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by David Sparks Ph.d, click here for bio

Most Recent Report: Josh Scores
Date: December 17, 18

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After taking a ribbing from me about wiffing on a pheasant, that should have been a slam-dunk, Josh Mills went pheasant hunting again with a couple of buddies and his dad. So how did it go this time? “I got a lucky bird at the end of the day but it was just one of those weird days. This is one of the best hatches we have seen in 30 years according to my father. In Eastern Washington for upland birds, I have noticed quite a bit of chucker down along the Snake and just really good stocks right now. As everybody knows, upland birds are very cyclical depending on weather, drought, things that occur with ground nesting birds like pheasant. I took a couple of buddies out who I had never hunted with but are good and it really showcased to me how lucky we have it. All of the experience. We probably moved over the course of the day out of range and in range close to 100 birds. It felt like a bad day to me because we only bagged one bird but those guys were just smiling ear to ear at the end of the day and we realized it doesn’t matter how many we get. It’s all about the, camaraderie and fellowship. My buddies dog Olie had this one point on a hen pheasant. It was an absolutely perfect day.

Sportsman’s Spotlight

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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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