WHAT WILL 2023 BRING FOR THE OUTDOOR INDUSTRY?
For the first time since 2019 organizations are getting back to meet in person. As Editor of Hooked Magazine, I try and stay on the pulse of what is happening in the outdoor industry. To do that you need to get out on the landscape to hear what those involved in the industry are saying about the future ahead.
In early December Publisher Kevin Stobbe and I headed to a conference of the Saskatchewan Commission of Professional Outfitters that was being held in Saskatoon. Then it was the Manitoba Lodge and Outfitters in Winnipeg two days later.
LOTS OF PLANES WITH NO ONE TO FLY THEM
Over the four days we learned that Saskatchewan has many of the same problems that Manitoba is faced with. Those include getting customers from out of country back to fish and hunt. One of the biggest roadblocks right now is the lack of pilots in the world. Many U.S carriers like United to do not have enough pilots to service secondary routes. Saskatchewan currently does not have any direct flights to or from the U.S.
Roy Anderson, who is the Executive Director of SCPO says they are trying to get WestJet on board to provide a daily flight to Minneapolis. The lack of direct flights also affects Manitoba. There is currently no direct air service from places like Chicago or Denver, though Manitoba does have a direct flight to Minneapolis.
This makes American air travel to remote northern lodges a tough go. Some will drive to Regina or Winnipeg to grab a charter, but others are forced to go through Toronto. In this day of shortages, it can mean flight cancellations at anytime.
On the good news front, for the drive-to lodges and fly-in operations in the southern sector, business has been tremendous this past open water season. For those further up north, that are fly-in, it will take at least three years to recover the two lost years caused by the pandemic. Some didn’t make it and had to close their doors. According to e-license information in 2022, non-resident angling license sales were back to 54 per cent of pre-pandemic levels.
And with the border open for U.S citizens, it should be a great year for those wanting to ice fish Lake Winnipeg. Some interesting news on that front as well. Three Lake Winnipeg outfitters have been granted permits to offer overnight accommodation on the big lake this winter. The province hopes to use this as a trial to see if more outfitters can be licensed province wide.
NEW REGULATIONS CONSIDERED FOR NON-RESIDENT WATERFOWL HUNTERS
On the hunting front those outfitters that guide U.S. bird hunters, the challenges continue to mount. A lot of private landowners, including large conglomerates, are not allowing hunting on thousands and thousands of acres. Finding enough land to hunt becomes a major challenge. There are also a myriad of unlicensed hunters offering guided experiences. To put a stop to it, the MLOA wants to see the implantation of a one-week non-resident license that would be issued on a draw system. As one lodge owner told me at the MLOA Convention, it will really help stop the illegal guiding from the U.S. In recent years, many have stayed in Canada for the whole fall hunting season and guided without an outfitters license.
There is also a problem of land ownership. Many outfitter licenses and land are purchased by U.S customers simply wanting to hunt with friends.
Both the SCPO and the MLOA understand that nothing will get accomplished unless there is a collective will to get things changed for the good of all. Information is shared among stakeholders across Canada which then turns into a powerful voice. Hunting and fishing make up 25 percent of the revenue produced by the tourism sector. Politicians have been listening and support money has been flowing.
Destination Canada has made a three-year commitment to promoting hunting and fishing these two provinces. It is called the Prairie Angling Program and includes a grant of $250,000 per province per year.