Hunter's Specialties
Hunter's Specialties, founded in 1977, is a U.S. hunting accessories manufacturer operating under GSM Outdoors. It serves individual hunters across big-game, elk, predator, and waterfowl segments with proprietary scent control (NanoShield), calls, and accessories through its Scent-A-Way, Wayne Carlton's Calls, and Johnny Stewart sub-brands.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1977
- HeadquartersCedar Rapids, United States
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Hunter's Specialties does
Hunter's Specialties, founded in 1977, is a U.S. hunting accessories manufacturer serving individual big-game, predator, elk, and waterfowl hunters through three sub-brands: Scent-A-Way (scent control), Wayne Carlton's Calls (elk calling products for professional outfitters), and Johnny Stewart Wildlife Calls (electronic game callers with a 100+ track digital audio library). The company is privately held and operates as a brand division under Good Sportsman Marketing, LLC (GSM Outdoors), with corporate operations consolidated at 5250 Frye Road, Irving, Texas, and an employee base of 51-100.
The portfolio centers on a 343+ SKU catalog anchored by proprietary NanoShield Technology, which uses oxidizing silver nanoparticles thousands of times smaller than competitors' active ingredients to deliver 99.99% effectiveness at eliminating the seven primary sources of human odor. NanoShield is protected by registered patent/trademark filings, alongside complementary IP for the Scent-Safe storage system, Butt Out field dressing tool, and Scent Wafers. Supporting technologies include mechanical and acoustic call systems (grunt calls, diaphragm calls, electronic game callers reaching 120dB) and consumable scent/attractant formulations. New SKUs (e.g., Quadgrunter X3, Metal Magic European Mount Kit, Double Scented Rope Kit) refreshed the lineup in 2025.
Revenue is generated predominantly through one-time unit-priced product sales — Scent-A-Way consumables (sprays, soaps, wipes, detergents, kits), proprietary calls, attractants, and accessories — at price points ranging from $1.99 (entry-level scent wicks) to $159.99 (Johnny Stewart Executioner Electronic Game Caller), with digital audio downloads sold at $3.99 per file. Distribution combines a direct-to-consumer e-commerce storefront (hunterspec.com), a corporate-managed dealer network under GSM Outdoors, and a Guidefitter channel for guides, outfitters, military, and first responders. Marketing is conducted across Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and email, with no formal enterprise sales motion or recurring SaaS component disclosed.
Hunter's Specialties firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hunter's Specialties
- Legal name
- Good Sportsman's Marketing, LLC
- Website
- https://hunterspec.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1977
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Hunter's Specialties, founded in 1977, is a U.S. hunting accessories manufacturer operating under GSM Outdoors. It serves individual hunters across big-game, elk, predator, and waterfowl segments with proprietary scent control (NanoShield), calls, and accessories through its Scent-A-Way, Wayne Carlton's Calls, and Johnny Stewart sub-brands.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hunter's Specialties industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Hunting Accessories
- NAICS
- Sporting Goods Retailers (45911)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Hunting Accessories & Field Gear Retail (Calls, Decoys, Blinds, Game Cameras) (CRAMAKAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hunting, Shooting Sports & Archery Retail (CRAMABAK), Hunting & Shooting Specialty Knife/Tool Retail (CRAMAKAH)
Keywords
Where Hunter's Specialties is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Cedar Rapids
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Hunter's Specialties business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D
Revenue model
- Hunting Gear and Accessories Sales: Primary revenue stream from direct sales of hunting products including scent control, calls, accessories, and attractants to end-consumer hunters through e-commerce and dealer network.
- Scent Control Products: Sale of proprietary scent elimination products including sprays, soaps, laundry detergents, field wipes, and kits under the Scent-A-Way brand.
- Wildlife Calls: Sales of various hunting calls including deer, elk, predator, turkey, and waterfowl calls, as well as electronic game callers.
- Digital Audio Downloads: Sale of digital audio files for Johnny Stewart electronic callers, with individual sounds priced at $3.99 each.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Budget-friendly products ($1.99 - $10.99) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Mid-range products ($10.99 - $32.99) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Premium products ($32.99 - $79.99) |
| Unit Pricing | Pay-as-you-go | Electronic/Digital products ($49.99 - $159.99) |
Go-to-market motion2 records
Distribution channels3 records
Marketing channels6 records
Hunter's Specialties product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hunter's Specialties manufactures and sells hunting accessories including scent control products, wildlife calls, attractant scents, and field dressing tools. The company offers physical hunting gear across sub-brands Scent-A-Way (scent control), Wayne Carlton's Calls (elk calls), and Johnny Stewart Wildlife Calls (electronic game callers and digital sound library). Products are sold primarily through the company's e-commerce site and authorized dealer network managed by parent GSM Outdoors.
Product overview
Hunter's Specialties is a hunting gear manufacturer offering a diversified portfolio of physical hunting products organized across several sub-brands and product categories. The core product lines include Scent-A-Way (scent control products featuring the MAX line with sprays, soaps, wipes, and kits), Wayne Carlton's Calls (elk calling products), and Johnny Stewart Wildlife Calls (electronic callers and digital sound library). Additional categories span deer calls, predator calls, waterfowl calls, hunting scents and lures, hunting accessories, and minerals/attractants. The company operates as part of GSM Outdoors and is headquartered in Irving, Texas.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Scent-A-Way: Scent control product line developed to make hunters smell invisible, featuring hygiene products, sprays, kits, laundry detergent, storage bags, and wind indicators.
- Wayne Carlton's Calls
- Johnny Stewart Wildlife Calls
Products and services
- Scent-A-Way Scent Control Product Line Scent control product line designed to eliminate human odors and make hunters undetectable by game animals. Includes sprays, soaps, laundry detergents, field wipes, travel bags, and complete kits sold to individual hunters.
- Wayne Carlton's Calls Elk calls designed for professional outfitters and serious elk hunters, featuring diaphragm calls, bugle tubes, and combo packs for calling elk during hunting scenarios.
Quantifiable outcome
- Scent-A-Way Bio-Strike proven to be twice as effective as leading scent-control competitors in independent laboratory testing
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hunter's Specialties
Customer profileSegments5 records
Ideal customer profiles4 records
Hunter's Specialties technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature5 records
Hunter's Specialties partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- GSM OutdoorscoreHunter's Specialties is a brand under GSM Outdoors (Good Sportsman Marketing, LLC), which owns and operates over 50 outdoor hunting and shooting sports brands. GSM Outdoors handles corporate operations including dealer programs, warranty services, and brand portfolio management.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hunter's Specialties competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Wildlife Research Center: Direct competitor in hunting scent control and attractants. Sells premium deer scents, cover scents, and scent elimination sprays — directly overlapping with Hunter's Specialties' Scent-A-Way and Buck Bomb product lines for the same big-game and predator hunting segments.
- Code Blue Scents: Direct competitor in hunting scents and lures (doe estrus, buck urine, cover scents) targeting the same deer hunting customer base as Hunter's Specialties' scent wafers and attractants.
- ScentLok: Direct competitor in hunting scent control, specializing in carbon-lined scent-control apparel and clothing. Competes head-to-head with Hunter's Specialties' Scent-A-Way line on the same use case (odor elimination for big game hunters) via a complementary product format (apparel vs. sprays/wipes).
- FOXPRO: Direct competitor in electronic game calls and digital wildlife sound libraries for predator and big game hunters. Overlaps with Hunter's Specialties' Johnny Stewart Executioner electronic caller line in product format and target customer.
- Quaker Boy Game Calls: Direct competitor in hand-tuned and electronic game calls for turkey, deer, predator, and waterfowl hunting. Overlaps with Hunter's Specialties' True Talker, Wayne Carlton, and Johnny Stewart call lines for the same end-user segments.
- ICOtec: Direct competitor in electronic game callers and decoy systems for predator hunting. Competes with the Johnny Stewart Executioner and Hunter's Specialties' predator call product lines on comparable electronic-caller technology and target customer.
Broad incumbents
- Primos Hunting: Broad incumbent in hunting calls (box calls, mouth calls, electronic calls) and hunting accessories. Competes across Hunter's Specialties' full calls portfolio and is a larger, multi-category hunting brand with overlapping distribution in sporting goods retail.
- Bass Pro Shops: Broad incumbent sporting goods retailer and private-label brand owner (owner of Cabela's). Sells competing hunting scent, calls, and accessories under its own brands and provides a key retail channel where Hunter's Specialties' products must compete for shelf space.
Emerging players
- Muddy Outdoors: Emerging hunting accessories brand offering ground blinds, tree stands, and scent/attractant products. Overlaps with Hunter's Specialties' hunting accessories category (field tools, scent, attractants) and pursues similar big-game hunting customers.
- Cuddeback: Hunting technology brand focused on trail cameras and scouting technology. While not a direct overlap, Cuddeback competes for the same hunter's wallet share on adjacent in-field scouting tools, and is also part of the broader GSM Outdoors portfolio ecosystem relevant to the parent's competitive landscape.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks7 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hunter's Specialties social profiles
Digital presenceHunter's Specialties financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hunter's Specialties leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles1 record
Hunter's Specialties funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds1 record
Investors1 record
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hunter's Specialties M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A2 records
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hunter's Specialties
What does Hunter's Specialties do?
Hunter's Specialties manufactures and sells hunting accessories including scent control products, wildlife calls, attractant scents, and field dressing tools. The company offers physical hunting gear across sub-brands Scent-A-Way (scent control), Wayne Carlton's Calls (elk calls), and Johnny Stewart Wildlife Calls (electronic game callers and digital sound library). Products are sold primarily through the company's e-commerce site and authorized dealer network managed by parent GSM Outdoors.
Is Hunter's Specialties a public or private company?
Hunter's Specialties is a private company. It is classified as corporate owned and is currently operating.
When was Hunter's Specialties founded?
Hunter's Specialties was founded in 1977. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Hunter's Specialties based?
Hunter's Specialties is headquartered in Cedar Rapids, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hunter's Specialties make money?
Four revenue lines are on record. Hunting Gear and Accessories Sales are the primary driver. The others are scent Control Products, wildlife Calls and digital Audio Downloads.
Who are Hunter's Specialties's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Wildlife Research Center, Code Blue Scents, ScentLok, FOXPRO, Quaker Boy Game Calls and ICOtec. Broad incumbents are Primos Hunting and Bass Pro Shops. Emerging players are Muddy Outdoors and Cuddeback.
Does Hunter's Specialties have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hunter's Specialties.
What industry is Hunter's Specialties in?
Hunter's Specialties's product category is Hunting Accessories. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAMAKAE, Hunting Accessories & Field Gear Retail (Calls, Decoys, Blinds, Game Cameras), with a secondary code of CRAMABAK, Hunting, Shooting Sports & Archery Retail. Its NAICS code is 45911.