‘Kickoff for the holiday season:’ Butchers get prepped for 9-day gun deer hunt

MILWAUKEE -- Wisconsin's 2018 gun deer season officially kicks off Saturday, Nov. 17 and runs through Nov. 25. This year, FOX6 News spoke with some hunters who say they're trading their rifles in for butcher knives.

"There's a lot of them that would like to get off and go but we all understand," said Jeff Zupan, hunter.

Inside the walls of Bunzel's Old Fashioned Meat Market, deer hunting season means a lot.

"This is kind of the kickoff for the holiday season for us," said Jay Douglas, Bunzel's Old Fashioned Meat Market.

Bunzel's Old Fashioned Meat Market

It's the season of the holidays and the hunt. Jay Douglas, who manages the meat department, says deer season is their Super Bowl.

"Some of our crew is down there right now actually cutting up deer, and they have been for about a week now," said Douglas.

Jay Douglas

The work at Bunzel's Old Fashioned Meat Market is important because when hunters leave the woods and come home with their bucks and does, they need to be processed before eating.

"Some of these families look forward to this type of food for a whole year. They save up, they save their vacation time to go hunting," said Vincent Cianciolo, deer store manager.

Processing the reward of a hunt, the guys at Bunzel's claim to do it best.

Bunzel's Old Fashioned Meat Market

Bunzel's Old Fashioned Meat Market

"That's what makes it fun, you get a lot of different personalities that come in," said Douglas.

While they miss being outdoors, they happily continue to swap stories with those who get to.

"They're excited. They'll stand there and talk to you about it for an hour if you let them," said Douglas.

It's worth mentioning that deer season has open for awhile. However, this weekend hunters are permitted to use guns. The state’s nine-day gun deer hunt begins a half-hour before sunrise Saturday, running through Nov. 25. CLICK HERE for the full schedule and more details.

Bunzel's Old Fashioned Meat Market