By Lori Raab
Bend, Ore. – How important are hunters for Oregon’s Economy? Last week in Bend a large group of those who support the hunting industry held a news conference in Bend to kick off a statewide education effort. Hunters spend 248 million dollars annually in Oregon, with a ripple effect of 421 million dollars.
KBNW news spoke with “Hunting Works for Oregon” spokesman Stan Steele. Steele is the Chair of the Board for the Oregon Outdoor Council and a retired Oregon State Police Fish and Wildlife Trooper.
Lori: In looking at your list of partners, some seem obvious – Fly and Field Outfitters in Bend, Nosler (Bend) – but then we see some like EDCO (Economic Development For Central Oregon) – we see Jefferson County Chamber, explain why they are coming aboard…why that’s important.
Stan Steele: There’s a realization that business doesn’t just rely on a single aspect. Good businesses have multiple facets and they look at who their customers are.
True story, my wife and I this summer were coming back from a visit to Pendleton, we drop in at the little Mitchell store and most people who’ve lived in Oregon know it’s not a bustling metropolis, it’s a step back in Oregon’s history. And outside of the store in front of the country store is a very weathered sign that says “We support sportsmen” and in front of that sign is a family. They are a young family of four and dressed in their bicycle gear. And I thought there is absolutely showing the blend, modern – to a weathered sign that decades ago was emphasizing hunting. So hunting decades ago was more predominant. So, when you look at these businesses- they realize that maybe we’ve left out a component that’s important.
If I’m a hotel owner in Madras – I have heads in my beds from people going to float the John Day from Clarno to Cottonwood. The same thing happens in Prineville. I can remember stopping at Erickson’s in Prineville dozens of times to fill my cooler, or stopping at the Arctic Circle for the best burger in the west.
So hunters spend their money throughout the state – and businesses realize that.”
Hunting numbers are actually increasing in most states. But they have declined by 17 percent in Oregon over the past few years.
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