By Allen Crater
I’m pushing through a tangle when the little 28s sound off on the other side of the cover.
The silence that follows hangs heavy.
“Libby, hunt dead,” comes Brent’s voice.
It’s a sunny Thursday in late October, and I’m bird hunting with my buddy Eric and Brent Pike, owner of Pyke Gear, the popular upland clothing company based out of Spring Lake, Michigan.
I first met Brent at the Upland Kickoff event back in July. I’m not a hardcore upland hunter, more of a dabbler, but I have friends for whom upland hunting is just short of a religion. My buddy Ozzy is one of them, and he had invited me along.
We mingled with familiar folks, sampled wild game, purchased some gear, patted a few pups, and chatted briefly with Brent. I could tell right away that I liked his energy. And, as it turned out, he had a son attending Montana State University, the same school my oldest had graduated from in 2022. A connection was made. We exchanged numbers and made plans to grab lunch sometime.
That “sometime” came later in September when Brent and I met up at Turk’s, a local favorite dating back to 1933, shortly after the end of Prohibition, where it began its life as a pool hall that also served a bit of food. From the dimly lit booth, I ordered the Reuben, as is my habit, and Brent opted for the Cuban sandwich. We talked business, hunting, angling, and family. Brent exuded that high-energy, risk/reward, entrepreneurial mindset that I recognized immediately. I could tell he was one of my people.
Brent is a self-described adult-onset hunter, but once he started chasing birds, he said it was game over. Since his entry into the sport, Brent had worn (and worn out) twenty years’ worth of all the popular upland garments. He knew there had to be a better solution for traveling wingshooters and upland hunters using more modern, versatile, and comfortable materials than yesterday’s waxed cotton jackets, heavy pants, and wool shirts.
“Brush pants were typically too baggy and lacked waist flexibility, knee articulation, and thigh radius. Shooting shirts didn’t stay tucked in; sleeves were too short and impeded movement. Jackets were bulky and heavy. The bottom line is we hated the way our clothes fit, and it impacted our comfort and enjoyment in the field,” he shared.
So, in 2016, Brent left a high-paying career in medical device sales, liquidated his 401K, and went all-in on solving the problem by starting Pyke Gear.
“A lot of people told me I was crazy. Maybe they were right, but I saw a need in the marketplace and set out to address it. If sales are any indication, I wasn’t the only one that felt that way. The people designing clothes for wingshooters should be out there using them. It’s really that simple.”
After lunch, Brent took me over to the Pyke design center where feedback from the field is put into motion. Here, he introduced me to Jo, the experienced clothing and product designer and seamstress who collaborates with Brent to make the vision a reality through extensive prototyping and testing,
“We started from scratch – a blank slate – and began to design everything based on in-the-field experience. We took cues from the hiking industry and some of the big-game clothing companies. We wanted to create gear and apparel that was comfortable while walking, allowed free range of movement, was light, and held up to the elements. Basically, clothing that complimented the experience versus got in the way. We tweaked each design based on user feedback and material selection, and we continue to tweak every year. Like hunting, it’s a constant state of learning, innovation, and improvement.”
Pants and shirts were the very first products Pyke introduced, followed by the popular Wingman strap vest the following year, and then jackets two years ago. The line now includes two different styles of pants, shirts, vests, jackets, strap vests, gloves, hats, belts, logo wear, and accessories.
“I love the strap vests. I honestly believe they are the best on the market, but I still think our flagship product is the Tongass pants. They really are a game changer. If you try them, you’ll never go back to anything else,” Brent shared. Gray’s Sporting Journal agrees and named the Tongass pants one of “Gray’s Best” in 2022.
I enjoyed the tour – witnessing the entire process behind the scenes, reviewing the different designs and material packages, and even getting a look at some new products and colorways in the works, but I realized to really get a feel for the person and the gear, the best way was to spend some time afield together. So, we set a date.
It was a bright, chilly morning, heavy with frost when I pulled into the McDonald’s parking lot, where Eric, Brent and I would meet up. Eric was early, waiting with his young English Setter, Luna. We quickly caught up and Brent rolled in right on schedule.
The back of Brent’s truck looked like a mobile kennel, with four dogs, three pointers and a setter, all dutifully waiting their turn, some with more patience than others. Libby, Penny, Maddie, and the youngster, Frannie.
We headed off to find our first cover as the autumn sun began to thaw the frosted ground. We drove for a bit, waiting for things to dry out, then plunged into the thick underbrush in a location Brent had marked from a previous outing. It produced a few wild flushes – both grouse and woodcock – that got the hearts pumping, but the guns never even came to shoulder.
We regrouped, switched up the dogs, and moved to a new cover. It was here that Libby froze in a staunch point, nearly at the feet of Brent and Eric. A sudden flush and three quick shots dropped the king of the woods: the setter proudly returning with a mouthful of feathers and a noticeable bounce in her step.
Later in the afternoon we take a break, chatting on the tailgate while downing crackers, fig jam, hard parm, sausage, and more than a few Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups.
Brent tells us the three key elements for his clothing are comfort, durability, and water resistance – not to be confused with waterproofness, but rather the ability to shed water easily and dry out quickly from point A to point B. While DWR treatments containing PFAS are on their way out due to environmental factors, Pyke has been ahead of the game for some time, testing and incorporating more earth-friendly methods of water repellency. “Plus,” Brent adds, “the best way to be environmentally friendly is to create durable gear that lasts, not ending up in a landfill. And that’s what we do.” It’s a tough point to argue.
Always staying ahead and pushing for what’s next is one of the things that has made Pyke Gear so successful. When I ask Brent what’s on the horizon, he smiles.
“I can’t give it all away, but we’ll have a fishing line coming out this spring – including a USPF/Antimicrobial sun hoody, pants, and shorts made for wet wading. Beyond that, we have plans to develop lines for waterfowl and big game, but that’s well down the road. Someday, I’d like to develop an outdoor hub of various storefronts that also include design and manufacturing on site.”
It’s a substantial vision, but like all entrepreneurs, and all hunters for that matter, success seems to follow imagination coupled with hard work. And Brent has both by the bucketful.
Eric has to leave, but Brent and I aren’t quite ready to be done. We take the long route back home and hit one more cover before we split our separate ways.
The last of daylight is slowly seeping from the western sky as pink hues begin to gently paint the edges. Just enough time for one final push.
“Let’s go, Libby,” Brent smiles, as the bell tinkles off into the woods and guns snap closed. “Let’s find ‘em.”
You can learn more about Pyke Gear on their website at pykegear.com.
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