Hundreds of hunters are arriving in northeast South Dakota in time for the pheasant season opener, and the city of Aberdeen is welcoming them with open arms.
The baggage claim area of the Aberdeen airport is pretty quiet, until a plane arrives carrying 50 to 60 visitors, flying in for the pheasant hunt. The airport added a third flight just to handle the increased demand. As they pull their gun cases off of the baggage carousel they’re greeted with pheasant sandwiches, bright orange hats, and other welcoming items. Casey Weismantel is with the Aberdeen Convention and Visitor’s Bureau. He says the city tries to give the hunters a reception unlike anywhere else. He says that’s partly because the increased tourism due to the pheasant hunt is so important to the city.
“In our area, and our area is probably Aberdeen and a 150 mile radius, there’s been upwards of $16 million spent by hunters,” Weismantel says. “So you average that out throughout the year, that’s why we’re here welcoming the hunters as they fly in. Not so much just for the monetary fact of it, but it’s a tradition. It’s pheasant hunting. It’s a homecoming. We’re welcoming them home.”
Weismantel says the increase in travel usually lasts until Thanksgiving, and then tapers off.