Why We Started With the Blind
- Lauren Joerg
- Apr 24
- 2 min read
Updated: May 11
Before Rancho had a full lineup, it had a prototype, a problem to solve, and the right people standing behind it.
Rancho Hunting Products started with a blind for a reason.
Before there was a full product lineup, there was a prototype sitting outside the Acuña warehouse with Grant Gilbert and Luis Ángel “Charro” Urraza Dugay standing beside it.
That first blind was not built to look good in a catalog. It was built to solve the problems hunters notice after enough hours in the stand.
Because if you have spent enough time hunting, you know a blind can make or break the day.
It is where you wait.
Where you watch.
Where the little things start to matter fast.
A loud window.
A cheap latch.
A narrow door.
A shelf in the wrong place.
A tower that feels too tight.
A blind that creaks, leaks, or feels hollow when the weather turns.
Most hunters have sat in something that almost worked.
The Charro was built because “almost” was not good enough.
The fiberglass body, gelcoat finish, oversized door, quiet windows, carpeted shelves, integrated gun slots, removable floor carpet, wide tower, and available solar setup all came from real time in the field.
Not from guessing.
Not from a catalog.
From knowing what gets annoying, what gets used, and what needs to hold up season after season.
That first prototype carried the idea that still drives Rancho today: build products with real use in mind, pay attention to the details, and do not cut corners just because something is harder to make.
The blind was the right place to start because it carries the whole Rancho standard.
Build it stronger.
Make it quieter.
Think through the details.
Do it right the first time.
That is The Charro.
And that is where Rancho began.
