Althouse: "For only the second time in Wisconsin state history, no one was killed during gun deer season..."

December 1, 2010

"For only the second time in Wisconsin state history, no one was killed during gun deer season..."

"... except for deer."

50 comments:

traditionalguy said...: That is a good report on the hunters' skills. Most deaths from hunting come from climbing over fences and dropping their rifles that go off and shoot the clumsy hunter.; 12/1/10, 8:27 PM
Joe said...: (The Crypto Jew)
Oh the tragedy!(ies) Would it not have been better if the hunters had died? When will we move beyond this "speciesism" and ackowledge the right to life of deer?

WV: "ozines"-magazines in Oz/Autralia.; 12/1/10, 8:36 PM
Quaestor said...: I see nothing wrong with hunting. Hunting is part of our heritage, by that I do not mean anything as parochial as the heritage of the American frontier, rather our heritage as a species. The rituals and tactics of the hunt and the subsequent rituals of the hearth are foundation stones of our humanity. Hunting is also good for the prey, at least generally. White-tailed deer exist in numbers greater than in pre-Columbian times, even in these days of increasing suburban sprawl.

However, I am convince that too many hunters are over-armed. If you're gunning for mule deer at 300 or more yards (a typical shot in wilds of the Great Plains) a .270 Weatherby Magnum or a 30-06 is a reasonable choice. But if you're hunting white-tailed deer in the woods, you'd be lucky to even see a deer at 80 yards, and most shots are much closer yet. Nevertheless there are dumbass hunters who'll insist on carrying a 'scoped big game rifle rather than a more responsible mid-power arm like a 30-30. These idiots never think about where the missed shot might go.; 12/1/10, 8:46 PM
Quaestor said...: @ traditionalguy

Most hunting-related death and woundings result from hunters shooting each other accidentally, not from misfires like the "trigger got snagged on the barbed-wire fence" scenario. Most of the time the shooter doesn't even see the man he shoots, the victim is just downrange from a missed shot.; 12/1/10, 8:52 PM
Unknown said...: Sounds like people in WI are finally learning to shoot.

And it only took 200 years.

/ducks

Joe said...
(The Crypto Jew)

Oh the tragedy!(ies) Would it not have been better if the hunters had died? When will we move beyond this "speciesism" and ackowledge the right to life of deer?

The people who worry about speciesism don't worry about the lives of humans, so it's gonna be a while.; 12/1/10, 8:54 PM
Irene said...: For the last four years or so, we have followed the maturation of a buck who frequents our yard. We worried about him last winter because he had developed a limp.

This autumn, he reemerged, health and strong. He's a big boy now, and he has a beautiful rack.

I was so delighted to see him Monday afternoon, gently bending his head to take a sip from the pond.

Safe through another season.; 12/1/10, 8:58 PM
1775OGG said...: @Irene: There's always driving season, 365 x 24!

Watch out for beady red eyed monsters lurking along the roadways, especially in the evening.

Cheers.; 12/1/10, 9:08 PM
Cedarford said...: If you're gunning for mule deer at 300 or more yards (a typical shot in wilds of the Great Plains) a .270 Weatherby Magnum or a 30-06 is a reasonable choice. But if you're hunting white-tailed deer in the woods, you'd be lucky to even see a deer at 80 yards, and most shots are much closer yet. Nevertheless there are dumbass hunters who'll insist on carrying a 'scoped big game rifle rather than a more responsible mid-power arm like a 30-30. These idiots never think about where the missed shot might go.

===============
There is nothing "irresponsible" about using a 30'06 in the woods or a .270, etc.

You see a deer shortrange, the powerful centerfire rifle takes them down as well as a 30-30, or muzzleloader, or shotgun sabot. If you hunt in wooded mountains or ridged land, you still get long range shots presenting.

You follow safe hunting practices, there is no difference in "safety" of the shot between a muzzleloader and a .375 Magnum. You are hunting near residences in line of fire, you always "backstop" your shot. A missed shot just drives into the ground or tree.

Wisconsin does a great job educating their hunters and hunters make the best conservationist group out there.; 12/1/10, 9:15 PM
ricpic said...: A hunter lover is a deer lover who's been mugged by a roadside lurker.; 12/1/10, 9:20 PM
Martin L. Shoemaker said...: Congratulations, Wisconsin hunters!

Now my question is: how many deer were harvested? The article doesn't touch on that topic. If the herd isn't contained, net deaths due to car accidents will rise. Here's hoping the hunters managed to simultaneously increase the harvest while reducing accidents.; 12/1/10, 9:24 PM
traditionalguy said...: Quaestor...I hear most about head shots and deaths from mishandling the hunters own guns while hiking, climbing, and getting in and out of the SUV. I don't doubt that hunters are also shot from distances in crowded areas , but I believe that those shots are not as often fatal shots. What we most need is a law against Hunting While Intoxicated.(H W I); 12/1/10, 9:24 PM
Quaestor said...: Cedarford wrote: A missed shot just drives into the ground or tree.

Except when it doesn't. When your target is out at 80 yards or less why fire a round that's lethal at 1000 yards? There could be a fellow hunter downrange that you'd never see, even if he wore a hot pink bunny suit. A 30-30 Winchester will bore right through a big buck at 100 yards, but it will be mostly spent by the time it exits. A military-derived round will be secondarily lethal well beyond that because that's what they were designed to do.; 12/1/10, 9:30 PM
Paul said...: And yet how many kids drown in swimming pools? How many people die in traffic accidents? How many people die just riding bicycles?

Hunter accidents can be zero. Gun accidents can be zero. All it takes is some good training.

And it's a pitty it's not done in schools as guns are out there, just like cars, and they need to learn how to handle them safely.; 12/1/10, 9:30 PM
kjbe said...: Good to know. Glad everyone got home ok. I've got a lot of friends who do this. My brother even picked it up a couple of years ago - showing his suburban roots by dragging his first one back to the truck backwards.; 12/1/10, 9:32 PM
jungatheart said...: ricpic, what the h-e-double hockey sticks are you on about?; 12/1/10, 9:36 PM
Irene said...: Doug, that's exactly "wright"!

I feel fortunate never to have hit one (knocks wood).; 12/1/10, 9:37 PM
Roadkill said...: Almost 3/4 Million people, with loaded guns, wandering about the woods, and no one was killed?

This is terrible news for the gun control folks.; 12/1/10, 9:39 PM
Quaestor said...: Paul wrote: Hunter accidents can be zero. Gun accidents can be zero. All it takes is some good training.

Exactly. And to my mind part of good training is knowing what arm is appropriate to what situation. I realize I'm pissing in the wind here. Most riflemen would choose more over less. Hell, some of us would be carrying Barrett M82's out there if they were legal in the field, never mind the useless mess a Browning .50 cal would make of the venison.; 12/1/10, 9:42 PM
Triangle Man said...: According to this there were 12 gunshot accidents and 218,144 deer killed.; 12/1/10, 9:48 PM
Martin L. Shoemaker said...: deborah said...

ricpic, what the h-e-double hockey sticks are you on about?

deborah, honestly, ricpic is exactly right: A hunter lover is a deer lover who's been mugged by a roadside lurker.

I'm not a rabid animal rights type, but I generally enjoy watching wildlife. I wouldn't go so far as to call myself a deer lover; but in the battle between the deer and the hunters, I was Switzerland.

Around my third car-deer collision, I started having a lot of sympathy toward the hunter side of the battle. My fifth car-deer collision did $4,100 damage. And I don't even have the family record. My brother-in-law has hit six, thanks to a one-way commute of over an hour. My brother has hit four. The family as a whole has nearly two-dozen collisions.

Insurance industry statistics for Michigan show 1 car in 72 will collide with a deer in its lifetime. Nowadays when hunting season comes around, I say, "Stay safe, guys, but get 'em!" If I didn't hate the taste of venison, I'd probably go out to cull the herd a little myself.; 12/1/10, 9:48 PM
Martin L. Shoemaker said...: Thanks, Triangle Man! So the harvest was up, and accidents were down. Great news! Great work, Wisconsin hunters!

wv: watio. Elmer Fudd tells us the watio of hunter deaths to deer kills was zero this year.; 12/1/10, 9:53 PM
William said...: Hunting deer is an expensive way of harvesting tough, gamey gristle. For the same price you pay for the edible (after two days of marinating and three days of stewing) portions of a deer, you could be eating Kobe beef....However, if you can land a hunter. below the timberline, early in the season the flesh is succulent and tender. But all the restrictions and criminal penalties against this sport have apparently discouraged all but the most hardy.; 12/1/10, 9:57 PM
Quaestor said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/1/10, 10:08 PM
Quaestor said...: Sorry, my last post was gratuitously insulting. I have withdrawn it.; 12/1/10, 10:09 PM
1775OGG said...: @Irene: I got my deer 24-years ago right around November 2nd, at 6:30 PM. There were three other deer hit within a 1-mile range of where mine was struck. The damned deer lived, we think, but had a mighty sore left front shoulder.

My car had over $1,200 damage. The week before 1 woman was killed and her husband injured when a buck went into their windshield. That year, over 2,000 deer were struck by vehicles in the TC metro area.

They're actually overgrown woodland vermin, not cute little Bambi types.

We need more wolves to control the deer herd.

Cheers, and fire for effect.; 12/1/10, 10:19 PM
Irene said...: Doug, I am all for wolves.; 12/1/10, 10:32 PM
Quaestor said...: Doug Wright wrote: We need more wolves to control the deer herd.

It appears that biological controls are much harder to implement than to imagine. Grey wolves were reintroduced to Yellowstone National Park decades ago in hopes that they would confine themselves to the plentiful stocks of deer, elk and smaller game that often threaten to overwhelm the park's resources. Unfortunately, wolves are just like us, they prefer an easier lifestyle to a more difficult one any day. Cattle, sheep and domestic pets on private land are easier prey than any mule deer or snowshoe hare inside park boundaries.; 12/1/10, 10:40 PM
bagoh20 said...: I think there should be no limit on deer harvested, but they must be taken without any use of metal or plastic. Let's get some challenge and creativity going here. I was dear hunting before I ever saw a naked woman, but neither should be taken through the use of technology. What next, remote control drone aircraft from the Lazyboy recliner while sipping a Bud Light?; 12/1/10, 10:41 PM
TomHynes said...: Okay, no hunters got killed this season, but Wisconsin still had that loon that shot his TV because Bristol Palin pwnd DWTS. All in all, not a great season Wisconsin.; 12/1/10, 10:43 PM
Anonymous said...: This P*lack is out deer hunting when he sees something move behind a tree, fires a shot, and realizes too late that instead of a deer, he has shot another hunter.

A couple hours later, after the body's been removed, the P*lack is giving a statement to the police. "I never thought it was a person," he says, "I was sure it was a deer. Wasn't there any way he could have been saved?"

"The bullet wound was pretty bad," the cop replies, "but he might have survived it. Unfortunately, he didn't stand a chance after you skinned and gutted him."

Peter; 12/1/10, 11:15 PM
The Crack Emcee said...: "Gun deer season"

Putting the word gun in there told me everything I needed to know.; 12/1/10, 11:28 PM
Quaestor said...: "Gun deer season" is the most dangerous sporting event in America as it involves stalking and killing projectile-weapon armed ruminants. Nasty...

wv: maxivie - yet another teen-aged fandom magazine destined for receivership after the third issue.; 12/1/10, 11:45 PM
bagoh20 said...: I'm pretty sure that fishing is the most dangerous sport in terms of fatalities.; 12/2/10, 12:11 AM
Quaestor said...: Oh, hang your statistics.. we're having fun here.; 12/2/10, 12:21 AM
David said...: The cheeseheads avoided death by gunshot in the field.

You still had your heart attacks, drunk driver incidents, cow killings, lost trucks, broken ankles, frostbitten toes, frozen tongues ("Gee, I think I'll lick the gun barrel"), irate spouses (almost exclusively wives), blissful spouses ("Second week of deer camp? Hooray!), cut fingers and other field dressing mishaps and general depression on the part of hunters who failed again.

Hardy group, Wisconsinites.; 12/2/10, 1:37 AM
AllenS said...: I live in the country. The worst sportsmen are the deer hunters. For the vast majority, the only time they spend any time in the woods is during deer hunting. The first Saturday of season, some hunters shot a deer about 50 feet south of my property. It was 6:30 at night, too dark to be shooting legally. Not only that, the deer must have crossed the road in front of them, and they shot it from the road. You're not supposed to do that. I would bet that less than 25% of deer hunters are what you could call true sportsmen.; 12/2/10, 5:21 AM
MadisonMan said...: Gun deer season

As opposed to Bow and Arrow season which ends, I think, in early November.; 12/2/10, 7:29 AM
AllenS said...: WI bow season:

Sept. 18 - Nov. 18
Nov. 29 - Jan. 9, 2011

Source: DNR; 12/2/10, 7:33 AM
Bob_R said...: This comment has been removed by the author.; 12/2/10, 7:43 AM
Bob_R said...: AllenS. I know several hunters who are sportsman, but I never got bit by the bug. I grew up on a sheep farm and the idea of making a sport out of putting meat on the table never appealed to me. If I was making the rules, I'd be getting venison with the help of a salt lick, spot light, tree stand, and a gun pointed almost straight down. My favorite "harvester" rents out 40 acres of farmland behind his property. Usually plated in corn. We kid him about being able to go out on his back porch in his pajamas on the first day of deer season, gun in one hand coffee cup in the other, unload the muzzle at random and then drive his tractor out into the field and bring his quota back to the truck. He and his wife make venison loin with dried cherries and morels that is worth killing for.; 12/2/10, 7:46 AM
AllenS said...: Bob,

I'd let farmers hunt their own land for deer, year around. Deer do a lot of damage.; 12/2/10, 8:05 AM
Fred4Pres said...: The press loves potraying hunters as irresponsible buffoons. The truth is the vast majority are extremely safety conscious.

I am glad Wisconsin batted 1.000 this year on hunter safety.; 12/2/10, 8:30 AM
ndspinelli said...: "Bambi" Benbemek died during deer season. Don't convicted bimbo felons count?; 12/2/10, 8:33 AM
AllenS said...: 12 were wounded, none died. Maybe that's an indication that people are now poorer shots, than in years past.; 12/2/10, 8:40 AM
Known Unknown said...: If we didn't have deer hunters here in Ohio, I would automatically become one behind the wheel of my car.

Thinning the herd is the responsible thing.; 12/2/10, 8:52 AM
Michael said...: AllenS: I would have to agree relative to the sportsmanship of many deer hunters. I am afraid that many are urban people who use the season as an escape from the family, a chance to stay drunk and a chance to get some cheap meat. They have no love for the land, no reverence for what they kill. A nasty lot. I am a bird hunter and I never, ever, scheduled a grouse trip which overlapped even closely with a deer season.; 12/2/10, 9:29 AM
former law student said...: Illinois and Iowa restrict their hunters to shotguns and slugs because of the improbability of finding a backstop in those mostly flat states. This forces the hunter to shoot within 40 yards or so.

My college buddies hunt on a friend's farm (corn, soy, and sorghum) in Western Illinois. By now they know the property as one would his backyard. They set up appropriately, and know where each other is at all times. If I recall correctly, baiting -- even blocks of salt -- is taboo.; 12/2/10, 11:14 AM
Goju said...: Martin, why not hunt and donate the deer. WI has a donation system in place all over the state. If your venison is tough, grisely or gamey tasting - it is because of how its handled after the shot.

Quaestor, the two most popular calibers are still the 30-30 and 30-06. Not many are shooting the magnums - but they get the press. Best calibers for deer sized game are 25-06 and 7mm-08.

fls, 40yds? Got some news for ya. Any modern slug gun can put lethal shots on target at 100yds, some even much farther. The 20ga magnum hits accurately out to 250yds. Some the areas that are shotgun only are rethinking that restriction in light of the advancements in slug guns.; 12/2/10, 1:01 PM
Alcuria said...: Quaestor @ 12/01/10 10:40 Pm:

"It appears that biological controls are much harder to implement than to imagine."

Incredibly difficult. Read "Playing God in Yellowstone: The Destruction of America's First National Park" by Alston Chase. It's a story about Keystone Cops wildlife management.; 12/2/10, 2:59 PM
pauls lane said...: I live in Maryland. Most hunting accidents in Md involve a tree stand and a nasty first step.; 12/2/10, 4:06 PM