Tuesday night—well, Wednesday morning, to be exact—Tony Evers narrowly defeated Scott Walker to become the next governor of Wisconsin. Evers’ advantage currently stands at a little more than 1 percent—not slim enough to trigger a recall, but still incredibly close. Walker has yet to concede, though he did tweet a Bible verse conceded Wednesday afternoon.
Anyway, no matter your political leanings, no matter your feelings of joy or dread, the still-divided state of Wisconsin must come together for one thing: telling Governor-Elect Evers to make his own “Welcome to deer season” videos.
If you’re not familiar with this time-honored tradition celebrating Wisconsin’s annual gun deer season, here’s Walker’s video message from 2017. These digital well-wishes go back to at least 2013, though many have disappeared from YouTube since we ranked them last year:
And here’s one from 2015, featuring the former (and Walker-appointed) Wisconsin Department of National Resources secretary Cathy Stepp:
Imagine, if you will, Tony Evers standing in the woods, decked out in suspiciously pristine blaze orange, yukking it up with someone from the DNR. (Evers has said he would give the power to appoint the DNR secretary back to the Natural Resources Board.) Imagine him wishing Wisconsin hunters good luck as they take to the woods in search of an elusive turdy-point buck (or an antlerless deer, if they’re in the right zone). Imagine the delicious awkwardness. The mind reels.
The 2018 gun deer season kicks off November 17, so Evers obviously won’t be picking out an outfit at Cabela’s and/or Fleet Farm anytime soon. (Evers and soon-to-be Lieutenant Governor Mandela Barnes won’t be sworn in until January.) Still, fall 2019 looms, and it’s never too early to stock up on insulated socks, a trusty blaze orange “heat seat,” and those little hand warmers you stick inside your gloves.
In the meantime, good luck and safe hunting, Wisconsin! And hit us up for a surefire way to come out ahead in northern Wisconsin pull-tabs. Last year we cleared almost $300.