With the start of gun deer season fast approaching, avid hunters are gearing up.
"I've been up north the last couple weekends getting the stands prepared so we're ready to go," said longtime deer hunter Bob Robinson.
From scent killer to blaze orange, Blain's Farm and Fleet in Sturtevant says people have been stocking up for the past couple of weeks.
"Just looking forward to getting away from work and spending time with family and friends," said Robinson as he picked up a few last-minute items.
Wayne Ramcheck started hunting before he was a teenager. One of his proudest moments was when he bagged an elk last year.
Now he is counting down to his last shift at Blain's before the gun deer season opens Saturday.
"I love hunting, it's part of my passion. I've been hunting since I was 12 years old," said Ramcheck. "I just enjoy being out in the woods."
He has stayed busy making sure all of his gear is in good working order.
Making sure you have all the gear you need is just one part of a successful gun deer season. Staying safe is crucial.
"Never get relaxed on safety because that's the one thing that can wreck your hunt," said Mike Hirschboeck, conservation warden with Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
Wisconsin's DNR reminds people to handle every firearm as if it's loaded, make yourself visible even if you're not engaged in the hunt, and to use tree stands safely.
"Always stay tethered in. We have people fall from tree stands more often than what we think," said Hirschboeck.
Ramcheck doesn't cut corners when it comes to safety. He says he even stopped hunting with a few people because of safety reasons.
Ramchek says things can go bad pretty quickly if you don't make safety a priority.
"There's actually been guys that got so excited they shot a buck they forgot they were on the tree stand, and they walked right off of it. They always got to be careful," said Ramchek.
The gun deer season begins early Saturday, November 23 and runs through December 1.
