Gearing up for the hunt
Managers of Ace Sporting Goods on Washington Road switched to a number-based system Friday morning to accommodate all the shoppers gearing up for hunting season.
Conor McNamara, 23, of Venetia, shopped for a new shotgun at Ace Sporting Goods Friday.
Bid adieu to Thanksgiving and make way for the hunting holiday. While the first day of deer hunting season in Pennsylvania is not officially commemorated, it is a celebration nonetheless for hunters and gun shop owners. Between Black Friday deals and the start of rifle hunting season Monday, not to mention the approaching gift-giving holidays, business is buzzing at local sporting goods stores. The phone never stopped ringing Friday at Ace Sporting Goods on Washington Road, and the store was so packed managers put a number system in place to ensure each customer was waited on – first-come, first-served.
Conor McNamara, 23, of Venetia, said he was drawn in by Black Friday and weekend gun sales, but he also wanted to support a local business and gear up for Monday. “You don’t know how much longer you can get them for,” McNamara said of the rifles and ammunition. At least in Southwestern Pennsylvania, the best time to purchase ammunition was yesterday.
Thor Fackiner, 25, of Vestaburg, said the ammunition he and his dad needed – Winchester Ballistic Silvertip, .22 Magnum and .22 long rifle bullets – were already sold out from local stores. “We had to order bullets off of the Internet for the first time ever, for some pretty common guns, too,” Fackiner said in an online comment. “Walmart use(d) to have them literally all the time, but not anymore … We had to order them from Cabela’s because they didn’t have them in the store.”
George Romanoff, owner of Ace Sporting Goods, attributed the ammunition shortage to high demand.
“That is due to the fact that more firearms are being sold, more ammunition is being purchased,” Romanoff said. “And with the shortage, there is a tendency for some of our customers to purchase more, horde, ammo because of fear of not being able to get it.” Romanoff said that while the number of hunting licenses has decreased over the last 10 years, there has recently been a renewed interest in hunting, partly due to the political discussions over firearms and their place in society. He said Ace likely won’t top last year’s gun sales, which he described as “an anomaly,” but sales are slightly up from 2011 numbers.
The four weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas are particularly busy for gun sales. Maryanna Johnson, owner of Johnsons’ Sporting Goods, said she sold more handguns than hunting guns Friday.
“Holidays are much better than hunting (season),” Johnson said, adding that business picks up closer to Christmas. “Hunting used to be huge, but it has slowed up.” Matt Hendricks, manager of Gander Mountain in Washington Crown Center, said business started to pick up last week, and the store has already sold out of several gun safes.
“We load up on associates (this time of year) because a lot of customers we had are shoppers who are not here very often, don’t know where things are or need help,” Hendricks said. “They have Christmas lists and they don’t know what they (need) – a lot of husbands sending wives.”
Aidan Russell, 11, of Washington, went shopping for his first hunting rifle with his grandfather, John Tauzel, at Gander Mountain Friday.
When asked if he knew what he wanted, Russell said, “not really – just a gun.” Sales associates would not need to worry about finding a suitable rifle for Tauzel, though. “I’ve got mine,” Tauzel said. “I’ve had mine since 1976.”
In addition to gun shops, deer processors are also preparing for the influx of venison next week. Steve Shuba, owner of Shuba’s Processing in Washington, said it’s hard to predict how much business they will have this season.
“My experience has been that there’s not much of a correlation between archery season and rifle season,” Shuba said. “Our numbers are up right now, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that rifle season will be.” Shuba added that snow would be a bonus because the white background helps hunters spot deer more easily.
This year, hunters can also donate deer meat to Hunters Sharing the Harvest, an organization that distributes ground venison to Pennsylvania food banks, soup kitchens and pantries. There are 90 participating meat processors in the state, and hunters are asked to pay a minimum $15 contribution to help cover processing costs.
“Venison is a great low-fat, high-protein meat product that is highly desired by the families we serve,” Joe Arthur, executive director of the Central Pennsylvania Food Bank, said in a news release. “Through Hunters Sharing the Harvest we are able to provide this center-of-the-plate protein that provides great nutritional value to families and individuals struggling with hunger.”