OCONTO COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) – Sunday was the last day of the gun deer hunt season.
Many businesses in Oconto County saw a lot of foot traffic.
Restaurants like JoJo’s Diner can always expect to be a little bit busier around the nine day gun deer hunt season, although workers at the diner say they did not see an increase in hunters coming in from past years.
“We always have a lot of business, but having the hunters up here obviously brings in more business, and they’re in a hurry, they come in, they want their food and they get out,” says Hostess at JoJo’s Diner Deb Barlament.
According to the DNR, license sales have been decreasing slightly for more than 20 years, but Baralament says the season still went well for the diner.
The owner of McGuire’s Sports Bar and Restaurant, Mike Diehlmann agrees.
“The build up on Thursday, Friday, Saturday Sunday is huge. The weekdays dropped off a little bit, but it got really good again Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday.”
Diehlmann tells FOX 11 there is no doubt that the hunters give his business a boost, during the season.
“I would say it’s the busiest time of the year for the whole week.”
Restaurants in the area do have to prepare ahead of time for the increase in foot traffic.
“As far as the food, obviously we order extra food to account for that as well,” says Barlament.
“Increase inventory,” says Diehlmann.
But it’s also a good time. Barlament tells FOX 11 she enjoys seeing the hunters from around Wisconsin, neighboring states, and beyond.
“They come from all over, they come from Illinois, they come from Michigan, sometimes we’ll get people from Florida or Arizona. It’s fun, it really is, because they don’t hesitate to share where they’re from or what they think of the weather.”
Both Diehlmann and Baralament say although they enjoy the season, they are ready for a break when it’s over.
“A week is more than enough… it’s kind of hard on people’s livers really,” says Diehlmann.
Later this week, the DNR will report final harvest numbers from the season.
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