How KwikFly Apparel Started

Dove hunting has been a family tradition passed down from generation to generation for years. JessieRae “JR” became a huntress at the age of 12 and always looks forward to the hunting season with her father. Typically, they are the only father-daughter team; therefore, she is used to being the only female, hunting with all men.

The idea of designing KwikFly Pants came to her on the opening weekend of dove season in September of 2013. The first day of the season is always the most exciting hunting day! JessieRae had been counting down the days for this moment since the birds started migrating in November the year before.

The anticipation builds as she loads her 12 gauge Beretta shotgun her daddy gave her when she first became a young huntress. Sitting perfectly still like a lion stalking a gazelle before it pounces, she moves nothing but her eyes, watching the sky. She can't hide the huge grin across her face. After ten months, she has reunited with her beloved Beretta once again; nostalgic memories of previous dove hunts run through her mind.

Finally, the doves begin pouring in over the tree lines at high speeds of 55-65 mph from every direction. A dove is coming right at her. She grips the Beretta firmly and does not move a muscle for fear of being spotted which will turn the bird to fly in the opposite direction. With only seconds to react, she flips off the safety, stands, takes aim, swings the gun locks in her target, and shoots. With one shot, the bird begins to spiral to the ground. She's her own bird dog, so she marks the spot where the bird lands. While running out to retrieve the dove, her dad yells to her “Great shot JessieRae!” She can hear in her dad’s voice how proud he is of her. Birds are dropping left and right, and guns are going off all around the field. This is what dove hunting is all about, spending time with family and making memories that will last forever.

Then all of a sudden, right in the middle of all this excitement, that’s when it happened. Nature had the audacity to call.  She was faced with a predicament. Answer the call and miss opportunities to fill the freezer and tag out or send it voicemail, and be extremely uncomfortable. She chose the first option. She didn’t want to miss anything, but when nature’s calling you have to pick up the phone and answer it. Dove hunting is typically on an open dove field, with hay barrels spread 50 feet apart, and hunters at each barrel, so she started walking to the tree line where there is a little more cover to “do her thang.”  There was another hunter who had to answer the same phone call and walked up on her.  Once you answer that phone call, you can’t put nature on hold, you're committed to that call until it is over. Something good came out of that embarrassing experience because that is the moment when she came up with the idea to design a product that enables her to get right back in the hunt, and not have to expose herself and be vulnerable.

She called her grandmother "Nonnie" after hunting and told her about her pants idea. JR didn’t know much about sewing but luckily for her, Nonnie can make anything on a sewing machine. The two went to work and after many prototypes, trial and error testing in the field, and curse words later, they finally created the perfect design, and KwikFly Apparel was born.