Deer-hunting season officially starts Saturday. But national supply chain issues have made getting ammunition and other items difficult, and more expensive.
“Hunting isn’t immune from national supply chain issues…anymore than any other industry,” Mike Steingraber, a game warden supervisor for the Pennsylvania Game Commission’s North-Central region.
“Ammunition has been hard to come by. Ammunition parts for folks who reload their own ammunition, those parts have been hard to come by. Firearms, too,” he added.
Despite these issues, one local gun shop owner told 6News he’s mostly overcome those challenges and has one of the best stocks of ammunition and guns in the area.
“A lot of people are telling me they’re having supply chain issues and they’re having a hard time getting ammo. I prepared for the seasons. I make sure that I have plenty of hunting ammunition when it comes in time,” Thomas Engel, the owner Hunters Warehouse in Bellefonte, said.
“But we’ve always had plenty of ammunition. All through the last two years, I’ve had pretty much every caliber in stock, almost all the time,” he added.
Engel even says he sells stuff to folks well outside of Pennsylvania.
“I advertise in 11 states right now. I have shipped ammo to 49 out of 50 states in the last two years. It’s just amazing how hard ammo is to get,” he said.
While Engel said he has managed to brave this storm, customers should expect to pay more at this time of year, where supply is low but demand is high.
“Prices are a little high right now because, obviously, it’s very, very hard to get,” Engel said.
“You don’t buy a snow shovel in the middle of a snowstorm. You don’t buy a bag of salt in the middle of an ice storm, because it’s sold out. It’s very hard to keep up with this, but we have been able to do it so far,” he added.
If you plan to hunt, be sure to stock up on ammunition in advance to avoid long waits and higher prices, so you can aim your sights on a fun weekend.
