ERIN, Wis. — With their orange gear in tow, Wisconsinites took to the woods on Saturday for the beginning of the 2022 nine-day gun deer hunting season.
Aaron Rusch of Richfield, Wis. started his hunt bright and early in Washington County. It didn’t take long for him to accomplish something he had never done before.
“Never shot a buck in my life. It only took me 20-plus years,” Rusch said. “It’s nothing special but hey, you gotta get one to get on the board, right?”
For Rusch, moments like that are what make gun deer hunting season special.
“Once you get out in the stand and you hear things ruffling out in the woods and you’re like crap, there’s a deer, and that’s when it gets real and you are able to get your gun up, get one in the sights and it’s good to go,” Rusch said.
Ryan Vogds of Erin, Wis. also quickly hunted his buck of the season.
“It’s always a good time of the year to go out there,” Vogds said. “It’s always nice when the snow is on the ground and when it’s snowing out, it makes for a better hunt. You can see the deer a little bit more clearly. It’s beautiful when you see the deer actually come up through and you could get a shot on it and put it down right away and enjoy the meat later.”
No matter if the hunt was successful or not, Derek Wilcox said deer hunting always builds camaraderie.
“It’s pretty cold out there and it’s cool to get back in the warm and hang out with friends and have a couple beers and just tell stories and hang out with people that you care about,” said Wilcox.
Vogds believes there are more things that the hunting provides as well.
“It’s just fun to get out in the woods and be by yourself and get away from technology for a little while and really enjoy it and just be one with nature and just watch all of the animals running around,” he said. “It’s fun.”
For more about gun deer hunting season in Wisconsin, click here.