The history of Deer & Deer Hunting and its importance to galvanizing hunters and kick-starting the whitetail industry is well documented, with its roots dating back to the 1960s and a group of diehard Wisconsin whitetail hunters. Two of those hunters — Jack Brauer and Al Hofacker — incorporated their group as the Stump Sitters Whitetail Study Group in 1973.
By 1977, the group’s newsletter — aptly called “Deer and Deer Hunting” was released as the first-of-its-kind magazine devoted to diehard whitetail hunters. The thirst for knowledge among local consumers was evident in the fact that more 15,000 people (mostly from Wisconsin, Michigan and Illinois) subscribed within two years.
However, when Publisher Brauer hired a one-person advertising and marketing coordinator in 1980, little did he know he had tapped a 25-year-old game-changer. Her name was Deborah Knauer.
“Debbie had a vision — and a work ethic — like no other,” Brauer said in an interview the early 2000s. “She knew that we had something special here, and she was hell-bent on letting the world know about it.”
He was right. Within just two years, with Knauer pushing the company to expand its national reach, subscriptions doubled to more than 30,000. Readers were flocking to Editor Hofacker’s cutting-edge content.
“Debbie Knauer kept telling me that we really wouldn’t know if the public would accept our magazine unless it was on newsstands,” Brauer said. “So, I went and talked to our local magazine distributor, and worked out an arrangement whereby they would distribute the magazine in the northern half of Wisconsin and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula. If that was successful, then we would try national distribution.”
With interest surging, Knauer’s next push was for national advertising.
“She insisted we attend this thing called SHOT Show,” Brauer recalled, referring to the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Show which debuted in 1979. “We were hesitant. It was a lot of money, and we’d have to travel to St. Louis.
“In hindsight, it was the best thing we ever did. And that was all due to Debbie’s vision.”
D&DH not only attended the SHOT Show as an exhibitor, but it also came armed with support staff — legendary contributor Dr. Leonard Lee Rue helped man the booth, sign autographs and talk deer and deer hunting with manufacturing reps. In the meantime, Knauer canvased the trade show floor armed with her steel-trap memory of D&DH’s reader demographics.
“She knew those numbers backwards and forwards,” Brauer said. “Our average reader was a high-end demographic — guys that were SERIOUS deer hunters and who spent a lot of money on the hobby. Deb knew our readership was something every advertiser would want to reach.”
The hard work and commitment to excellence paid off over the next decade, as the magazine blossomed into a newsstand powerhouse. The years did bring change — the company’s sale to Krause Publications in 1992 and, later, F+W Media. Knauer stepped away in 2000 to pursue other interests, but by then D&DH was a full-on brand, still anchored by the magazine with an ABC-audited circulation of 140,000+ subscribers.
Although print has certainly declined over the years, D&DH still boasts a paid circulation of 96,743 (including digital subscriptions). However, the brand’s digital, social media, TV and podcast reach has grown to something both Knauer and Brauer knew would happen. Today, D&DH’s website attracted 5.95 million visitors; its social media pages are followed by 1.4 million hunters; the Deer Talk Now podcast reaches 2.1 million listeners; and the DDH-TV show attracts 14.8 million viewers, annually.
“So much of this success can be traced back to Debbie’s early work,” said Editor Daniel Schmidt. “But she would have never wanted to take credit for any of it. Like any good boss, coach or mentor, she was quick to deflect credit to her staff. She pushed us — very hard sometimes — not only to be our best, but to be brand ambassadors and consummate professionals.
“She left her fingerprints all over this brand. We owe her a great debt of gratitude.”
After many years of battling health problems, Knauer died July 3, 2025, at the age of 70.
You can read more about her life here: https://www.wichmannfuneralhomes.com/obituaries/deborah-knauer