Chad Denowski and his father Dave Denowski each shot 10-point bucks on opening weekend in Marinette County, November 20, 2023 PC: Fox 11 Online
MARINETTE COUNTY, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — Opening weekend for Deer Hunt 2023 is in the books.
Hunters say conditions have been relatively mild.
“The weather is good. It’s been crispy in the morning. Afternoons have been warm, but the morning hunt has been pretty solid,” said Adam McCauley, Marinette.
Experts from the Department of Natural Resources says hunters typically harvest a lot of deer on Saturday and Sunday.
Some hunters are finding success.
Hunters dressed in blaze orange dot the horizon at the edge of this field east of Lena in Oconto County. Just to the north, Adam McCauley says he filled his tag by bagging this eight-point buck on Saturday morning.
“He came chasing a doe, and ran through some brush, and caught one of my shooting lanes, and that was the end of it,” he said.
McCauley brought his deer to Pelkin’s Smokey Meat Market in Crivitz Monday morning. When it comes to sitting in the woods, he says temperatures have been around the freezing mark.
“I didn’t hunt yesterday. I hunted this morning. I saw about 10 does, and some turkeys. That was about it this morning,” said McCauley.
A few minutes later, Chad Denowski and his father Dave Denowski are causing some to do a double-take.
“It was opening day around 4:00. Actually it was 3:30, give or take. And it was chasing a doe. And a 100-yard shot took him,” said Chad Denowski, Town of Beaver.
Dave Denowski shot his deer the following day.
“It was about 4:00. And first a spike-horn come out, and then a little while later, a couple of does, and then this one come out,” said Dave Denowski, Town of Beaver.
Two bucks together. Which one is bigger?
“Pretty much the same, I think,” he said.
The two bucks were determined to be 10 points each. The Denowskis say the venison is heading to the deer donation program. Adam McCauley says he plans to turn his buck into steaks, roasts, and hamburger. He says it’s all part of a time-honored family practice.
“It’s a good pastime. Been doing it with my dad since I was a kid, and keep the tradition going,” he said.
It costs $130 to process venison at Pelkin’s Smokey Meat Market in Crivitz.
Store officials say it can take anywhere from two weeks, to a couple of months, to complete the orders.
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