Demmith Hunter's & Fisherman's Tavern

*** To the melody of the Cheers theme song ***

Baiting for fish in the world today to make sure they get caught.
Hiding indoors from all the flurries, a rabbit in your pot.

Why don't you call in sick today?

Sometimes you want to go...

Where everybody knows their game,
and their tales are all the same.
You wanna be where you can plea,
"Bartender please, who's that dame?"
You wanna be where everybody knows
their game.

You wanna drink with bucks and does,
mammals mounted in a frame,
You wanna be where everybody knows
their game.

***

Of course, I'm not singing about that famous pretend bar in Boston. I'm talking about the one and only REAL Demmith's Hunter's and Fisherman's Tavern in Lena, Wisconsin.

Even though Russ Demmith has owned The Hunter's and Fisherman's Tavern since the early 2000s (Russ is a fine, friendly proprietor), growing up about 6 miles away as a youth, I always knew this establishment as Kinziger's. John Kinziger's hobby as a young man was taxidermy and throughout his life he stuffed everything.

Let me repeat: He. Stuffed. Everything.

The Hunter's and Fisherman's Tavern was a menagerie of Mr. Kinziger's life's work. When I first used to frequent the tavern, I don't think it was possible to see the walls or ceiling there were so many animals. Canadian geese flew overhead, bear cubs climbed a tree in the corner, ruffed grouse pecked away at a corn cob on a counter top and as many as 65 deer heads clung to the walls.

Yes... 65!

And no visitor back in the 80s and 90s could ever forget the giant hammerhead shark that hung near the doorway. The Hammerhead shark -- an indigenous species to the lakes of the northwoods. I say that only partly facetiously, because nobody ever REALLY knew what creatures inhabited the unknown depths of nearby Porcupine Lake. ;)

When Mr. Demmith took over, he had a monumental task ahead of him. For as unique and cool as Kinziger's was, if you looked a little deeper you could see that the taxidermy was in poor shape. The once white underbellies of the Canadian geese was now a nicotine-stained brown. A gentle touch to a beaver pelt caused a clump of fur to fall out. One of a pair of glass eyeballs went rogue on a few of the critters. I'm sure just walking in the place made a state health inspector's pen run dry.

Russ did a heck of job. Gone are probably at least 75% of the animals--he kept the best 25%--and the place was deeply cleaned and updated. And despite the huge reduction of inventory, The Hunter's and Fisherman's tavern retains that up-north feel and still has enough stuffed game to give those with taxidermy phobia (my sister!) sleepless nights.

I'm fortunate. I get to visit Oconto County and Lena a few times a year. I don't always have time to go out when I'm there, but when I do, I go to Demmith's Hunter's and Fisherman's Tavern.

P.S. -- This is my 100th Yelp review. As I've approached this milestone, I've wondered, "What Wisconsin establishment should put me into triple digits?" I can think of few places I've enjoyed longer than The Hunter's and Fisherman's Tavern, so a review for this legendary establishment seems appropriate. Furthermore, despite being in business for nearly 70 years, I've noticed this will be The Hunter's and Fisherman's Tavern's FIRST yelp review. I'm honored to be the one to write it for them.