spectr17
11-28-2001, 07:37 PM
Hunter's death surrounded in mystery
November 27, 2001
By Robert Imrie/Associated Press
Details surrounding the death of a 37-year-old northern Wisconsin hunter remained a mystery Monday as investigators tried to determine why his gun cannot be found, authorities said.
"There is a lot of information that is missing," said Tom Bokelman, a recreational safety officer for the state Department of Natural Resources.
The hunter's identity was not immediately released Monday pending notification of his family, said Matt Del Fatti, chief deputy of the Clark County Sheriff's Department.
The Medford man went hunting by himself Friday in Clark County and never returned home. Rescuers found his body Saturday about 200 yards from a tree stand on private land, Bokelman said. He had a single gunshot wound to the chest.
"The problem is we haven't found his gun. That throws a whole wrench into the process," he said. "It is mysterious at this point."
Investigators are considering the death a hunting fatality unless other evidence surfaces that suggests otherwise, Bokelman said.
The man's body was found in a brushy, swampy area of dense vegetation, and the water was knee-deep in places, Bokelman said.
"It is one of those nasty areas prime for wildlife but hard to recover evidence," he said.
Investigators used metal detectors Monday to try to find the man's gun and planned to search by air for a dead deer, he said.
One theory is the man shot a deer, left his gun near it and was shot while walking to get help to retrieve the animal, Bokelman said.
Investigators weren't certain Monday whether other hunters were in the area Friday, he said.
"We are just hoping somebody who knows something steps forward," the investigator said.
The Medford man was one of seven hunters who died in 19 shooting-related accidents during the nine-day deer hunt that ended Sunday.
It's the most hunter deaths since eight occurred in 1987.
Still, the 19 accidents made the season the fifth-safest on record, and this season had two fewer accidents than last year when two hunters were killed, said Tim Lawhern, the DNR's hunting safety administrator.
"It is bittersweet," he said.
No simple answer explains why fewer accidents occurred while the number of fatalities skyrocketed, Lawhern said.
"Once in a while, a freak thing like this happens," Lawhern said. "It just looked like a freak year."
For example, the 1984 season had 60 shooting accidents with five fatalities, he said.
The worst season occurred in the 1920s, when more than 100 accidents killed 50 hunters, Lawhern said. The safest year was 1997, with 10 accidents and one fatality.
About a fourth of this year's accidents involved young hunters, who usually are involved in about a third of hunting accidents, Lawhern said.
Three of the accidents involved unsupervised 12- or 13-year-old hunters in violation of state law, he said.
The DNR won't know how many deer were killed until Tuesday because hunters continued to register their animals Monday with the agency.
Earlier, the DNR reported 151,929 deer were registered with the agency from the first two days of hunting, down 24 percent from a year ago and off 17 percent from two years ago.
HUNTING ACCIDENTS
Seven hunters were killed and 19 shooting accidents occurred during Wisconsin's nine-day deer gun hunting season, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Here's a look at the accidents:
Nov. 17
--VERNON COUNTY: A 56-year-old man died after shooting himself in the head with a .348-caliber rifle in a tree stand at 5:45 a.m.
--ADAMS COUNTY: A 76-year-old man died after he was shot in the abdomen by a 47-year-old man using a .44-caliber Magnum rifle at 7:30 a.m.
A 20-year-old man shot himself in the foot with a 12-gauge shotgun when he sat down and the gun discharged at 2 p.m.
--CALUMET COUNTY: A 14-year-old boy was wounded after he was shot in the abdomen and left arm with a 12-gauge shotgun by a 36-year-old man during a deer drive at 9:30 a.m.
--SHAWANO COUNTY: A 40-year-old father was wounded after being shot in the foot by his 14-year-old son using a .30.30-caliber rifle at 10:30 a.m. The boy's finger slipped off the gun's hammer. The boy did not have a hunting license.
--BURNETT COUNTY: An 82-year-old man shot himself in the right thumb with a .357-caliber revolver when he stumbled and the gun discharged at 3 p.m.
--OUTAGAMIE COUNTY: A 40-year-old man shot himself in the leg with a 12-gauge shotgun when he stumbled and the gun discharged at 3:02 p.m.
--TREMPEALEAU COUNTY: A 21-year-old man died after he was shot in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun by his 14-year-old brother as they tracked a wounded deer at 4:20 p.m.
Nov. 18
--ROCK COUNTY: A 35-year-old man was wounded in the thigh with a 12-gauge shotgun by an unknown shooter firing at running deer during a deer drive at 9 a.m.
--RUSK COUNTY: A 20-year-old man was wounded in the ankle with a 12-gauge shotgun by a 23-year-old man shooting at running deer during a deer drive at 11:30 a.m.
--BUFFALO COUNTY: A 38-year-old man died after being shot in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun by a 31-year-old man shooting at running deer during a deer drive at 1:28 p.m.
--SAUK COUNTY: A 30-year-old man was shot in the leg with a .30.06-caliber rifle by man during a deer drive at 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 19
--WOOD COUNTY: A 13-year-old boy died after shooting himself in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun while hunting alone at 10:30 a.m.
Nov. 23
--PRICE COUNTY: A 15-year-old boy died after being shot in the head with a .30.06-caliber rifle by a 50-year-old man after the boy stood up in front of him in a blind at 11:35 a.m.
--RUSK COUNTY: A 12-year-old girl shot herself in the toe with a .308-caliber rifle while hunting alone as a "deer drive stander" at 1:05 p.m.
--MARATHON COUNTY: A 65-year-old man was wounded in the abdomen and arm with a .308-caliber rifle by a 19-year-old man during a deer drive at 2:46 p.m.
--CLARK COUNTY: A 37-year-old man died after being shot in the chest by an unknown shooter at an unknown time.
Nov. 25
--DODGE COUNTY: An 18-year-old man was wounded in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun by a 50-year-old man shooting at running deer in a deer drive at 10:15 a.m.
--SHAWANO COUNTY: A 47-year-old man was wounded after being shot in the upper buttocks with a .30.30-caliber rifle by a 33-year-old man shooting at running deer during a deer drive at 12:50 p.m.
November 27, 2001
By Robert Imrie/Associated Press
Details surrounding the death of a 37-year-old northern Wisconsin hunter remained a mystery Monday as investigators tried to determine why his gun cannot be found, authorities said.
"There is a lot of information that is missing," said Tom Bokelman, a recreational safety officer for the state Department of Natural Resources.
The hunter's identity was not immediately released Monday pending notification of his family, said Matt Del Fatti, chief deputy of the Clark County Sheriff's Department.
The Medford man went hunting by himself Friday in Clark County and never returned home. Rescuers found his body Saturday about 200 yards from a tree stand on private land, Bokelman said. He had a single gunshot wound to the chest.
"The problem is we haven't found his gun. That throws a whole wrench into the process," he said. "It is mysterious at this point."
Investigators are considering the death a hunting fatality unless other evidence surfaces that suggests otherwise, Bokelman said.
The man's body was found in a brushy, swampy area of dense vegetation, and the water was knee-deep in places, Bokelman said.
"It is one of those nasty areas prime for wildlife but hard to recover evidence," he said.
Investigators used metal detectors Monday to try to find the man's gun and planned to search by air for a dead deer, he said.
One theory is the man shot a deer, left his gun near it and was shot while walking to get help to retrieve the animal, Bokelman said.
Investigators weren't certain Monday whether other hunters were in the area Friday, he said.
"We are just hoping somebody who knows something steps forward," the investigator said.
The Medford man was one of seven hunters who died in 19 shooting-related accidents during the nine-day deer hunt that ended Sunday.
It's the most hunter deaths since eight occurred in 1987.
Still, the 19 accidents made the season the fifth-safest on record, and this season had two fewer accidents than last year when two hunters were killed, said Tim Lawhern, the DNR's hunting safety administrator.
"It is bittersweet," he said.
No simple answer explains why fewer accidents occurred while the number of fatalities skyrocketed, Lawhern said.
"Once in a while, a freak thing like this happens," Lawhern said. "It just looked like a freak year."
For example, the 1984 season had 60 shooting accidents with five fatalities, he said.
The worst season occurred in the 1920s, when more than 100 accidents killed 50 hunters, Lawhern said. The safest year was 1997, with 10 accidents and one fatality.
About a fourth of this year's accidents involved young hunters, who usually are involved in about a third of hunting accidents, Lawhern said.
Three of the accidents involved unsupervised 12- or 13-year-old hunters in violation of state law, he said.
The DNR won't know how many deer were killed until Tuesday because hunters continued to register their animals Monday with the agency.
Earlier, the DNR reported 151,929 deer were registered with the agency from the first two days of hunting, down 24 percent from a year ago and off 17 percent from two years ago.
HUNTING ACCIDENTS
Seven hunters were killed and 19 shooting accidents occurred during Wisconsin's nine-day deer gun hunting season, according to the state Department of Natural Resources. Here's a look at the accidents:
Nov. 17
--VERNON COUNTY: A 56-year-old man died after shooting himself in the head with a .348-caliber rifle in a tree stand at 5:45 a.m.
--ADAMS COUNTY: A 76-year-old man died after he was shot in the abdomen by a 47-year-old man using a .44-caliber Magnum rifle at 7:30 a.m.
A 20-year-old man shot himself in the foot with a 12-gauge shotgun when he sat down and the gun discharged at 2 p.m.
--CALUMET COUNTY: A 14-year-old boy was wounded after he was shot in the abdomen and left arm with a 12-gauge shotgun by a 36-year-old man during a deer drive at 9:30 a.m.
--SHAWANO COUNTY: A 40-year-old father was wounded after being shot in the foot by his 14-year-old son using a .30.30-caliber rifle at 10:30 a.m. The boy's finger slipped off the gun's hammer. The boy did not have a hunting license.
--BURNETT COUNTY: An 82-year-old man shot himself in the right thumb with a .357-caliber revolver when he stumbled and the gun discharged at 3 p.m.
--OUTAGAMIE COUNTY: A 40-year-old man shot himself in the leg with a 12-gauge shotgun when he stumbled and the gun discharged at 3:02 p.m.
--TREMPEALEAU COUNTY: A 21-year-old man died after he was shot in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun by his 14-year-old brother as they tracked a wounded deer at 4:20 p.m.
Nov. 18
--ROCK COUNTY: A 35-year-old man was wounded in the thigh with a 12-gauge shotgun by an unknown shooter firing at running deer during a deer drive at 9 a.m.
--RUSK COUNTY: A 20-year-old man was wounded in the ankle with a 12-gauge shotgun by a 23-year-old man shooting at running deer during a deer drive at 11:30 a.m.
--BUFFALO COUNTY: A 38-year-old man died after being shot in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun by a 31-year-old man shooting at running deer during a deer drive at 1:28 p.m.
--SAUK COUNTY: A 30-year-old man was shot in the leg with a .30.06-caliber rifle by man during a deer drive at 12:30 p.m.
Nov. 19
--WOOD COUNTY: A 13-year-old boy died after shooting himself in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun while hunting alone at 10:30 a.m.
Nov. 23
--PRICE COUNTY: A 15-year-old boy died after being shot in the head with a .30.06-caliber rifle by a 50-year-old man after the boy stood up in front of him in a blind at 11:35 a.m.
--RUSK COUNTY: A 12-year-old girl shot herself in the toe with a .308-caliber rifle while hunting alone as a "deer drive stander" at 1:05 p.m.
--MARATHON COUNTY: A 65-year-old man was wounded in the abdomen and arm with a .308-caliber rifle by a 19-year-old man during a deer drive at 2:46 p.m.
--CLARK COUNTY: A 37-year-old man died after being shot in the chest by an unknown shooter at an unknown time.
Nov. 25
--DODGE COUNTY: An 18-year-old man was wounded in the head with a 12-gauge shotgun by a 50-year-old man shooting at running deer in a deer drive at 10:15 a.m.
--SHAWANO COUNTY: A 47-year-old man was wounded after being shot in the upper buttocks with a .30.30-caliber rifle by a 33-year-old man shooting at running deer during a deer drive at 12:50 p.m.