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by David Sparks Ph.d, click here for bio

Most Recent Report: 2-3 SS Griz Hunt
Date: February 03, 12

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2-3 SS Griz Hunt.mp3

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 The grizzly hunt of a lifetime with  Detroit Red Wing head coach Mike Babcock. I don’t know how many of you folks out there know the name Mike Babcock but he is firmly entrenched in my mind as I watch him 3 times a week coaching my beloved Detroit Red Wings. And what a season they are having. I love one of their players named Todd Bertuzzi because he’s an older guy who still has lots of magic on his stick. But I digress. It turns out Mike is an experienced hunter and told me about the hunt of his lifetime above the Arctic Circle involving a grizzly bear. “Flew in on a dahl sheep hunt 150 miles above the Arctic Circle. We got dropped off and everything that is going to be with you is on your back for a 10 day trip so I had a 55 pound pack and we got fogged in for 2 days and I said to my tracker I couldn’t stand sitting still any longer, I said let’s go for a walk and we walked 4 ½ miles down the river and across this river with many fingers in it is this huge Arctic grizzly. Silver Tip, just beautiful so we decided to take our booths and our pants off and we hiked across and snuck up the bank and got closer and closer and I actually used my ski poles for balance and for shooting sticks and we were able to make a great shot on a grizzly bear and the exciting part is that it took off down the river and we didn’t find it till the next day about a half mile down. But a beautiful, beautiful Arctic grizzly which was a trophy of a lifetime to say the least, fond, fond memories, one of the best hunting trips ever.

 

Sportsman’s Spotlight
(To listen to more programs go to bottom of this page)
 
TARGETED LISTENERS:
PRIMARY              ~ People who Hunt and Fish in the Northwest, from the novice to the guide.
SECONDARY      ~ People who might gain a better understanding of the outdoor sportsman through interesting stories and antidotes.
 
PROGRAM MISSION:  
To entertain and educate, thus creating a desire to go fishing, hunting and explore the outdoors.  In these short radio vignettes we take the listener on an audio adventure far away from their current environment, to a place they would rather be… The great outdoors!
 
THE HOST:  
Passion defines the work of David Sparks Ph.D., a veteran of television and host of Sportsman’s Spotlight.  David's resume includes features on the Outdoor Channel (winner of eight Telly Awards),  host and producer of ESPN’s Ultimate Outdoors, Jeep National Trails and a bevy of network television including  PM Magazine, NBC game shows and stints guest hosting the Oprah Winfrey Show. During David’s tenure with ESPN’s Ultimate Outdoors, he acquired hunting and fishing tips from the “Master” internationally famous outdoorsman/guide Wayne Pearson . “On location” took on a whole new meaning as the pair hunted game in various locations around the U.S.; from upland birds in the Dakotas to gators in Louisiana but it was David’s riveting quest for the great marlin in Puerto Rico and sword and sailfish in Venezuela that endeared him to his fans.  In addition to his wealth of television work David Sparks earned his doctorate in biomedical engineering at Northwestern University and taught at the University of Washington.
Watch out!  David's enthusiasm for hunting and fishing is contagious, humorous and .....sometimes cantankerous but one thing for certain with Sparks it’s always entertaining and the spotlight is always on you the outdoorsman.
 
THE MARKET:    
 

State
% of population that fishes
Number of Anglers
% of population that hunts
Number of Hunters
Idaho
20%
206,000
11%
122,000
Oregon
17%
455,000
8%
218,000
Washington
14%
641,000
4%
179,000

 

State
Average dolla spent per Sportsman per year
Idaho
$1,392
Oregon
$1,763
Washington
$1,850

 
 

IDAHO
OREGON
WASHINGTON
Wildlife-Associated
Recreation Expenditures in Idaho
(Total: $923 million)
 
Fishing Expenditures in Idaho
(Total: $283 million)
 
Hunting Expenditures in Idaho
(Total: $260 million)
 
Wildlife-Associated Recreation
Expenditures in Oregon
(Total: $2.0 billion)
 
Fishing Expenditures
in Oregon
(Total: $497 million)
 
Hunting Expenditures
in Oregon
(Total: $374 million)
 
Wildlife-Associated Recreation
Expenditures in Washington
(Total: $3.1 billion)
 
Fishing Expenditures
in Washington
(Total: $905 million)
 
Hunting Expenditures
in Washington
(Total: $313 million)

 
*National Survey of Fishing, Hunting, 2006 (FHWAR) http://www.census.gov/prod/www/abs/fishing.html

 

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