Deer hunt has deadliest start in years
By Ed Hoskins of the Tribune Staff
The opening days of Wisconsin's gun-deer hunt season were the worst for hunting accidents in more than a decade, the state Department of Natural Resources said Monday.
At least four hunters were killed in accidental shootings - three of them in western Wisconsin - and two men died in other hunting-related incidents. It was the most deaths for the season since 1988.
"It's been a real poor start to the season and I don't know what to attribute it to," said Tom Bokelman, DNR safety warden for the west central region in Eau Claire. "It's just sheer bad luck that the accidents are as severe as this."
Six fatalities were reported, four as a result of accidental shootings in Vernon, Trempealeau, Buffalo and Adams counties, one from a fall from a tree stand in West Salem and one from natural causes in Waupaca County, authorities said.
The La Crosse County Sheriff's Department identified 38-year-old Alan D. Taylor, of West Salem, as Saturday's tree stand fatality. A cause of death will be determined after an autopsy, investigators said.
"He was in the tree stand by himself," Capt. Mike Horstman said. "His brother and father radioed for assistance with a downed deer and he didn't show up. They found him unresponsive at the foot of the tree."
In Buffalo County, a man died Sunday after being shot in the chest by another hunter during a deer drive near Fountain City, Bokelman said. The man was not identified Monday pending notification of relatives, Buffalo County authorities said.
In Trempealeau County, Ryan D. Huiss, 21, of Onalaska, was accidentally shot in the head by his 14-year-old brother Saturday while they were trailing a wounded deer in the town of Ettrick.
In Vernon County, Rick Shore, 56, of rural De Soto, died Saturday after apparently shooting himself while hunting west of Red Mound.
In Adams County, Wayne Blodgett, 76, of Hartford, was killed Saturday by a stray bullet, authorities said.
Though Bokelman did not know the reasons for the fatalities, he said there are three basic rules to helping avoid hunting accidents. Treat every gun as if it is loaded, always point the muzzle in a safe direction and be sure of a target and what is beyond the target.
"If those three rules were followed precisely, we'd eliminate 99 percent of accidents," Bokelman said.
I am having flashbacks to DC Maryland October 2002. People being shot and killed while going about their daily routines.
It was terrifying - could these Hmungs be considered domestic terrorists? Timothy McVeigh was executed.
Sounds like four rules.
The one from Adams Co was reported by WISC TV to have dropped his gun out of the deer stand. They said it went off and killed him. No answer from DNR answerman yet.