Hunters are getting ready for Saturday’s start of modern gun deer season, and Northwest Arkansas retailers are benefiting.

Deer season draws the largest number of the state’s hunters, accounting for nearly 85 percent of the 363,000 hunters in 2011, according to the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife report released by the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service.

“Every week is something different,” said Larry Aggus, co-owner of Southtown Sporting Goods in Fayetteville. “Fall is a fun time.”

Arkansas outpaces the nation when it comes to hunting participation. Nationally about 6 percent of the population hunted in 2011, while nearly 11 percent of Arkansans hunted that same year, according to the Wildlife Service.

Anglers claim an even larger share as 19 percent of the state’s population fished in 2011.

Large participation numbers generated enough business to accommodate two large outdoors-related box stores entering the market last year. Cabela’s opened in Rogers in August 2012; Academy Sports & Outdoors opened a Fayetteville store in December, joining a store the company had in Rogers.

Alex Martens, store manager at Lewis & Clark Outfitters’ Springdale store, said the store saw sales dip for the first month after the large stores opened, but picked back up. Lewis & Clark also operates a store in Rogers and one on the University of Arkansas campus.

“Since we are smaller we are able to have a stronger connection with our customers,” he said. “Our goal is to provide the best customer service of any retailer in Northwest Arkansas.”

Cabela’s bills itself a “destination” store, meaning it pulls people in from outside the area. The Nebraska-based company declined to provide any sales or shopper numbers.

Brenda Majors, Pinnacle Hills Promenade marketing manager, said Cabela’s is a strong asset to the growing shopping area.

“We have seen a tremendous influx in what we call tourists coming in from outside states. We are seeing them in the mall’s interior parking lots as well,” she said. “Retail is on the upswing in Northwest Arkansas.”

Kathy Deck, director of the Center for Business and Economic Research at the University of Arkansas, said it’s difficult to determine the financial impact a store such as Cabela’s when the area’s overall economy is growing.

“Cabela’s came to this area because it was attractive and growing and they are helping sustain that. It is just one part of the calculation,” she said.

Aggus said any new retailer entering the market creates ripples.

“Everybody impacts you, but you learn to do what you do even better,” he said. “A successful retailer changes with the times. That’s just business.”

Southtown Sporting Goods opened its north Fayetteville store in 1989.

“We’ve seen big boxes come and go,” Aggus said. “We do our thing and they do their thing. You can’t worry about what the other guy is doing.”

Martens said Lewis & Clark focuses on more family-related activities such as biking and hiking, but the stores see increased hunter traffic this time of year.

“We give hunters some alternative options to what they were planning on using. Once they start shopping from us they say they are going to make us their first stop from now on,” he said.

Chase Huchingson of Fayetteville started bow hunting eight years ago. He was buying arrows at Southtown on Friday.

“I like to support local businesses. I’ve been coming here since I was in high school,” he said.

He estimates he spends between $400 and $500 each year on the sport.

“Every hunting season requires a bit of something new,” he said.

Stuart Gaddy of Fayetteville took his bow in for repair Friday at Southtown. He estimates he spends about $3,000 a year hunting.

“I like bow hunting, but I hunt other ways too,” he said.

Arkansas hunters spent $1.02 billion in 2011, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. The majority, $701.64 million, was spent on equipment and other related items and services. The remaining $317.15 million was spent on travel. More than half of what Arkansas hunters spent in 2011, $541.5 million, was spent on deer hunting.

Dustin Cunningham, a salesman at Ozark Sportsman Supply in Tontitown, said gun sales were up this year.

“We are seeing more and more people coming in and asking questions,” he said. “We’ve definitely had an increase in new customers.”

Sales of recreational vehicles is also increasing, said Kenny Dover, sales manager at Rainbow Cycle and Marine in Rogers.

“What we sell are wants and not needs. Sales did slow down during the recession but have increased over the past three or four years,” he said.

He said the hot market right now are small two- or six-person, four-wheel drive off-road vehicles. They’re also known as utility task vehicles or recreational off highway vehicles.

“They are much safer and have better towing capacity than ATVs (all terrain vehicles),” he said. “It’s a work and play vehicle.”

Off-road vehicle sales accounted for $1.97 billion in sales nationally in 2011, according to the Wildlife Service. Total sales were $38.3 billion.