T22:55:00.000-04:00

You're hot, it's summer time and you're looking to keep cool, right? Have you ever thought that a pair of Frogg Toggs might be the answer? Neither had our good friend Brian...until now.

An avid hunter and excellent fisherman, Brian, stays up on all the new gear, does his research extensively and then ponders his purchase for awhile before moving forward. His recent Frogg Togg transaction was no different. He thought they'd come in pretty handy on the boat while fishing or be good to have on hand scouting through the woods, the reason he chose the camo pattern, and the price was right.

A few weeks later, Brian stopped back in to purchase a hammock. He'd been doing a lot of camping with his family and wanted a relaxing place to rest at night under the stars. You can see where this is going, right?

Just a short time later, Brian found himself camping "with the guys" so of course they were "roughin' it". Brian opted to enjoy the pure beauty and serenity of nature and sleep in his new hammock alone. Although his local outdoor store stocks and sells other camping gear, like blankets and sleeping bags, keep in mind, he was "roughin' it".

As the fellas settled in for the night, so did the wind and the rain. At some point during the early morning hours, Brian found himself wrapped in the hammock like a ca coon, trying to stay warm...and then scrambling to stay dry. At just the right moment, he remembered his Frogg Toggs. After cinching the drawstring hood down tight, Brian curled back up into his hammock and stayed warm and dry all night.

So remember that Frogg Toggs are a great addition to any outdoor activity, even sleeping in the rain.

At the Peak of it ALL!

2011-08-24T10:31:00.000-04:00

As a business owner, you come across some extreme opportunities, meet extroidanary people and build some ultimate relationships but I think it's what lies within yourself that brings those highlights to life. What lies within yourself comes alive because of your upbringing, your surroudings and your support system. All of which equal YOUR COMMUNITY!

With in Logan County, you have so many beautiful natural resources, lots of fantastic history and phenomeal support to build a foundation on. Have you recently had the pleasure to experience Campbell Hill, the highest point in Ohio at an elevation of 1549.09 feet? If not, you really should consider the venture.

The foundation of Campbell High exists at the Ohio Hi-Point Career Center, which was at one time the location for the 664th Aircraft Control and Warning Squadron during the Cold War. Both sites are identified with historical markers, open to the public from dawn to dusk and a free attraction right here in YOUR COMMUNITY!

The hike to the summit is fairly easy and handicap accessible - similar to Indian Lake Outfitters, your outdoor retail connection for hunting, fishing, camping, archery and marine...Indian Lake Outfitters - Release YOUR inner outdoors right here in YOUR COMMUNITY and be AT THE PEAK OF IT ALL!

Archery Rental with the Boneheaded Tourist at Indian Lake

2011-08-10T10:43:00.000-04:00

Indian Lake is the perfect vacation or relocation destination for lots of obvious reasons - the scenery, state parks, unique dining options, 5800 acres of water, 27 miles of shoreline AND INDIAN LAKE OUTFITTERS!! That's right, Indian Lake Outfitters, your retail connection for hunting, fishing, camping, archery and marine; just two blocks from the spillway.

We had the opportunity to entertain Ohio Traveler's Boneheaded Tourist for a few days. The Boneheaded Tourist, also referred to as BT, is a puppet created by Frank Satullo of Ohio Traveler for the purpose of highlighting tourism throughout Ohio. The Logan County Convention and Tourist Bureau hosted BT for his vacation in Logan County. During his week long stay, they brought him to Indian Lake and made a stop at Indian Lake Outfitters to check out the shop and test BT's archery ability.

As you know, we at Indian Lake Outfitters have an outdoor retail shop but we also opened an indoor archery range in November of 2010. The range is climate controlled for comfortable shooting year round, has enough space for up to 8 shooters at one time and offers a 20 yard shot into state of the art 4x4 Block targets. The beauty of the addition to Indian Lake Outfitters is that it doesn't matter if you're a first time archer or experienced pro, we have the knowledge and equipment to assist you with our complete line of shop tools, bow press and archery rental equipment.

Because BT was a first time archer and traveling the county, he didn't have any equipment. NOT A PROBLEM!! Our rental bow program includes all the necessary accessories needed to try the sport and participate regardless of skill level. We even offer instruction and assistance. So, when you're planning your next trip in the area whether it be business or pleasure and you're looking for something unique to do, stop into Indian Lake Outfitters and enjoy some time in our Indoor Archery Range. We can offer rental equipment that includes range time or you're always welcome to bring your own equipment and purchase range time for as little as 30 minutes, by the hour or we offer annual memberships that allow you to shoot at your convenience.

We enjoyed having the Boneheaded Tourist and hope to see you enjoy the same experience at Indian Lake Outfitters where you can release your inner outdoors!

JA - Junior Acheivement

2011-05-23T23:09:00.000-04:00

"382,637 Junior Achievement volunteers teach 403,849 classes to 9,866,143 students a year...That's 27,030 students a day and nearly 1,126 students every hour who become empowered to own their economic success!"

As a board member we assisted in the process of collecting donations from local businesses with the hopes of being able to offer more classes to more students with in the county. As a volunteer,we taught several classes to cover three different age groups. As a business owner, we're humbled to share our passion with young people.

Many of you inquired about JA from our social media postings. For those still wondering, "Junior Achievement is a partnership between the business community, educators and volunteers all working together to inspire young people to dream big and reach their potential. JA's hands-on, experiential programs teach the key concepts of work readiness, entrepreneurship and financial literacy to young people all over the world."

We began the JA journey educating our daughter's 2nd grade class at Indian Lake Elementary about their community. The students worked with a fictional community that included schools, factories, government agencies, restaurants and retail stores. The class worked with a business called Sweet 'O Donuts using unit production and assembly. Each student became an employee and got paid for their work. At the end of the work day, they had to pay the government to keep their community operational and learned how currency flows throughout their community. Upon completion, the kids earned themselves a donut party to celebrate their JA Graduation.

Because the county was so supportive of the JA program, our next journey began in a first grade classroom at Indian Lake where the kids talked about their neighborhood and the importance of family. A large focus was placed on needs and wants and the importance of putting their needs in front of their wants. The kids were able to create their own neighborhood maps highlighting what type of businesses their neighborhood may need and what businesses they want their neighborhoods to have. We were able to share community maps with the children compliments of the Chamber of Commerce.

Our last Junior Achievement stop was a Kindergarten class at Calvary Christian with a mission to educate the kids about "themselves" in the aspect of how they can help others. Through story telling and worksheets, the kids talked about ways to earn money and the importance of saving it for things they want or need. During the program the students earned money for their hard work and received a bank to save it in.

To learn more about JA, visit their web-site at www.ja.org or contact Melanie Beatty-Quesenberry, the Champaign/Logan County Coordinator at (937)360-9579 or email to mquesenberry_jamr@sbcglobal.net.

"Volunteers embody the heart of Junior Achievement. Taking a message of opportunity and boundless potential to a classroom in your community, no matter what your profession, is JA in action. Register to volunteer today and tell kids how you took chances and shot for the stars – so they can do the same."

Baked Bean Recipes

2011-05-02T10:00:00.001-04:00

Enjoy a couple of Baked Bean Recipes...

1 lb dry navy, soldier, or Great Northern Beans
2/3 cup molasses
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1 large white onion, minced
2/3 cup cider vinegar
1/3 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lb thick cut bacon, cut into 1" chunks

Place the beans in a large oven-porrof saucepan or Dutch oven and add enough water to cover by 2-3 inches. Let stand at least 8 hours. Drain the water from the pan and then add fresh water to cover the beans. Simmer over low heat for approximately one hour (the skins should start to open). Cool and drain once more. Prepare the sauce by mixing together the molasses, vinegar, mustard, borwn sugar, pepper and salt. Add sauce, onion, and bacon to beans, mixing thoroughly. Cover saucepan and bake in 300 degree over for 4-6 hours, checking and stirring the mixture often. The baked bean are done when the sauce is thick, the beans are tender, and the bacon is fully cooked. Add more water if the beans begin to dry out during the cooking process.

$5000 Publisher's Giveaway

2011-04-25T22:28:00.002-04:00

WOW! What an incredible experience to be a part of - and there really was a winner!

The publisher, Lane Moon, of the Urbana Daily Citizen, Mechanicsburg Telegram, Indian Lake Current and River Current, offered a $5000 Publisher's Giveaway from February 24 to March 24th. With 38 participating businesses, Indian Lake Outfitters was pleased to participate and draw one lucky semi-finalist.

Our winner, Kay McMillen, along with the other finalists were present at the Grand Prize Drawing on Saturday, April 9th. Held in the Michael Farms Horticulture building of the Champaign County Fairgrounds, we were offered great food and refreshments and the opportunity to meet and greet with other businesses in the Logan and Champaign County area.

The excitement continued as a Reverse Raffle determined Sandra Smith, to be the last "woman" standing as the Winner of the $5000 Giveaway! Sandra's entry was turned into Pam's House of Beauty and drawn as a semi-finalists.

Congratulations to Sandra on winning the giveaway and thank you to everyone that stopped into Indian Lake Outfitters with their entry forms to participate in the drawing.

Geocaching for Earth Day at Girl Scout Camp Myeerah

2011-04-22T00:05:00.000-04:00

Happy Earth Day!!

Indian Lake Outfitters partnered with the Girl Scouts of Western Ohio to celebrate Earth Day at the Girl Scout's Camp Myeerah last Saturday. We teamed up with the Insurance Goddess, Carrie Reynolds, of Alan Galvez Insurance to educate the young girls on the importance of "Cache In - Trash Out" with litter pick-up and geocaching.

Geocaching, coined in 2000, combines location-based gaming, social networking, treasure hunting, GPS navigation and outdoor recreation. With more than 1.4 million geocaches hidden and 4 million users worldwide, geocaching continues to grow in popularity across the United States and here locally in Logan County. Did you know that Indian Lake Outfitters is the only place in Logan County that carries Geocaching supplies?

Donated by Galvez Insurance, the litter bag was full of fun educational pieces for each girl to take home as a souvenir, like the "geocaching.com" sticker created by FastTrack Signs. Then we stuffed a 2-sided Geocaching Fact Sheet inside, along with some other information about Indian Lake Outfitters and Alan Galvez Insurance.

Alan Galvez Insurance is located at 134 West Columbus Ave in Bellefontaine, Ohio. For questions or policies regarding Life, Auto, Health, Home or Commercial coverage, please contact the Goddess at 937-592-4871.

To learn more geocaching basics, join us next Saturday, April 30th, at the Logan County District Library in Bellefontaine for a FREE demonstration titled "Let's go Geocaching" beginning at 2:00 in the AcuSport Community Room.

ILWP/ILDC Weed Harvester Campaign

2011-04-13T02:05:00.000-04:00

Over 20 years ago, Indian Lake businesses and residents saw our water quality headed for serious economic trouble - the lake was too shallow for boating and too muddy for fishing.

The Indian Lake Watershed Project was formed with monumental support of farmers, landowners and government agencies. Over the years, we have made a difference reducing the sediment flowing into the lake from 80,000 tons per year to 15,000 tons per year.

Because of these actions, CLAM volunteers have seen disc depth readings at Indian Lake of 52" with an average of 12" for the 2010 season. Swimmers can have peace of mind knowing that the water quality will not create health issues. The real estate property values have increased and residents and businesses are experiencing a better quality of life. Indian Lake now has over 1.2 million visitors per year, making it a great destination point. Most importantly, Indian Lake DOES NOT have a toxic algae issue, however, with the increased water clarity, sunlight is able to penetrate the water that causes weed growth. Weed growth that unfortunately restricts and even prevents boat traffic in many areas.

To remedy the weed situation, chemical spraying practices along private docks and channels will continue providing the availability of state funding and we need to purchase a WEED HARVESTER, which costs $127,000.

We need everyone's help and support. The weed problem will be an ongoing issue that will require annual maintenance to keep growth manageable. The ILWP and ILDC organizations have been conducting a fundraising campaign to purchase a weed harvester that will be solely dedicated for use at Indian Lake.

We are asking for your help to continue our efforts of "Improving the Water Quality of Indian Lake One Drop at a Time" by contributing to the ILWP/ILDC Weed Harvester Campaign today.

Archery Leagues Now Forming

2011-04-09T00:06:00.000-04:00

LEAGUES NOW FORMING

Thanks to all who have signed up and shown interest in participating in our Indoor Archery Leagues. For the next 7 weeks, we will have compound bow shoots on Tuesday nights at 4:00 and 7:00. Thursday nights will be an open “fun” shoot at 6:00 and Saturday mornings at 9:00am will be marked for our Traditional League shooters.

Please feel free to invite your friends to join us. The range is available for open shooting 7 days a week from 7am-6:30pm Monday thru Saturday and 8am-4pm on Sundays. We offer annual memberships for $100 with children and ladies being half-price. Guests can also shoot by the hour or half-hour. Keep in mind that we have rental equipment available and program packages for groups that wish to shoot in the range.

League prices are $8 per person per league and $5 for membership holders. We guarantee payouts and prizes to the top 3 spots of each league with the option of additional places based upon participation.

Leagues will start the week of April 10th and continue thru May 28th. Six of the 7 scores will be combined in the winning total with a handicap being assessed. Should you need more information, please don’t hesitate to call us at the shop anytime.

See you all next week - Indian Lake Outfitters Staff

7 Tips for Building a Campfire

2011-02-23T23:32:00.000-05:00

While you're enjoying the outdoors, we want you to be prepared when the time arises to build that great campfire. We've got 7 simple steps to get you started.

1) Like any project, determine your purpose before you begin and assemble everything you need. For example, are you just cooking lunch over the fire or do you plan on building a fire for heat through out the night?

2) View your surroundings and choose proper placement of the fire before you begin. Be aware of flammables, items downwind, overhanging branches and clear ground.

3) Be prepared - waterproof matches are always a great tool, as are fire starters, joke candles and dryer lent.

4) Keep things DRY!

5) More planning and lots of patience. Allow for air circulation but start small and add larger pieces, only lighting your fire from the bottom and not the top.

6) Learn from every fire you make...a strong wind will make the fire burn hotter and faster. When possible, use softwood to start your fire and then maintain it with hardwood.

7) Have an exit strategy. As useful as your fire maybe, it can quickly get out of hand. You should have a plan on how to put your fire out before you ever light it and be sure it is out before you ever leave it.

The Rewards and Reasons to Geocaching

2011-02-14T01:56:00.001-05:00

A year ago this week I discovered a hobby that would take me to so many interesting locations, I can't begin to describe them all here. I upgraded my pre Vietnam-era cell phone to a brand new smart phone with GPS capabilities and an application known as c:geo. After I set up my free account on the Ground Speak website, I was able to log in, on my phone and began seeing geocaches all around me!

I ventured out to a small roadside park The Hills of Hyland in a foot of snow and walked around staring at my phone until I came upon a knot hole in a small tree... bingo! A small plastic container wrapped in camouflaged duct tape contained many small trinkets that users trade out, as well as a log to sign. It was so interesting to think how many other people had taken the same journey and found this hidden treasure. I suddenly became part of a secret society of "geocachers". Thus became the addictive treasure. Suddenly I found myself walking through every nearby park looking in knot holes, under bridges and every other nook and cranny of public spaces. I soon found myself having to travel further to find new caches and discovering all kinds of hidden natural wonders.

One of the first such that our entire family took part in was Tree House, a very fun/unexpected discovery in a nearby state park. Many of these "hidden" treasures we have driven by 100 times and had no idea they were there. One thing that most every geocacher will tell you is that "they would have never discovered this site/location without geocaching". Another great example is an awesome water fall we discovered beside a major highway in Columbus of all places! While the cache itself La Cascada Escondida (The Hidden Waterfall) is pretty boring, the waterfall we discovered while looking for the cache was amazing! What a suprise to hear the roar of a waterfall while walking down a sidewalk in an urban neighborhood. One of Carly's favorite geocaches was Just Desserts Geocache which was a puzzle/multi-cache, where we had to find clues in a cemetery to find the final hiding location. The "cache" had cooking themed prizes, pretty cool! We also found "Freddy Kruger's" head stone! Would we have ever taken the family to see a cemetary in St. Marys, Ohio and see that without geocaching? Of course not!

After discovering my 100th geocache I felt I was ready to hide my very own geocache, and so Lily Pad Leap for Dummies was born. My favorite kind of geocache to find was one that required a long walk in the woods and an easy to spot cache, so I reviewed the local public parks in Google Maps and found the furthest spot from any road way. To date, only a handful of people have made the journey to the cache site, but I have had very good reviews, including this one:

"This. Was. Incredible! Especially doing it with 3-4 inches of snow on the ground. What a fantastic time. Of course when you start trekking in you think this is going to be a piece of cake. Well, let me tell you, after you spend about 15 minutes on the path... there is no path. And, if this was during the summer... well. All I can say is you best come with a football helmet on. You have to protect your noggin. This is one tough bushwhacking experience in the winter and I can only imagine the difficulty going way up in the summer.

Placed my feet in a stream once going through a little ice. No big deal I was ready for it. But then I got whacked in the face several times by small tree limbs. Fortunately none of them were nettles or thorns. I had my share of working my way through thorns and tightly packed trees, branches, downed trees... this was just too much fun.

Then, I arrive at GZ... or what I thought was GZ. Now remember, I have at least 3 inches of snow I am working with. So, the cache is supposed to be on a boulder in clear site in a small clearing... Right heh. I find a clearing and a boulder thinking this is it... and boulders are not that easy to find with the snow. Course I picked the wrong clearing and the wrong boulder. Thinking maybe the cache fell off I started clearing the boulder and looking ... no luck. So I backtrack and start combing the area. More trees, nettles, fun stuff.

I look around and see something that looks like a boulder, and its bigger than the other one. I reach it and slowly start to clear the top and woooohoooo the cache appears out from under the snow! What a relief. I was determined not to log a DNF. Needless to say I start yelling I was so excited. This was a great time, fun hike, and incredible cache. Thanks for the great time today. And I am quite satisfied being Third to Find. TFTC!"

I now have plans for a night cache, a tree climbing cache and an underwater cahce! But I figure I need to find a few more hundred caches before then. I would encourage you to get out in our parks and take advantage, after all, we all pay for them and we could use the exercise, right?!

While geocaching doesn't require a lot of special equipment, you can get some basic geocaching supplies and/or a GPS unit from our friends at Indian Lake Outfitters. They are the only place in Logan County that carries geocaching supplies and they can special order items in for you as well. We here at FastTrack Signs can also produce a variety of geocaching stickers should you need them.

The Ground Speak website tracks all your geocaching statistics, I thought you might be interested to know mine:

You've found 117 caches (114 distinct) since your first cache find on 02/20/2010.
You find the most caches in April and usually on Sunday.
Find Rate 0.3324 caches/day.
Longest Streak 5 consecutive days with finds from 01/02/2011 to 01/06/2011.
Longest Slump 73 consecutive days without a find from 08/19/2010 to 10/31/2010.
Best Day 8 caches in one day on 04/04/2010.
Best Month 32 caches in April of 2010.
Best Year 95 caches in 2010.

Happy caching!

This has been a guest blog post by local geocacher dennisschaub. Thanks to Dennis and Carly, of FastTrack Signs for introducing us to the wonderful world of Geocaching one year ago!

Deer Camp Cabin Signs

2011-01-28T00:08:00.000-05:00

Looking for a unique gift idea or that perfect rustic piece to finish out the cabin or lake house? Check out these rustic customizable and personable license plate plaques.

Made by a local entrepreneur and outdoorsman, Tom and Max have turned a hobby collection of old license plates and barn siding into a great side business. They've created many rustic cabin style pieces including birdhouses, outhouses and potting sheds. They collect old wooden windows, license plates and barn slats with the vision of furniture in the heaping pile of what others would view as junk.

We're excited to support other locals with vision and LOVE the new signs! We invite you to stop in and check them out for yourselves - we're taking orders.

Girl Scout Cookies with a Cause

2011-01-27T22:28:00.000-05:00

I'm sure you've all heard the line, "Would you like to buy some girl scout cookies?" It's definitely been common conversation in our daily lives and it goes something like this...

"Hello, I'm a Girl Scout and my name is Bostyn. My personal goal is to sell 500 boxes of cookies. Our group goal is to sell 1,714 boxes of cookies so we can go on troop outings and overnights. You can also purchase cookies that we will donate to the Military serving overseas for our community service project."

So far this year, Troop 20556 has already taken several day trips with money they raised from last years cookie and fall product sales. Some of their trips have included a local corn maze, an educational day at the Air & Space Museum, two group parties and a visit to the Columbus Cchildren's Theatre and Spaghetti Warehouse. The girls have a few other trips planned this spring to earn more badges that include Archery and service with Relay for Life. All cookie proceeds stay in our community to help build girls of courage, confidence and character who make the world a better place.

The 2011 selection is provided by Girl Scouts of Western Ohio and Little Brownie Bakers at $3.50 a box. They've teamed up to offer the Lemon Chalet Creme, Trefoil, Do-Si-Do, Samoa, Tagalong and Thin Mints. If you're interested in supporting a local troop, we'd love to take your order or ship some boxes overseas on your behalf. Just choose from the list below and message us the details!

Lemon Chalet Cremes uniquely designed to feature Our Chalet, this delicious vanilla sandwich has a hint of cinnamon-ginger spice and a refreshing zesty lemon creme filling.

Trefoils are light and delicious with a delicate tasting shortbread that is delightfully simple and satisfying.

Do-Si-Dos are a peanutty excitement and "naturally good"! Crisp and crunchy oatmeal cookies with cream peanut butter filling and no artificial color or flavor.

Samoas are chewy and rich! A tender vanilla cookie, covered with caramel, rolled in toasted coconut, and striped with a rich, chocolaty coating.

Tagalongs are wildly popular - tasty cookies topped with creamy peanut butter and covered with a luscious chocolaty coating.

Thin Mints are extra thin and extra minty. A thin wafer covered with a smooth chocolaty coating. Made with natural peppermint.

From all of us at Girl Scouts of Western Ohio, Indian Lake Outfitters and Troop 20556, we thank you!

Fish & Game Memberships

2011-01-27T09:05:00.001-05:00

Are you looking to get out and enjoy a club or meet new people with the same interests as you? Instead of joining an on-line dating site, or heading to the local pub, consider becoming a member of your local Fish & Game - we can fix you up with a membership at Indian Lake Outfitters.

We are now offering memberships for both the Logan County and Indian Lake Fish & Games as well as the Indoor Archery Range here at Indian Lake Outfitters. Fish & Game memberships are purchased for the 2011 calendar year and can be purchased for a youth, adult or family.

The Indian Lake Fish and Game is a community organization of over 100 sportsman & conservation conscience locals that assist in fish re-stocking projects, bird release projects, along with habitat & structure projects. This club was responsible for the introduction of Saugeye to Indian Lake which is now one of the major game fish that thousands of anglers seek each year.

In the past years the club has donated funds and equipment to the Ohio Division of Wildlife, offer the facilities to the local 4-H shooting group free of charge, hold Hunter Safety Courses, offer annual scholarships, and money to families in need.

Indian Lake Fish & Game organized and chartered in 1936 as the Indian Lake Community Club and hosted the 1947 Ohio State Trap Shoot in the same facility they use today. They are a very old community involved club focused on giving back to Indian Lake and supporting the future of the lake. They continue to host weekly trap shoots on Wednesdays as well as monthly shooting contest.

The Logan County Fish and Game offers a wide range of shooting ranges and catch and release fishing ponds for the entire family. With one of the few 200-yard rifle ranges in the area, visitors come from Columbus, Dayton, Lima and farther to site-in or to target practice. We also boast a trap range with 25 lanes, a pistol range and archery range.

Each club offers unique qualities making it an easy decision to be a member of both. For more information, contact either group individually or stop in to the shop (ILO) at 8081 State Route 366 in Russells Point to get your membership in person. For your convenience, memberships for both clubs and the archery range can also be purchased from our web-site and your membership cards mailed to you.

Stick Figure Family Decal People

2011-01-26T22:42:00.000-05:00

The craze has hit at Indian Lake Outfitters, Stick Figure Family Decal People are HERE! Not only can you showcase your family on the window of your vehicle, you can add your pets too. Better yet, show off your passion for hunting and "stick" your family next to a deer decal! Designed exclusively by the graphics team of FastTrack Signs, they've made available for you to choose from an adult man or woman, teen boy or girl, youth boy or girl, baby boy or girl, dog, cat or deer. The decals are available in the shop or on-line at www.indianlakeoutfitters.com.

To have your stick figures personalized, contact Dennis or Carly of FastTrack Signs at 937-593-9990 for more information.

Smoke Green with the Electronic Cigarette

2011-01-25T22:47:00.000-05:00

Green Smoke...have you heard of it? It's an electronic cigarette, yep, you heard correct. A cigarette that's legal to smoke almost anywhere and runs on a rechargeable lithium ion battery. Like a GPS, cell phone or computer, you plug the battery into the wall when it's low. The battery also has a sensor so it doesn't deplete when not in use.

The best part about an electronic cigarette is the savings - on average, Green smoking enables you to save 60% more money when compared with tobacco cigarettes. The nicotine cartridge holds enough nicotine solution for you to puff approximately 400 times! That's more than a typical pack of cigarettes. An electronic cigarette is a less harmful nicotine delivery device because there are no tars, carcinogenic substances, ashes, cigarette butts or second-hand smoke. Plus they don't cause fires, smoke or odors that get into clothing, furniture, cars or hair.

So far, so good, right? Well there's more. Green smoke has a large variety of nicotine levels and flavors. Each cartridge contains water, nicotine, propylene glycol (the same stuff that's in smoke machines) and flavoring. Liquid nicotine is vaporized into steam by an atomizer. This allows the user to inhale a vapor that looks and feels just like smoke.

The starter kit pictured above contains (2) electronic cigarette batteries, (5) nicotine cartridges, (1) manual and (1) home USB charger. Contact us for more details.

WARNING: This is intended for use by adults and not pregnant women or those sensitive to nicotine. Nicotine is highly addictive and may be dangerous to your health. This is not intended as a smoking cessation device. Smoking may cause lung cancer, heart disease, emphysema and complications in pregnancy.

Kitras Art Glass

2010-12-28T21:08:00.006-05:00

Kitras Art Glass Wish Ball

Kitras Art Glass Birthday Wish Ball Ornaments are a great way to celebrate life. These bright colorful hand blown glass ornamental balls make wonderful, unique birthday gifts for just about anyone on your gift list. The ball for each month is made of translucent splashes of color to convey the essence of traditional birthstone colors and they come in full-color gift boxes, ready to give as a very special gift.

Kitras Art Glass uses centuries old glass blowing techniques to create these one of a kind pieces of blown glass art. The interior glass strands add an extra touch of elegance to these orbs. Attached to each ball is a tag that reads: "A birthday marks the celebration of an individual's spirit. Kitras Art Glass honors this celebration with our Birthday Wish Balls. Make a wish and the web-like strands of glass will capture it and make it come true!"

A birthday wish from me to you, in hope that all your wishes come true.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year from all of us at Indian Lake Outfitters.

The Insurance Goddess Meets the Outdoors

2010-12-12T18:02:00.001-05:00

“My goal is to help people understand insurance and to provide solutions to their insurance problems. It doesn’t have to be complicated. Really.” A quote from http://www.insurancegoddess.com/.

After much consideration, we recently switched our services to Carrie Reynolds, The Insurance Goddess, of Alan Galvez Insurance. Carrie was more than informative on any topic that arose with our insurance hesitations, she was extremely patient while we awaited the addition of our archery range business and she’s been 100% supportive of our business from the start.

What we respect the most about Carrie is her commitment to the client in understanding their business products and services. The first time we met Carrie she remarked that she didn’t hunt, fish or camp but she’d love to learn more about Indian Lake Outfitters because so many people she speaks with enjoy the outdoors.

A huge thank you to Carrie for the great service and coverage and to the Insurance Goddess for stopping in and getting educated about our business!

Calvary Baptist Sportsmens Dinner

2010-12-11T13:33:00.005-05:00

Every year, Calvary Baptist Church offers a Sportsman's Dinner to its memers as well as the general public. The event begins with fellowship and networking over a fantastic meal prepared of wild game. Once the meal is complete the guests are dismissed to break out in to sessions and choose two topics they'd like to learn more about. Lee Robers, the Youth Pastor of Calvary had approached us at Indian Lake Outfitters and asked us to do a geocaching demonstration as one of the break out sessions. We graciously accepted and awaited our first banquet on Friday, November 12.

The church was packed with sportsmen of all ages awaiting a great meal and hoping to pick up a few pointers from a break out session or two. There were speakers from the ODNR, lots of avid hunters, several trophies on display, a couple of fella's talked about their hunting travels, some were experts on muzzleloading, there was a guy that taught about fishing for bass and of course Indian Lake Outfitters introduced Geocaching 101.

Once the break out sessions were over, we all gathered back in the cafeteria for dessert and coffee while we listened to the guest speaker, a fellow pastor and outdoorsman himself. After his message, Pastor Jeff Willetts spoke for a brief moment and drew a few lucky guests as door prize winners.

For us at Indian Lake Outfitters, the evening was more than enjoyable. It was wonderful being involved with a strong community of outdoorsmen. We had a fabulous meal, met lots of great folks and shared our story with many. Thanks for having us and we look forward to next year!

WE'VE GOT WORMS!

2010-11-08T15:58:00.003-05:00

At Indian Lake Outfitters, we're pretty forward - WE'VE GOT WORMS!!

Yep, the secret is out... we have worms and frozen bait too. Whether you're fishing for fun with friends and family, panfish catching or searching for that big whopper at the bottom of the lake to put you in the record books, we have all the bait you'll need. The catfish go crazy over our frozen bait, which includes liver chunks, shad, chubs, shrimp and goldfish. Looking for a little bluegill to fry up? Don't head to the lake without those wax worms. We offer a standard or bulk amount. Speaking of bulk, you may have a need for a bed of nightcrawlers - we can accommodate that with a short notice and a phone call. If you're a nightcrawler fan, the catfish are great night time biters and they go CRAZY over our glo-worms which actually have a fluorescent green skin color!

When you're out on the lake, standing on the dock or dropping a line at the bank, remember us, Indian Lake Outfitters - WE'VE GOT WORMS!

Parker Bows at Indian Lake Outfitters

2010-11-02T14:57:00.000-04:00

Indian Lake Outfitters is an exclusive Parker Bows dealer for several reasons. One being a great product for a fantastic price, two, for their commitment to service and warranty and three, for their efforts to encourage youth and the ability to "Grow Up With Parker".

1) Many of the bows in the Parker line have been revamped for the 2010-2011 season. New for 2010 and one of our personal favorites is the Parker Inferno. Shooting at 320 feet per second, weighing less than 4 pounds, the Inferno is the "ultimate hunting bow costing hundreds less than other bows with the same features".

2) Purchase a Parker with confidence knowing it offers a lifetime warranty. The warranty validating process is quick and easy, accessible on line, or by mailing in the card that accompanies every new Parker. Be sure to register your new Parker within 15 days of the purchase date.

3) We've always said that being outdoors is a family affair. Parker makes introducing archery to your youth super easy via the "Grow Up with Parker" program. Bows eligible for the program include the Side-Kick XP, Challenger and the Buck Shot. The original owner simply returns their eligible bow back to Parker with $50 and Parker upgrades the limbs within the draw weight and draw length range of the Side-Kick XP, Challenger or Buck-Shot. For more information on the program or the 6 simple steps for redemption, click here.

Do we have you hooked wanting to know more about the Parker Bows line? Stop into our shop and speak with any of our qualified and knowledgeable staff. We'd be happy to answer any of your questions and set you up in a Parker Bow!

Tailgate Party Cajun Injector Style

2010-10-16T17:44:00.001-04:00

Tailgate Party at Indian Lake Outfitters

The cheers, the crowds, the fans, the football, THE FOOD!

It's all about the food - and the winning catch or last minute field goal of course. With football season comes tailgating and the battle of Ohio was a great day to feature our fantastic line of Cajun Injector tailgating foods and accessories.

Louisiana Hot Spot Center

Although the favored team lost the big game, we passed lots of flavor using our Ultimate Tailgating Kit. Our team consisted of Sandy Musser and family from the Whitmore House. The playbook was packed with Mexene Chili Mix, which can be whipped up in the microwave in 15 minutes or less, Brisket prepared with Cajun King Chargrill Blackened Seasoning, Pork Loin rubbed with Magic Garden spice blend and chicken wings dipped in your choice of Louisiana Roasted Pepper, Roasted Garlic, Red Chili, Chipotle, Jalapeno or Habanero Hot Sauce.

Together we created a "Hot Spot Center" on a "Chili" day to relax and enjoy friends, family, fellowship and FOOTBALL!

Spillway Bait Casting

2010-09-22T22:57:00.000-04:00

Rope in hand… check. Fish in sight….check. Spin….toss…cinch and fish on!! Yep it’s that easy to catch more bait fish than a person could use in a day. With a casting net you can round up multiple small fish with a single toss. Are you tired of buying bait? With one of these you catch shad, chubs, shiners and more. All of which can be used to catch anything from catfish to bass and saugeye.

Good luck and happy casting!

Prostaffer Denny Eubanks and FishGillz Sunglasses

2010-09-13T08:39:00.001-04:00

Meet and Greet Denny Eubanks

We recently had the pleasure of welcoming pro-staffer Denny Eubanks to the shop. Denny has fished professional for 35 years, won countless tournaments and fished in more than six states. Denny has earned several supporting sponsors with Indian Lake Outfitters being his newest. His first sponsor came back in 1982! One of his larger current sponsors is FishGillz - a line a polarized floating sunglasses. The line is available in both the classic and coastal style at Indian Lake Outfitters, offering many color combinations to choose from.

During Denny's visit, customers were able to meet and greet the pro-staffer while he offered photo opportunities and autographs to our customers. Denny also offered free products to all our customers that purchased a new pair of FishGillz.

Thanks to all who stopped by and we look forward to Denny's next visit!

Whitetails Unlimited and 4-H Archers & Shooters

2010-09-12T23:44:00.001-04:00

WTU, Whitetails Unlimited, is a national organization focused on whitetail conservation. As chairman of our local chapter, we had the opportunity to present the local 4-H Archers and Shooters with a cash donation for the club to purchase a surplus of shells and a much needed left handed youth bow. The money donated from the local WTU chapter was raised at our annual WTU banquet.

Logan County 4-H Archers & Shooters

Our next banquet is September 18, 2010, at the Huntsville Event Center. The banquet is designed as an annual membership drive and fundraiser. The focus of our local chapter is to support youth programs and eduction of the outdoors.

2009 Logan County Whitetails Unlimited Banquet

For more information on this year's banquet call Indian Lake Outfitters at 937-842-1934.

Brock Ray of IS Outdoors

2010-09-12T22:54:00.000-04:00

Brock & Anna Ray of IS Outdoors

A few months back we had the great pleasure of meeting Brock Ray of IS Outdoors and his wife, Anna. Brock is a world traveler, hunter, radio talk show host and regular family man. For many years Brock had several magazine publications and a few television programs on channels such as Fox Sports Network, WGN, SportSouth, and The Outdoor Channel. He now produces a monthly E-zine, IS Outdoors, free to subscribers.

Brock's voice, along with his radio partner, Don Kirk, can be heard all over the nation every week on Voice America Sports Channel as they talk hunting and fishing. Their radio show, the Interstate Sportsman, features lots of expert advice, tips, guides and places to travel for great hunting and fishing.
Indian Lake Outfitters was a guest on their show back on May 27, 2010. As we grow our business and professional relationships, we'd like to thank Brock for the opportunities he's given us and the time we were able to spend with he and Anna.

Sportsmans Yard Sale

2010-09-12T22:30:00.000-04:00

Sportsman's Sale at ILO

Finally - a yard sale the men won't mind stopping at! Indian Lake Outfitters had it's first sportsman's sale on Saturday, September 4th. Offering tables for only $5, with the proceeds benefiting the Forsythe Family Relay for Life, customers were able to bring their own equipment to the shop to sell or swap with other customers. Items ranged from fifty cent crappie jigs to high-end crossbows making the sale a huge hit!

Logan County Youth Champions

2010-09-12T21:54:00.006-04:00

2010 Logan County Fair

Although there weren't deer or elk at our annual county fair, there were plenty of rabbit, turkey and youth. From Tuesday, July 13th, to Sunday the 18th, Indian Lake Outfitters was able to talk with and educate local fair-goers about our business and what we have to offer. Although that was great exposure for us, we gained more by giving back to local youth.

We had the opportunity to bid on the Youth Grand Champion Peanut Brittle along with 14 other businesses, at the Baked Goods Auction. The Grand Champion peanut brittle was made by Allison Kinney. The bids hit an all time high record for the baked goods auction at $1500. We must say that little Allison knows how to bake because her peanut brittle tasted like a million bucks!

Kinney wasn't the only champion ILO was able to support. Long time fair-goers and sisters, Emily and Rachel Overs, won Market Lamb Grand Champion and Reserve Grand Champion. Rachel went on to win Grand Champion at the Ohio State Fair with her market lamb, setting a sale record at $45,000.

The Logan County Fair celebrated it's 156th year with Indian Lake Outfitters celebrating our first year with a long list of youth champions.

15th First Annual Catfish Tournament

2010-08-10T16:52:00.002-04:00

2010 Catfish Tournament

Yep, you read it correctly, the 15th First Annual Tournament. For the last 15 years, Indian Lake has sponsored a catfish tournament to support local youth programs but this is the first of many years to come that Indian Lake Outfitters has participated.

The tournament ran from Noon on Thursday with the last fish being checked-in by noon on Sunday. Daily prizes were awarded for the largest catfish and over $7500 in cash was granted for the top 20 check-ins during the entire tournament. With registration only being $15, the tournament drew quite a crowd of participants.

Thursday’s daily winner weighed in at 12.76 from Mike Kerns, being topped on Friday with a 27.66 pound shovelhead caught by Levi Wyant and Saturday’s winner was Jacob Noe with 14.65 pounds. The biggest catch of the tournament taking home the $2500 1st place prize went to Levi.

We want to thank all the customers and fisherman who stopped into Indian Lake Outfitters for all your supplies. We were open 48 hours straight for the tournament and had blast talking “fish stories” with you. Thanks for “releasing your inner outdoors”!

Bring the Outdoors In

2010-05-08T23:09:00.013-04:00

"Hunter's enjoy going out in their camo - now they can come home to it!"

Wilderness Dreams, our newest line of camouflage lingerie and swimwear, will leave you and your outdoorsman wanting to stay indoors just a little longer.

Each garment is a soft, silky, 100% polyester material to leave you feeling nothing less than sexy, confident and comfortable. With three camo color patterns and eight different styles to choose from, you'll be fully satisfied.

The Naked North is a "good looking" Pink camo we offer in the classic pantie or thong lined with black trim and a coordinating bra, or an attractive cami trimmed with black lace and matching boy shorts. You are able to select the same options in the Pretty in Pink pattern, a great Mossy Oak Camo with pink accents.

Wanting to keep things original? Bring home your hunting tradition with the Mossy Oak baby doll set or the boy shorts trimmed with black lace. For a more relaxed evening, be sure to have the Mossy Oak nightgown in your collection or the long-sleeve night shirt for cooler temps.

Wilderness Dreams - "Find out what happens when you get your girl some camo!"

The Message

2010-03-16T14:08:00.011-04:00

As a business owner or employee, I think it's important to ask yourself what type of message you're wanting to send to your customers.

On my way to the office today, I passed a business that I often want to stop at but rarely get the chance. Because I even had a list of things to purchase that I can only find there specifically, I turned around to shop.

Upon pulling into the parking lot, I said to myself, "Wow, maybe they're no longer open." The lot was empty, not a single car in sight. The sign by the road no longer displayed postings of specials or hours and as I got to the front door, there was nothing stating if the store was open, closed or out of business. A business name wasn't on the door nor did I see any hours listed - let alone a phone number. After peeking inside the window, a gal hollered through the glass asking me what I wanted.

Often ask yourself what type of message you're sending. As an owner or employee, you want to send the same message you'd like to receive when you step foot into someone else's establishment. Are you greeted with a friendly smile, a helping hand and a kind heart? Is anyone making themselves available to you? Do you know when you're able to patronize the business? Are you being inconvenienced? You are the customer and you have a choice just as you are the owner or the employee - the choice to treat others like they're important and appreciated!

The 5 W's of Indian Lake Outfitters

2010-02-24T18:09:00.008-05:00

When: When to bring Indian Lake Outfitters into the conversation...
At any opportunity that you hear these key words - fishing, hunting, boating, skiing, wake boarding, muzzle loaders, bucks, big racks, shooting, camping, hiking, biking, kayaking, canoeing, archery, whitetails, pheasant, NRA, ducks unlimited, guns and or ammunition - please mention Indian Lake Outfitters.

Where: Where is Indian Lake Outfitters...
Networking and getting noticed. We're on the web, fanning on facebook, tweeting, blogging, filming You Tube, four squaring, geocaching, mingling with the Logan County Convention & Tourism Bureau and heavily involved with the Indian Lake Chamber Board.

Our friends and foes... Dunham's, Cabela's, Gander Mountain and Bass Pro are our biggest competitors but don't let that scare you...our prices are comparable to the big box stores and we carry many of the same brands. State Parks, marinas, bait shacks, hunting clubs, private lakes/ponds and campgrounds have the potential to be our biggest partners. We don't specialize in just one area; we focus on several, making Indian Lake Outfitters, the perfect compliment for our partners.

Why: Why recommend Indian Lake Outfitters...
We're fun - who wouldn't want to work with us? Seriously though, for the service and experience. You'll always be greeted with a friendly smile and familiar face. We offer unique items to the area, like guns and ammo, with an outdoor look and feel, keeping you close to home and shopping locally. We have a fantastic network of business partners and knowledge that we're not afraid to tap into or share with others. Bottom line, "MORE BANG FOR YOUR BUCK"!

What: What does Indian Lake Outfitters do/sell...
In a nutshell, Indian Lake Outfitters sells outdoor gear and accessories for hunting, fishing, camping, archery and marine sports/entertainment. That breaks out to a lot of different products.

Hunting - camouflage clothing, graphic logo tees, blinds, calls, decoys, pistols, revolvers, rifles, shotguns, slingshots, air guns, ammunition, game calls, training DVD's, binoculars, dog leashes, collars, barking devices, under-ground fencing, tracking systems, hand-held GPS units, scents, mace, cases, holsters, muzzle loaders and reloading.

Fishing - combo poles, tackle boxes, rain gear, lines, hooks, sinkers, lures, flys, nets, bobbers, bait and buckets.

Camping - tents, sleeping bags, lanterns, stoves, flashlights, tri-pods, griddles, mess kits, frying pans, cookers, marinades, mixes, sauces, knives, survival kits, hammocks, canopies and tarps.

Archery - compound bows, crossbows, re-curve bows, arrows, nocks, arm guards, slings, targets, decoys, broadheads, bow strings, quivers, whisker biscuits, scopes, peeps, string wax, stabilizers and vanes.

Marine - anchors, line, shackles, skis, tubes, fenders, fuel tanks, air horns, throw cushions, distress flags, life vests, trolling motors, battery chargers, paddles, stern lights, bow lights, fish finders, depth finders, chart plotters, trailer jacks, winches, mildew cleaner, seats, air pumps, pool floats, water guns, bilge pumps and radios.

Who: Who is Indian Lake Outfitters...
A family owned business with a personal story that started with Brenda and Bryan Moots. A high-energy, easy-going, fun loving couple that enjoys holy jeans, hoodies, ball caps, football and beer. An outdoorsman's dream, right? We give genuine, honest answers - if we don't know, we'll tell you that up-front and work to get you correct and accurate information. We're had working, goal oriented individuals wanting to grow and support the community we were born and raised in; remembering that life comes full-circle.

Family Fun

2010-01-23T10:10:00.013-05:00

Here's the scenario...you recently had the opportunity to feature your business on a television segment that aired in your local community. You were extremely nervous that you were going to screw up or look completely silly so you asked your sister to go with you.

Having your family beside you made no difference as to what you were going to do or say, but it came full-circle that having family with you no matter what you're doing makes things more enjoyable.

Being outdoors in the woods or on the water is no different. At Indian Lake Outfitters, we want you to release your inner outdoors, relax and enjoy yourself and your family. Outdoor recreation is a memorable experience for all ages and can be very affordable, making it the perfect fit for your family.

When was the last time you pitched a tent and made a bed on the ground? Went hiking or trail walking at your local nature park? How about the last time you dropped a line in the lake or pond? Took a nice bicycle ride or played ball in the yard?

These are all events that can be the highlight of your day if you take the time to relax and do them AND remember the important thing is to enjoy them with your family.

Venison Recipe

2010-01-09T14:06:00.013-05:00

Meal preparation around our house is usually a pretty simple 3-step process...1)Pre-heat, 2) Cook and 3) Serve, so when it came time to enjoy our harvest we were a little lost.

Bryan began to surf the web for many recipes only to find that after reading a dozen or so, all of them contained ingredients that he absolutely dislikes, namely vinegar. He came up with his own concoction having no idea how it would turn out. Surprisingly enough, the consensus was better than expected. I took a bite and said "HOLY COW! This is really great!" I should have known that all he did was go to the cupboard and take a look at what was available while asking himself, "Hmmm, what makes venison taste even better?"

So he tells me here's how it went down...in a marinade container he layed out the meat with equal spacing, sprinkled parmesan garlic seasoning on one side and ginger on the other. He then poured milk into the container about halfway up the side of the steaks. He let the mixture set for 8 hours before flipping the meat over for another 8 hours. Once the marinading was complete, he gave the container a couple good shakes, opened then lid and tossed the meat in the skillet to cook to our preference.

It truly was, "Aaahhhh, delish!"

FFA in SAE at ILHS

2010-01-06T18:40:00.004-05:00

Students in the Future Farmers of America class at Indian Lake High School recently participated in a Supervised Agricultural Experience.

Quoted from the National FFA Organization, "A Supervised Agricultural Experience program (SAE) is a key component of the agricultural education. While working on an SAE project, students learn to apply the concepts and principles taught in their agriculture classes to real-world problems and scenarios." The organization goes on to explain that a student selects a project based on interest in one of the following four areas - exploratory, research/experimentation, ownership/entrepreneurship or placement.

The exploratory/placement project encouraged the students of ILHS to harvest deer during gun and bow season and attend the local Hunter Safety Course. The course educated the students about Ohio's wildlife and the ever increasing deer population.

Natasha Ruble

2009-12-22T18:51:00.009-05:00

Ok, it's my first year ever hunting. My husband has done this his entire life and time and time again, tried to get me to go out with him. Yes, I'll cook the game, yes, I'll eat the game, but you have got to be CRAZY if you think I am getting up at 4am to sit in a tree and not talk the entire day to hunt the game for three simple reasons...

IT IS 4am and still dark out
IT IS freezing and
If you know me, you know that I LOVE to talk.

Because I decided to marry this CRAZY hunting guy a few months ago , I found it only natural to fulfill the "adventurous" wife roll so I went hunting with him. As I expected, it was colder than I ever thought up 20 yards in a tree stand and to my surprise, I couldn't stay awake! I even had to put my arm around a branch to keep me up there, otherwise I would have awoke to a dangling safety harness below the stand...not my idea of fun!

After going out with Brad a few times, I hadn't seen anything and started to get a little burnt out. I was about to throw in the towel last Sunday after an hour and a half in and the extremely cold weather. As I climbed down the stand, Brad followed but not with out giving up or giving in. He offered to drive the deer if I would stay just a little longer.

Leaving me near the stand, Brad takes off to push the deer my direction. Within fifteen minutes, four does go sprinting by all too fast to take a shot! After I watched them go into the woods, I turn around to see a lonely doe, standing completely still only about 60 yards in front of me! I remember saying, "Okay - breathe, here's your chance. You can do this!" I got myself so excited that I hadn't noticed how far away from the "steadying" tree I had been.

Another pep-talk, "That's alright, you can still do this!" Once I steady myself, I take a shoot and just barely miss her! "Yes! A second chance!" The doe stood strong with out a move looking as to see where the shot came from. As I rear back and shoot again, I come up with what I thought was only another miss. "Bummer", I said.

Right then, Brad appears out the woods excited to see what I got. "Nope, sorry honey - no deer" I reported. I took him over to show him where she was standing and low and behold, we found a blood trail! "WOO HOO! I got her!" I screamed. When I shot, she jumped and ran off so quickly I assumed I missed her.

For the next two hours we tracked her through a couple different fields and a woods until we came up short. She had jumped onto property we didn't have permission to hunt but, man - what an experience! Although we didn't find her, my heart was pumping the entire time, from the moment I took my first shot until the end of the trail.

I said to myself, "I finally get it - I love this sport and if my husband is CRAZY, then I guess I'm CRAZY right along with him because I can't wait to bag one for home!"

I thank Brad for having the patience to stick with me and continue to push me and hopefully next time I'll come out with a deer and some great pics. Until then, I'll keep practicing.

Adams County Rush

2009-12-19T20:12:00.012-05:00

Dateline 12/19 Adams County, Ohio, 9:05 AM

It was a snowy December morning during the deer gun law bonus weekend. An hour and a half into the hunt, who decided to rear its horned head, but a nice 6 point buck. He stood a mere 50 yards away staring straight at you revealing nothing but antlers and the white of his chest. In a flash it was lights out! You put a hole in his chest with an exit wound right behind his ribs. He scurried a paltry 15 feet while kicking and flailing for only a few seconds, before giving in to his demise.

Wow! What a rush to bag such a cunning, keen animal, and from such a short distance. Within minutes the deer was headed down the mountain, field dressed, and washed out, on its way to the bed of a pick-up truck.

2009-12-18T10:50:00.003-05:00

Storefront Location Opening Soon!

View the progress of our new retail location at 8081 St Rt 366, Russells Point, OH 43348

Indian Lake Area

2009-12-18T09:44:00.028-05:00

"Indian Lake is the scene you should make" ... bet you've heard that before, and you've probably seen it in 2009!

The second annual Visitors Guide included all the names, addresses and phone numbers of Indian Lake Area Chamber members. With the help of grant money, the chamber was able to spend over $12,000 to market Indian Lake in other areas, including Columbus, Dayton and northern Ohio.

Your Indian Lake Chamber had a very busy 2009 promoting countless events as well as hosting over twelve of your large hometown crowd pleasers!

Did you attend the Indian Lake Boat Show, Maple Syrup Festival or Shake Down Cruise? How about the Movie on the Beach, Downtown Car and Craft Show or Beach Spectacular? You never want to miss the Fireworks Display or Party on the Beach with the Danger Brothers! Hey, you didn't forget about Putt-Around-the-Lake, Balloon Lift off or the Fall Fest did you?

All of these are fabulous events around the Indian Lake area that are hosted and promoted by the Chamber and its great group of volunteers and local businesses. At Indian Lake Outfitters, we're pleased to be a part of your Indian Lake Chamber, life-long residents of the community and supporters of the many area events and attractions. Will you join us in 2010?

Extra Weekend

2009-12-18T08:16:00.012-05:00

Although the week-long gun season in Ohio has come and gone, the extra hunting weekend is here!

If you missed your bag limit between November 30th and December 6th, the Ohio Department of Natural Resources has included an extra weekend of gun hunting for you on December 19th and 20th! During gun week, and this extra weekend, you can legally hunt deer with a muzzleloader, handgun or shotgun from a half-hour before sunrise to sunset.

Why hunt deer you ask?

In Ohio, you have made the white-tailed deer the most popular game animal hunted. According to the ODNR, Ohio ranks nationally in annual hunting-related sales coming in at 8th place and you've earned them 10th in the number of jobs associated with the industry.

While hunting, you have also generated an economic impact on Ohio of around $859 million through the purchases of your equipment, fuel, food, lodging, permits and licenses. That's FANTASTIC!

As a hunter this season, you are encouraged to take more does using the reduced price antlerless deer permit and donate extra venison to organizations that assist Ohioans in need. When you donate your deer to a participating processor, you are not required to pay the processing costs.

If you're not aware of the state's deer zones and hunting regulations, pick up your free publication of the 2009-2010 Ohio Hunting & Trapping Regulations, available where ever your hunting licenses are sold, on the web at http://www.wildohio.com/ or by calling 1-800-WILDLIFE.

Your Chamber of Commerce

2009-12-17T19:12:00.010-05:00

Are you starting a new business and not sure where to begin? Rest assured you are not alone! When Bryan and I decided to take the plunge and form Indian Lake Outfitters, one of the first things we asked was "How do you start a business?" and "Where do you go to start a business?" We were given a very common answer "You need to join your local Chamber of Commerce."

The Logan County Chamber has many of the answers to most of your questions and they will greatly assist you in getting started down the right path. The Chamber works closely with several other organizations including the Community Improvement Corporation, the Convention and Tourism Bureau, the Small Business Development Center of Columbus, Indian Lake Chamber and local county villages and officers. Each organization plays a role in developing a new or existing business.

The Community Improvement Corporation does a lot of behind the scenes research that allows you as a new business owner, to get information regarding utilities, population, growth and comparison studies. The CIC continuously works towards economic development and incubator programs for small business start-ups.

The Convention and Tourism Bureau operates out of the Chamber office as well. Much of the CT's focus is to bring people to your community as tourists, sharing with them what you have to offer in the county vis Bus Tours, Home and Garden Tours, Rally at the Peak, community celebrations and many of your obvious tourist attractions - Mad River Mountain, Marmon Valley Farm, Indian Lake, Maries Candies, Piatt Castles, Ohio Caverns, Logan County Historical Museum and the Holland Theatre.

On the first Thursday of each month, the Chamber offers a meeting place for the SBDC to sit down with you and answer questions that arise about your business ventures. Their consulting services are free and extremely informational - you just call the Chamber to make an appointment.

Once your business is open, the Chamber continues to work for you on many levels. They offer a First Thursdays Chamber Chat each month, which is a great morning meeting over coffee. It keeps businesses informed of what is going on in the county. City and county officials are present, several forms of news media, advertisers and lots of local county business owners.

The Chamber can also connect you with other forms of business networking that goes on in the county such as the Logan County Meet Ups or the local Business Networking International, both great groups of like minded business professionals that pass business through word-of-mouth referrals.

If you haven't joined your Chamber, you should and if you're asking what your membership does for you and your business, attend any of these events or organizations for a warm welcome and open arms to grow and start your business!

Whitetails Unlimited

2009-08-17T20:01:00.005-04:00

Whitetails Unlimited is a national non-profit conservation organization that exist right here in your local community. Founded in 1982, WTU was created to generate funds to support "educational programs, habitat conservation, and preservation of the hunting tradition for the direct benefit of the white-tailed deer and other wildlife".

The Logan County Whitetails Unlimited Banquet sets out to do just that for you and your youth. The 2nd Annual Banquet will be held on Saturday, September 19th, 2009 at the Huntsville Event Center, 6886 Wishart Street, Huntsville, Ohio 43324. Social hour begins at 5:00pm and the buffet dinner will be ready by 6:30pm.

The fundraising event will include a dinner, auction, and prizes with a wide variety of products including firearms, outfitter packages, hunting and outdoor related equipment, artwork, and collectibles only available at WTU events.

Fifty percent of all net proceeds will go directly back to your local area, Logan County, for conservation-related activities. Proceeds from this event will benefit your youth and other wildlife conservation projects.

A membership is included with each single ticket purchase. There will be special drawings for Table Captains and Sponsors. There is also an Early Bird Special and a Bucket Raffle Package.

For ticket information and pricing, please contact Steve McCafferty at 937-441-7958.

Billboard Install

2009-08-08T16:41:00.002-04:00

Check out the installation of our newest advertising campaign through ComStor Outdoor - "Always On...Always on Target"

Meet Up

2009-06-15T18:34:00.004-04:00

How do you advertise your business or product, meet new people, business professionals and friends? For us, it's all about networking and word of mouth. We have a fantastic group of local business owners in our community that have formed a local MeetUp group. We meet every third Tuesday of the month at different locations to discuss current events, share experiences and network with other people interested in business. The support and turn-out is phenomenal but we have to "work" the crowd. We have to make the effort to talk to as many individuals in the room as we can and we have to create that personal connection to not only be remembered but remember the connection as well. Nothing's worse than coming home with a stack full of business cards and not being able to put a face with the name. We are often reminded in our networking groups that it's not NetSIT or NetEAT, it's NETWORK. We have to work to make an impression.

As I said, we do a lot of networking but we realize that other forms of advertisement are necessary. I received a very memorable tip sheet from a printing company that I'd like to share with you. It's called "How to Kill a Business in 10 Easy Steps:

DON'T ADVERTISE - Just pretend everybody knows what you have to offer.

DON'T ADVERTISE - Just assume everybody knows what you sell.

DON'T ADVERTISE - Forget that there are new potential customers who would do business with you if they were urged to do so.

DON'T ADVERTISE - Tell yourself it costs too much to advertise and that you don't get enough out of it.

DON'T ADVERTISE - Be sure not to provide an adequate advertising budget for business.

DON'T ADVERTISE - Tell yourself you just don't have time to spend thinking about promoting your business.

DON'T ADVERTISE - Convince yourself that you've been in business so long customers will automatically come to you.

DON'T ADVERTISE - Forget that you have competition trying to attract your customers away from you.

DON'T ADVERTISE - Overlook the fact that advertising is an investment in selling - not an expense.

DON'T ADVERTISE - Forget that you have to keep reminding your established customers that you appreciate your business.

Silence is Golden

2009-06-07T23:59:00.012-04:00

Well, as Indian Lake Outfitters, we survived our first weekend at the flea market! We set up Friday afternoon and the doors opened Saturday from 9-5 and Sunday from 10-4. The weather was gorgeous and the breeze came through the building just enough to spin our ceiling sign display. What a great place to people watch! I found myself studying customers movements and body language more than conversing. If you want an honest opinion from your ideal target market, step back and watch their reactions! Sometimes silence is golden!

Free ILO.COM Shirt

2009-06-02T21:34:00.007-04:00

The Indian Lake Outfitters brand is starting to catch on and our t-shirt's are in high demand!

We had our top follower wash the company car for a FREE ILO.COM t-shirt. What would you do for a FREE shirt? Send us your pics, posts and videos to showroom@indianlakeoutfitters.com!

Operation Store Front

2009-06-01T20:51:00.002-04:00

The beginning phases of a physical store front for Indian Lake Outfitters.

The Conception

2009-05-20T18:31:00.008-04:00

It all began with a board game - a graduation gift to be precise. The day came when I had finally graduated college and a very wise man gifted me a book and a board game. Little did I know it was not just any gift, it was the beginning of my future. It was a very popular book, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" and the board game, "Cash Flow 101". Later when I had opened the gift, I chuckled to myself - my Dad was always reading books about rising to the top, maximizing the dollar and being your own boss. I wrote my thank you and kinda tossed the items to the side. I never did open the board game and on two different occasions had tried to sell it at a yard sale for $10. Three years later, being desperate for cash to get a website started and open an e-commerce store, I tried my hand at eBay. It was time to move the game out of the closet and into someone else's hands. I began to search the auction site to see if there were other similar items listed. WOW, they were listed all right and for way more than $10! I took pictures of my gold mine, posted the item auction style and waited 3 days for the highest bidder to come in. By the time the auction was over, that board game brought over $199! Needless to say, I was tickled pink with my first "official" sale. I turned around and used the money to create the web-site you now know as http://www.indianlakeoutfitters.com.

An Owl in the Woods

2009-05-13T01:13:00.000-04:00

While shooting bow Sunday at the Sidney Fish & Game an owl was perched in the tree next to me.

2009 NRA Banquet

2009-05-13T01:05:00.000-04:00

The NRA

2009-05-13T00:31:00.000-04:00

George Wingate formed the National Rifle Association in 1871 with the primary goal to "promote and encourage rifle shooting on a scientific basis". The NRA's interest in promoting the shooting sports among America's youth began in 1903 and the program was in full swing by 1906. Around 1934 the Legislative Affairs Division was created but it wasn't until 1975 that the division began to lobby for political defense of the Second Amendment. While continuing their commitment to training, education and marksmanship, the first hunter education program was established in 1949. Being widely recognized today as a major political force and as America's foremost defender of Second Amendment rights, the NRA has, since its inception, been the premier firearms education organization in the world. Join the NRA today.

https://membership.nrahq.org/forms/signup.asp

2009 DU Banquet

2009-05-13T00:20:00.001-04:00

Ducks Unlimited

2009-05-12T23:03:00.000-04:00

Beginning back in 1937, Ducks Unlimited is a leading wetlands and waterfowl conservation. Their mission is to "conserve, restore and mangae wetlands and associated habitats for North America's waterfowld. These habitats also benefit other wildlife and people". Become a member and be a supporter - 88% of your dollar goes to conservation and waterfowl/wetland education.

https://www.ducks.org/support/donateonlinesecure.aspx?promokey=JoinDU-AdultMembership-Vest&ID=320&responsecode=Z882AAAA

Bear Jugular

2009-05-12T21:22:00.000-04:00