High hopes for hunting season

Hundreds of hunters came out to the Stadium View Sports Bar in Ashwaubenon Wednesday night for Buck Fever Night. The focus for many people, like Lorne Bries, is on how this year's hunt will go.

"I pulled a doe bow hunting but I'm not really sure," Bries said. "I haven't seen any big bucks."

This is also a big night for the Hunt for the Hungry program. Lee Dudek is hoping to raise awareness of the program. He's also hoping for a much better year than last year.

Last year, 451,885 deer were killed by hunters. That was down 13% from 2007. Hunters donated 1,375 deer to Hunt for the Hungry. That was down 36% from 2007.

"We're really asking hunters this year to make that sacrifice and maybe give away that deer that they would normally keep," Dudek said.

Some people say there could not be a worse time for deer donations to be down. That's because the need is up.

"There's more of a need in this area than I've ever seen before," said Angie Allard, general manager of Paul's Pantry in Green Bay. She said the number of family visits to the pantry is up 13 percent from last year. Venison, she said, is a popular item that fills a need.

"It helps a lot," Allard said. "Even though we run low it still means a lot to the people. It gives them more food on their tables."

While fewer deer are finding their way to the pantry, Dudek said he believes many deer are still going to people in need.

"I think a lot of deer are being given away by hunters to people they know," Dudek said. "They may not make it into our program but that's okay. If they give them away to the guy down the road who might have lost his job or a family member, as long as people go out and hunt with the spirit of donating a deer in mind, that's all we're asking for."

Dudek hopes this year will be a successful hunt for everyone, whether they hunt or not.