Bass Pro to acquire rival Cabela’s for $4.5 billion

FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, file photo, statues of wildlife adorn the entrance to a Cabela's store in LaVista, Neb. Outdoor gear giants Bass Pro and Cabela's will combine in a $4.5 billion deal announced Monday, Oct. 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File) FILE - In this Wednesday, Feb. 17, 2016, file photo, statues of wildlife adorn the entrance to a Cabela's store in LaVista, Neb. Outdoor gear giants Bass Pro and Cabela's will combine in a $4.5 billion deal announced Monday, Oct. 3, 2016. (AP Photo/Nati Harnik, File)

By Associated Press, Staff Report October 3, 2016 3 min read

Outdoor gear giant Bass Pro will snap up rival Cabela’s in a $4.5 billion deal announced Monday.

That probably doesn’t mean that the Cabela’s that opened last year alongside Interstate 75 in Fort Oglethorpe, Ga., will close, while the Bass Pro that opened this year in East Ridge alongside I-75 will stay open, said Ft. Oglethorpe Mayor Earl Gray.

“They’d probably keep both of them open, I would think,” said Gray, who said he’s heard rumors for the last two years that the two giant outdoor stores would merge.

“That was rumor going around when they located here to start with,” the mayor said.

Cabala’s is geared more toward hunters, Gray said, while Bass Pro caters to anglers.