A new Sportman's Warehouse in being set up in Anchorage now, in the location of the former KMart store on Old Seward Highway next to the OfficeMax - should be open in mid-February at the latest.

That is great news. I was in one of their stores in Spokane last month and I was impressed. It was very much like what I would expect a Bass Pro or Cabela's to be like.

KMule,

Have you met or heard who the manager of the the new Sportsman's Warehouse store will be? I have heard that it will a friend of mine. We worked together at a large sporting goods store here in Nebraska, and have lost contact since both of us moved on to other jobs. Is that new store near the Dimond Center?

Just wondering if his dream of living in the great state of Alaska finally came true. I hope it worked out for him. If so, I might have a cheap place to stay on my visits there.

Chip

For those who are interested, there is a thread running on this at 24 Hour Campfire at http://www.24hourcampfire.com/ubbthreads/showflat.php?Cat=&Number=238504&page=0&view=collapsed&sb=5&o=14&fpart=1

A friend of mine is working there now to get the store ready, he told me the store manager is a guy named Pat Nolde - did not ask where he is from - my friend told me they have an impressive selection of fishing, hunting, camping gear plus lots of kayaks, small boats for fishing as well as game calls. I expect the coyote population to decrease significantly in the next year And yes, it is across the Old Seward Highway from the Dimond Center. KMule

That will be awesome !If they can open one in Fairbanks that will evewn be better I wish.

I was in the one in Phoneix at Christmas, the wife had to drag me out! It was so big you could see the curvature of the earth in it...just kidding but it was big...

tell mr. pat nolde that i will be boycotting his store. they discriminate against out of state hunters and will not diplay mounts taken by hunters who are not ak residents.

i do more hunting up there than some residents do. since they discriminate i will spend my $ with someone who appreciates out of state residents like barneys, cabelas, etc.

cold zero

insulted.

hope bass pro and cabelas open across the street from them.

I think that it's neat that they are only going to show Alaska game displays that are taken by Alaskan's. If you do indeed feel insulted go to your local sportsmen warehouse and aske them to display your Alaskan's game but taken by a local New Yorker! JMHO

They do not have Sportsmans Warehouse in Texas. Wish they did. I went into 3 different ones on my road trip on my Idaho Bear Hunt. I was impressed, they had good quality gear, like Filson Lodge cast iron etc. Their prices looked good to.I think it is a much better store that Bass Pro Shop.

Cabelas was not interested in putting a store in Anchorage because they had just put a couple new ones in the lower 48 somewhere. And they are doing plenty good down there. When K-mart left town the carpenters union in Anchorage gave cabelas a call.

When K-Mart left it left 2 huge empty buildings and I believe that is where the new sptmns warehouse went in the one on old seward.

since sportmans warehouse is a small second rate chain, they do not have a store in new york or even in the tri state area.

i'll bet they would do business with people from n.y.. funny how money always makes the truth come out.

cold zero

since i cant go to a local store , i will go into this one on my next trip to anchorage to tell the mgr. myself, and i won't spend any $.

I only hope a larger chain store will help keep the local merchants in line with pricing. An added bonus would be for some of the local stores who have enjoyed a captive audience-to learn a quick lesson in what customer service is. Wild West, Great Northern Ego's, Mountain View are you ready for some real competition? It would be even better to see these guys set up a booth at the spring sportman's show. Then start moving into discount guided hunt packages...

A little competition usually benefits the consumer. It's been a long time coming.

Cold Zero, I'll cry you a river tomorrow. Why cant non-res just stay the hell out of our business. If thats what the store wants to do up here, who cares. Dont like, take your money and go hunt, shop in some other state.

Fat man, your right it is about time a retail store opened and hopefully it will show the local shops how to do business. I'm totally for supporting the mom and pop places but its down right rape in most cases.

cold zero,

from a person that is grown and raised in new york and moved to alaska 15 yrs ago, i want to thank you.

thank you for reminding me why i left that state and thank you for harboring the clintons so we dont have to deal with them.

More info - the Anchorage store is #20 or #21, they plan on opening lots of stores and three are planned for Texas. No other stores in Alaska, just Anchorage. As far as customer service, I have been either invisible or ignored in several local stores on numerous occasions and SW will be a breath of fresh air compared to local shops. I don't want the local shops to suffer but they do need to improve their customer relation skills and be more helpful to their customers, plus their prices are a bit high in some instances. As far as missing out on any revenue from out of towners that choose to boycott them because of some issue with trophies, I don't think they will miss your money or attitude. Alaskans will go there for the immense selection and the customer service - another friend managed to get in last week in the evening (some employees were leaving) and a manager let him look around; he had many positive things to say about the store and selection of products. KMule

Tsturm;
ak is tops in my book . i like and the people it better than the people here.

joel s.
don't need or ask for your sympathy. if u want to give sympathy, make a donation to charity.

sure, u don't care because u are not being snubbed. i do already hunt other states/countries. the location of the store is irrelevant, they are doing business in all 50 states.

if i started listening to u, i'd be in big trouble.

akdude;

hillary lives in westchester county. town of chappaqua, they are not too popular there either. bill has nothing to do with her. they were rejected by the locals for country club membership. chap' is 1 hr. 10 min drive north of n.y.c.

your welcome for the reminder. i don't hear anyone missing u here either. u probably could not hack it here and had to leave.

kmuleinak;
if s.w. did not want business from non-res, then why did they get an 800 #? i think that u are ignorant in the ways of big corporate business.

the res' will go there because they don't want to patronize mom and pop bus' and their prices. spin it however u like.

cold zero

I get a chuckle when I read comments from Anchorage folks complaining about poor service and lack of choices.



I can only imagine what the folks who really live in the bush think when they read such stuff.



Then we got our one man New York boycott going on for a store that hasn't even opened yet!

I've always wondered where the term, "Whiney New Yorker" came from, I think I have an inclination

The current choices in town are either the specialty stores that have high prices, and salespople with their noses in the air, or the mart type stores that have so/so selection, and clueless sales people.

I'm looking forward to the new store, and predict it'll probably take a big chunk out of Cabella's and other mail order houses business.

Who knows, maybe they'll have bumper stickers for the grand opening:

Piss of a New Yorker, Shop at Sportsman Warehouse

Talk about contempt for the non-resident hunter, WOW. Coldzero has a bad experience, shares it, and you guys blast him. What kind of crap is this.

So far the best suggestion is from Joel for us out of staters to stay out of their business. I think you guys should contact your legislaure and tell them to nip the tie with the rest of the U.S. No non-resident hunters or business wanted. Do it!!!!

Bill G.,

Your a one track wonder! Everything is about you and your bad experience, blah blah blah...

I won't even dignify that with a response!

tentative opening date is next week sometime - KMule

KMule,

Thanks for the info on the new SW store manager. Pat Nolde is the guy I know. He and I worked together for several years here in the flatlands of western Nebraska. He then went to Colorado to work for SW for a year or two before making his move to your wonderful state. I would imagine he is still in a state of shock and awe. He always wanted to go to Alaska to hunt moose. I hope he will have time to enjoy all that Alaska has to offer.

If SW allows him to run the store his way, customer service should be excellent. Of course, a large part of that will depend on the quality of help he can hire. I just may have to find me a reasonable (cheap) place to live in Los Anchorage, and come up to work part time during their busy season.

Thanks again for the info. I do appreciate it.

Chip

paul h;

i get excellent, friendly, knowledgeable customer service from the specialty stores. i went to barney's sports chalet and bought what i needed at the time, back pack , koflach boots and glacier socks, brooks range coat w/ hood, headlamp, and assorted other clothes. the gear is excellent, so is the customer service and the lifetime guarantee. the owner knows me well and is like a friend.

instead of crying about the prices in the specialty stores , why don't u stop bargain hunting at kmart and stop complaining about the lousy selection and staff. u get what u pay for. try supporting the local people. co's/people from out of state are evil, right?.

i saw the bumper sticker on the back of your old rusted out pickup truck; dumb, backwards, country ass, prejudice, cousin marrying, unemployed red neck driving, keep back 200 feet.

and your a moderator? you could not moderate a pot of boiling water, u don't even know what the word means. i hope you have a real job, or are u a burden on society also?

Cold Zero

I find it so funny when the easily offended sorts resort to sterotyping, kinda hypocritical don't you think? I guess my pickup truck qualifies as old, it does have some rust, and some dents. I don't think I qualify as a red neck, though I'm trying nor do I hang out in bars. Some friends seem to consider me honary Aleut, so go figure?

I grew up in a state that is very diverse and forward thinking, and was exposed to many different peoples and cultures, I've even traveled to a few foreign lands. I get along very well with the majority of them, just can't stand whiners, bs'ers and blow hards as I've had more then my share of them.

I do occasionally manage to hit a target or a game animal, and I also miss now and again.

I will call a spade a spade when I see it, and I am sick and tired of the whining of outsiders about how much Alaska sucks, and how poorly they were treated. Things certainly aren't perfect with hunting guides, ADF&G laws or the weather. That said, those that I've heard banging their chests about how they've been wronged seem to be partly responsible for their situation.

I can't imagine why you would want to have a trophy you shot displayed in a state other then where you reside, and then have to complain about a store's policy preventing that.

I never chose the title of moderator, Saeed merely assigned me to some of the forums, for better or for worse I would most gladly be out in the bush or on the water, but I gots to pay the bills, and thus am stuck behind this puter.

I'm sure those that know me would consider me the last one to make the posts I did. I've just been a we fed up with some folks that only seem capable of complaining. If the shoe fits, wear it, if not, don't take any offense, if you are offended, then maybe the shoe fits

Hear, hear Paul.

Coldzero, I too wonder why you would complain that a store would want to cater to the locals who are going to be doing the vast majority of business there. And I also wonder why you think that you have some sort of right to have a mount displayed in a store you don't own. As a local, I wouldn't be too impressed with a store that shipped in a bunch of trophies taken by people who live in NY - geesh.

And Bill G, I was on your side at one time but enough is enough.

Paul & Rob,

Yep...

Rob,
"Enough is enough." There are a lot of people that take the information that is posted here as valuable. If you choose to flip flop on your position that is your choice. Frankly we have found your input priceless and have appreciated your support. We will not back off of our initiative until something is done and we do not care if it takes years. I am just as tired of having to go back and reiterate facts to the same people also. The jerk off on the other forum has been down this road before. You gave him the legal facts previously and he is back again shooting off his mouth with the same crap.

I posted the facts regarding the SCI Hunting Report cancellation because (that same rumor starting little weasel and you know who I am referring to)put a post of lies that read, " I do know that there are several sides to this story". Well isn't that an interesting claim. The several sides could have only been Bill @ hunterbeware or Don at The Hunting Report. I know this, you know this, but there are hundreds of other readers to this forum that do not know this. I have never spoken to anyone about the possible content of that seminar except The Hunting Report and the Huntersbeware staff. I have every E-mail and notes of conversations just for this reason.

Turning heads and flip flopping positions might be the way you work, but we don't. This is a terrible situation and I will NOT let another hunter become victim of this if I can help it. We have over (400) E-mails of hunters that have chosen alternate hunting destinations because of "Your" state's handling of this issue and the lack of settlement on the outfitters behalf. There has actually been a spike in E-mails since the SCI convention. The guides own words, "I screwed up". I was offered a return hunt. Why would you offer a return hunt unless you screwed up. I don't want a return hunt, I want my money back. The responsibilities of guides was not fulfilled, "Your state wants to ignore that". Your state took regulations and statutes and put words in, and took words out to fufill the screwing they wanted. www.huntersbeware.com is a result of that.

What have others done to rectify this mess? I have been in contact with, the governor, the attorney general, the DCED, the ADFG, the State Troopers, the FBI, the Alaska B.O.G., and the Alaska legislature. If I have to I will move to the higher federal levels. There is no resolve yet. Until there is we will continue to keep the record straight. When people stop posting lies and incorrect information, we will stop straightening them out with the facts.

I certainly hope you change your mind about changing your position. Give me a call sometime let's discuss some solutions.

Hell Ya, one less out of state hunter/fisher, is one more moose/bou/bear/wolf/salmon for me, if you guys dont like the way WE manage our game dont come, all it means is more animals and less packed roads. See, heres how I see it, I dont see a dime of your money, infact quite the opposite, because so many of you come up here, MY prices go up because they can inflate them in the summer and get away with it. You guys clog the roads stopping to watch a damn sheep on the side of the highway and cause wrecks all over the place. I'm not seeing the downside to them not coming

Let's see, an outside company comes to town to do business. It wants to display trophies taken by Alaskans, and not some non-resident from NY (which is what this discussion is all about). Therefore, we Alaskans have contempt for non-residents. Just don't see it.

I think boycotts are great, especially the one over our killing wolves. So now all the bunnyhuggers stay away, and the Alaska businesses that cater to them go broke. And all the bunnyhuggers who own or work in those businesses have to more outside. And that means there aren't any left to vote against wolf control or bear baiting. Seems like a good result to me. Now, if we can get a non-resident hunter boycott. It is not that I have anything against non-residents, but if there is a boycott then all those damn guides will have to close up shop and I can hunt in peace without being buzzed continually by Supercubs spotting game for their clients. And maybe some of the transporters will go out of business too. Perfect.

Paladin and Rob.
I like your thinking. It would be great to be able to drive to soldotna in 2 hours during the summer. Or be able to go around the curve at Beluga point without slamming on the brakes because somebody rented an RV and stopped in the middle of the road to look at critters.

Bill,
If we didn't have the feds telling us where we we can drill and where we can sell our oil and which trees we can cut down and which salmon and halibut we can harvest, we can probably do without the theoretical 4 billion that you claim to have graciously sent us. Part of the beauty of living in Alaska is the live and let live attitude that we have for each other. Most people here don't care what you do or how you do it, just don't tell us what you want us to do or how you want us to do it. So, bringing a butt- load of money up here and then thinking that buys you any right to complain about our laws and regulations because they don't let you have things your way isn't going to get you very much sympathy in Alaska. Seems to me that our rules and regulations don't suit the style of a trophy hunter such as yourself. I am sure that we don't meet the standards set by the hunting professionals you have been blessed with on your previous trophy expeditions, but, we also don't care. I believe that most Alaskans find our trophies end up in the freezer not on the wall so if you didn't get your trophy this time at least you won't go hungry. I suspect the loss of your personal contribution to our economy and the theoretical loss of the millions from the theoretical hundreds of hunters you have convinced to take alternative hunts won't beggar the State of Alaska. Personally, I am going to take my snowmachine out for a caribou hunt later this month, I need some for the freezer. What kind of trophy hunt are you going to buy.
Ken

Ken,

I do wonder about the 400 hunters who decided not to hunt Alaska due to Bill G. Even if only a quarter of them actually would have booked a hunt, that means 100 clients were lost to Alaskan businesses. That's a big chunk of change, and innocent people are going to lose money and maybe their jobs!

Apperently that fact doesn't bother Bill, as he continues on his campaign of revenge. Sadly it's all due to the fact he missed his bear...

Brian,
If Bill was actually able to convince a substantial number of hunters to, in fact, hunt elsewhere I too would be concerned about the loss of revenue to the guides. I am afraid we will have to take his word for how many hunters are really going to go elsewhere. Given his ability to influence the people who are posting here, in order to convince 400 hunters, he must have tried to convince millions. I don't know very many hunting guides personally, but I believe that many of them are booked well in advance and if Bill and his theoretical numbers don't show, there will be others who will. I believe that Bill has an overinflated sense of his own worth to the hunting community and I suspect that his actual ability to influence the location of other peoples hunts is also over inflated. If he is capable of convincing other people to not hunt here, then perhaps they are more from the same mold and we are better off without them, also. He and his can continue to wallow in their misery as they see fit, but I, for one, will continue to appreciate the entertainment value that Bill is providing for us. I don't see him able to do any real damage to Alaskans except in his own mind. I wish him well in his endeavour to save others from the evil that is pervasive throughout our state. Not only will he not shop in our stores, but he is going to get all other right thinking people to join him in his crusade against our poor little second rate state with our poorly constructed laws. It is too bad the state, troopers and guide were mean to him.
Ken

Paul,
Unfortunately in these forums simple statements get mis-interpreted both ways. Then by the time either party gets to straighten it out a flurry of input takes place and the whole point is lost in the shuffle. I will show examples to follow. Give me a call sometime I would love to discuss this issue off forum with you.

We have no desire to spite Alaskan's. For conversation sake and to keep the record straight, the original crux which has been lost in the rhetoric, involved (2) guides, and (1) bureaucracy. A majority of the issue is with the latter.

Bw,
The bureaucracy is the cause of the now well over (400) alleged hunters choosing alternate hunting locations. Do you recall your Captain Howard Starbards response to me telling literally everyone that hires a guide in your state, that by hiring your self an Alaskan guide you have hired him to kill big game for you. Does this ring a bell? Those were not my words, that was your state's response, and it has had a profound impact on the potential hunter's. I was the messanger. If that statement came out of my state, and you were writing in to the Michigan forum, I would want you and everyone alive to know about it. So, I truly wish you would keep the facts stuck in here once in a while.

Ken,
You sound like a hunter with vast experience around the globe and have a simple solution to this case. Let's hear it. Tell us how to get around the set of laws that are described above, which by the way I was not aware of until long after the hunt, and nor was one viewer of this forum.

Ken, don't kid yourself, the state of Alaska's laws are doing the convincing not me!!

Bill,
I don't have vast experience as a global hunter, not that it is germane to this discussion, since we are talking about your hunting not mine and my state not yours. However, you are right, I do have a simple solution to this problem. Either follow the rules where you are hunting, find another place to hunt which has rules you can agree with, or stay home.
Ken

Gents,
Anyone thats purused the aisles of the store notice if any Reloader powders in bulk are carried? I'm wanting to plan a trip up to visit the store and a keg of Rel 15 and 19 might sway me.
best,
bhtr