80 Years of Wisconsin Deer Hunting Experience

AmmoLand ^ | February 26, 2025 | Dean Weingarten

[marktwain]

Bob Ringstad never missed hunting deer in Wisconsin for 80 consecutive deer seasons from 1945 to 2024.

This correspondent became friends with Bob Ringstad a few years ago. At 92, he is intellectually very sharp. His knowledge of history and North American archeology is impressive. His knowledge of hunting and firearms, accumulated over eight decades, is marvelous.

This correspondent has talked with Bob a number of times and interviewed him about his long hunting experience in the Wisconsin deer habitat of the North Woods.

Bob’s father was a veteran of WWI and the first state forester in the North District of Wisconsin. At a point in his career, he shared an office at the ranger station in Ladysmith, Wisconsin, with the district game warden. The game warden confiscated many guns. Accountability was less formal in those days. The Warden’s boss in Madison told him he did not want inexpensive guns to be shipped to the headquarters in Madison. He told the Warden: If the gun is worth less than $15, just break off the stock and throw the rest in the trash. $15 in 1945 would be worth $250 – $1,800 today, depending on the method of calculation.

If you are a thrifty person, this would be a difficult assignment.  It might have been borderline illegal, as a waste of official resources. Guns tended to accumulate in the office. Bob’s father asked the Warden what he was going to do with all the guns cluttering up the office they shared. Bob was with his father at the time. Bob was 12 years old.

The Warden said, “How many do you want? You can have them all!” Bob chimed in, “I’ll take them!” His father said, “No, no, and no!” The Warden said a deal is a deal. The compromise was that Bob took home a

[marktwain]

80 consecutive years of deer seasons in Wisconsin. Bob Ringstad is intellectually sharp and physically well.

[marktwain]

Bob Ringstad at his Wisconsin home since 1953.

[Bob434]

He looks exactly like I pictured he would. A woodsman sculpted by the great outdoors.

[ridesthemiles]

THOSE are the parts of WISCONSIN that are worth a damn.

MADISON/MILWAUKEE, etc are gone.

[Mariner]

I thought Wisconsin hunting was limited to shotguns...

[marktwain]

I thought Wisconsin hunting was limited to shotguns...

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It used to be that way in Southern Wisconsin around Madison and Milwaukee, Racine...

[Quickgun]

Dang, I thought my record of 60 consecutive seasons here in Texas was pretty good. I’m an amateur....

[marktwain]

Not an amatuer... more like a journeyman.