Businesses fare differently in '09 hunt

A boost in sales is what many businesses up north look forward to during the gun deer season.

But the ‘09 hunt has not been so predictable for some.

“It's not anything like it used to be. It's quiet,” said Nora Swanson, a manager at Trackside Bar in Crivitz.

It's usually much more crowded at the tavern this time of year.

“Usually it's the time of year we look forward to yes, but not this year. It's just down, the economy is down, and people are down,” said Swanson.

Instead of spending dough here, Swanson says hunters are targeting their camps to save a buck.

“They'll stop in and maybe have a pizza or a sandwich or maybe a beverage and they'll go - we'll see you later, we're going to the cabin, where before they'd spend the whole afternoon with you,” said Swanson.

But at this Stiles Junction eatery it's a different story as the hunt winds down.

“We did notice our lunches picked up a lot,” said owner Jolene Barlament.

Barlament opened JoJo's Diner last May. She says hunters brought a boost in business during the hunt.

“Weekend traffic helped out a lot. Since we're right off the highway a lot of people stopped in the morning before they went out. Or on the weekend before, like Thursday and Friday before the weekend, to get up ready for their cabins and stuff,” said Barlament.

While some hunters we spoke with say they save up so they can spend freely during the season, others like Stephen Ruch are spending those savings carefully.

“Try to stick around camp and we go out every now and then maybe a couple days a week, but normally we would go out just about every night so,” said Ruch.

Ruch and other hunters picking up items at Northwoods Sporting Goods in Lena are bringing in a good amount of business according to owner Don Bader.

But he's noticed spending is dropping in some areas of the store.

“It seems like some of the higher end products are maybe slowing down a little bit and they're taking the guns that are a little lesser price, but they're still spending on stuff, ammo and everything still goes,” said Bader.

The hunt wraps up Sunday... And while disappointing for some who hoped for more sales, Swanson said, “we can cross our fingers and hope that things are going to change around in the next year.”