Hunting For An Industry?

One of our area’s growing industries gets very little acknowledgement or fanfare but literally brings thousands of dollars into the county.

It’s hunting.

We are in the early stages of archery deer season which will lead to shotgun season over two weekends in November and early December. There’s also a fall and spring turkey season.

I’ve often told friends there are more white tails in Wayne County than there are people….a claim I stand by. For our motoring safety, the deer population must be managed…and deer hunting is good business.

Hunters do all of the things we need to walk a dollar down Main and Delaware. They buy gas, eat and buy supplies during their trips here and this region is starting to get a good reputation for hunting. There’s plenty of habitat for white tails and as a motorist, I think the herd could be culled a bit.

Last year 2500 deer were harvested in Wayne County during the various seasons----archery, shotgun and black powder…..650 in Edwards County. And yet, the reports of car vs. deer accidents did not seem to taper in the local newspapers over the summer. In fact, there are times that deer collisions seem to dominate their news coverage.

My point is----there is nothing wrong with promoting deer season. In fact, I think we need to recognize the industry and grow it. Why not market to out-of-state hunters? Let’s exploit our advantage.

Hunting is good business. The sooner we recognize that and exploit it, the better off we will be.