Getting equipped for opening day of firearm deer season

ISHPEMING — It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas outside, but a lot of Upper Peninsula residents and visitors are breaking out the hunter’s orange rather than the red and green.

Firearm deer season begins Saturday, and shops like Wilderness Sports in Ishpeming are helping hunters get prepared to bag the big buck. Seasoned hunters and first-timers alike have new options every year for supplies that might help in the hunt.

“There’s always new products as far as cover scents,” said Wilderness Sports Sales Associate Todd Kauppinen. “Scent eliminating products are always changing and evolving to better conceal the hunter.”

Items like toe warmers and certain types of ammunition may be hard to come by this time of year, so hunters should check early if they need those products. Safety gear such as matches, first aid products, and even two-way radios for areas with low cell reception are also recommended for those heading out into the woods.

“With all the snow that we’ve gotten, I would say it’s more crucial now than ever to make sure that people have maybe some extra survival type of products, so if they did get stuck out in the woods or in their deer blind or needed help, that they would have the ability to keep themselves safe until somebody could get there to help them,” added Kauppinen.

Wilderness Sports will be open on opening day for any last minute hunting needs.