The Enid News and Eagle, Enid, OK

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June 28, 2009

Enid ranked as top town for sportsmen

By Joe Malan, Staff Writer

The city of Enid has been ranked in a list of top towns for hunting and fishing by Outdoor Life magazine.

Enid was ranked 168 out of 200 in the magazine’s second annual Top 200 Towns for Sportsmen list. The list ranks the cities according to specific factors including fishable species, huntable species and trophy potential.

“The report reflects the great hunting and fishing opportunities we have in the region,” said Jon Blankenship, president and CEO of Greater Enid Chamber of Commerce.

Blankenship credited places and events such as the Grand National Quail Hunt for bringing the recognition to the city.

Chip Nelson, chairman and organizer of this year’s hunt, says the event does its job in bringing political and industrial celebrities to the region.

“It’s one of the most prominent invite-type hunts in the U.S.,” Nelson said.

Hunting for bobwhite quail has been an increasingly popular activity in the state, and along with Texas, is the premier locale to hunt for the birds.

Both Blankenship and Nelson hope a wildlife area at Drummond Flats will be established, which would provide Garfield County residents with more opportunities to hunt bobwhite quail and other animals.

The prospective wildlife area would compass an approximate 7,000 acres. The cost of the project would be around $6 million.

“When (Drummond Flats) is finished, I think that’s going to be a big feather in our cap,” Nelson said.

Along with huntable species, fishable species and trophy potential, many other categories were factored into the rankings. Items such as city population, median household income and unemployment rate were also factored in.

Lewiston, Idaho, took first place overall on the list. The highest-ranked Oklahoma city was Bartlesville at 54. Poteau ranked 145th, while Elk City ranked 182nd behind Enid.

Though Enid is ranked in the list, Garfield County game warden David Foltz wished there were more opportunites to hunt and fish within the county.

“There’s just not that much hunting,” he said.

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