Mornin' to the alligator found on Lake Michigan Beach. This is the Wiscampsin Weekly - the email that gets you in the know on the Wisconsin outdoors in 5 minutes or less. New reader? Subscribe here.

This week’s weekly:

• Tough gun season ahead 🦌 

• Oak wilt detected up nort’ 💀 

• Look out for bear dens 🐻 

The Legend of Deer Camp

We've been celebrating a lot of seasons lately in Wisconsin. Football season. Fall Colors season. Not-sure-if-I-need-my-lawn-mower-or-snow-blower-this-week, season.

But none quite captures the hearts, livers, and souls of 'Sconnies statewide like deer hunting season. With over 800,000 deer hunters taking to the woods each fall in hopes of filling their tags, deer hunting has a stronger hold on Wisconsin than Uncle Joe on his Miller Lite.

But we don't do it purely for the tasty venison in the freezer, the trophy buck mounted on the wall, or the deer-hide underwear (what, it gets chilly down there!).

We do it for Deer Camp.

As we don our camo hats and blaze orange this fall, many of us do so looking forward to the friends, family and traditions of Deer Camp; alas, the reasons we take the woods year after year after year.

Wisconsin’s Gun Deer Season

• Wisconsin's most popular deer season, the 9-day gun season takes place Nov. 18th-26th

• License/Tags can be bought at sporting goods stores, gas stations, and online

• Over 800,000 deer hunters will take to the woods, harvesting some 200,000 deer

What is Deer Camp?

If you've never been to Deer Camp, this is absolutely a valid question. What is it? Where is it? Who goes there? Why are we capitalizing it like it's Lambeau Field or some other holy land?

Just like when someone asks how many drinks you had last night, Deer Camp can be interpreted in many different ways.

It could be a cabin up nort'. A camper in a field. Your friends all crashing in your living room (much to Mom's chagrin); Since you can hunt deer in every corner of the state, Deer Camp is wherever you and your hunting party decide to hunt.

Though the structure doesn't matter, or even where it's located, it's the tradition born out of days spent performing one of our most primal instincts together - hunting - that matter most.

Life is better at Deer Camp

With official roots dating back as far as 1851, Wisconsin's deer hunting season has fast become one of our most hallowed past times, tying generation to generation through the ancient art of hunting.

Somewhat poetic, deer hunting transcends all backgrounds, ages, and affiliations. When you're deer hunting, you and your fellow hunters all share the same goal: have fun, be safe, and (hopefully) fill your tag with a trophy deer.

In Deer Camp: A Northwoods Tradition Lee Hash talks about the diversity of hunters in his group, aging anywhere from 28 to 83.

"Everyone comes together to share in the moments and spend time hunting and eating together in the woods."

Ron Weber and Karl Christenson love how "life is reduced to its simplest terms" in Deer Camp - planning the following day's hunt or checking the weather become the only concern.

But hunter Bret Hasheider is there for family: "Some of the best hugs you ever get from your kids is when they get their first deer."

The tradition lives on through each and everyone's unique experience, but at their core, they always orbit the same values: friends, family, and the Great Outdoors.

Keeping the tradition alive

Now that your interest is piqued, you're wondering - hey, what if I want to go freeze my buttocks off in a tree, too?

You're in luck folks. Unlike turkey or elk hunting, the 9-day whitetail deer season doesn't require an application ahead of time. As long as you have your hunter safety (or born before 1973), you can buy your tag over the counter or online.

If you're absolutely brand-spankin' new to hunting, check out the DNR's resources and pro tip: find someone who's done it!

To flip that coin, if you're an experienced hunter, consider bringing a newbie to Deer Camp this year.

Since 2000, we've seen an 18% decrease in deer hunters. Nationwide, we've seen a 32% plunge overall in the hunting population (17 million in 1982 compared to 11.5 million in 2016).

As hunter Sam Ubl says best in his blog on Deer Camp: A tree only grows if you water it. So keep the tradition alive and if you're headed out next week, stay safe, have fun, and bring a friend with you!

Now get out ‘der!

Other great Wiscampsin reads…

Wisconsin Fish Fry's

The History of Ice Fishing

Wisconsin's Forgotten State Park

Shop Wiscampsin

Wisconsin State Bird Art Print: “Very nicely made, great colors and design. It looks amazing in my home. Keep it up Wiscampsin ❤️” - Peggy

Wiscampsin Badgers Tee: “It’s the perfect t-shirt to show off my love for camping and Wisconsin at the same time :)” - Emily

Wiscampsin Recycled License Plate Frame: “Love it! Get out der! Makes my Mazda look even better” - Alex

Wiscampsin Mug: “Awesome mug, very lightweight, the mug doesn't get piping hot if you need to microwave your coffee either.” - Matthew

Wiscampsin Weekly Poll

For the 39% of you who are or have hunted this Fall - we here at Wiscampsin are sending good fortunes your way.

Share your favorite deer camp tradition by selecting “Write in” below and we will highlight them in next weeks edition!

Nuts and Seeds 🌰 

☠️ Oak wilt, oh no!: Oak wilt has been detected in Ashland County. A deadly disease to oak trees, it causes leaves to wilt and fall off at abnormal times. Already found in the lower two-thirds of the state, it’s been slowly creeping north for some time now. Make sure you buy your firewood locally, folks!

🐻 Report bear dens! Now in its third year, the Black Bear Litter and Diet survey needs YOU to report any black bear dens you find while you’re gettin’ out ‘der this winter. This helps the DNR correctly estimate the population and thus, conserve these critters. Keep your eyes peeled!

💧 Better stick to beer: The DNR just added 51 new waters to its list of polluted waterways, mostly because of phosphorus from fertilizers and sewege (“better tell John he can’t just dig a scat hole in the backyard every time the bathroom is occupied”). For reference, that totals at 1,258 polluted waters, which is actually an improvement from the 1,465 identified in 2020. Yay?

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