Stacked bags of deer corn outside storefronts and "hunters welcome" signs on hotel and restaurant marquees across the area's small towns indicate the importance of hunters to rural coffers.

Hunting brings in "a lot of money" for the motels, convenience stores, restaurants and gas stations, said Tammie Virden, executive vice president of the Ballinger Chamber of Commerce.

The observation is on target with hard data.

According to the National Survey of Fishing, Hunting and Wildlife-Associated Recreation from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, the average of hunting-related expenditures for the 1.1 million hunters in Texas was $1,984 per hunter in 2006. The report was released in May 2008.

What are hunters buying?

• Travel -- 39 percent on lodging, food, fuel and equipment rental.

• Equipment -- 35 percent on guns, ammunition, tents, clothing, campers, etc.

• Other -- 25 percent on land leases or ownership, licenses, magazine subscriptions, membership dues, etc.

The economic impact of hunting in Texas was $4.63 billion in 2006, according to a November 2007 report by Florida-based Southwick Associates that was commissioned by the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department. The researchers define economic impact as the amount of money spent by hunters plus its ripple effect on wages and vendor purchases, mostly in rural and lightly populated areas.

Will the economic downturn translate to fewer hunter dollars in the region this year?

Maybe. Maybe not.

Organizers of the Ballinger Chamber of Commerce expect 1,500 people at their annual Hunter's Appreciation Dinner on Nov. 1 -- an increase of 400 over last year, Virden said. The event is popular with locals and out-of-towners, she said.

Like many chambers in the area, the Ballinger organization maintains a list of landowners offering hunting leases. Virden said the Ballinger area has about 80 landowners on the list, for which she receives requests year-round.

The Colorado City Area Chamber of Commerce also continues to receive calls "constantly" for its list of hunting leases available in the area, said Sue Lowrance, the chamber's executive director. Ticket sales also remain brisk for the group's 18th Annual Hunter Appreciation Dinner on Oct. 31. Landowners often purchase the tickets for their hunters, she said.

Hunters in the Colorado City area hail from other West Texas towns as well as the Dallas-Fort Worth and Houston areas, Lowrance said. She also has sent the lease list to people as far away as Louisiana and Maine.

"These deer hunters, I don't care if gas is $5 a gallon, I assure you these guys are going to be here," Lowrance said.

Bob and Charla Northcutt, who handle the hunting leases for the 120,000-acre Spade Ranch 25 miles south of Colorado City, said they have not had any of their 300-plus hunters cancel leases this year. Hunters make lease payments in May and September and can be found on the land well before opening day preparing campsites and blinds.

Hunters will continue to visit the area because of their investment in leased lands, but maybe not as often because of the economy, speculates Kathy McGinty, TPWD wildlife biologist in Abilene.

Rolan Jones, broker and owner of Jones Real Estate in Cross Plains, who also manages lands for absentee owners, expects to see less hunting activity in his part of the region. He said some landowners have been calling him recently in search of hunters, including two who had hunters cancel leases.

"For 15 years it's been the other way around," Jones said.

He also has seen a drop in sales of recreational lands.

"You have a lot less buyers looking for recreational land than you did two years ago," Jones said.

Whatever the final financial total at the end of this year's hunting season, the presence of camouflage-clad visitors in the area will be a welcomed sight.

"They are a vital part of our economy," Charla Northcutt said.