George Weber, 53, of Great Bend, has lived in and has been hunting in Barton County all his life.  The 5-foot-6-inch, 190-pound muscular man with a full beard and intense blue eyes that capture your attention as he speaks seems at the same time younger in body and wiser in spirit than his stated age.  His handshake is firm, and his manner respectful.  
A little over a year ago, he met with a patent attorney in Kansas City.  In a few weeks, he expects to receive his U.S. patent in the mail.  It will mark another milestone in his quest to design and build a chair for hunters, but with several other applications, that he is certain beats all the other models currently on the market for versatility, utility, and craftsmanship.  That’s a pretty tall order, but Weber has spent many hours literally in the field contemplating.  
“There’s a lot of sitting quietly and waiting when you’re hunting, so I use that time to think,” he said.  It’s always been that way.  Weber is primarily a bow-hunter, but also uses a shotgun to hunt waterfowl at Cheyenne Bottoms.  He may station himself in the grass, along a fenceline, or in the trees.  Wherever he may be, the longer he can remain both comfortable and vigilant, the higher his chances of success.
When he was young, he filled his free time with “tinkering” when he wasn’t hunting.  Coming from humble roots, rather than playing with the latest toys and games, he built and created things his family’s workshop.  He’s passing on those skills to his kids.
He built nine prototypes before settling on his current design.  It had to be many things: quiet, comfortable, neutral in color, portable, accommodating to different types of hunting and fishing, and incredibly durable.  

Made to last
Unlike the iconic three and four legged chairs so easily folded, tucked into a sack and slung over the shoulder, this chair at first glance looks heavy and perhaps a little bulky to carry.  But that’s what makes it work.
Instead of aluminum tubing, Weber crafts the 19 lb. chair from square steel tubing primed flat brown, and seats and backs made from a latticework of nylon straps, each rated to hold several hundred pounds.  And while he hasn’t had it tested in a lab, two men his size plus a 200 lb. weight couldn’t make the chair budge, he said.  
“I know in my gut that its a great design, but the real proof is when I see a large man, well over 300 lbs, sit in it, and that look of relief because the chair is solid, and he can feel it,” he said.  “That’s the target I’m shooting at.  If I can make hunting a pleasure for a big man, I know it’s going to be great for everyone else.”
There is no plastic to be found anywhere on the chair, and it can be repaired by the user with materials that can be found easily at local hardware stores.
The pedestal tripod stand has enough surface area to keep it from sinking in sand or mud, and comes with an ambidextrous bow/fishing pole/gun holder that can safely hold even the heaviest of cross bows.  
“It allows a hunter to have their hands free to work duck and goose calls enjoy a cup of coffee, or simply to rest,” he said.
It can be used with or without the pedestal stand.  It can be strapped to a tree or fence post, fits easily into even a small deer stand, and can even be outfitted with a short pedestal that allows the hunter to sit very low to the ground.
“It makes a pretty mean turkey hunting chair,” Weber said.  

Values shine through
Weber’s family pitches in, sharing in the manufacture of the chairs.  Each is made one at a time, with Weber and his sons, Lee, George and Wyatt cutting, grinding, deburring and welding the steel, and his wife, Zola, sewing the seats and backs.  
Including the boys in the process has taught them both self-respect and responsibility.
“They’re name is on the line,” Weber said.  “This isn’t just about me.  They’re part of it too.”  
Weber says he’s enjoyed the process, and has found it a humbling experience.  He’s not only learned things about himself, but also other people.  
His determination has been met with disbelief by those who thought his other interests would get in the way of patenting and marketing his design.  And others have stepped up to point him in the right direction.  He credits Clayton Williamson of Hoisington with suggesting a good patent lawyer.  
“Meeting with him was the worst 20 minutes of my life,” he said.  “This guy was going to tell me either I really had something, or that I was a fool, and I was paying him $1,000 just to meet with me.  And at first, all he did was look at me and then look at the chair.”
It turns out the lawyer was simply speechless because the visit was one of the rare times an inventor brought a prototype to him that worked exactly as it was meant to, Weber said.  Within days, the patent papers were filed and the patent pending certificate was issued.  
The chairs are being marketed locally at The Gunslinger Mercantile, The Boot Doctor, Short Stop Barber Shop, and at Jim Carlson’s archery store in Kinsley.  Weber has also taken it to one trade show outside of the county recently, and met with great success.
Ultimately, Weber isn’t saying what his hopes for the future of his chair is.  For now, he and his kids will continue to make them on demand, in between sports and school activities.  Oh, and hunting.  Weber admits he’s not getting out to hunt as often as he used to.
“I still get out at least once a week, and sometimes on a Sunday,” he said.