OCR Text |
Show Park Record Thursday, October 20, 1988 Page A1 1 Amdl cd) lit (B(Des o o o BY TOM CLYDE The big bucks bonanza Well, next weekend is IT, the biggest deal to hit Utah since the 24th of July. You guessed it, the Deer Hunt opens on Saturday. I was going to blister the hides of deer hunters this week, and let them know what I think of them, but Randy Han-skat Han-skat and Jennifer Madgic sort of took care of that last week. They went at it like Jane Alexander and Jack Kirkpatrick used to do on "60 Minutes" a few years ago. I bet there were some fun times around the old Record office when those two columns hit the press. According to the guys at Fish and Feathers, there will be about 180,000 hunters in the hills next Saturday. They don't travel alone, and counting their support troups, they estimate there are closer to 600,000 folks out there. You know how it works, Dad and Junior (who can now carry his own artillery ai 14) will be out male bonding with their rifles while Mom and Sissy stay back at the camper stirring up some chili and Jell-o. Grandpa, Grand-pa, whose knees are gone, hangs around the camp and mixes another round of cocktails. Any time you get 600,000 people doing the same thing, even breathing, it's a big deal, and there is a lot of money changing hands. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources says hunting is a big business in Utah, and vital to the state's economy. According Accor-ding to their estimate, the average hunter spends a whopping $25 a day on his three-day outing. Gosh, that alone justifies keeping the season open year round. The hangers-on also spend about that much, for a total take on the three days of opening weekend of $45 million. (It is a three-day weekend because most businesses and schools know better than to try to stay open on Deer Friday, with everybody calling in "sick." It's not clear from the estimates if that $45 million is on exclusively hunt-related things, or if that includes groceries that might have been eaten during the same period anyway. We're talking talk-ing serious money here either way, $25 a day and all. There are a couple of conclusions to draw from these figures. First of all, deer hunters are cheap. They are so tight they squeak. By the time they fill the four-by-four rig with gas for three days, load up on ammunition, groceries and beer, there is probably not enough left of that $25 a day to buy a quart of Yukon Jack. Show me a man who can travel on $25 a day, even camping, and I'll show you a man who can squeeze a nickel until the buffalo buf-falo burps. And that's an average figure, so there are hunters out there who take part in the Big Event for even less than $25 a day. I can't get to and from Coalville for much less than that, even if I have the light lunch at the Spring Chicken Inn; These are the folks who steal the towels from a Motel 6. Imagine what Park City would look life if the average skier spent $25 a day. I'm glad that the guys at Fish and Feathers have studied the economics of hunting in that kind of detail, so we know just how significant it is. It's a good thing for the economy of Utah that they are out there in the woods spending $25 a day, instead of wasting their time wandering around in a shopping shop-ping mall. The other conclusion I have come to about the economic phenomenon known as the Utah Deer Hunt is that we are not getting our fair share in Park City. Very few deer hunters are booked into local lodges. I checked with my friends at Jupiter Property Management and they said that there were plenty of room available. The only properties proper-ties they had sold out for the big weekend were those with exposed beams in the living rooms, so there was a place to hang the carcass. Otherwise, things were pretty slow. A quick survey of other properties showed the same trend. Even the swank Stein Eriksen Lodge had space available for the deer hunt. A few of the rooms with "shoot inshoot out" access were full, but by and large, the deer hunters were staying away from Park City lodges. Stag Lodge indicated a high volume of calls, but the clearance in the garage will not accept cab-over campers, so they had to turn business away. The fact is, we don't do a very good job of luring the deer hunters into Park City. There are a lot of things that may make the hunter feel somewhat unwelcome here, even with his $25-a-day burning a hole in his pocket. Day-glo orange is a prohibited color in the Historic District, so the traditional "Welcome Hutners!" banners that have been appearing ap-pearing on gas stations and other fine eateries from Richfield to Tabiona cannot be put up in Park City. Local clothing retailers have general shield away from hunter's clothing. It would be hard to locate enough polyester in all of Park City Ci-ty to make even one of those 99 cent knit caps, let alone the trendy $7.95 hooded sweatshirts. Bogner does not make a really suitable hunting outfit. They just keep using those fabrics that are hard to wash the blood and guts out of. I guess it's no wonder the hunters are not beating a path to the doors of the local stores. We could do more, of course. There have been some discussions at the ChamberBureau of opening open-ing the Alpine Slide again during the hunt, so that hunters could cover more territory than they can on foot.The idea of careening down the hill on one of those little sleds, firing off a few rounds here and there and tossing beer cans into the brush was exciting to one hunter's group, but putting a package together that came in at $25 a day was pretty hard, even with free camping in the parking park-ing lot. - Yep; the hunt is a big deal, and at $25 a day, it is darn well worth it for the economic health of the state of Utah. It kind of makes you want to go out and have a big ol' plate of Spam 'n' gravy, doesn't it? IMMmillimMlliniMMWinMMBWM Woman sues city of Vai THE L TRAIL A Vail women is suing the town for actions instigated by a Vail police officer. According to reports, the woman ciaims the officer barged into her hospital room while she was in labor demanding bond money for her husband. hus-band. Stephanie Einhorn is asking for "an unspecified amount of damages for medical expenses and for the emotional distress she suffered," said The Vail Trail. Vail police chief Ken Hughey said his department had vet lo see the lawsuit, but said the department did investigate in-vestigate the incident. 'At this point, we feel that we did nothing wrong," said Hughey. According to court documents, the incident took place last Nov. 22 when Einhorn and her husband, Lawrence, summoned police to the Lions Head parking structure to report that their vehicle had been broken into and some possessions had been stolen. According to the complaint, Vail police officer Cinda Rau was investigating the incident, inci-dent, when Mrs. Einhorn, who was eight months pregnant, preg-nant, began having labor pains. Rau asked the Einhorns to follow her to the hospital, where Rau asked Mr. Einhorn for some identification. Through a routine check, Rau discovered Einhorn was driving under a suspended and restricted license. Rau then placed Lawrence Einhorn under arrest, and advised him he needed $200 for bail. Not having the money, Rau allegedly demanded that he check with his w i f e to see if she had the necessary money. The complaint states Rau "burst into the room" in which Mrs. Einhorn was being examined by a physician, announced that Einhorn's husband had been arrested, and demanded the bail money. Jackson Hole Guidej Boys Scouts sell aphrodisiacs Jackson Hole Boy Scouts are learning about the business world selling elk antlers to Oriental markets who use the goods as aphrodisiacs. The scouts collect the antlers conveniently at the National Na-tional Elk Refuge located just outside of Jackson. After collecting them, they are sold in the Annual Boy Scout Antler Auction. Last year, scouts sold over 2.5 tons of antlers in the auction. Primary users of antlers are the Koreans, who dry, bake and chop them into edible form. The average rack sells for $8.92 a pound. Last year $46,619 was raised. Eighty percent of the money made ' was used to buy feed for wintering elk. Jackson businesses look for aid The feds will be in Jackson to help assess economic losses caused by forest f . ss in the region. Over 70 people in the affected region have applied for four-percent loans of up to $500,000 and last week, Gov. Mike Sullivan declared Teton, Park, Sublette and Fremont counties disaster areas. Hurt most by the fires have been tourist-related tourist-related businesses and outfitters. According to Jackson Hole Main Street Director, Carta Hoskins, 15 businesses in Jackson claim they will be forced to close unless the aid becomes available. Jackson Mayor Abi Garaman said the last two weeks of August were severe. "It definitely is going to have an adverse affect on the town if we allow all of those businesses to go under," he said. Cow deposits $5,000 pie In the first-ever Teton County Cow Pie Pool, described as "sort of a barnyard bingo fundraiser for the Jackson Wrestling Club," a modest Minnie-the-Cow deposited a winning pie, providing a $5,000-winning for Dana Reeves. The contest, held at the Jackson Rodeo Arena, drew approximately 25 spectators. Contestants purchased $5-squares mapped out in the arena and the winner was the first to get a pie in hisher square. It took Minnie one hour and 50 minutes before plotting her strategy. The event is expected to be an annual affair. A L U A Prices that will bowl you over! THE CLASSIFIEDS RESTAURANT at Prospector Square 649-8060 Park City's largest full service steakhouse serving the best of steaks, prime rib, seafood, and the famous 35-item Salad Bar. LUNCH Monday-Friday 1 1 :30-2:30 Saturday 12:00-2:00 DINNER Monday-Thursday 6:00-1 0:00 Friday SC Saturday 6:00-1 1 :00 Sunday 5:00-10:00 SUNDAY BRUNCH 10:00-2:00 At Prospector Square in Park City For Information, call 649-8060 jnd ol PoaA. Aim w JlUfJutuuf IMS. Ampb potAmf, nL to. tk Stat JtiquM, tc. Oh. tit uf La ti. HEnffl ( SUPER AMENITIES! Convenience, location, views and all the amenities you could ever need make this I bedroom. I bath condo a must see. Complete with custom furnishings and a fully equipped kitchen, this unit is ready to move into. Buy it as an investment property and make use of the on-site management company. A real value at $47,500. Call today! Mark Seltenrich 649 4296 PERFECT LOT FOR DREAM HOME! Build your custom dream home on this hillside lot with outstanding views overlooking historic Park City and the local ski area. The hillside location protects your views from obstruction, guaranteeing a spectacular view year round. Priced at $85,000. Call today! Dawn Hodge 649-5474 or lerry Obcrt 649-6684 V; f J! - - 1 ' t ; 1 1 i ,: .. if FAMILY LIVING AT ITS BEST! Relax and enjoy mountain views from the contemporary living room with stone tiled free standing fireplace or the cozy breakfast nook. Large yard and fenced pasture for horses. One acre plus lot on quiet cul-de-sac makes this 4 bdrm, 2.75 bath home ideal for adults and children alike. Priced at $275,000. Don't wait, call today! less Reid 649 9037 or Dawn Hodge 649-5474 JESS REID J It E A L F.STAT l:. Park City, UT. 84060 1910 Prospector Avenue 649-3000 Or at our office location at The Resort Center J |