Outdoor retailer to close both its valley locations

Tell me it isn't so!" I said when Matt Judd picked up the phone at Sportsman's Warehouse in Henderson, where he works as the hunting floor manager.

"It is," he replied.

"Both stores?" I asked.

"Both stores. Twenty-three total," Judd said. "It's like somebody kicked me right in the gut."

For the past couple of weeks, I had heard rumors that Sportsman's Warehouse was considering closing one of its two Southern Nevada stores, so I wasn't completely surprised when someone told me Tuesday that the company was going through with the idea. But I was astonished to learn that the Utah-based company was closing both Southern Nevada stores -- one in Henderson and one in Las Vegas. The stores have been open only since late October and November, so it didn't seem the stores had been given much of a chance to get established.

The closures of the two locations, and those of 21 other stores, were made official Tuesday in an announcement by Stuart Utgaard, chairman and chief executive officer of Sportsman's Warehouse Holdings. He said the company is closing 23 of its 67 stores and selling 15 others to improve the company's liquidity. The Reno store will remain open.

"It is hoped that these actions will enable the firm to go forward as a viable entity with approximately 2,300 employees," Utgaard said in the statement.

UFA Co-operative Limited, a Canadian company, purchased 15 store locations in Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana and North Dakota.

From an entirely selfish perspective, I was happy when Sportsman's Warehouse opened its Henderson store because it was five minutes from my front door. That meant I could drop by on a regular basis and check on this little five-weight fly rod I've had my eye on.

From a broader perspective, it was nice to have the friendly competition between outdoor retailers that sometimes helps keep pricing a little more reasonable than it otherwise might be.

Judd said customers can expect the stores to close completely in about 60 days, but in the meantime outdoor enthusiasts probably will have the chance to make some good buys on everything from fishing tackle to archery gear to guns and clothing. Representatives from Gordon Brothers, a national holding company, arrived at the stores this week to begin the process of liquidating assets. That usually means a big sale, and Judd doesn't expect the stores will ship anything to other locations.

I picked up my first muzzleloader, a Thompson Center Renegade in .50 caliber, for $125 at a liquidation sale in Spanish Fork, Utah. It was brand new. That's also where I bought my first fly rod.

"They will probably do a scaled type of reduction where (for example) at first you'll get 25 percent off and then it might go to 40 and then to 50 and then to 75 ... a tiered type (of) reduction until everything is gone most likely," said Judd, who is "still hoping for that late-inning Hail Mary thing to come through and maybe something will change."

Based on the brief news release posted on the Sportsman's Warehouse Web site, I don't think a Hail Mary is coming. That means more good folks are going to be out of work. So what does that mean for Judd?

"If they don't find me a spot in one of the other stores, or back in the Denver area, whenever we're finished with the liquidation, I guess I'll keep a pizza box and crayon and stand on a street corner somewhere," he said with a nervous laugh that gave away his true concern.

Let's hope that's not the case.

• BIG-GAME APPLICATIONS -- Application materials for the 2009 Nevada big-game tag draw should be available online at www.ndow.org and in the traditional paper format within the next week. Paper applications will be available at the Nevada Department of Wildlife offices and license vendors throughout the state.

Freelance writer Doug Nielsen is a conservation educator for the Nevada Department of Wildlife. His "In the Outdoors" column, published Thursday in the Las Vegas Review-Journal, is not affiliated with or endorsed by the NDOW. Any opinions he states in his column are his own. He can be reached at doug@takinitoutside.com.