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If you’ve walked down any local beer aisle recently you might have noticed that a few of the domestic beer companies are dressing their 30-packs of cheap booze in camouflage just in time for deer hunting season.

While the connection between beer and deer hunting is vague and possibly dangerous, these companies are attempting to tap in to the ever-growing hunting industry. According to the US Census Bureau, hunting is a $450 million per year industry in the US. Due to its vast deer population, Illinois has gained a reputation for some of the best deer hunting in the country.

This year marks the 50th anniversary of the resumption of deer hunting in Illinois. Deer hunting was banned by the state in 1901 in an effort to grow the dwindling deer population in Illinois, and then legalized in 1957. Since then the population has skyrocketed due to high birth rates among deer.

This population growth is good news for deer hunters like Doug Buchanan, an auto mechanic for the City of Urbana. Amid the homey knick-knacks of Buchanan’s Urbana home hang four deer heads mounted on the walls of the living room, the largest of which is an 11-point buck with a strong, thick, neck and glassy eyes.

Buchanan says he has seen the deer population grow dramatically since he began hunting 25 years ago, and describes the animals as “prolific breeders.” When he started hunting he was happy to see even one deer on a hunting trip, but now he is disappointed if he doesn’t see one every day he goes out.

In recent years the number of deer-related car accidents has increased with the deer population. According to the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety, 1.5 million deer-motor vehicle collisions occur annually, resulting in about 150 occupant deaths and more than $1 billion in vehicle damage.

According to Chris McCloud, Illinois Department of Natural Resources (IDNR) communications manager, deer hunters are serving the public by controlling the population. The deer population in Illinois is currently around 800,000, where it has hovered for the past five years, and nearly 200,000 deer were harvested during the 2006-2007 seasons.

“Hunters are our main source in controlling the deer population,” says McCloud.

In recent years the state has increased the number of hunting permits, and for the 2007-2008 season 378, 000 shotgun deer hunting permits were issued in Illinois. To obtain one of these permits hunters can apply for them online at the IDNR Web site.

Buchanan says he fits the description of a typical hunter, but that there are people from all walks of life that are hunting deer.

A deer hunter is an average working guy, says Buchanan. “But there are guys that work in offices and wear suits that do it too.”

There are four basic legal methods of hunting deer in Illinois: shotgun, muzzleloader, pistol and bow. Though shotgun hunting is by far the most popular, Buchanan says he is primarily a bow hunter.

Bow hunters generally climb 15-20 feet up into a tree and stand on what is known as a “tree stand” while waiting for a deer. They take with them a bow, modeled after bows used by Native Americans, but with modern features that increase ease and accuracy. These bows, along with arrows and the necessary equipment, can cost up to $1,000. Dressed head to toe in camouflage (orange vests and hats are only required during shotgun season), they generally go out for three to five hours at a time, during both the evening and early morning. Buchanan says sometimes he will wait for long periods of time before seeing a deer.

“When you sit in a tree stand for three or four hours you do a lot of thinking,” says Buchanan. “It’s really peaceful.”

Hunters might be equipped with doe, or female deer, urine to sprinkle around the base of the tree to attract the bucks. Buchanan says he hasn’t been lucky using doe urine, but instead brings along a pair of synthetic deer antlers and a horn that makes deer noises. Buchanan says using these tools can help keep his attention.

“Sometimes it’s just because I’m bored and I don’t have anything else to do,” he says, laughing.

“When you first start hunting all you want to do is be able to kill the deer,” says Buchanan. “As an average person, you don’t get to see that deer as naturally as what I do. It’s not nearly as important to me to kill a deer. Lots of times … I’ve just sat there and watched.”

Buchanan says hunters are there to kill deer to eat, not to wound them, and he stresses accuracy when hunting.

“That’s very important to me, to not wound animals,” he says. “It’s easier to make a bad shot with a bow. That’s why it’s important to practice.”

Bow hunters aim to hit deer in either the heart or the lungs. When deer are hit with an arrow they will often run from the scene. Hunters allow the deer to go die and then follow a blood trail to find them. They gut them there in the woods to allow other animals in that habitat, primarily coyotes, to feed on their remains.

Buchanan then takes the deer home and butchers it.

After cleaning and butchering the animal, Buchanan, his wife, and their son and daughter will eat the meat as part of their regular diet. Buchanan’s son, Jake, is also a deer hunter.

“I enjoy doing it that way as opposed to going to the grocery store and picking out some meat at the meat counter,” says Buchanan.

According to NutritionData.com, deer meat, or venison, is low in fat and is a very good source of protein, niacin, vitamin B6 and vitamin B12. A one-inch-thick venison steak contains only 81 calories and 1 gram of fat. Since deer are found in the wild, they don’t contain the hormones found in animals that are raised for human consumption.

Buchanan says that on average he will harvest two deer per year. He is continually thinking of new ways of eating the meat.

“It’s a richer meat,” he says. “I don’t really taste a lot of difference between it and beef.”

He usually makes jerky, meat sticks (think Slim Jim), burgers, stew, summer sausage and countless other dishes from venison. This year Buchanan will experiment with Cajun seasonings.

For the last 15 years, Buchanan and a group of fellow hunters have been going to the Shawnee National Forest in Southern Illinois on a 10-day camping and hunting trip. Between hunting sessions the men look for better hunting spots, eat hearty meals, and drink an occasional beer. It’s not the camo beer, though. They prefer Bud Lite.