pheasant hunting season opens across the state tomorrow morning.

The North Dakota Game and Fish Department expects roughly 100-thousand people to be hunting at some point this year.

Reporter Kate Schell travels to Regent to find out how those numbers are helping the town.

Aim and shoot-that's what thousands of people will be doing tomorrow as pheasant season gets underway

(Nicole Haase/Mgr. Cannonball Company) "Its always been something that's wonderful for the state of North Dakota. We have a great natural resource here and people from out of state realize that and so we're very fortunate to have that and to have them coming in for that reason." The Cannonball Company isn't the only one thankful for the hunting traffic

Many of the businesses in town look forward to this time of year...and the business the hunters bring to Regent. (Brenda Wiseman/Owner Regent Garage) "January, February, March are awfully slow. We need this influx of people to continune our businesses through the whole year. Anytime you can pull in from someone outside the community, it helps the whole community. The money turns through all the businesses, the employees. You know it makes a big impact. We need it

(Kristen Vesledahl/Former Economic Development Director, Hettinger County)"So having all of those hunters come in from October thru December really helps out. It keeps some of those small businesses sustainable throughout the year." (Kate Schell) "Business managers we spoke with say they look forward to hunting season. Not just because of the business but becuase they get to see some familiar faces." (Brenda Wiseman/Owner Regent Garage) "Its like a family coming home because so many of that have been here for so many years that we're excited to see them. You know its an excitement in the air when hunting season starts." And that excitement will last until January 3rd-when pheasant season closes

In Regent with KX News, Im Kate Schell.

Nicole Haase says the Cannonball Company had a record number of hunts two years ago. Since then, the number of hunts has decreased slightly. Although, she says they are still very pleased with the numbers of hunts they are scheduling. She says they've been told some outfitters across the country are down at least 50-percent in their bookings. watch the video | save this article / add to your favorites list