LAKE TOMAHAWK - Gun deer hunting is officially over for another year, and some hunters are going home empty-handed.

"The deer ain't there." Tom Schmidt has been hunting for 40 years. This year, he says he didn't have any luck. "I shot a 12-pointer up here once, you know, about 6 years ago. It's kind of bad when you don't see no deer at all."

But that's not the case for the Lake Tomahawk Meat Market, which processes venison. "It's been coming in on a regular basis."

Meat cutter Jon Stefonek says although numbers have been down about 5-10%, business has been good. "It's not significant, we're having a good season."

A steadiness he attributes to his line of work. "As a business, people are going to bring their deer here because that's what we do."

It's a deer Tom Schmidt would have liked to see himself. "Awe, I guess I'll hunt again."

And hope for a big one next year.

Tom says he shot one deer in Waupaca County on opening morning.

He attributes the good luck South of the Northwoods to the larger number of corn fields and fewer wolves.