Background of the Wisconsin shooting area

I was born within 50 miles of the shooting area. I will refer to this area as the "North Woods" as it is common among the local population. I grew up there, and spent my youth roaming the woods and rivers. I became an accomplished woodsman, hunter and trapper. I financed a significant fraction of my college education with the proceeds from the trap line. I was a game warden in Wisconsin for a short time early in my career.

Much of the information that I recently read about the area is speculation and prejudice, based on little or no personal experience. I have kept in touch with the area during my career and maintain close ties with family and friends. I feel fortunate to report that none of my relatives or friends was immediately involved in the shooting itself. I would not be surprised if peripheral connections are discovered in the course of the next few weeks. What follows are my personal opinions and observations formed over the last half century.

Northern Wisconsin has a culture that has formed primarily during the last 120 years. A look at the lives of some of the early settlers can be found in Laura Ingles Wilder's famous "Little House in the Big Woods". Prior to 1880, most of Northern Wisconsin was covered in "Virgin" pine forest that had grown up since the end of the Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. After the Civil War, increasing interest in the lumber potential of the area resulted in the harvest of nearly all of the forests by 1920. The cleared land was sold to farmers of primarily German, Scandinavian, and eastern European extraction, who found the area flora, fauna, and climate similar to that of their ancestral lands. Their populations vastly surpassed the remnant of the Chippewa and Ojibwa and other tribes, who had displaced earlier groups of Indians.

The glacial till that covers the area has only small pockets of fertile land. Most of the land is suitable only for growing poplar, white pine, Norway pine, jack pine, and various hardwoods, while tag alder swamps, lakes and streams, cover considerable area. The primary industries are dairy farming, lumbering, and tourism. The area is famous for its hunting and fishing. Since World War II, much of the marginal farmland has been abandoned, with vast forests once again covering much more area than cultivated land. More than half is public land, owned by various government entities. County forest cropland, National forests, and Indian reservations cover significant areas of the North Woods.

The dominant culture in the area is this mix of self-reliant farmers, small businessmen, lumbermen, and resort holders, with a small minority of Indian tribes remaining on the reservations. Considerable numbers of Indians have integrated with the more recent immigrant populations. This culture is extremely law abiding. Murder is especially rare, with most cases confined to the Indian reservations, where alcoholism is rampant. Some proto gang activity apparently aimed at taking control of Tribal casinos has resulted in an increased murder rate in the last decade. Remove the tribal component, and the murder rate for the area falls well below that of Canada. The people in the area are reliable red county folk, with the Indian reservations forming the rare rural blue county.

There is however, an underlying sympathy for socialism, transplanted to the area with 1900's German and Scandinavian culture. For example, my family was intimately involved in the formation and sustenance of a rural farm cooperative to supply needs not provided by the early local merchants.

People are, in large majorities, church going Catholics, Lutherans, and Baptists. Nearly everyone is familiar with and trained in the safe operation of firearms. Open carry of firearms is legal, but not common when not hunting, although a burgeoning black bear population has increased the number of individuals who routinely carry guns when out in the woods. An amendment to the state Constitution, passed in 1998, enshrined this familiarity in a state right to keep and bear arms for self-defense, security, hunting, recreation or any other legal activity. However, a statue in effect before the amendment passed prohibits carry of loaded firearms in a vehicle, and has not yet been repealed or tested in the state Supreme Court. This prohibition has made the regular open carry of firearms for security or defense too inconvenient and unsafe for most people. The constant loading and unloading of firearms every time one enters or leaves a vehicle is judged by many to create more security problems than it solves, when the extremely low crime rate is considered.

Most people are strongly patriotic. Careers in the military are respected, as is service in the National Guard. The National Guard in the area has received awards and national recognition. My next-door neighbor was an officer in the Guard who rose to become the Commander of the State National Guard.

Deer hunting is the area sport, surpassing all others. I believe that more people participate in deer hunting than are football fans. Arrangements are made for children to take off from school during the traditional nine-day deer season, which always starts the weekend before Thanksgiving. Junior High and High schools take on a deserted appearance at this time. A vast lore of deer hunting traditions and stories form part of the popular culture. Going deer hunting is a rite of passage for young people. During the last two decades, there has been a considerable increase in the number of women and girls joining the hunt. My sister in law and niece have both shot many deer, and in the last three years each has shot a black bear.

Hunting parties hunt in familiar territories. After a decade of two, territories become as well known as an urban neighborhood. The phrase "move down along the swamp to the end of the pine plantation has as much meaning and precision as "driving down Fifth Avenue to Joe's Deli". Territories often overlap and tend to cover both public and non-posted private land, usually by tradition and permission. Neighbors often exchange hunting privileges, sometimes with pertinent information, such as " sure, you can do a deer drive, but watch out for the horses" or " there's been a big buck hanging out around the field down by the river. Larsen's gang saw him the other day, but he was too quick for them to get a shot off".

Hunting with a handgun is legal, but the firearm of choice is the rifle. Only expert shots and hunters use handguns as a handicap in order to introduce a greater challenge to the hunt. Calibers used to hunt deer are limited to those fired in center fire rifles. As most handgun calibers are available in center fire rifles, this does little to limit the choice of handguns, however the barrel length for hunting deer must be at least 5 inches. There is no magazine limitation for hunting rifles or pistols. If a shotgun is to be used, it must be at least 20 gauge, and must be used to fire a single projectile per shot. Buckshot, despite the name, is not legal for hunting deer. Hunters are required to wear at least 50% blaze orange clothing, and a back tag (a little smaller than a license plate) with an identifying number.

During the last decade, a combination of mild winters and the sustainable harvest of softwoods have resulted in an enormous deer herd. The herd is so large that not enough hunters can be found to reduce the herd to sustainable numbers. As a consequence the bag limits are generous. In some management areas, an antler less deer must be harvested before the hunter can legally take an antlered buck. Additional permits are available at $12 each. There is no longer any reason to poach deer, as people can legally harvest more than they can eat during the year. When I was growing up, giving a deer quarter to a family was a sign of generosity. Today, it can be difficult to give away a deer, as few people seem willing to process the meat themselves. It is a prosperous land, and the people have no shortage of good food.

Despite the large numbers of hunters and deer; the requirement to wear blaze orange, increased firearms safety training, and improved firearms technology have reduced the number of fatal firearm accidents enormously during the last decades. Now fatal accidents are rare, though not unknown. Hunting is far safer than baseball or other sports. Violence involved with hunting is almost unheard of. Other than the murder of a game warden about 20 years ago, I cannot recall another single intentional homicide resulting from a hunting situation. Compared to national averages, the area has an extremely low crime rate. Like Switzerland, it boasts both a strong tradition of firearms use and an extremely high proportion of firearms ownership. I am not surprised that no one shot back at this assailant. The event is so rare as to be far outside normal experience. No one shoots another person deliberately in deer season! The occasional fatal accident provided all the necessary cover for the shooter, as others drawn to the scene were almost certain to believe that a terrible accident had occurred. I suspect that even those who were shot did not realize that they had been shot deliberately for some time.

There is little racial or ethnic tension in the area. I was raised to be tolerant of others, and tolerance in the area has increased over the past decades. I have two cousins that are half Indian, and another who married a very beautiful young woman of Vietnamese ancestry. I do not know if she is Hmong. I have never asked. The highest tension came with court decisions in the 1980's to enforce tribal hunting rights in existing treaties with the tribes. There was considerable talk about the pending destruction of the deer herd. The burgeoning deer herd and generally increasing game populations have removed that source of tension. No one was ever shot, the talk died down, and I have not heard the subject discussed for more than a decade.

Taverns are common, with beer a popular beverage. Outside of the Indian reservations, none of the counties are "dry". While many hunters drink during deer season, it has been my experience that most drinking occurs at night, after the day's hunt is done. Drinking inhibits sharp senses, fast reflexes, and good judgment. All of these are desirable while hunting. Alcohol is also a diuretic. When you are wrapped in multiple layers of clothing for warmth, urinating can involve some time, effort, and discomfort!

The people of the area are resourceful, hard working, well educated, friendly, and community oriented. The limited number of high paying jobs means that many young people leave the area to seek their fortunes elsewhere. I did so, and never felt handicapped by my upbringing, values, or education. Instead, I felt privileged. I often pitied urban dwellers for their poor, deprived existences. Now, I realize that many of them pitied me!

While this has been an exceedingly long vanity, I hope that it has been some help as background to the recent shooting. I only hope that time will shed more light on this perplexing and shocking event.

That is an excellent background article. It is much the same here in Pennsylvania. Schools will be closed on Monday, the first day of deer season. Families are already traveling up to their cabins for several days of comradeship and enjoyment of Penn's Woods.

Our hunters are well-trained from youth and are generally very careful and considerate.

It is the "visitors" from other states who sometimes create problems.

The last murder I can recall during deer season was when a man trespassed on a judge's property. When the judge asked him to leave, the "hunter" shot him dead in cold blood. That was about 25 years ago.

The mainstream media trying to spin this Wisconsin massacre as some sort of racial incident is spurious, to say the least.

All that said, I too would like to hear mtwain's observations on the behavior of Hmong "hunters" toward other hunters, landowners, etc. On this point, under the circumstances, his silence is deafening.

I first started hearing about the Hmong about 1979. The sparse number of conversations were mainly about their lack of cultural understanding of game laws and conservation. I believe that there are very few living in the North Woods. However, as hunters, my guess is that there would be a certain sympathy toward them from many. I note that the shooter was from St. Paul, which most definitely is *not* a part of the North Woods.

As for my silence, I simply have not had any known personal experience with the Hmong, and very little secondhand knowledge.

This story was a real media letdown!

If all the participants were white, it would have been small anti-gun story.

If the shooter was black and the victims was white, it wouldn't have been a story.

If the shooter was white and the victims were black, this would have pre-empted the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade, and so on for the next 2 weeks.

But the shooter was asian( an immigrant?) and the vics were white so the media has a problem...it can't condemn third world immigrants, and we can't express sympathy for white male hunters, murdered though they surely were...thus the story must fade.

IMHO, the morals of the story are (1) Stop Immigration (2)the media is full of BS

NEW YORK TIMES article it is NOT!

Thank you for your personnel background of the traditions of this part of our country and educating me about this unfortunate tragedy.

I am not surprised that no one shot back at this assailant. The event is so rare as to be far outside normal experience. No one shoots another person deliberately in deer season!

I suspect that even those who were shot did not realize that they had been shot deliberately for some time.

I never understood why no one fired back. Thanks to you, I know how kind and good those who were shot must have been.

Re: Perhaps others can do better and aid in our enlightenment.

As a kid growing up (10 - 14 years old) my brother and I used to go fishing on the peer jutting out into Lake Michigan. We'de each bring 5 or 6 fishing polls with us, pick a spot on the peer, and wait.

We'de stick the polls in holes in the concrete and pull the fishing line down and set an empty soda can on the fishing line, this way, whenever a a fish struck we'de hear the can and know which poll to get to and set the hook.

You had to set the hook fast as most of the fish (King, Coho, Rainbow) (2 feet long, 10 to 20 pounds) would spit the bait and run, but mostly in involved waiting, hours and hours, sometimes over night.

One day we saw a Hmong family new to the area and the father and his kid were out on the peer picking up the little dead fish (6 inches- less than a pound) (ail white sp? mostly) off the peer and putting them in a bucket.

After saying hello, we got to talking and they told us that, where they came from those little dried fish sold for a lot in the local market, and we just laughed. "stick around, we'll show you some fish"

Sure enough, 5 mins later the guy next to my brother hears the "tinkk-tink-tink" of his soda can, yells "fish on!", grabs the rod and sets the hook hard and he's got em.

After fighting him all the way to the end of the peer, his friend gets out the net and they pull in this huuuuge king.

The Hmong kids eyes light up like a Christmas tree, his jaw dropped to the ground, and they became a constant presence on the peer ever since.

I never knew their names, or even what country they were from (now I know they helped our side during Vietnam and got sweetheart deals to immigrate) but we made good fisherman out of them and a great time fishing on the peer.

Sounds just like Home.

To others there is a large population of; Hmongs in the Wausaw, Eau Claire areas. Many chruchs sponsered them in the 70s and 80's. Lots of gang activily there among them. Many travel between these to cities and Mn cities

Either they don't want to learn are game laws or chose not to obey them claiming the differants in culture for not obeying them. I have heard many reports on their lack of respect for others property and game laws. Over bagging ect.

I am sorry but when I travel to another country to hunt I have to know the laws I can not claim we did it differant back home. Let alone live in a country and still claim I did not know better. That is just a easy excuse for violating the law.

I have lifelong connections to Three Lakes. In recent years, the deer have been so thick it's like living on a deer farm. Sooner or later every motorist hits at least one; I used to see fresh road kill every day.

My memories align with yours. In years gone by (before hunters were required to wear orange), there were invariably a number of deaths due to hunting accidents. But I cannot remember even one homicide.

"My memories align with yours. In years gone by (before hunters were required to wear orange), there were invariably a number of deaths due to hunting accidents. But I cannot remember even one homicide."
===
Me three.

(As an aside--I recall my dear old Dad cleaning his gun in the house. Unloaded, of course. Boom! Shot through the ceiling, the upstairs bedroom, and out the roof - holes got bigger on exit.) LOL - no one hurt luckily.

Further personal experience regarding the Hmong:

In the Pacific Northwest, the Hmong pick mushrooms in the national forests. They have an exagerated sense of their "hunting" territory, imported from the old country in the mountains of Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. When the uninitiated unintentionally impinge on their presumed "territory," the interloper is likely to be shot. Every year I remember, there were shootings in the mountains among the Hmong, and random hikers who wandered into the mushroom patch which was their livelihood.

Therefore, it is no surprise to me to see a Hmong fellow involved in a shooting in Wisconsin. He, like others, has probably imported his aboriginal sense of territoriality for the hunt. Private property is not recognized among these folks, to my knowledge. The guy who gets there first and defends his turf is the hunter of that patch. Private property be damned.

Sadly, this fellow seems to have adopted the private property and tree stand of this hunting party. When confronted and asked to move, he did what Hmong have done for years in the Pacific Northwest: He shot them.

Just my personal theory on the shooting....

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.