Saskatchewan·Land of Living StoriesFor decades, American hunters have come to Gravelbourg to hunt geese and ducks near the town southwest of Regina, fuelling the multimillion-dollar outfitting industry. While Canada-U.S. tensions might have ruffled some feathers, outdoor opportunities and friendships have kept bringing these hunters back to Saskatchewan.Season of thanksgiving brings American and Canadian friends together at 1 tableJanani Whitfield · CBC News · Posted: Oct 21, 2025 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoJoe Dunbar, left, from Texas, is one among many hunters who travel to Canada for hunting and fishing opportunities, despite trade disputes between the two countries. (Submitted by Toos Giesen-Stefiuk ) CBC’s virtual road trip series Land of Living Stories explores the hidden gems across Saskatchewan. Reporter Janani Whitfield hit the road to Gravelbourg in search of inspiring stories of community spirit. This is the first of a four-part series from that community. It might have been Canadian Thanksgiving just over a week ago, but if you stepped into the dining room at La Maison B&B in Gravelbourg, you would have heard the distinctive drawl of visiting Americans sharing in the holiday meal. Even as international tensions have flared between Canada and the U.S., data shows Americans have kept their tradition of visiting Saskatchewan for fishing and hunting this year. At this table and on this holiday, Gravelbourg’s Toos Giesen-Stefiuk is thankful for their continued presence at her B&B.“I think it’s very big for the community. They spend a lot of money on gas, repairs and trucks and trailers, lodging, restaurants, grocery stores,” she said.She estimates the hunters give a $100,000 boost each year to the town, which has a population of just under 1,000 people, according to the 2021 census. Each week, a group flies in to Regina before driving to this town two hours southwest of the city, while others make the drive from states as far-flung as Michigan or Arkansas.“It’s just great, a wonderful type of hunting, bird hunting, that we don’t get to do anymore down where we are,” said visiting tourist Joe Dunbar.Here, Dunbar can shoot mallards and geese out in an open field, something he said is not possible back home in Texas due to changing bird migration patterns and development.Many of these hunters have a standing tradition and have been coming here for years, even decades, and are on a first-name basis with locals. American hunters have made a tradition of coming to Gravelbourg, Sask., and often enjoy cooking up the fruits of their labour while staying at Toos Giesen-Stefiuk’s B&B. (Submitted by Toos Giesen-Stefiuk)Big business for SaskatchewanTens of thousands of U.S. anglers and hunters visit the province each year. The vast majority of outfitters say 90 per cent of their clients are from the U.S., and the outfitting sector generates $150 million in revenue and capital spending every year, according to Tourism Saskatchewan. Back in April, the Saskatchewan Commission of Professional Outfitters surveyed its members, with one-third of respondents saying they were worried they had or would lose clients over international tensions, whether it was because Americans were angry with counter-tariffs, worried about the border, or worried about how they’d be received in Canada.But that hasn’t been borne out by the numbers. Elsewhere, American tourism to Canada has declined, but that hasn’t been the case in Saskatchewan, in which 12,394 hunting and fishing licences were sold to Americans this year, roughly on par with last year’s numbers.In a statement, Tourism Saskatchewan said it was “cautiously optimistic that Americans will continue to travel to the province despite the current geopolitical climate, thanks to positive sentiment towards Canada, a strong U.S. dollar and Saskatchewan’s world-class outdoor experiences.”Americans are among the highest spending visitors to Saskatchewan, with the outfitting sector generating $150 million in revenue and capital spending, according to Tourism Saskatchewan. (Submitted by Toos Giesen-Stefiuk)A lasting friendshipWhen it comes to the geopolitical climate or tensions over tariffs, these hunters say it’s just noise to which they aren’t paying attention. On the week Dunbar was visiting, U.S. President Donald Trump and Prime Minister Mark Carney were meeting to discuss removing trade barriers.“I was just watching President Trump and Prime Minister Carney on television downstairs. They seem to be getting along OK,” he said, adding that the two countries share more similarities than differences, and bumps in the road are just that — minor blips. “You know, the U.S.-Canada relationship’s always going to be good.”For her part, Giesen-Stefiuk said she steers clear of political talk. Even while she doesn’t always agree with the actions of the U.S. president, it doesn’t affect her friendships with the Americans who have been coming back for years to enjoy the Thanksgiving season with her.Dennis Campbell, left, from Arkansas, has been coming to Gravelbourg for 30 years, calling many of the locals, including Toos Giesen-Stefiuk, friends. (Submitted by Toos Giesen-Stefiuk)“It doesn’t matter who’s at my table … there’s no hard feelings against the people,” she said. Here, there’s no distinction between Americans and Canadians, just people that appreciate friendship and a peaceful, calmer pace of life away from the pressures of work and the hustle-bustle of city life, she said.Read more of our Land of Living Stories features hereGravelbourg offers more than just hunting targets, said Dunbar. Last year, he got to see the northern lights, far from the light pollution of cities. “When the sun comes up, and on a bluebird day like this, and you have mallards working — it’s fantastic.”ABOUT THE AUTHORJanani Whitfield is a community engagement producer who also edits feature storytelling and First Person columns for CBC Saskatchewan. Contact her at janani.whitfield@cbc.ca.
Sask. town thankful Americans keep flocking here to hunt, amid Canada-U.S. tensions
