Visiting hunters help Kirksville's economy
Our View
Issue date: 11/19/09 Section: Opinions
Whether you think Bambi is a furry, cuddly friend or a destructive rodent, you can't deny that he makes bank for Kirksville.
That's right, folks. It's hunting season in Missouri.
Deer hunting's rifle season, which runs from Nov. 14 to Nov. 24, allows hunters to hunt deer using all of the legal methods, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Deer hunting season in some form in Missouri lasts from mid-September to early January.
Hunters are the only tourists Kirksville sees besides visiting parents of Truman State University and A.T. Still University students. And it shows.
Killing deer seems to bring our beloved, quirky town back to life every year. We've all witnessed the signals - "Welcome hunters" signs all across town, camouflage gear at Wal-Mart, and the pervasive smell of deer urine floating around town, refusing to diffuse.
Store shelves seem fuller, even if the new merchandise is camouflage shirts and hunting gear. Hotels are booked, which helps bring in money. Restaurants have wait times for customers, which might frustrate other patrons, but it helps ensure that places like Rosie's and Pancake City can remain open the rest of the year. Pickup trucks with antlers sticking out from the truck bed squeeze down an already crowded Baltimore. The town seems to bustle during hunting season. Some might disagree with killing innocent animals, some might get frustrated with the overcrowded streets, but hunting season is a yearly boost to our community's hard-hit economy.
Hunters, who come from all over the Midwest, are even included in the images on the city of Kirksville Web site. Outdoor Life Magazine named Kirksville as the best whitetail deer hunting spot in America. Kirksville also has five conservation areas where hunters can hunt game. In other words, Kirksville is a hot spot.
Hunters also give back to the community through the Missouri Deer Hunting "Share the Harvest" program (see story, page 6). Since 1992, hunters have been donating venison to processing plants, which in turn donate the meat to needy members of the community. Even though these visiting hunters aren't a permanent part of our community, they still manage to give back during the short amount of time they are in town, something some permanent or semi-permanent residents probably can't claim.
The community benefits not only from hunters' mere presence, but from the population control of animals that, whether you agree with hunting or not, tend to walk out into the middle of winding roads at night and freeze, causing swerving, honking and accidents.
The pros and cons of organized and structured hunting have been debated time and time again. But whether it is ethical to kill animals isn't the most important issue for Kirksvillians in these troubling economic times. What is most important, and what is a valid point for business owners, waitresses and townspeople, is that the hunting season allows our small town to become the focus and the meeting place for hunters of all walks of life from across the country. Throughout the season, hundreds of hunters pour their money into our small community. And that is an undebatable "pro" in the hunting column.
That's right, folks. It's hunting season in Missouri.
Deer hunting's rifle season, which runs from Nov. 14 to Nov. 24, allows hunters to hunt deer using all of the legal methods, according to the Missouri Department of Conservation. Deer hunting season in some form in Missouri lasts from mid-September to early January.
Hunters are the only tourists Kirksville sees besides visiting parents of Truman State University and A.T. Still University students. And it shows.
Killing deer seems to bring our beloved, quirky town back to life every year. We've all witnessed the signals - "Welcome hunters" signs all across town, camouflage gear at Wal-Mart, and the pervasive smell of deer urine floating around town, refusing to diffuse.
Store shelves seem fuller, even if the new merchandise is camouflage shirts and hunting gear. Hotels are booked, which helps bring in money. Restaurants have wait times for customers, which might frustrate other patrons, but it helps ensure that places like Rosie's and Pancake City can remain open the rest of the year. Pickup trucks with antlers sticking out from the truck bed squeeze down an already crowded Baltimore. The town seems to bustle during hunting season. Some might disagree with killing innocent animals, some might get frustrated with the overcrowded streets, but hunting season is a yearly boost to our community's hard-hit economy.
Hunters, who come from all over the Midwest, are even included in the images on the city of Kirksville Web site. Outdoor Life Magazine named Kirksville as the best whitetail deer hunting spot in America. Kirksville also has five conservation areas where hunters can hunt game. In other words, Kirksville is a hot spot.
Hunters also give back to the community through the Missouri Deer Hunting "Share the Harvest" program (see story, page 6). Since 1992, hunters have been donating venison to processing plants, which in turn donate the meat to needy members of the community. Even though these visiting hunters aren't a permanent part of our community, they still manage to give back during the short amount of time they are in town, something some permanent or semi-permanent residents probably can't claim.
The community benefits not only from hunters' mere presence, but from the population control of animals that, whether you agree with hunting or not, tend to walk out into the middle of winding roads at night and freeze, causing swerving, honking and accidents.
The pros and cons of organized and structured hunting have been debated time and time again. But whether it is ethical to kill animals isn't the most important issue for Kirksvillians in these troubling economic times. What is most important, and what is a valid point for business owners, waitresses and townspeople, is that the hunting season allows our small town to become the focus and the meeting place for hunters of all walks of life from across the country. Throughout the season, hundreds of hunters pour their money into our small community. And that is an undebatable "pro" in the hunting column.
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