<P> In the small working class town of Clairton , Pennsylvania , in late 1967 , steel workers Mike Vronsky , Steven Pushkov , and Nick Chevotarevich , with the support of their friends and co-workers Stan and Peter `` Axel '' Axelrod and local bar owner and friend John Welsh , prepare for two rites of passage : marriage and military service . Mike is a serious but unassuming leader ; Steven the groom - to - be , pecked - at by his mother ; and Nick the introspective man who loves deer hunting . </P>
what year is the deer hunter set in
1967