For some merchants and restaurants, today through Sunday will the be the biggest sales weekend of the year.
Britt Hodge at Hodge Outdoors Sports in Marion said today, the Friday before opening of the modern rifle deer season, is the biggest single day of the year for the till. Hunters clad in bright orange flock to local stores, especially those carrying ammunition, hunting licenses and outdoors gear, such as Hodges.
Restaurants are also among local businesses that benefit greatly from an influx of hunters to Crittenden County.
While hundreds of outdoors tourists pile into the county in the coming days, most local observers agree that there are not as many hunters as there once were when private property was largely open to hunting guests and public lands like Westvaco were available for hunters.
Nowadays, most private lands are leased for $8 to $25 an acre, or they have been purchased by recreational-minded out-of-staters at values ranging from $1,800 to more than $2,000 per acre.
There is no public hunting property left in the county.
Outdoorsmen and local leaders will watching closely the public auction of more than 11,000 acres in Crittenden and Union counties Saturday. The State of Kentucky has expressed an interest in buying a stake in the large unbroken tract of land that now belongs to Kimball International, a furniture company. The state wants the land for public recreation, including hunting. The sale will take place at Union County High School Saturday.
For outdoorsmen, this is the pinnacle of the hunting season. For local merchants, it's a stressful, yet rewarding period.
The rifle deer season runs for 16 straight days starting Saturday. It includes three full weekends of hunting before closing Sunday, Nov. 23.
In case you missed last week's podcast with local wildlife biologist Philip Sharp, a link is posted below. Sharp says this weekend should be one of the best hunting opportunities in years for those seeking to harvest a nice buck.
