GREEN BAY -- If the deer herd numbers aren't what some hunters were hoping for this opening weekend, you could've fooled the many meat processing facilities handling hundreds of carcasses as of Monday morning.
At Maplewood Meats, in Howard, dozens of employees are staying busy with the rush of hunters, eager to have the fruits of WI gun deer season's labor processed as quickly as possible.
"We absolutely love processing wild game," says plant manager Brad Van Hemelryk, with a line of hunters behind him. "It's very much rooted as a Wisconsin tradition."
According to employees, chances are slim that anyone bringing in a deer for processing today will see it before Christmas, which many are requesting.
"People are, are trying to--if possible--get theirs back before Christmas," says Van Hemelryk. "We obviously can't guarantee that at the moment," he adds, laughing.
As of noon Monday, the DNR is reporting that 116,000 deer have been harvested so far this season.
But this year, they're staying close to area meat processing facilities for a new reason.
"Right now, that's where the most deer are showing up at one place at one time for us to do our aging sample," says DNR dist. wildlife program manager Jeff Pritzl, "which is an important part of our management."
The high demand is a good sign of stronger herd numbers, says Pritzl, who adds the DNR is monitoring electronic registrations for the first time.
"It's working very smoothly," says Pritzl. "Information is coming in, and based on the number of registrations we got, pretty similar to last year--actually, up a little bit."
Pritzl says the high volume of deer registrations by internet or phone have created a shortage of hunters registering in person.
"It almost feels like a little gap, or a void this year, in terms of that traditional aspect of getting together," says Pritzl, "and I think that will re-evolve one way or another, because that's just culturally part of what we do enjoy."
