KLZ 560 AM DENVER'S CONSERVATIVE HOME STATION
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3/29/25: Davis Tent & Custom Ear Solutions Today’s Guests: Will Marquardt, Owner of Davis Tent is with us to talk about al their amazing products. Check out the Davis Tent website at www.davistent.com. We also welcome back Dr. Melissa Fling with Custom Ear Solutions, she is our amazing Audiologist, to talk about their services and the importance of the proper hearing protection in the outdoors. Check out the website at www.customearsolutions.com. Today’s show is brought to you by the Mile High Hunt & Fish Expo April 11-13 at the Gaylord Rockies Resort & Convention Center. Go to www.MileHighHuntExpo.com for
SPEAKER 01 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado, Colorado’s premier outdoor radio show heard every Saturday afternoon on KLZ 560 with insights on hunting, fishing, archery, guns, and ammo from Colorado’s top outfitters featuring the industry’s leading experts on how to enhance your experience in the great outdoors. Now, here’s your host, Scott Watley.
SPEAKER 04 :
Welcome to Sportsman of Colorado. Thank you so much for joining us today. We are glad you are with us. We’ve got a great show in store for you. And, hey, we are coming to you live, actually. In all transparency, we’re pre-recording this. But, hey, I wanted to come over and see our good buddy Will Marquart, owner of Davis Tent. So we’re coming to you live from the world headquarters here of Davis Tent over here in Denver off of Broadway. Will, good to see you. Thanks for having us out.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, yeah, it’s awesome, man. Great to have you here. Fun to be in our own environment and hearing those sewing machines making tents in the background.
SPEAKER 04 :
Man, I tell you, you were busy with an appointment when I first got here, and I walked around there, and I was just watching that for a few minutes.
SPEAKER 1 :
Wow.
SPEAKER 04 :
It is quite the view just to see them know what they’re doing and so efficient moving their hands around on those big sewing machines, man.
SPEAKER 12 :
They’re world class. That is for dang sure. It’s so fun. I mean, almost anybody that comes in here just loves to stand there for a minute and watch it make intense. Because, you know, if you don’t run a sewing machine or aren’t around a sewing shop, it’s all just kind of a mystery. Sure. How does all this stuff actually come together and look perfect? Walk us through the process.
SPEAKER 04 :
I mean… When you get the materials in, what do you get in? Just big rolls of canvas, right?
SPEAKER 12 :
So on a roll of canvas that we use, we have it rolled bigger than most. I guess it would be 200-yard rolls. So, man, I’m trying to think of how big that is. Here, I could show you with my arms, but nobody can see it on the radio. Yeah. Maybe about 16, 18 inches, you know, diameter, I suppose. And that goes from a pallet that’s going to have maybe 1,200, 1,500 yards of material on it, so figure seven rolls. onto a device that feeds the auto cutter so think of like the cutter for our material is like a cnc machine right people know what those are for steel well this is like a cnc machine it has a cutter on it it has a marker on it and it has a drill on it there’s a specific reason why we use drills and sewing that I won’t get into but it does all those things uh and on in each individual panel that’s about 60 inches wide and then uh they take all those panels and kind of wrap them up into that’s one tent along with that order and so every order is like its own little production piece and that goes to what we call the seamer And they have a double needle sewing machine that puts together the different panels. And when that person is done, you’ve got the front of a tent, the back of a tent, and what we call the roof of the tent, which is the roof and the walls. And then that goes to what you were talking about and what you were seeing, which is the sewers. And they’re sewing that entire tent together at their station. They’re putting windows in, Colorado doors, eaves sleeves, and all those things because it would all be on their order. And when they’re done, it goes to quality control and grommeting, and then it’s folded up and heads on out the door.
SPEAKER 09 :
Man.
SPEAKER 12 :
Easy peasy.
SPEAKER 04 :
So when you get all the different, when I look at just all you’ve got in a tent and the different type cuts that have to be made, is that all computerized in the cuts? Yeah. Just making the sides and top and all that?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, so even up until, let me see, 21, May of 21. So even up until four years ago, it was all done by hand. Three years ago, all by hand. But that’s when we automated everything. So everything that we make, every tent, every bedroll, every bag actually has a CAD program associated with it. And so the person running the CAD table pulls up that, or the cutting table pulls up that CAD program, programs that one in, tells the machine to do this next, and the material automatically pulls and cuts and drills and marks and does all kinds of cool stuff. Cool. It is.
SPEAKER 04 :
But once again, you may hear little noise over now and then. We are coming to you from the shop. Hey, over here, it’s 4230 Broadway. And check out the website, davistent.com. Now, around the corner, the Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo. We are super excited about this. It’s April 11th through the 13th. Go to milehighhuntexpo.com for all the information and events, and you can get your general admission tickets there. Now, real quick, let me just explain. There are some evening events on Friday and Saturday night. Those are separate ticketed items. This promo code… We’ll help you out a few dollars on your general admission ticket purchase. So if you’ll put in an SOCR for Sportsman of Colorado Radio 2025, SOCR 2025 on your general admission ticket purchase, hey, you’ll get a few dollars off of each ticket you purchase there. The individual evening tickets, you just have to get those separately. But I’m telling you, it’s going to be a great night, Friday night, a casino night. type theme, and then our big sit-down banquet, live auctions, and both of these. And it is going to be spectacular. We hope that you will be there, and Will and his crew will be there as well, which it’s hard to believe probably from January through now, show season. Will this be your last?
SPEAKER 12 :
Big show. Yeah, this is it, boy. I mean, yeah, we’ve been doing them since January. So here we are. And two weeks from now, middle April, we’ll be done with the show at the Mile High. So it’s a great show. I’m super excited to have that show here in Colorado. I think it’s kind of a new day dawning as far as sports shows in Denver and Colorado. And they’re really doing a great job, you know, building something there. Hey. I thought about this when you were talking about the show. It’s probably important for people to consider buying those tickets for the evening events ahead of time.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely.
SPEAKER 12 :
Because I know they sold out last year.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, we did, and there was a lot of people disappointed. They didn’t realize they were going to be under such demand. Because we can only put so many people in a room. I mean, a lot of these hotels have different capacities, and so… They do really go quick. Hey, maybe if you’re looking at a table, maybe you want to bring a crew from work or family, whatever. And I’m telling you, this is a great family event. And it’s at the Gaylord. All right. So, hey, if you’ve been out there, you understand. If you haven’t been out there, you need to. It is an absolute beautiful facility. Now, last year when we were there, they were actually doing a bunch of remodeling. All that’s finished now. And so it is an absolutely beautiful hotel, but that is a great suggestion from Will, is get those event tickets for those evenings now. And a lot of calling contests. We’ll hit on some more of this stuff next week, but we just wanted to mention that real quick, and Will will be there.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, the Casino Night, you know, is brand new. The Friday night that’s sponsored by Howell for Wildlife. And so that’ll be a great event, great money-raising event for wildlife here in Colorado. And, yeah, we’ll be donating some things to that. So come on out.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, good deal. Now, this also wraps up, meaning the end of show season, also wraps up some of the show specials that you offer. And, you know, folks here, you see a lot of… prices and games played with prices. A lot of different stores with 30 off, 40 off, all these different deals. All right. Will, I mean, they have a fantastic prices here for the quality you get. I mean, their prices are their prices, all right, all year long. This is the only time you will see these prices. I’m safe in saying that, right, Will?
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, absolutely. In fact, on our, you know, really our flagship tent, the 14×15, $326 off. We’ve never done that kind of a discount on a tent. So this is the time. If you need a tent this year, try to figure out how not to wait to September or August. Try to figure out how to do it now because in September and August, you’re paying full price.
SPEAKER 01 :
Right now, you’re going to get a great deal.
SPEAKER 12 :
That’s 22% off. It’s a huge discount. 14 by 10, that’s what a lot of people know as a cook shack, but still just a great tent in general. 22% off, again, that’s $199 off. So we’re talking about, what, that 14 by 15 for $1,099, that 14 by 10. I think that makes it $799. These are phenomenal prices for wall tents. A lot of people say we make a great product. I like to think so. We can also compete. You look at our prices next to others. I don’t care where the tent’s made. We’re there.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, absolutely. Any other few items you want to mention?
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, yeah, for sure. We have a Royal Throne will be 10% off at the show. Cowboy bedrolls are 10% off at the show. And a sleeping bag cover, which we started to make a couple years ago and just keeps gaining popularity because it’s just a great thing to use inside a tent to keep your… People are sitting on cots, and they’re sleeping bags, and the sleeping bag cover kind of protects it. That’s 20% off at the show. So we’ve got a bunch of good deals.
SPEAKER 04 :
So that Royal Throne, you remember that picture I showed you a couple years ago when I went on that hunt? I do. I do, too. We rode horses up, and a man got up there, and the guy said, you just go to follow this trail and follow the corner. And I walked up. They had like this old toilet seat thing on a buck. And I mean, just… In the elements. Hey, we all realize what that means, okay? But, man, how nice would it have been to have that just around you because, boy, you get up at 2 in the morning, whatever, or any time. But, man, it just would have made that so nice.
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, that was kind of insane, and I don’t know if you remember. I was out on a hunt almost or just before that. This is a customer of mine, an outfitter who’s really a good outfitter. But I got out to this camp. And they had a tree with some logs leaning up against it and an old blue tarp that was ripped up and blown in the wind around their little latrine area. And I’m not even going to say his name because some of you might know him. But I’m like, hey, bud, you got a great setup here. And all of a sudden I’m looking at this and going, come on, man. And so kudos to him. He bought, I think, six of them.
SPEAKER 04 :
Oh, wow.
SPEAKER 12 :
Last year at the show. Oh, did he? Yeah. To get him out of his camps. Wow.
SPEAKER 04 :
Good for him. That’s cool. If you’re just joining us, Will Marquardt is with us. He is the owner of Davis Tent, 4230 Broadway, davistent.com. And we’re actually out on location here doing our interview with Will today. When you look, I mean, and you, you know, look at other tents that are made across the U.S., what are a few things you really feel set you guys apart?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, I think, you know, first of all, we always have kind of built our core around the Sunforger treatment of canvas. A lot of people think Sunforger is a canvas. It’s not. It’s a treatment. So you have to start out with a really high-grade canvas, and we start out with the highest-grade 10-ounce canvas. But then we have the Sunforger treatment put on, which is a treatment put on in the United States, so… You know, I’m not necessarily and you might not necessarily be the biggest fan of some of the regulatory systems we have in the United States. But, you know, when it comes to health and safety issue around chemicals and how they impact our environment, I think that’s super important. And so to have that done in the United States, Sunforger, thought of as the number one treatment in the world, that’s pretty neat. And that’s really core to what we’ve always done. We’ve always also tried to make sure that people understand that, look, yeah, I mean, if you go out on all the forums and people say really nice things about Davis 10, and I’m grateful for that. But also… Look, in some cases you might pay a little bit more for a Davis tent. I can tell you in a ton of places or a ton of situations you’d pay less for a Davis tent. We’re right there playing in the price game, too. We have, I think, what’s the most efficient production facility maybe in the world, certainly in the United States or Canvas. And, you know, I’m pretty proud of that, and it’s really an important part of what we do.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah. I heard her saying years ago, man, I mean, this is back in the 70s, and for me to remember it, Is I wrong? It’s crazy. But it’s that the bitterness of poor quality remains long after the sweetness of low prices forgotten.
SPEAKER 12 :
I think there’s several variations of that, too.
SPEAKER 04 :
But I’m telling you, I mean, you think about times, oh, I bought this because it was cheaper. Then you get out and it does not perform like you needed it to perform. Then it’s like, man, you’d write a check right now for that difference you were hoping to spend to have that quality.
SPEAKER 12 :
Oh, you know, I just talked to a guy today, and I have all these, you know, my little thing that I love to say to people is they say, oh, I’ve got a Davis tent, and it’s 14 years old. And I always say, oh, it’s just a teenager. But, you know, because it is fun to see that kind of quality, you know, really last for guys. But it’s fun also for me to hear guys, like I heard from somebody just today that I think he bought his tent five years ago, and he was just saying how happy he was. Yeah. You know, how it’s held up in all these different conditions. And, you know, those are always fun things to hear and say. And we’re trying to do things around here just as good as we did them around here 20 years ago. And that’s a lot to uphold. And it takes a really great group of people and a commitment to that. But… It’s also pretty cool to talk to people every day that are happy. Sure. And some of them you haven’t ever talked to because they bought online or whatever.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right, right.
SPEAKER 12 :
And it’s like, oh, I love your products. It’s like, wow, that’s neat. Yeah, that’s cool.
SPEAKER 04 :
And that is cool. You know, hey, you’re an owner and you’re face-to-face with these customers. It shows. I mean, I’ve been with you at a few of those, man. And that’s what you hear over and over, you know. I mean – I’ve never heard anybody come up and go, man, I bought a Davis 10. It just sucked. It was not what I wanted. Do you know what I mean? I mean, never. I mean, you’ll see things, like you say, 20 years ago, 25 years, that it’s still performing well.
SPEAKER 12 :
I love shows for that reason, not only because it always makes you feel good, like that kind of thing, but also, like, you know, last year we rolled out our single-shot 10, and we sold that 10 out at the Northwest Sportsman Show, and we sold that 10 out at the Central Oregon Sportsman Show. We might have sold it out here. I don’t remember specifically. But I haven’t done this show yet this year. But I’ve done those other shows again. And I talked to four or five or six of the people that bought those tents. One guy, this is just a tiny little tent. One guy spent three weeks in it this last fall. I mean, but all of them, you know, were happy with it, which is awesome. But that’s what I don’t really know. I mean, they’ve collectively spent a lot more time than I ever spent in those tents, which is super cool.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right. Once again, if you’re just joining us, we are coming to you live from Davis Tent, 4230 Broadway in Denver. Now, you recently built something that’s kind of cool, too. I don’t know, I call it kind of a little garage thing. You can park an ATV, a shed.
SPEAKER 12 :
Tell us about that. Yeah, yeah, the shed is a cool product because it’s got so many usages. So I’ll just give you an example. Just being up recently at the Northwest Sportsman Show in Portland, the first one we sold was to a longtime customer. I know his first name was Daryl, and he horse packs. And he bought it as a tack tent. So he’s going to use half of it to put his hay in and half of it for a couple of saddle stands. And that’s one of the things that we had saw, you know, it being a great fit for. But we also think that people will use it to store wood in or just gear in next to their wall tent. People will use it in their backyard to put their lawnmower in or their ATV in. You know, it’s awesome for that. And we think there’ll probably be a really big market for it among RVers because those of you out there that have RVs know that there’s, you know, when the weather gets bad, there’s no place to put your stuff other than under your RV. Right. And so this is, you know, that utility shed. $399 including the angles for it. Pretty cool product. By the way, probably important to say it’s not canvas. It’s made out of a poly material. I don’t think you said that, but I just want people to know that. Which is actually… for this kind of product better, because for one, it lets a lot of natural light through. For two, it’s not going to mildew, you know, if it’s a little bit wet some of the time, and that’s going to happen with this, you know, like if you accidentally stored it wet for a while, it’s going to be fine.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right.
SPEAKER 12 :
So, yeah, it’s a poly product.
SPEAKER 04 :
You mentioned that. I was going to go there next. Mildew and different things like that made me think about, give us some tips on… You’ve had it out for two weeks. Now you’re fixing to pack it all up. What’s the proper way to clean, store? What should we do?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well, the number one, one of the questions I get, I don’t know if it’s number one, but one of the questions I get asked all the time is how do I clean my tent? And I think it’s important to know that most tents get dirty when you’re picking up your stuff because you’ve been walking around there. It’s probably muddy, wet, and so on and so forth. And so If you just had your tent up, it’s probably not that dirty from standing there. And a lot of times it’s drier or cleaner when you’re setting up, so that didn’t make it dirty. So it’s taking it down. So I would go out and spend $30 or so on a blue tarp bigger than the tent. throw that blue tarp down right next to the tent. So when you drop the tent, you’re going to pull it right out of that blue tarp and you’re never going to spend a bunch of time cleaning your tent. And that’s easier, cheaper to do than buying things to clean your tent and taking the time to do it. So that’d be number one. And, you know, beyond that, For most people, and it depends a little bit on where you’re listening, but here in Colorado, Wyoming, New Mexico, Utah, wherever your reach for this station probably is, we’re pretty lucky because it’s such low humidity area that as long as we dry it out, we want it dry when it’s rolled up ultimately. So you can take it back. You don’t have to have your tent dry when you originally take it out of the field, but, you know, you should set it out to dry within a few days. That would be best practices. Get it good and dry, and you can store it almost anywhere except for, like, I wouldn’t put it directly on untreated concrete because any product like that could potentially suck moisture out. out of the ground or out of the concrete. So, yeah, it’s a pretty simple process. You know, like if you happen to be listening to this and you actually live in a high humidity area like the northwest or much of the east of the country, I always recommend that those people store their tents in a climate-controlled room. situation because there’s so much humidity that I just don’t want anything bad to happen in an air conditioner house. Climate control should be a lot drier in there than the 80 or 90 percent humidity that it might be in your garage.
SPEAKER 04 :
Once again, if you’re just joining us and you hear maybe a few sounds you don’t normally hear when we’re in the studio, we are coming to you live from the world headquarters here of Davis Tent at 4230 Broadway. It’s just right off 38.25 area here in And if you’ve never been by, you ought to come by, take a look through, just kind of see the shop, see a few of the tents they’ve got here. And a great crew here with Chris and Will and Taylor. Boy, they can help you out. And, Will, that’s another thing, man. When I say infield experience, that’s an understatement with the team here at Davis Tent.
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, for sure.
SPEAKER 04 :
You guys know what’s happening, don’t they?
SPEAKER 12 :
They do, yeah. And, you know, when you’re talking about collectively thousands of nights in wall tents, you know, that means that, let’s say you spent a thousand nights in wall tents, which I’ve done-ish, you had ten nights that really sucked and you wonder if you’re going to live through them kind of thing. Yeah. That just happens. You must have been with me the 10 nights, Sam, because I’ve had a few of those. Maybe yours were all in a row. But, you know, you just get – you also spend time in a wall tent because it’s raining outside or whatever, and you just get a lot of time to consider what you’re doing and how you’re doing it. And, you know, also we just have so many experiences with people telling us what they do and, you know, just understanding how people sort of use their products that – Yeah, we are – it would be a true statement to say we are a wealth of knowledge when it comes to Waltons.
SPEAKER 04 :
Any tips you got? You know, let’s say – especially folks that buy their first – tent from you and they get out to set it up. Any few questions you seem to get a lot to help folks out there?
SPEAKER 12 :
Well one thing I would say is that a good thing to do would be to remember that we have a lot of videos online whether you’re on our website or our YouTube page so that’s a really great place. I mean you might download some specific videos on setup or maybe tent folding because it’s always good to have that when you’re in the field. But, you know, the big thing is to get your tent out before you’re going to use it in the field. I don’t care if it’s in your backyard or wherever, just to have a chance to set it up. Because in the event that you don’t understand something… In the unlikely event that we did something wrong, like, you know, who knows what that would be, but maybe you got a wrong angle or something like that in your tent, that’s the time to deal with it before you’re going hunting. Now, fortunately, we get those things right pretty much all the time. Sure. But still, you learn things by just putting tents together. Like, for instance, when we send you your tent, your ropes are not tied on. They’re deep inside your tent. They’re all cut to size. Tensioners are installed. They’re all set to tie on. But, you know, that’s going to take you 20 minutes or better to tie those ropes on. That, you know, when you get out to set it up in a field, maybe it’s, you know, maybe something happened at work and you’re late and it’s dark. Maybe the weather stinks. Well, that’s a really crappy time to be tying on guy lines, you know, and maybe you wouldn’t do it. And I don’t, then that’s not going to be as safe and it’s not going to be optimal for the tent. And so I would just, you know. Have your buddy over, buddies over, if you can, that you’re going out with, and have a dry run. And I think that’s just going to take care of all the base problems. Because maybe you’ll say, oh, this is weird. I have 10-inch stakes and I have 12-inch stakes. What do I do with these? Well, a dry run might have that question answered for you. Sure, sure, sure.
SPEAKER 04 :
Because, man, they’re so cool. I’ve been around you a few times with different things. You’ve set up tents, and man, they’re so perfect. And I think back to times when I went with my dad and son. Our tent never looked like that, and a lot of it was. You get there at night, and maybe it is raining, and you’re just trying to get something over your head real quick, and son, it just looked like…
SPEAKER 12 :
I know. And you never know. I mean, you know, a lot of times that wind comes out of nowhere when you’re in Colorado, right? I mean, all of a sudden it’s like, holy mackerel. Well, you know, we can make you a great tent. We can help you get the frame that you need right for your tent. But we can’t set it up for you in the field. So that’s your part of it. And that’s really going to be important to ultimately hold everything together and be safe.
SPEAKER 04 :
Absolutely. What are a few of your top accessories you want to mention?
SPEAKER 12 :
You know, I always tell people at shows, probably just because it sounds funny, our top accessory by volume would be our orange hooks. Just because they’re used for lanterns and hats and drying clothes is the main thing. You know, you can put them right up a rafter next to your stove and individually dry the pants and the coats and so on. So, you know, otherwise you’re running a wire and everything sags and it runs together and not everything dries properly. So those orange hooks, you know, people buy four or five of them and come back the next year and buy four or five more or maybe come back the next year and buy four or five more. I mean, it’s just one of those things that you’re just not going to have too many of. And if you do, your buddy could use some for sure because they’re just always a usage for them. organizers are always a really you know top accessory we make a two row a three row a large organizer rifle organizer we make a little gear loft too that’s kind of neat uh well in fact we roll out a spice organizer this year oh really yeah yeah so organizers always top accessories and uh our sleeping bag cover is an awesome product i mentioned it before There’s nobody in the world that doesn’t like our sleeping pad. I mean, that is 3-inch foam that’s a high-density foam, super comfortable to sleep on. I mean, kind of an unbelievable product in today’s world to be $109. It’s got a cover on it that zips off, so if you ever get the cover dirty, which you will if you use it, just zip it off, throw it in the wash, wash it. Let it dry. Put it back on. You’re good to go. So I can’t even think of… I mean, I’m sure there’s others out there, but I can’t even think of who makes a cover for a sleeping pad that goes on and off.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah, I’ve never seen one for you.
SPEAKER 12 :
But it’s super practical, and it’s the kind of thing that you do, that we would do, because… We know what happens. Sure. I mean, we’ve spent so much time doing that kind of thing. But I’m telling you what, I don’t care if you have one of our tents or not. If you sleep outside or sleep on something that’s not your own bed, you’d like our sleeping pad, period. Absolutely, absolutely.
SPEAKER 04 :
Anything we forgot?
SPEAKER 12 :
Yeah, I just want to say real quick, we’re going to have a big announcement at the sports show about our Gotent. So one thing I will say about it is our 10×10 Gotent has been a product for us for several years now, and it’s been a good product. We’re rolling out a 12 by 12 go tent. That’s been the number one request for the go tent is to put out a bigger one. So we are going a little bit bigger. But we have a huge announcement of this show that’s going to impact pricing. And I think it’s going to blow you out of the water. So come by and see us and we’ll tell you about it and hand you a brochure on it. We’re going to do some things that will surprise you and will probably surprise some of our Chinese competitors.
SPEAKER 04 :
We’ll be doing a live show from the Mahi Hunt and Fish Expo. Now, we’re going to be taking our haystack time on Friday. So that show will be noon to 1. Our regular Saturday show we’ll do live from the Mile High Hunt Expo will be 1 to 2. But on Friday, we’ll announce that.
SPEAKER 12 :
Sounds good.
SPEAKER 04 :
Is that good? Yeah, absolutely. I always like breaking news.
SPEAKER 12 :
Let’s do it, man. I love it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Well, Will, thanks, man. And, man, thank you guys for all you do. You know, I don’t have time to get into, man, all the help you did with Prop 127 and just, you know, when you’re a business guy and you’ve got a business to run and you devote as many hours – Night and day to that. But I’ll tell you, because of your help, man, I believe we were successful there, you and your team. So thank you for all you do, for all the – we were talking earlier, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, your big support of them and things you donate there for theirs. So just thank you for all you do for the outdoors here in Colorado.
SPEAKER 12 :
Thanks. It’s our pleasure to do it.
SPEAKER 04 :
We appreciate it. You’re listening to Sportsman of Colorado. Get on out to Davis Tent now. They are at 4230 Broadway. Check out the website, davistent.com. Now’s the time to take advantage of these show specials. I promise you, you won’t see these prices again. Save big and save now at Davis Tent. This is Sportsman of Colorado Radio. We’ve got to take a quick break. We’ll be back with more right after this.
SPEAKER 11 :
Here’s why you need personal injury attorney Kevin Flesch on your side. He understands the way the jury thinks. In the context of a personal injury case, you’ve been hurt by someone else’s negligence. The idea is that you’re going to try to recover so that you can get back to where you were just prior to that incident occurring. What that really means from a jurist’s perspective is that you’re going to be asking them to award you money. So when we talk about fairness, we’re talking about six people that you don’t know. Those six people view the evidence and make a unanimous decision that will decide what the fair value is. When you’re the one who’s hurt, you have a good idea of what you think it’s worth. The question is, can you persuade those other individuals whom you don’t know and were witnesses to believe that’s what the case is worth? Kevin Flesch understands the way the jury thinks. Call now for a free consultation. 303-806-8886
SPEAKER 04 :
If you’ve ever had a massage, you know how good it can make you feel. At Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center, you can now give that same wonderful feeling to your dog. Hey, this is Scott Whatley, and whether your dog is recovering from an injury or surgery, has mobility problems from muscle soreness or arthritis, or just needs a calming touch for relaxation, Therapeutic Massage can work wonders at helping your dog feel better. Provided by a licensed certified canine massage therapist with over six years of experience at helping dogs of all ages and breeds. Your dog can now experience the many benefits that Therapeutic Massage provides. Massage sessions are usually 30 minutes long and available on Wednesdays by appointment. Why not give your dog the gift of massage? Call 303-708-8050 and schedule your pet’s appointment today. That’s 303-708-8050. Lone Tree Veterinary Medical Center, it’s the place where my pet goes.
SPEAKER 08 :
If you’re in the market for a new rifle for the big game season or a new shotgun for some doves or upland game birds, head on over to The Gun Room. Kevin Flesch here from Sportsman of Colorado inviting you to visit Denver’s oldest gun dealer. And that’s The Gun Room at 1595 Carr Street in Lakewood. They offer buy, trade, consignment, transfers, and appraisals. And if you purchase a gun, we’ll cover your background check fee. It’s The Gun Room, 1595 Carr Street. Tell them Sportsman of Colorado sent you.
SPEAKER 04 :
Attention hunters and anglers looking for top-notch hunting, fishing, and camping gear without breaking the bank? The Outdoorsman’s Attic in Sheridan has you covered. They’re a family-owned consignment store packed with quality new and used outdoor gear at unbeatable prices. From clothing to cots, live bait to lanterns, and that hard-to-find ammo. Find it all at 2650 West Hampton in Sheridan. Got gear to sell? Turn it into cash with their hassle-free consignment.
SPEAKER 07 :
gear up save big and adventure more at the outdoorsman’s attic where the great outdoors meets great deals visit them today at 2650 west hampton are you in the market for a new firearm or maybe looking to purchase your very first firearm well wouldn’t it be great to have an experience worth telling your friends and family about while making such an important purchase at bighorn firearms we know how important that is and it’s our mission to provide this experience to every customer that walks through our front door Hi, I’m Ryan, owner of Bighorn Firearms, located in southeast Denver, and my team and I are customers too. We know what it’s like to experience the typical specialty store attitude, and we believe everyone deserves a first-class experience when purchasing a firearm. If you’re searching for friendly service, a knowledgeable and passionate staff, and a great selection of firearms, we’d like to invite you to Denver’s best independent gun store, Bighorn Firearms, one mile east of Evans and I-25. Whether it’s your first gun or you’ve been collecting for years, our friendly and knowledgeable staff are passionate about answering all of your questions. Service and selection is our commitment to you. That’s Bighorn Firearms, located at 2175 South Jasmine Street, Suite 105, Denver. Call us now, 303-758-9423, or shop online, bighornusa.com.
SPEAKER 04 :
For over 10 years, hunters have relied on OnX maps to help navigate public and private land boundaries across the country. OnX Hunt is the only tool comprised of more than 400 countrywide maps that give clear private and public land boundaries, trails, hunting specific data, and more. New map layers are constantly being added by pairing with some of the leading names in conservation and the outdoor industry. like the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Boone and Crockett Club, and Eastman’s. Whether it’s on your smartphone or handheld GPS, make the most of your precious time in the field by navigating with OnX Hunt. Go to the App Store or OnXMaps.com.
SPEAKER 03 :
Hey, Dan. You know, our jobs are pretty different. I’m a baseball announcer. You’re an attorney and a talk show host.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, but we do have something in common. Really? What’s that? Our favorite car dealer, Len Lyle Chevrolet. Yeah, definitely not your typical dealership. That’s so true, Jack. No high-pressure sales tactics. They respect your time. And when you have two jobs, that’s important.
SPEAKER 03 :
You know, I’d recommend Len Lyle Chevrolet to anyone. And with their low overhead, that means… Lower prices.
SPEAKER 13 :
Yeah, we really do have something in common.
SPEAKER 03 :
Len Lyle Chevrolet. Go east and pay the least. Chevy. Find new roads.
SPEAKER 04 :
Ready to elevate your outdoor game? The 2025 Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo offers expert-led seminars, exclusive events, and the latest gear. It’s Colorado’s premier outdoorsman event April 11th through the 13th. Get tickets now at milehighhuntexpo.com.
SPEAKER 02 :
Riding an e-bike will make you feel like a kid again. Just try it. Hi, I’m Randy Curranci, founder of e-bike of Colorado. E-bikes are a fun way to ride the trails. Pedal assist technology flattens the steepest hills. We have 14 major brands to choose from and our expert staff will find you the perfect bike. Come take a free test ride at e-bike of Colorado in downtown Louisville next to the historic grain elevator. Open seven days a week from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Learn more at ebikeofcolorado.com. Just try it.
SPEAKER 04 :
Need new glasses fast? With Stack Optical’s on-site lab, you’ll get your prescription glasses in just three to four days. No long wait times. Hey, this is Scott Whatley, and I’ve trusted my eye care to Allen Stack and Stack Optical for the last 15 years. Eye exams are only $69. and that should be a part of your physical checkups each year. For over 50 years, Denver has trusted this family-owned boutique eye care center for premium vision care, custom eyewear, and expert repairs. See the Stack Optical difference today. Call 303-321-1578. That’s 303-321-1578, and tell them Scott sent you. Stack Optical. Since 1968, at Stack Optical, you’ll see the difference.
SPEAKER 09 :
This is AM560 KLZ, your home station.
SPEAKER 04 :
Welcome back to Sportsman of Colorado. Thank you so much for being with us. Well, it’s always great for you to have Dr. Melissa Fling with us. She is with Custom Ear Solutions. Not with, but owns Custom Ear Solutions. Check out the website, customearsolutions.com. Her number, 720-839-7705. And she is our exclusive hearing audiologist specialist here for us at Haystack Help Radio in Sportsman of Colorado. So welcome. Melissa, good to see you. How are you?
SPEAKER 06 :
Good to see you, too. I’m doing great. I want to just make an announcement that my website right now is very elementary. It’s just a landing page. It gives basic information, and I’m in the process of upgrading it to a far more sophisticated, informative website.
SPEAKER 04 :
And her office is, I sort of say, conveniently located. I guess that’s where you live and where you’re listening from, but kind of here in the Denver Tech Center, and so extremely easy to get to. So when we talk about making an appointment for getting a hearing test or maybe checking out some of her custom ear solutions, we’ll call them, for ear protection, hey, she’ll be glad to help you. And as I mentioned, her number is 720-839-7705. You know, Melissa, when we talk about the custom ear solutions, there are some real benefits to that word custom. Yes. You know? Yeah. And I was doing a little research here just before you came in today, but there are several things. And I mean, you know, the number one thing is just when you say custom, what’s that mean? It’s fit to you in your ear canal, right? Yes. Yes. All right. Not your ear hole, but I… So medically termed it last time. All right. Your ear canal.
SPEAKER 06 :
You’re not the only one that I’ve heard say that it’s okay. Yeah. Your ear canal. Yeah. It’s custom fit, which is really important for people who have small ear canals, which hopefully you won’t be upset with me for saying this, but you have small ear canals, very small. Um, and so hugely beneficial for those people because they can’t even fit regular sized ear plugs into their ears and then they don’t have good hearing protection because Or if they’re wearing Bluetooth earbuds and the tip on it, even the smallest tip is still too big, their AirPods or their Bluetooth earbuds are falling out or they don’t feel secure. So. That’s one situation where custom is really a great option for you. Also, some people have unusually shaped ear canals. They have sharp curves, and that can cause the same problem.
SPEAKER 04 :
Can they differ one ear to the other?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, they can, yeah. Or some people have had surgery on their ears that changes the shape of the ear canal. So there’s all different reasons why custom would be a better option for those people. And there are quite a few of those people. Not everybody has the average size straight ear canal. There’s a lot of variability out there, and custom is usually better for them fit-wise. Sure.
SPEAKER 04 :
And when you say custom, I mean, naturally that’s going to tell you that’s going to be a good, snug fit.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes.
SPEAKER 04 :
But also, they’re going to be very comfortable. Yes. Because they fit properly. Yes. And you’re not having to keep jacking with them trying to get them to stay in, right?
SPEAKER 06 :
Right, right. And that can be another issue with foam earplugs because… They expand in the ear canal and they put pressure, which is good for hearing protection. But if you need to wear them for hours, it can cause soreness over time. And that is something about custom is because they’re not exerting as much pressure on the ear canal, they won’t cause soreness as much as a foam earplug would.
SPEAKER 04 :
Gotcha. And we’ve said this many times, especially when you’re on the Sportsman Colorado show. You know, I go to ranges and I see people with these phone plugs that are laying there on the counter for a dollar, which is better than anything, better than nothing. Yes. But 99.9% of the people don’t know how to put them in right. You know, I mean, I look over there and there could not be an eighth of an inch actually stuck in their ear. The whole thing’s sticking outside their ear.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes. Yeah. I guess they’re not, they’re not trained how to do it. Most people aren’t.
SPEAKER 04 :
I realize we’re on radio. So walk us through the right way.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes. Okay. So first what I do is I put it between my thumb and my index finger and I roll it down slowly because one kind of nitpicky point is you don’t want any creases in the foam plug because once you put that in your ear, The crease will be there, and that might allow sound through. So you want to roll it so there’s no creases in it. Roll it down as small as you can get it. Then you’re going to pull your ear up and back. And what I kind of have to do, because I also have smaller ear canals, I have to literally massage it into my ear canal. So I’m pulling my ear up and down while I’m kind of massaging the plug in.
SPEAKER 04 :
And we’re kind of talking about pulling the top of the ear and then up and then back to open that up as much as you can, correct?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, because everybody has some degree of a curve in their ear canal. So when you pull the ear up and back, it’ll open it up wider and straighten the curve. So that’ll allow you to get the foam earplug in deeper so that you get better protection. Right.
SPEAKER 04 :
And the other thing that’s going to give you then, if it’s fitting right all the time, what’s that going to give you? Consistent protection.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, that’s exactly right.
SPEAKER 04 :
And that’s what you’re looking for. Yes. All right. Let’s see here. There was a couple other things here I wanted to touch on as we were going through our little list here. with yours and we’ll touch on this because we’ve described them other shows but one one set of your uh your solutions is um if you still need to communicate with someone whether that’s in a hunting scenario work scenario whatever uh but you want to stay away when that loud sound happens you can do that so that improves if you’ve got the maybe just the foam top and that’s all you’re using um you know sometimes you can’t hear as well as you need to so there are situations people do need to
SPEAKER 06 :
hear communicate talk but then they want that protection when the loud sound happens right exactly and foam can provide too much protection sometimes and then you can’t you’re not aware of your surroundings or it muffles things so in that case where you need to be aware and communicate a filtered option would be best and those can be made they have universal fit um filtered options but i can also offer custom ear molds with filters in them okay yeah um how long would these last kind of i mean people take care of them and put them in the case you give whatever yeah i mean they’ll last quite a while right my first pair of custom molds lasted 11 years before the fit started to change and that was probably more just my ears changing
SPEAKER 05 :
So our ears change?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes, they do. Because, you know, there’s gravity always pushing down on us. And that changes the way your ears sit. Cartilage breaks down very slowly with aging. So yeah, your ears will change over time. If you lose a lot of weight, your ears will change. So that will affect a custom fit as well. But yeah, mine lasted 11 years and that’s when the fit didn’t quite feel as snug. So I got a new pair then.
SPEAKER 04 :
And if we just start out and we recently went through your line, but basically you’ve got a, a solid block type of hearing protection that when someone, maybe they’re just going to a range and shooting, they don’t want to talk to anybody. They just looking for the ultimate protection. Those run approximately how much?
SPEAKER 06 :
Those are $160,000 for the pair.
SPEAKER 04 :
Okay, $160,000 for the pair. Again.
SPEAKER 06 :
Not bad, huh?
SPEAKER 04 :
Not bad. All right, because you know what’s bad? You know what hearing aids cost today? Right. $8,000, $10,000, you know. So, I mean, to invest, you know, $125, folks, for the hearing test that Melissa does. And like I say, I’ve done this. I’ve gone through her whole process. Highly recommend it. She does a great job explaining everything to you. And if you haven’t had one in a while, just go get one. All right. Hey, that’ll give you a baseline to see what’s going on. So as the next year, year or two passes, you kind of see what’s going on with your hearing. So you got that. Then the next ones that I love hunting is the filter ones that, again, you can communicate, but then it will kind of shut down when the gunshot happens. What are those running?
SPEAKER 06 :
Those are 205 for the pair.
SPEAKER 04 :
Yeah. Yeah. Again.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
For under 500 bucks.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
You can get an ear test, pick a couple of these that may fit different needs for you and what you’re going to be doing, activities you’re going to be doing. And man, protect your ears.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah. Get the full preventive protective package. Wow.
SPEAKER 04 :
I was looking at some of the activities that we have here on just who should use hearing protection. So last few minutes, I want to run through these. And it’s so funny. It says musicians and concert goers. Again, I’ve mentioned this before. Dr. Coates in Dallas I do a show with. We were talking about hearing once, and he’s a family doctor. And he said, man, we used to go to concerts, and if we didn’t come out and our ears weren’t ringing, And we didn’t think that was a good concert. But now, at 50 years old, he regrets not having heard it. But these concerts and the musicians themselves, I mean, these can be some loud sounds, can’t they?
SPEAKER 06 :
Oh, yeah. I had a friend, actually, that went to an alternative rock concert the other night. And I told him, are you going to wear your earplugs? Do you and your wife have earplugs to wear? And he’s like, oh, yeah, I’ve got some foam earplugs I’ll wear. And then I followed up with him after that concert and he did not wear his earplugs. And I said, were your ears ringing after? Yeah, they were, but not too long this time. And it’s like, oh, please, please don’t do that. That is a sign that your hearing has been damaged. And if you’re, I hate to say it this way, but if you’re lucky, it’ll go away. Your ears will repair themselves. But some people, it doesn’t go away. It’s just not worth it if you can prevent it. I mean, it’s not the worst thing that can happen to a person. But do you want to be stuck with this annoying noise in your ears for the rest of your life just because one night you didn’t feel like wearing earplugs? You know, that’s the way I see it. I just don’t want people to have regret about it later.
SPEAKER 04 :
Sure. Another category for folks, construction and industrial workers, and I’m telling you, if you’ve ever been around a construction site, there are a lot of loud sounds around that.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, killer loud.
SPEAKER 04 :
Shooters and hunters, and again, you’ll hear Melissa on our Sportsman Colorado show as well, but shooters and hunters. What happens when that gun goes off? What’s that eardrum do? What’s the reaction to an eardrum?
SPEAKER 06 :
Yeah, well, it vibrates. It’s vibrating all the time with any kind of sound that comes through it. But if it’s loud enough, it can vibrate. it can actually rupture your eardrum. If it’s loud enough, that would be, you have to be up to like 140 to 160 DB, which some firearms are that loud, but where the damage typically occurs is within the inner ear, the hearing organ, um, the, the very sensitive hearing organ and the, its components, um, they will be physically damaged by a loud sound wave that comes in. And sometimes the damage is just temporary. Sometimes it’s permanent.
SPEAKER 04 :
Right. And then on a previous show, we talked about motorcyclists. If you’re into race car driving, that would be a good fit too. But swimmers we brought up.
SPEAKER 06 :
Mm-hmm. Yeah.
SPEAKER 04 :
Big need there.
SPEAKER 06 :
Yes. We kind of talked about how with cold water exposure or even cold air exposure, like if you go skiing and snowboarding, your ears are getting exposed to cold air a lot. But with a lot of cold water exposure, that can cause a condition called exostosis in the ear canals. And that’s basically… bony growth in the ear canals that kind of protrude into your ear canal and when it gets bad enough it can close off your ear canal completely and cause hearing loss because of that so a good reason to wear plugs or molds in that case would be to prevent exostosis from happening. Um, because you don’t want to have to have a surgery to get rid of that. That’s a bummer. So that would be one reason. And also if you’re into like water skiing, something that you, you might, there might be a risk of falling and slapping your head against the water. I’ve seen a lot of people that come in with ruptures in their eardrum because the water hit their eardrum so hard that it, it ripped the skin open. And that can heal, but sometimes it doesn’t. So wearing swim molds would be good for that, too, to prevent that risk. Right.
SPEAKER 04 :
And I mentioned this on a previous show, but Melissa will be with us at our Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo. That’s April 11th through the 13th at the Gaylord Rockies Resort. And go to milehighhuntexpo.com for tickets and event details. But, hey, Melissa’s going to be having some stuff there. And you can actually look in some people’s ears while you’re there and help them out a little bit right there, right? Yeah.
SPEAKER 06 :
Oh, yeah. Yeah. I’ll have a video camera to show people what the inside of their ears look like. I’m thinking about bringing my irrigator to flush wax out of people’s ears. That might be, I’ll have to figure that out with water and everything. But yeah, if you just want to stop by and see what your eardrums look like, there’s no charge for that.
SPEAKER 04 :
All right. Hey, it’s Custom Air Solutions, 720-839-7705. Hey, when you call Mitch and you heard her here on KLZ 560, we’d appreciate that as well. But, hey, folks, $125. Here’s one thing I’d like to. Melissa’s very transparent about pricing and all that. So, hey, $125. And, again, she is not into the selling of products. hearing aids and all. Now, if she decides that’s what you need and you need to follow up with that, she certainly has great connections for that. So this isn’t going to be maybe a deal where you’ve been to before and then all of a sudden they’re trying to pressure you into buying a $10,000 hearing aid. That is not what’s going to happen. at Custom Ear Solutions. All right, so go in and see her, get your hearing tested. Hey, let her show you some of these great custom ear solutions she has to protect your hearing. And hey, get on the offense here and protect your hearing. So Melissa, thanks for your time. We’ll look forward to our visit next time. Thank you so much, Scott. And once again, just a reminder, Melissa will be with us at the Mile High Hunt and Fish Expo, April 11th through the 13th at the Gaylord Rockies Resort. You can go to milehighhuntexpo.com and see all about the event. Get your tickets. And real quick, let me explain again. There’s general admission tickets. You can use a promo code SOCR, for Sportsman of Colorado Radio, SOCR2025. And that’s going to get you a couple of bucks off your general admission tickets. Then there are some separate ticket events for the evening events there. We’re having a casino night on Friday night. and then a nice sit-down live auction, really exciting time on Saturday night. And those are separate ticketed events. But hope you’ll come. Make sure and stop by our booth as well, Sportsman of Colorado. I believe we’re booth 719. And, hey, we’ll take you over and let Melissa take a look at your ears real quick. So quick reminder now, if you miss our live show on Saturdays 1 to 2, catch us twice on Sundays. That’s 8 to 9 a.m. and once again 7 to 8 p.m., on Sunday evening, and we thank you for being with us. Hope you have a great rest of your day and a great rest of your weekend.
SPEAKER 10 :
The views and opinions expressed on KLZ 560 are those of the speaker, commentators, hosts, their guests, and callers. They are not necessarily the views and opinions of Crawford Broadcasting or KLZ management, employees, associates, or advertisers. KLZ 560 is a Crawford Broadcasting God and country station.
