New store opened in Metro Atlanta
Spring 2024
By Wm. Hovey Smith
New materials and new designs of outdoor gear for Georgia hunters were featured at Sitka Gear’s new upscale store located in the Battery near the Atlanta Braves’ Truist Park in Cobb County.
Photo by Polly Dean.
The firm has its headquarters in Missoula, Montana with branches throughout the country. Several representatives were at the opening to greet members of the media, including myself. Unlike mega-sized outdoor retail outlets, Sitka is a small-format retail establishment that specializes in the design and retailing of outdoor clothes rather than attempting to be a one-stop shop for everything outdoors.
Although the town of Sitka is in Alaska and, as I am writing, Missoula is having several feet of snow and the company focuses on cold-weather clothing for those environments, several new items were offered for turkey, deer, and waterfowl hunting when temperatures may be in the 90s.
Photo by Polly Dean.
Having hunted throughout the Southeast during turkey season, I could appreciate their mosquito-proof light-weight turkey hunting outfit, which is treated with a proprietary formulation that is said to withstand 75 washings without losing its effectiveness against mosquitoes and ticks. Tick resistance is also enhanced by the use of built-in interior gators in the pants which are tucked inside the socks and then covered by the pants legs for a further degree of protection. As a matter of convenience, slash pockets are located lower on the pants legs so they can be easily accessed by a sitting hunter. Depending on the accessories, the price for a turkey-hunting outfit could easily be in the range of $250. You can check offerings and prices on their website.
Delta Pro Gore-Tex three-shell jacket. Photo courtesy of Sitka Gear.
For waterfowlers, Sitka has a Delta Pro lightweight rain-resistant Gore-Tex three-shell jacket and designed to pair with various weights of chest waders. The jacket’s features include generous shell pockets with drain holes, lanyard loops, water-resistant cuffs, and are cut oversize so that layers of other insulating clothing could be worn for those cold pre-dawn sits in the boat or blind. To see these items, the store, and hear Marketing Director Tod Barker speak about their products click here.
Should you need cold-weather clothing for that Canadian or Alaskan hunt, Sitka has a variety of options for men, women, and kids which will serve here in Georgia, when the temperatures drop to well below freezing. They also carry different sizes of packs and bags for the outdoorsperson who might need to take a dozen duck decoys with him or a half-bushel of turkey calls to temp that elusive tom who refuses to say anything to anybody,
Wm. Hovey Smith is an expert on hunting with primitive weapons and a member of the Georgia Outdoor Writers Association. He makes his home in Sandersville. Check out his YouTube Channel or contact him at hoveysmith029@gmail.com