DOOR COUNTY (NBC 26) — If you missed a deer in one of the earlier hunts this year or if you just need more meat for the winter, there's one last hunt before the year ends.
"In certain areas there's lots of deer, and hence why the holiday hunt is going on and T-zone hunts. They want some of these animals taken out of the herd," said Lance Lavine, the owner of Howie's Bait and Tackle.
The regular gun deer season ended on December 1, but that doesn't mean hunters can hang up their camo for the year just yet. In Door County and many other counties across Wisconsin, the DNR's Holiday Hunt is now underway.
"They do it in different, it's different by different regions," said Eric Hyde, the Superintendent of Peninsula State Park.
The Holiday Hunt allows hunting with all weapon types.
Watch: DNR holiday deer hunt underway in Door County:
"It's something the DNR's been doing for a few years," Hyde said.
The DNR's hunting regulations state that if you are participating in the Holiday Hunt, the only type of deer that may be harvested are antlerless.
"It's just another opportunity for antlerless hunting here in Wisconsin," Hyde said.
At Howie's Bait and Tackle in Sturgeon Bay, they saw an influx of hunters during early hunting seasons.
"We sell a lot of vertical bows, and then getting closer to the season, even when the season starts, we move into crossbows. A lot of people wait till the last minute and purchase crossbows," Lavine said.
After the regular gun hunting season, Lavine says many are unsure about hunting in the Holiday Hunt.
"The problem is the later in January you go, if you're a buck hunter, these bucks lose their antlers so you don't know really what you're shooting," Lavine said.
For hunters like him, they put away their gear after the regular hunting season is over.
"A lot of people will just stop hunting 'cause they don't wanna shoot one of their bucks that they want to hunt for the following year. So it gets a little bit difficult," Lavine said.
For rules and regulation about the DNR's Holiday Hunt, make sure to check out the DNR's website.
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