Executive Summary
- A 24-year-old male died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Fond du Lac County, marking Wisconsin’s first hunting fatality since 2022.
- A second incident involved a 57-year-old male shot in Grant County while walking to a field.
- Hunters harvested 48,748 antlered deer and 41,923 antlerless deer, showing a slight increase over previous years.
- Total hunting registrations remained steady at nearly 778,000 for the opening weekend.
Wisconsin authorities recorded the state’s first gun-hunting fatality since 2022 during the opening weekend of the traditional nine-day deer season, which began on Saturday. The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) confirmed two firearm-related incidents occurred between November 22 and November 30, including one fatal event and one injury involving a hunter walking to a field.
According to officials, the fatal incident took place on Saturday evening in Fond du Lac County. Investigators reported that a 24-year-old male was discovered in a saddle stand suffering from a gunshot wound to the chest. Preliminary findings suggest the wound was the result of an unintentional, self-inflicted discharge. The incident remains under active investigation by local authorities and conservation wardens to determine the precise circumstances leading to the discharge.
A second, non-fatal incident occurred earlier that same day in Grant County. Authorities stated that a 57-year-old male sustained a gunshot wound to the buttock while in transit to a hunting location. Medical personnel attended to the victim, though specific details regarding his condition were not immediately released. These incidents marked a shift in safety statistics for the state, which had not seen a fatal shooting during the gun-deer season in two years.
Despite the safety incidents, participation and harvest numbers remained robust. The DNR reported that hunters registered a total of 48,748 antlered deer during the opening weekend, a slight increase from the 48,063 recorded during the same period the previous year. The harvest of antlerless deer saw a more significant rise, totaling 41,923, which represents a 7% increase year-over-year. In terms of participation, the DNR noted that license sales remained stable, with 777,843 registrations sold across all hunting varieties.
Public Safety and Investigative Outlook
The reemergence of a hunting fatality after a fatality-free season in 2023 underscores the critical importance of firearm safety protocols, particularly regarding weapon handling in tree stands and during transport. As the investigation in Fond du Lac County proceeds, officials will likely review the mechanics of the discharge to determine if equipment failure or a lapse in safety procedures was the primary cause. Furthermore, with DNR experts predicting a potential rise in harvest numbers should snowfall persist, the increased activity in the woods necessitates heightened vigilance from both the hunting community and conservation wardens enforcing safety regulations for the remainder of the nine-day season.
