Jerry Davis is a retired biology professor who grew up hunting and fishing in Lafayette County and now lives in Iowa County. He writes for several Wisconsin newspapers, including the Wisconsin State Journal, hosts an outdoors radio program and has a weekly outdoors spot on WIBA.
Pastor Randy Larson knows why some pews are empty during gun-deer season. As Pastor of the Faith Evangelical Free Church in Sparta, he isn't bothered by these absences and he doesn't confront these parishioners the next Sunday, either.
"Most of the people who are gone on one of the Sunday's during gun-deer season are so committed throughout the year that it's sort of a given as to why they're gone," Pastor Larson said. "It's fine; it's sort of like a vacation and I don't have a problem with it."
Other pastors Randy Larson knows may use the adage about doing anything on Sunday, saying to their parishioners, "put in a nail on Sunday, pull it out on Monday. Pastor Larson, were he to use a similar adage, would likely say, go to church on Sunday, shoot a bigger buck on Monday.
Pastor Larson also believes people can get close to God when they're outside his church.
"Someone gave me Packers tickets and I noticed those people at the game did more praying than many people do when they're in church," Pastor Larson said. "And I never heard God's name more than when I was at a Packer's game."
Maybe you get the idea Pastor Larson is a deer hunter himself. He is.
"I was out hunting the first weekend and saw this beautiful eight-pointer, had a clear shot at him from about 90 yards away, but he was on a neighbor's property," Pastor Larson said. "God was testing me. I hate it when he tests me like that."
Pastor Larson is still hoping to fill his freezer with venison this year. He has six children at home and they all like venison. Also, he needs some meat for an annual event held in his church each November.
Members of his church put on a wild game feed and deer hunting social before deer season.
"This year we had 500 people attend," Pastor Larson said. "We always worry about having enough food, but it's a God thing and everything is free and we always have just enough."
The Deer Hunters Rendezvous at the Faith Evangelical Free Church in Sparta, as it's called, has free food, seminars, exhibitors with equipment, speakers, wildlife artists and special entertainment from Helmer Ksnootsen, a puppet. No one knows for sure, but those who guess about things like this believe Pastor Larson is the ventriloquist in charge of pulling Helmer's strings.
One man at this year's event mentioned to Pastor Larson that he knew which one was the puppet, but wasn't sure who was the ventriloquist because Pastor Larson laughed at the jokes as much as the audience.
Helmer knows a lot about deer hunting, and life in general, according to his spokesperson.
"Did you know that Helmer and his wife (she doesn't have a name, according to Helmer) wanted a new vehicle to go deer hunting. Helmer wanted a truck and his wife wanted a sports car," Pastor Larson tells his listeners through Helmer. "Helmer finally gave in and asked his wife how fast she wanted the sports car to go. His wife said zero to 200 in four seconds, so Helmer purchased a scale for their bathroom.
Helmer only makes appearances at special events, like the Deer Hunters Rendezvous. He never attends Pastor Larson's Sunday sermons.
"I want to keep my job. If Helmer came to church, I probably would lose the position," he said.
It might seem that church and deer hunting are on the opposite ends of a spectrum, but they aren't in Pastor Larson's mind. Not with his six children at home and he believes a good laugh helps life run more smoothly.
Deer hunting, unless one gets too serious about it, provides plenty of laughs.