Bill Hilts, Jr.: Another outdoor section prints its final page in Buffalo, N.Y.

Western New York offers fishermen some of the top freshwater fishing in the world, rods and reels down. Helping to get the word out to local anglers was The Buffalo News. Before that, there was a second paper in town, the Buffalo Courier Express.

When the doors closed on the morning paper in 1982, The Buffalo News (TBN) became a one-horse town. 

Through the years, top outdoor writers for TBN included Will Elliott and Mike Levy. For the Courier Express, it was William R. (Bill, Sr.) Hilts, and he wrote four or five times a week. For the last 10 years, I have had the honor and privilege to write for TBN, twice a week offering a fishing report on Thursdays and an outdoor page on Sunday. However, that ended with the final outdoor page on Oct. 4, 2026. 

In a corporate decision by Lee Enterprises, who owns the paper, all freelance writers/stringers were eliminated in one fell swoop of the axe. Outdoor coverage in the paper was eliminated, which is a huge demographic in this part of the country. 

When the initial announcement was made, many people thought I retired. When they learned about what really happened, there was a reaction that made me feel good. Some people started canceling subscriptions. Others vowed to write letters to the editor. Will it make a difference? Probably not, but knowing that I truly provided a service through the years that will be missed brought a sense of gratification. 

One correspondence I received came from Jennie Lewis, current president of the Lake Erie Chapter of Fly Fishers International. She pointed out several key points that truly make sense. I wish they had talked to her before any decision was reached.

“The thing the paper is forgetting is all the fishing industry revenue that is created by our amazing fisheries,” said Lewis. “Maybe if they would have explored with you another creative opportunity and how to engage that advertisement to bring them revenue.”

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To help back up her ideas, she provided some research that she obtained on the Internet: 

“The sportfishing industry brings approximately $80 million to over $100 million annually into Western New York through direct angler expenditures, tourism, and local business revenue.

“When looking at the overall economic footprint, the regional impact expands significantly across WNY’s primary hubs – Key Regional Breakdown:

• Niagara County (Lake Ontario Hub): Fishing serves as a massive tourist driver, bringing in an estimated $58.55 million in visitor spending alone each year. Anglers visiting this area stay an average of 3.6 nights, heavily boosting local hotels, restaurants, and charters.
• Erie County and the Lake Erie shoreline: Localized sportfishing for record-setting walleye, yellow perch, and smallmouth bass generates more than $26 million annually to the immediate local economy along New York’s Lake Erie ports.
• Chautauqua County and tributaries: Combined with world-class inland lakes (like Chautauqua Lake) and steelhead stream guiding, local angling activities tack on tens of millions more in equipment sales and lodging.

The broader economic ripple

Lewis pointed out that on a statewide level, New York’s freshwater fishing industry generates over $2.14 billion in economic activity annually. Western New York stands as one of the top contributors to this total alongside the St. Lawrence River, capturing a massive share of the out-of-state angler market.

“Your reports, your education, and community engagement will be sorely missed by our community,” she concluded. Thank you for the kind words …

Before I wrote for TBN, I wrote three times a week for the Greater Niagara Newspaper Group, which included the Niagara Falls and Lockport papers, for nearly 36 years. Deadlines became ingrained into my weekly regiment and as I aged, helped me to keep the days of the week straight. What’s going to happen now? 

New York Outdoor News is THE paper to go to for all-things-outdoors and hopefully more people will realize this. It’s a great selling point now for area sportsmen and women who will be starving for outdoor information – especially legislation affecting their passions. I have been a writer for this bi-weekly paper (and website) since its inception and hopefully I will be around for a few more years to come. I believe in it.

Daily newspapers are becoming a thing of the past and the outdoors reporting is slowly fading off into the sunset. Support publications like New York Outdoor News so that we can keep this outdoor heritage moving forward into the future. Thanks for listening.