Photography:
Edgaras Marozas
Estimated read time: 3,5 min.
We like to end the year with a proper blast, a mix of shared values, brilliant future ideas, meaningful conversations, and some memories to warm us up during the winter cold that’s approaching. And what could grant this perfect mix if not another gathering of Pulsar brand ambassadors?
We met in Lithuania, traveled to the new Pulsar factory in Latvia, had fun at a shooting range, tested new Pulsar devices, shared knowledge, and, of course, enjoyed each other’s company with a pinch of music.
Bringing home the memories
Many of the Pulsar brand ambassadors admit that visiting the new Yukon Group factory in Latvia and seeing how a thermal riflescope is being shaped from raw materials was the highlight of the trip. The factory, which was opened only two years ago, is proof of what has been at the core of Pulsar throughout its existence – constant improvement and providing its users with the best European-made quality optics.
“I love these factory tours where you experience the local workforce behind the precision, reliability and overall quality of the Pulsar brand as a whole,” Aidan Campbell, a hunter and long-time Pulsar brand ambassador from Northern Ireland, shares his experiences.
Jón Rúnar Guðjónsson, an Icelander living in Denmark, agrees with Aidan. He adds: “We were even able to see some of the new products that are on the way, I was especially excited about one of them, where I can feel I had a little finger in the molding. It showed me that Pulsar is listening to the brand ambassadors’ opinions and it’s not only about laughter and being in good company. I see how this program results in a big benefit for the hunters and even better products.”
For one of the new pro staff program members, Claudia Breit from Germany, the last meeting was also the first one she participated in. She admits to having felt a bit shy about meeting so many new faces on her arrival in Vilnius. But it took her a few first “hellos” to start feeling great: “It felt like coming home. This is the feeling that I remember. The whole meeting was fun and very productive. I enjoyed every second (even long bus drives!) and especially talking to other pro staff members. I take home new friendships and a large amount of knowledge. Now I really feel like part of the team.”
Experience makes the brand
The possibility to get together and share visions, ideas, passion for hunting and simply create memories together is what many brand ambassadors express as the most pleasant part of the meeting. Claus Sloth Andersen, a Dane living in Sicily, Italy, admits bringing many memories back home: “The one I remember best, and that’s because I’m a hunter, is when I listen to other pro staffers talk about their own adventures, sharing their passion, love, and ethics for hunting. Other memories are about a chance to try out a lot of different Pulsar thermals, either mounted on rifles or handheld. My last memory is those moments where Pulsar people shared some inside information, only known to the brand employees and the pro staffers. The respect and trust they show us is unique, and I really appreciate it.”
Many of the hunters emphasize the importance of collaboration. “Each of us hunt different animal species in a range of climates, environments and conditions, using Pulsar monoculars, scopes and add-ons on various caliber rifles within their countries. We all share a passion for shooting and conservation and strive to perfect already proven Pulsar products. The meeting brings together these hand-picked individuals and puts them in a classroom and workshop environment with intensive group discussions. And of course, a shooting range environment where the Pulsar engineers and Pulsar team can hone on the many ideas the pro staffers express from using the product to a high standard,” notes Aidan. “It allows the ambassadors to have confidence in the products being produced from raw materials to a high European standard as witnessed during the factory tour. It allows us to test, trial, review, and change, if necessary, the new, unseen, and unreleased products.”
Martin Bložek from the Czech Republic, one of the newest members joining the Pulsar family, admits that being close to people who all share the same passion for hunting and Pulsar as a brand, is essential. And we couldn’t agree more on his brilliant thought that “people need to meet and greet, have fun, create memories. Datasheet explains a product, but experience makes the brand.”
The same feeling is reflected in the minds of many. Like this comment expressed by Claudia: “The team can grow together and support each other. Together, we can have a better impact than standing alone.”
Building long-term bonds
That is exactly why Pulsar meetings always leave room for both practical activities and pleasant leisure time. In the end it is a mutual benefit for both sides – the ambassadors and the team behind the brand.
Claus is convinced that by teaming up both parties can learn a lot more from each other: “We share all our experience and get a lot of new knowledge from Pulsar. I especially appreciate the possibility to visit Pulsar factories and meet with the developers and engineers,” notes the Danish hunter from Italy. “But also, the feeling of meeting the rest of the Pulsar family and seeing that everyone is open and welcoming you, is hard to describe. To me it shows how unique the whole Pulsar ecosystem and people are. We help each other where we can, enjoy great experiences and share a lot of good histories. We are truly behaving as a big family.”
Sometimes, we wonder to ourselves: how does a group of such different personalities get along so perfectly well? Is it a constant in a hunters’ community, or is it simply the “stars align” moment? Most probably, there is more than one answer to that.
“All people who achieve something different are a little different, too. Each of us has accelerated in some parts of our lives and that makes us stand out. Getting us all together with our different needs, cultural background, knowledge, public voice, hunting skills and in-depth understanding of the usage of Pulsar units to speak about how to make the best even better, is pure magic. Best engineers, nature lovers and hunters in one room simply push the limits,” notes the Icelandic hunter Jón Rúnar.
Being a newcomer to the Pulsar family, Martin admits to quickly noticing the differences and humbleness of other hunters in the group: “I find this community a mix of humble people. Of course, it’s a group of professionals and everyone was chosen for a reason. However, from my personal perspective, people are so welcoming and set to share their passion. Another thing I noticed is that everybody who is actively participating considers Pulsar as a long-term partnership. It’s different compared to other brands that ‘use you and forget about you’. Here, it is about building real bonds.”
When asked about the bonds that connect this group of random people from around the world, Claus mentioned passion for what we do, not only as pro staffers but also human beings. “We share a lot of experiences, both Pulsar-related and personal ones. So, you can say we are a Pulsar family.”
Claudia admits the bond is probably not only about being a hunter. She’d like to describe it with the German word “Wellenlänge”, which refers to the people in a team with similar thinking. “You can talk to someone who lives in another country and has a completely different way of living, but it feels as if you’ve known them for years. I think it depends on the mindset, which is equal, or at least very similar.”
The mixture of madness and genius
Sharing similar yet sometimes very different opinions on where thermal and night vision technology might bring us in the future, creating the vision of a perfect device, analyzing the newest trends of social media, and future-proof ideas behind the Pulsar brand were a big part of the recent gathering.
This meeting enriched us all. Through learning from each other, listening to each other and supporting the craziest ideas that only become real when shared.
Claus admits he had no idea of what awaited him when he first joined the Pulsar family. But he was pleasantly surprised by the attentiveness of others and the feeling of being heard. “For me it is important that we can all share our experiences, no matter if they are good or bad,” he notes. “I feel that Pulsar listens to everyone, no matter how crazy the suggestions are. In the short time I’ve been part of this brand, I’ve already noticed that small details have been improved, I value that a lot.”
The possibility of expressing her opinion, being heard directly by the Pulsar team, and knowing that this might have an impact on the new devices is also key for German huntress Claudia.
Meanwhile, Aidan thinks it is the mix of all great things that brings these meetings close to perfection: “It is a combination of work, enjoyment, hands-on and most of all, unity. Some great ideas come from these meetings in terms of product improvement, and we feel appreciated given how the company looks after us whilst there. Combine that with the amazing individuals who attend, and it couldn’t be any more perfect!”
We will surely keep the visions of a perfect gathering of others for the future, we’d like to leave you with some thoughts of Jón Rúnar, our Icelandic storyteller:
“It’s sometimes hard to envision something better for something that is already close to perfect. The mixture of madness and almost genius is sometimes hard to define. The years I was part of these meetings, every time, there was room and space for each individual on the team. Everyone could speak their mind and there would be no filter for new members to join. Everyone is welcome. The age gap from young to old measured in years is not something that could be easily noticed. Some of the young have older minds, while some of the older ones have younger minds. It feels like a very united group without age differences and any restrictions gathered for getting the most out of the time with a positive attitude towards each other.
What we all have in common is respect for each other and giving space and time for members to speak their thoughts and that can often be felt amongst the whole nation of hunters.
The perfect meeting is simply putting these minds together with a task in hand. Of course, as a nature person myself, I would like to sit by the fire with all these other nature lovers and get into deeper thoughts and visions on where to go further and how we can best educate hunters on using our devices to get the most out of it on a hunt. Not only on an efficiency level but also by enriching their soul and life level.”
Before purchasing any night or thermal vision device, please make sure you adhere to the local legislation and only use it when it is allowed. Our ambassadors come from various countries and travel a lot, which allows them to test different devices. We do not encourage or support the illegal use of our devices in any events. If you wish to learn more about export and sales restriction policy, please visit the following link: Export and Sales Restriction Policy.