Scott Williams swilliams@wolfrivermedia.com
Leader Photo by Scott Williams Lily Krueger, 5, of Cecil, gets ready to try her luck on the archery range Tuesday night at Buck Fever Night in Shawano.
Deer hunting season is just around the corner, and Shawano County has got the fever again.
Buck Fever Night, a community tradition going back some 40 years, brought out an enthusiastic crowd Tuesday night of hunters and non-hunters alike.
Despite rainy conditions outside, the crowd inside the Shawano County Highway Department garage was filled with anticipation that another hunt is nearly here.
Wisconsin’s nine-day gun deer season kicks off Saturday.
“It’s just before deer hunting, and everybody’s getting excited,” said Corny Schmidt, past president of Wisconsin Deer Hunters Inc. Woodland chapter.
The three-hour event Tuesday night featured raffles, food, exhibitions and more, with vendors showcasing the latest in hunting gear and accessories.
Doug Clark, chairman of the Shawano County 4-H Shooting Sports organization, said he has been attending Buck Fever Night since childhood, and he looks forward every year to reconnecting with old friends.
“You get to see your friends, your neighbors,” he said. “And you’re all here for the same thing.”
The shooting sports organization offered an indoor shooting gallery Tuesday where kids or adults could aim at moving targets with air rifles.
Organized by the Shawano County Conservation Association, the free Buck Fever Night event has been held since the 1970s on the Tuesday prior to opening weekend of the gun deer season.
Jim Schweitzer, owner of the South Forty feed store in Shawano, displayed the latest in deer food products suitable for luring bucks into range — a practice that is regulated but legal in many areas. Schweitzer said he enjoys Buck Fever Night because it allows him to mingle with customers both old and new.
“It’s good to get the people out,” he said.
Dean Krueger, owner of Krueger Taxidermy in Cecil, sparked hunters’ imaginations by showing them a variety of methods in which their prized trophies could be mounted and presented at home. Krueger said he gets caught up in the excitement of Shawano’s pre-season event as much as anyone else.
“It’s all good. It’s all fun,” he said.
Other attractions included an archery range, a meat raffle, gun safety education, ATV sales, deer processing, wood carving and law enforcement exhibitions.
Clark said the event has become a community tradition on par with the Shawano County Fair. And it attracts a crowd that goes beyond just hunters.
“All you have to do is enjoy the outdoors,” he said. “I wouldn’t trade it for the world.”