Deer registration station: A day in the life

ASKEATON - Deer registration stations say they've kept busy this first weekend of the 2012 gun deer hunt.

After bagging a buck early Sunday morning, Joel Koerth stopped off at this deer registration station in Askeaton.

“First deer of the season. First deer I saw all season. This is the first antlered buck I've shot since high school,” said Koerth.

"Being in the right place at the right time is what it amounts to,” he continued. "Rocky Top's always been where we register our deer, and there's always neighbors that are here, friends. It's good camaraderie."

Owners of the Rocky Top bar said besides the deer tagging and the bragging, hunting season brings in business, while brining local folks together.

"We got the buck board and we have a big buck contest,” said owner Connie Leon, showing off the display on the wall.

"We take the deer through the whole archery season and then after the nine-day gun season. It's pretty amazing,” said Leon.

The Rocky Top puts out food for the hunters, and many people bring their own dish to pass. It turns into a sort of pot luck, a family reunion of the hunting community.

"It's just a time to get together. It's families, friends, aunts, uncles, brothers, sisters. It's just a big family thing up here, it always has been,” said Leon.

The owner rolls out the hospitality—even though she’s more of a self-described animal lover than a hunter.

"I've gotten used to it, it's not so bad. My friends here, they're in mourning,” she laughed, pointing out the mounted deer heads on the wall, shrouded in black veils.

In a way, registration stations like Rocky Top are Wisconsin's version of the popular TV show Cheers: Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name, and can weigh your freshly-shot buck.

"It's fun, it's crazy, it's a lot of hard work, but a lot of good people. It’s a good weekend,” said Leon.

That particular registration station in Askeaton says it seems to have seen more bucks so far this year than does.