If you didn’t know it before, you do now: Craig is now the official Elk Hunting Capital of the World.
While the town has ranked as high as 20th in Outdoor Life Magazine’s “Best Towns for Sportsmen” list over the years, it now has the above tagline notched into its rifle butt as well. After five years building the brand, local businessman John Ponikvar trademarked the phrase last year, much to the delight of tourism officials.
“It’s fantastic,” says Christina Oxley of the Craig Chamber of Commerce, adding that the trademarked phrase has already resulted in positive feedback from visitors. “It gives us great visibility and searchability online. Every time somebody inputs elk hunting, that brand draws people.”
Ponikvar says he trademarked the phrase to give the community some identification. “We were simply trying to brand Craig,” he says. “Hopefully it’s a source of pride for Craig and Moffat County.”
The newly trademarked logo has already appeared on bumper stickers, banners, hats, t-shirts and more. Ponikvar adds that a hunting show filmmaker even saw a hat adorned with the phrase at a Georgia golf course and filmed an elk hunt in Craig because of it. “I’ve been taking t-shirts and hats with me whenever I hunt out of state,” he says. “Everyone loves them. It’s starting to get around the world.”
—Darian Warden