Sept. 25, 2019

This paid piece is sponsored by the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau.

The South Dakota landscape soon will be dotted with neon orange, as pheasant hunting season is fast approaching. Thousands of people from across the country will flock to South Dakota, the pheasant hunting capital of the world, during this year’s hunting season.

To kick things off, the Sioux Falls Convention & Visitors Bureau will hold its 25th annual Hunters Welcome at the Sioux Falls Regional Airport on Oct. 17 and 18, just before the opening weekend of pheasant hunting.

Pheasant hunters flying into Sioux Falls will receive a warm welcome by the CVB as the team hands out pheasant hunting-themed mugs, cookies and coffee. A number of additional Sioux Falls businesses will join the CVB, providing information and selling products such as hunting apparel, including custom stitching done on the spot.

“This event has become increasingly popular with more and more businesses calling every year to inquire about attending,” said CVB host city manager Rachel Crane, who organizes the Hunters Welcome event.

This year’s event will feature 12 businesses along with the CVB.

The Sioux Falls Regional Airport expects 26 daily flights into Sioux Falls during hunting season, totaling more than 1,800 seats each day, executive director Dan Letellier said.

“This service will connect passengers through many of the main hub airports across the U.S., including Chicago, Denver, Minneapolis, Atlanta, Dallas and Phoenix. We expect all the flights to be full coming in on Oct. 17 and 18 just before the opener on Oct. 19,” he said.

Sioux Falls was the first to do any kind of welcome event for pheasant hunters coming into South Dakota, but other cities across the state have since followed suit by getting creative with their own renditions.

Pheasant hunting means big dollars for our state’s economy.

According to HuntingWorksforAmerica.com, each hunter spends an average of $2,200 per year in our state, which generates $62 million in state and local taxes. Roughly 270,000 people hunt in South Dakota each year, and 144,000 of them are from out of state. Hunting supports more than 11,000 jobs statewide. In all, $723 million is spent annually on hunting, which has a $972 million ripple effect.

The robust hunting economy also has led to major visitor business.

Sioux Falls hosted the 2018 Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic, a consumer trade show organized by Pheasants Forever and Quail Forever. This event impressed organizers by drawing a crowd of more than 28,800 people over three days, which included many who came from the Midwest for the annual gathering.

The 2020 Pheasant Fest & Quail Classic will be in Minneapolis, and the Sioux Falls CVB will have a presence there to promote our city. While event organizers are not quite ready to announce the location for future events, Sioux Falls is hoping to hear its name called.

“The organizers could not say enough good things about Sioux Falls,” said Teri Schmidt, executive director of the Sioux Falls CVB.

“And while that is one major opportunity that our community harnessed because of our deep connection to hunting, we continually hear other stories about business activity that results from hunting season. Decision-makers are visiting here for recreation, but they learn about the terrific business climate and often return to do business here.”

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Sioux Falls will see an even bigger opportunity to tie hunting to economic growth next year, as Gov. Kristi Noem announced earlier this year that the annual Governor’s Hunt will move to Sioux Falls next year to become a sportsmen’s convention open to the public.

The date for the 2020 Governor’s Hunt and Sportsmen’s Showcase has not been released yet, but the event will feature a public vendor fair, a banquet for state leaders and business prospects, and a public concert.

“The governor has said that she believes moving the event from Pierre to Sioux Falls will make it more accessible for people to be introduced to everything our state has to offer,” Schmidt said. “The move will also allow more business prospects and vendors the opportunity to attend. We can’t wait to welcome them.”

To see more visitor industry updates from the CVB, click here.