By MIKE COURSON
Great Bend Post
It's not all about the birds. Right now, it's deer archery season until the end of the year. But few things draw a crowd like opening day of pheasant and quail season. Saturday was opening day around Kansas. Best Western Angus Inn General Manager Lacey Schofield has now been a part of 16 opening days at the hotel, and says the boom in the economy is always huge.
"The contributions these hunters make to our economy, I just don't think everybody understands the impact of it, with what they spend not just at the hotels - because they're usually here 2-4 nights - you're talking meals, fuel, necessities at the grocery store, liquor stores," she said. "The amount of revenue on sales tax and the occupancy or bed tax, the impact is huge."
Even with COVID-19 the past few years, and then environmental conditions taking their toll on bird numbers, Schofield said the number of hunters really does not change from year to year. The number peaks on opening weekend, dips during the season, then spikes again as the season comes to a close in January.
"They still come because it's a like a group/family/friends trip they make," she said. "With the way the pheasants are, they'll still come, they just might not stay as long, but the amount of hunters I get for that initial opening weekend is usually pretty consistent."
Last month, Cheyenne Bottoms Wildlife Manager Jason Wagner reported pheasant numbers were down about 19 percent from the year before statewide, but up 49 percent locally. Kansas Game Warden Brian Hanzlick saw some of that on the first weekend.
"More hunters than expected," Hanzlick said."I think our bird numbers were up a little bit. Our drought conditions and lack of habitat have pushed everybody to certain spots in our walk-in hunting areas, and some of our private areas."
Hanzlick reminded hunters to make sure they have proper licensing before hunting, and to ask permission from landowners before hunting on private property. Pheasant and quail season runs through Jan. 31, 2023.