- Location
- The Conservative part of Ontario
From the CFD
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2006 06:45:00 -0600 (CST)
From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User)
Subject: Saskatoon Star Phoenix: Big bucks found in province:
PUBLICATION: The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
DATE: 2006.10.11
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1 / Front
BYLINE: Jeremy Warren
SOURCE: The StarPhoenix
ILLUSTRATION: Colour Photo: Dave Stobbe, The StarPhoenix / SASK.
AHUNTER'S PARADISE: Gary Smith, of Los Angeles, Calif., is in Canada for
a few weeks to hunt ducks and geese; Colour Photo: Dave Stobbe, The
StarPhoenix / Ken Moore (left), of Sacramento, Ca., plays cards in the
Saskatoon airport after a hunting trip to Saskatchewan WORD COUNT: 1088
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big bucks found in province: American hunters look for trophies; local
businesses look for huge payoff
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
The chance to bag the big one in Saskatchewan has kept Mike Soda, a
retired civic employee from Sacramento, Calif., coming back to the
province for 13 years.
"We get to hunt what we want to hunt. We're honker hunters -- we go
after the big honkers. We can come here and get that," Soda says, during
a card game with three friends as they wait to catch a ight home from
hunting ducks and geese near the Battlefords.
Each of the hunters spends about $3,500 every fall when they return to
Saskatchewan, Soda estimates.
In 2005, the province sold 13,870 hunting licences to non-Canadians, the
majority of whom were Americans hunting in the fall. That's one-fi fth
of all hunting licences sold in total last year. Americans hunting
waterfowl and big game inject roughly $50 million to $60 million
annually into Saskatchewan's economy, according to the Saskatchewan
Outfi tters Association.
Visit Saskatoon's airport on any Saturday during hunting season when fl
ights to and from Minneapolis, Minn., are scheduled, and you might think
a small army of Americans wearing camoufl age is invading the city.
"This is the plains, the high Prairies. You can look to the left, look
to your right and all you see is sky. In Sacramento, you get mountains
in all directions, so it's a nice change," says Eldon Bower, a retired
veterinarian and of Soda's card-playing friends.
Grant Kuypers, who owns Buck Paradise Outfi tters in the Paradise Hills
region, says 98 per cent of his business comes from Americans. If it
wasn't for the roughly 350 American hunters he hosts each hunting
season, his business wouldn't exist.
The hunters, who come from states such as Tennessee, New York, Nevada
and Michigan, usually spend between $1,800 and $5,000 each.
But Kuypers isn't the only one to benefi t from American money -- he
employs more than 30 full-time and part-time employees during hunting
season and pours money back into local economy.
Fuel is bought locally, his electrician is local and Saskatchewan
contractors built his lodge.
Between 60 and 70 per cent of the hunters are repeat customers, Kuypers
says.
"American hunters don't get the same hunting experience in the States.
It's crowded and expensive. Generally in Saskatchewan, they're the only
hunters in the fi elds, where back in the States they're used to seeing
a guy sitting beside them in the next tree because you're on public
land," he says.
The province's appeal is enough to attract the rich and famous on
occasion.
Jermaine Dye, the 2005 Major League Baseball World Series MVP with the
Chicago White Sox, has been hunting with Kuypers for the last two years.
"Jermaine's a big, quiet guy who likes to get out and hunt, enjoy the
wilderness and be alone. He's not running around with a big head,"
Kuypers says.
Hunting season in the autumn for non-Canadians starts around the fi rst
week of September and continues into the fi rst week of December,
depending on the animal and area of the province.
With its international airport, Saskatoon is the favoured jumpingoff
point for Americans hunting in other parts of the province. But before
hunters take their wallets to the fi elds and forests of Saskatchewan's
North, they spend some time -- and money -- in the city.
"Anecdotally, we know (Americans) stay in our hotels before and after
their hunting trips, as well as taking in entertainment and other
services," says Todd Brandt, president and CEO of Saskatoon Tourism.
In Saskatoon's Wholesale Sports Outdoor Outfi tters store, Gary Smith, a
hunter from California, pushes a shopping cart full of merchandise worth
$500. A bright orange price tag is still stuck to the vest he's wearing.
He's driven from his home state and plans on hunting ducks and geese in
the Wakaw area for a month. The trip will cost him and his friends about
$5,000 each.
"We're buying shells, paying for food, we're buying gasoline, my truck
is serviced at the dealership in Saskatoon and there's the
accommodations," Smith says.
"If you get 1,000 hunters spending $5,000 each, well, do the math. It's
money for Saskatchewan that comes to the hotels, the restaurants, the
outfi tters, the retailers. When you come up here with your car, you'll
need everything. Bring your chequebook." Wynyard, which is near the
Quill Lake area known for its waterfowl hunting, is a small Saskatchewan
town receiving big benefi ts from American hunters.
During the fi rst week of September and into November, the hotels and
motels in the town are nearly always full, says Clint McConnell,
director of economic development, tourism and leisure services for the
Town of Wynyard.
"You start to notice the strangers and the big half-tons with (U.S.)
licence plates and their southern accents. You don't have to look hard
for an American hunter in the fall," McConnell says.
Not that the hunters stand out solely because they're from the States.
The loud, obnoxious American tourist is a stereotype shattered by the
hunters who visit the small Saskatchewan towns every year.
"They're polite and easy to get along with. We look forward to them
every year. They bring their money up here and we're happy to take it,"
McConnell says.
Larry Bozek, owner of Southshore Motor Lodge in Wynyard and the Wadena
Hotel and Motel, has been in the hospitality business for 18 years. He
says American hunters can make or break his year.
"They're a big part of our business. Come fall, we're full with hunters
and without them our hotels would be sitting empty. I depend on them,"
he says.
Thirty to 40 per cent of his room business comes from Americans visiting
the Quill Lake area. And then there's the revenue from the bar they
drink in and the VLTs they play.
"Without their business the whole town would suffer. The province can be
slow and quiet. We need those hunters," Bozek says.
Chuck Deschamps, a biologist with Ducks Unlimited, says there are about
200 hunters in the Quill Lake area every week during hunting season.
Many come from northern states like Minnesota, but southern states such
as Louisiana and Florida are also wellrepresented.
"Guys come for specifi c birds or to generally hunt. Some have been
coming for decades and they just like to be out in the country away from
the city. If they shoot a couple ducks in a day, they're happy,"
Deschamps says.
Residents of small towns benefi ting from the tourism are well aware of
the contribution Americans make to their communities.
In Wadena, for example, volunteers have organized hunter appreciation
nights during which hunters and locals swap hunting stories and jokes
over a fowl supper. Prizes are given to the oldest and youngest hunter
and the hunter that lives farthest away from the town.
A retired commercial real estate manager, Smith has been coming to
Saskatchewan to hunt for 15 years. While spending $5,000 to hunt may
seem expensive to locals, compared to the cramped fi elds of some
states, hunting in the vast pastures of Saskatchewan is money well
spent.
"In California, you almost have to belong to a club and pay a fee to
hunt on private property. It's getting very diffi cult to hunt.
There's 25 million people per 100 square mile area. If you get 25
million people in Saskatoon, the hunting would be a lot different,"
Smith says.
jjwarren@sp.canwest.com
------------------------------
Date: Wed, 11 Oct 2006 06:45:00 -0600 (CST)
From: owner-cdn-firearms@sfn.saskatoon.sk.ca (Majordomo User)
Subject: Saskatoon Star Phoenix: Big bucks found in province:
PUBLICATION: The StarPhoenix (Saskatoon)
DATE: 2006.10.11
EDITION: Final
SECTION: News
PAGE: A1 / Front
BYLINE: Jeremy Warren
SOURCE: The StarPhoenix
ILLUSTRATION: Colour Photo: Dave Stobbe, The StarPhoenix / SASK.
AHUNTER'S PARADISE: Gary Smith, of Los Angeles, Calif., is in Canada for
a few weeks to hunt ducks and geese; Colour Photo: Dave Stobbe, The
StarPhoenix / Ken Moore (left), of Sacramento, Ca., plays cards in the
Saskatoon airport after a hunting trip to Saskatchewan WORD COUNT: 1088
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
Big bucks found in province: American hunters look for trophies; local
businesses look for huge payoff
- ------------------------------------------------------------------------
The chance to bag the big one in Saskatchewan has kept Mike Soda, a
retired civic employee from Sacramento, Calif., coming back to the
province for 13 years.
"We get to hunt what we want to hunt. We're honker hunters -- we go
after the big honkers. We can come here and get that," Soda says, during
a card game with three friends as they wait to catch a ight home from
hunting ducks and geese near the Battlefords.
Each of the hunters spends about $3,500 every fall when they return to
Saskatchewan, Soda estimates.
In 2005, the province sold 13,870 hunting licences to non-Canadians, the
majority of whom were Americans hunting in the fall. That's one-fi fth
of all hunting licences sold in total last year. Americans hunting
waterfowl and big game inject roughly $50 million to $60 million
annually into Saskatchewan's economy, according to the Saskatchewan
Outfi tters Association.
Visit Saskatoon's airport on any Saturday during hunting season when fl
ights to and from Minneapolis, Minn., are scheduled, and you might think
a small army of Americans wearing camoufl age is invading the city.
"This is the plains, the high Prairies. You can look to the left, look
to your right and all you see is sky. In Sacramento, you get mountains
in all directions, so it's a nice change," says Eldon Bower, a retired
veterinarian and of Soda's card-playing friends.
Grant Kuypers, who owns Buck Paradise Outfi tters in the Paradise Hills
region, says 98 per cent of his business comes from Americans. If it
wasn't for the roughly 350 American hunters he hosts each hunting
season, his business wouldn't exist.
The hunters, who come from states such as Tennessee, New York, Nevada
and Michigan, usually spend between $1,800 and $5,000 each.
But Kuypers isn't the only one to benefi t from American money -- he
employs more than 30 full-time and part-time employees during hunting
season and pours money back into local economy.
Fuel is bought locally, his electrician is local and Saskatchewan
contractors built his lodge.
Between 60 and 70 per cent of the hunters are repeat customers, Kuypers
says.
"American hunters don't get the same hunting experience in the States.
It's crowded and expensive. Generally in Saskatchewan, they're the only
hunters in the fi elds, where back in the States they're used to seeing
a guy sitting beside them in the next tree because you're on public
land," he says.
The province's appeal is enough to attract the rich and famous on
occasion.
Jermaine Dye, the 2005 Major League Baseball World Series MVP with the
Chicago White Sox, has been hunting with Kuypers for the last two years.
"Jermaine's a big, quiet guy who likes to get out and hunt, enjoy the
wilderness and be alone. He's not running around with a big head,"
Kuypers says.
Hunting season in the autumn for non-Canadians starts around the fi rst
week of September and continues into the fi rst week of December,
depending on the animal and area of the province.
With its international airport, Saskatoon is the favoured jumpingoff
point for Americans hunting in other parts of the province. But before
hunters take their wallets to the fi elds and forests of Saskatchewan's
North, they spend some time -- and money -- in the city.
"Anecdotally, we know (Americans) stay in our hotels before and after
their hunting trips, as well as taking in entertainment and other
services," says Todd Brandt, president and CEO of Saskatoon Tourism.
In Saskatoon's Wholesale Sports Outdoor Outfi tters store, Gary Smith, a
hunter from California, pushes a shopping cart full of merchandise worth
$500. A bright orange price tag is still stuck to the vest he's wearing.
He's driven from his home state and plans on hunting ducks and geese in
the Wakaw area for a month. The trip will cost him and his friends about
$5,000 each.
"We're buying shells, paying for food, we're buying gasoline, my truck
is serviced at the dealership in Saskatoon and there's the
accommodations," Smith says.
"If you get 1,000 hunters spending $5,000 each, well, do the math. It's
money for Saskatchewan that comes to the hotels, the restaurants, the
outfi tters, the retailers. When you come up here with your car, you'll
need everything. Bring your chequebook." Wynyard, which is near the
Quill Lake area known for its waterfowl hunting, is a small Saskatchewan
town receiving big benefi ts from American hunters.
During the fi rst week of September and into November, the hotels and
motels in the town are nearly always full, says Clint McConnell,
director of economic development, tourism and leisure services for the
Town of Wynyard.
"You start to notice the strangers and the big half-tons with (U.S.)
licence plates and their southern accents. You don't have to look hard
for an American hunter in the fall," McConnell says.
Not that the hunters stand out solely because they're from the States.
The loud, obnoxious American tourist is a stereotype shattered by the
hunters who visit the small Saskatchewan towns every year.
"They're polite and easy to get along with. We look forward to them
every year. They bring their money up here and we're happy to take it,"
McConnell says.
Larry Bozek, owner of Southshore Motor Lodge in Wynyard and the Wadena
Hotel and Motel, has been in the hospitality business for 18 years. He
says American hunters can make or break his year.
"They're a big part of our business. Come fall, we're full with hunters
and without them our hotels would be sitting empty. I depend on them,"
he says.
Thirty to 40 per cent of his room business comes from Americans visiting
the Quill Lake area. And then there's the revenue from the bar they
drink in and the VLTs they play.
"Without their business the whole town would suffer. The province can be
slow and quiet. We need those hunters," Bozek says.
Chuck Deschamps, a biologist with Ducks Unlimited, says there are about
200 hunters in the Quill Lake area every week during hunting season.
Many come from northern states like Minnesota, but southern states such
as Louisiana and Florida are also wellrepresented.
"Guys come for specifi c birds or to generally hunt. Some have been
coming for decades and they just like to be out in the country away from
the city. If they shoot a couple ducks in a day, they're happy,"
Deschamps says.
Residents of small towns benefi ting from the tourism are well aware of
the contribution Americans make to their communities.
In Wadena, for example, volunteers have organized hunter appreciation
nights during which hunters and locals swap hunting stories and jokes
over a fowl supper. Prizes are given to the oldest and youngest hunter
and the hunter that lives farthest away from the town.
A retired commercial real estate manager, Smith has been coming to
Saskatchewan to hunt for 15 years. While spending $5,000 to hunt may
seem expensive to locals, compared to the cramped fi elds of some
states, hunting in the vast pastures of Saskatchewan is money well
spent.
"In California, you almost have to belong to a club and pay a fee to
hunt on private property. It's getting very diffi cult to hunt.
There's 25 million people per 100 square mile area. If you get 25
million people in Saskatoon, the hunting would be a lot different,"
Smith says.
jjwarren@sp.canwest.com
------------------------------
