SAUK CITY, Wis. -- When it comes to Wisconsin's deer hunting season, tradition is beating out the tough economy.

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Money might be tight, but families are not skipping deer hunting. According to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, license sales are up 5 percent from last year.

License sales aren't the only thing that are up. Seasonal hunting sales normally account for 40 percent of the Wilderness Fish and Game Store's business, but store manager Larry Wipperfurth said sales are up.

"Deer hunting is the only thing in Wisconsin that trumps a Packers game, as a matter of fact. So if guys are a little short on cash, they're still finding the money to get out, get their families together and do some deer hunting this year," Wipperfurth said.

Deer hunting with family is exactly what has brought the Walker family to Sauk City from Georgia. It's 10-year-old Immanuel Walker's first deer hunt in Wisconsin and, with his father, he's continuing a family tradition.

"For us it was always my grandfather. We went for years, and I went when I was their size and it's been something I've kept doing," said father Jerard Walker.

The Walkers, like other customers, are preparing for the weather.

"It's a lot colder," says Immanuel Walker. "I brought four pairs of pants, which I'm probably going have to wear."

Together, families will battle the cold this weekend and make new memories. The nine-day hunt begins before sunrise Saturday.

"We're talking about coming up every year from now on. I've tried to come up the last three or four years, but we just couldn't make it. But hopefully this is going to start a tradition," said Jerard Walker.

The DNR estimates up to 1.7 million deer roam the fields and woods, about the same as a year ago.