Topeka ? If he bags the governor’s race, Republican Sam Brownback said Tuesday he will start the Kansas Governor’s Invitational Pheasant Hunt as a way to make Kansas the top pheasant hunting destination in the midwest.

Brownback faces Democrat Tom Holland in the election.

“Kansas is consistently ranked as one of the top three states in the country for pheasant hunting,” Brownback said. “This is an under-utilized asset for our rural communities. If we do a better job telling folks about the quality hunting available here in Kansas, we will pull more of those tourism dollars into Kansas,” he said.

Brownback said South Dakota receives more than $220 million of economic activity in pheasant hunting alone, while the impact of all hunting in Kansas is about $270 million.

Brownback said his proposed Kansas Governor’s Invitational Pheasant Hunt would kick off the pheasant hunting season, which starts the second weekend in November. He said he would invite community and business leaders from across the country for a weekend of hunting and networking.