DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — If you missed a deer in one of the earlier hunts this year or if you just need more meat for the winter there's one last hunt before the year ends.
- Superintendent of Peninsula State Park Eric Hyde talks about the Holiday Hunt
- Owner of Howie's Bait and Tackle Lance LaVine describes how hunting season goes for the store
- The DNR's map of the counties participating in the Holiday Hunt
(The following is a transcription of the full broadcast story)
"In certain areas there's lots of deer and hence why the holiday hunt going on and t-zone hunts. They want some of these animals taken out of the herd" Lance Lavine the owner of Howie's Bait and Tackle said.
The regular gun deer season ended on December first but that doesn't mean hunters can hang up their camo for the year just yet. In Door county and many other counties across Wisconsin the DNR's Holiday Hunt is now underway.
"They do it in different, it's different by different regions" Eric Hyde the Superintendent of Peninsula state park said.
The Holiday Hunt allows hunting with all weapon types.
"It's something the DNR's being doing for a few years" Hyde said.
The DNRs hunting regulations say that if you are participating in the holiday hunt the only type of deer that may be harvested are antler less.
"It's just another opportunity for antler less hunting here in Wisconsin" Hyde said.
At Howie's Bait and Tackle in Sturgeon bay, they saw an influx of hunters during early hunting seasons.
"We sell a lot of vertical bows and then getting closer to the season even when the season starts we move into cross bows a lot of people wait till last minute and purchase crossbows" Lavine said.
After regular gun hunting season, Lavine says may are unsure about hunting in the Holiday Hunt.
"The problem is the later in January you go, if you're a buck hunter, these bucks lose their antlers so you don't know really what you're shooting" Lavine said.
For hunters like him, they put away their gear after the regular hunting season is over.
"A lot of people will just stop hunting cause they don't wanna shoot one of their bucks that they wanna hunt for the following year. So it gets a little bit difficult" Lavine said.
For rules and regulation about the DNR's Holiday Hunt, make sure to check out the DNR's website.
