Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Canada Wholesale/Russells

I just heard that Russells has been bought by Wholesale Sports. They will keep it as is until Bass Pro comes to Calgary(another rumor?) then they will combine. I'll try to get a verification on this. Anybody else heard/know anything? This is just from a couple of buddies, so far. I'll try to get some 'facts' ASAP.

Have not heard this...but have heard Cabelas is coming...somewhere up here.

Yep....Russels was bought out quite a while back by Wholesale, and its been announced for sure that Bass Pro is coming to Calgary in 2008.....

Not sure when Cabelas is coming, but nothing announced yet so we'll have to wait....

On the BC forum I posted the link to, there posts that say the Cabelas and Bass pro may be coming. Wow, I go away for a few months...

Bass Pro is DEFINATLY coming....they have job advertisements up already....

I'd love to see it announced on the Cabelas website as well....I hate rumours...

i like russells a lot but bass pro is huge and good to have.

Cabela's is going to Montreal: http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/t...tail_stores/montreal/montreal_press.html
The Bass Pro in Toronto sucks - they don't/won't carry handgun ammo (part of the deal they made with the city) and the reloading section is a joke. It's only a half hour or so drive for me and I usually don't bother with them and head straight up to Epps even though they are over an hour away. Don't get your hopes up too high!

I've been to the one in TO too and I concur with you. I hope they are more like the stores in PA and NV. Its worth the trip just to see them.

bass pro in Vegas is nice, walk around next thing i KNEW IS WE ARE IN A CASINO DRINKING BUD DUMBERS FOR FREE

yes, nice place. love the kudu/lions upstairs.

I sure hope the soon to be Bass Pro in Calgary is better than the one in Toronto. Don't get me wrong it is an impressive store but it struck me as being different than the USA versions of these mega stores. To be honest one of my fav stores is Sportsmans Warehouse in Missoula and it isn't even close to being the size of a Cabelas or a Bass Pro.

I have stooped in to a couple of the mega-stores, a Bass-Pro in Destin, Florida and a Cabelas in South Dakota. While the stores themselves are impressive to look at, they really are not all that shopper friendly. Prices are pretty standard fare and products not really unique. I have also shopped a bit at the Gander Mountain store in Watertown, N.Y. I like it better. They even have a gunsmith on the premises. More than can be said for most retail outlets these days.
I wouldn't expect too much from a Bass-Pro near Calgary. They will offer the same stuff, at the same prices, as Wholesale and Russells. Guess what else? Companies like Bass-Pro and Cabelas will be supportive of the export restrictions imposed by the US State Department. Such restrictions limit free enterprise and are less restrictive for the really big operators due to volumes and a possible inside track.
As far as the Calgary (Balzac)Bass-Pro is concerned, it may be a moot point. Unless they are able to find a source of water sufficient to support the developement, it may not even get built. GD

How does everybody like Gander Mountain? I'd never heard of them until I saw one in Fargo. It seemed like Cabelas and Bass pro but it was a while ago and I can't remember much about it.

I used to go to the Gander Mountain in Duluth MN when my folks lived there. Was quite awhile ago now(80's). Found it to be an excellent place. Good selection/prices. Haven't been to one in years. More recently I have been to the Bass Pro in Springfield MO. That and Cabelas in Owatonna MN. Things have changed lots over the years. First time I went to a Cabelas was in 1989, Sidney NE, was a pilgrimage of sorts. Staff that knew their product, good prices and quality. Darn near everything was made in US or Canada. Now.......Big Box comes to mind with "imported" being offshore crap. Ref Bass Pro in Alberta, anybody find it ironic we don't have any bass in Alberta yet here they come?

I have to agree that a lot of the products are off shore 'crap' at these stores now. Still, these huge stores keep the prices down on the 'good' products too. I don't think they will be cheaper than the big Canadian stores like Wholesale or LeBarons, etc so we won't gain much there(the one in TO seems to have exactly the same prices as these other Canadian stores).

The best part of the store is the displays. I haven't been to the Sidney store yet but I was in the PA(Harrisburg?) store a few months ago and it was unreal. They had an Africian room that was nice but they had a huge seperate room just full of deer(WT and Mules) that was worth the trip just to see that. I highly recommend it to anybody in the area. I took my wife to nearby Hershey so she didn't mind all the hours in the Cabelas.
There is a Bass Pro closeby too but we didn't have time to do both.

I bought 'a lot' of Leupolds there as they were cheaper than in Canada as prices don't seem to have adjusted yet to the high Canadian $.

Here is my take on the 3

Gander Mountain - better gun selection and much more gun friendly, all guns on display in the firearms section, don't need to ask the help to see anything, optics are sub par

Bass Pro - Gun selection limited, Optics limited, hunting clothes selection much better than Gander, seems more geared toward the fisherman as inidicated by the large boat sales area and tackle selections available

Cabelas- The nicest of these stores, very impressive taxidermy and the like. Clothing selection is the best, Gun room ensures better high quality firearms, but not as user friendly as Gander. Optics selection is better than both Gander and Bass Pro.

Yup, the displays are incredible. I'm looking forward to going to Bas Pro or Cabelas here in Canada. Lots of "good" comes from these places. I like the support they give to hunter ed and conservation issues. Hopefully they will bring those program supports to Canada.
I get into the Bass Pro in Springfield MO at least yearly. My folks retired to Branson years ago and it is on the way. Last time down we visited the Wildlife Museum. Very impressive and it located next to the store.