The 2013 gun-deer season began Saturday morning just a bit after 6:30 a.m. Many of us have been eagerly waiting for opening morning. There are many reasons for us to look forward to that day.

Each year, we try to forecast what the weather will be like for opening day. As we look back at opening days for the past several years we notice that the weather has been quite mild. About four years ago, we had to bring two bucks in to the garage before the end of the season to cut, wrap and freeze the meat to keep it edible. Looks like the weather will be cold enough to preserve the meat this year.

The question we have been hearing lately is; has the rut kicked in or is it still to take place? Many outdoors writers had forecast that the rut would take place during the first week of November. Those hunters and writers who were making predictions regarding the timing of the rut were relating it to the phases of the moon.

As mentioned previously we have experienced warm weather during recent openings.  This year we are anticipating much colder conditions during the gun season.

My usual comment about the weather during deer season has been that we usually enter deer season with fall weather and finish it in winter. Since we have already experienced winter-like weather we’ll see what the end of deer season brings.  

With the present guidelines for establishing the dates for the season the 2013 gun-deer season is taking place on the latest date possible.
There is a hunting shack that is located in the National Forest that has been used for nearly 100 years. This year the members of the “Old Timers” deer-hunting group were able to get some tip-ups on the ice for several days before the younger members of the group arrived. The goal is to catch enough walleyes for dinner on the evening prior to opening. This year the walleyes were not as plentiful as they have been in the past so the walleyes were mingled with small mouth bass.

During the summer the younger members of the group brushed out shooting lanes on the property that they own. They also cut enough firewood to keep the shack warm during deer season as well as for the cross-country ski weekends. 

With the variety of projects that are completed each year that hunting shack is becoming a very comfortable cabin in the woods.   

We have spent a fair amount of time this past year on a variety of projects improving the “Spruce Swamp Spike Camp”.  Anyone who spent time working on improving hunting shacks will talk about how thick the mosquitoes were.

Each year becomes more difficult to get our group together. This year our grandson, Jack, will not be able to join us until Thanksgiving. His high school football team is in the championship and Jack will have the opportunity to perform at Camp Randall Stadium in Madison with their band. Troy Twesme is on the faculty of the Air Force Academy and has to juggle several schedules to get back to Wisconsin. Troy’s brother, Mark, can hunt the first three days then has to head back to work in Eau Claire. Our son, Craig, can only join us for opening weekend and the end of the season. Duane Frey will spend opening weekend with us and our grandson, Will Schroeder, will hunt with us during the time around Thanksgiving. 

Deer season is only nine days long so we will try to make the best of those nine days. The muzzleloader season opens Dec. 2 and closes Dec. 11. The archery season is open until Jan. 5.  Enjoy the Wisconsin deer seasons and hunt safely.

Longtime Northwoods outdoors personality Roger Sabota writes a bi-monthly column for the Star Journal.