Five Dead, 3 Hurt in Wis. Hunting Dispute

[Woody Williams]

WOW!! I cant believe this...

Five Dead, 3 Hurt in Wis. Hunting Dispute

HAYWARD, Wis. — A dispute among deer hunters over a tree stand in northwestern Wisconsin erupted Sunday in a shooting that left five people dead and three injured, officials said.

The alleged gunman, a man from the Twin Cities area, was arrested Sunday afternoon at the line between Rusk and Sawyer counties, according to Sawyer County sheriff's officials.

The violence began shortly after a hunting party saw a hunter occupying their tree stand, Sawyer County Chief Deputy Tim Zeigle told KSTP-TV of St. Paul, Minn. A confrontation and shooting followed.

One of the shooting victims radioed back to the deer shack for help, he said. When more hunters came to the scene, they also were shot, Zeigle said.

The shootings happened in the town of Meteor in southwestern Sawyer County, County Sheriff James Meier said in a news release. Three people were taken to a local hospital, Meier said.

One victim was in critical condition at a Marshfield hospital, a nursing supervisor said. KSTP reported that the others wounded were being treated at a Rice Lake hospital, where one was in critical condition and the other was in fair condition.

Wisconsin's deer gun hunting season started Saturday and lasts for nine days.

Bill Wagner, 72, of Oshkosh, was about two miles away near Deer Lake with a party of about 20 other hunters.

After they got word of a shooting, it took him and others about three hours to round up the rest of their party. He said they heard sirens, planes and helicopters and noticed the surrounding roads blocked off.

"When you're hunting you don't expect somebody to try to shoot you and murder you," he said. "You have no idea who is coming up to you."

The incident won't stop their hunt, Wagner said.

"We're all old, dyed-in-wool hunters," he said. "We wouldn't go home because of this but we will keep it in our minds."

[Woodsman]

That's completely nuts! Some people take their sport way too seriously. Was this on private or public land?

[Ontario Bow Hunter]

That is completely nuts for sure! Too bad the story is so fragmented, I would like to hear more details.

[JD Jones]

Pogo had it so right.
We will all be just a little more tarred by that moron, God bless the dead and injured.
JD

[CaptainCharles]

Sounds suspect to me. Sounds like this guy wasn't a deer hunter, but was still looking for a "kill" if you catch my drift.

[FlyingAce]

From what I heard this morning on the news the tree stand was on private property and the occupant was trespassing. I guess the owner's policy is to shoot first and ask questions later. Whatever happened to: 1) asking a landowner for permission to hunt on their land, and 2) if the tree stand is not yours; leave it alone. It is unethical wise asses like that who give law-abiding ethical hunters a bad name; ruining everything that ethical hunters stand for and practice. Don't get me wrong, I most definitely do not agree with shooting someone for trespassing and using my tree stand, for it is the responsibility of the courts to determine punishment not the landowner for those who have been granted permission. Situations like this almost make me ashamed to be called a "hunter" when these mentally unstable individuals include themselves in the same group.

[Woody Williams]

Flying Ace,

It has not been released yet WHO fired the first shot.
So you statement of - "I most definitely do not agree with shooting someone for trespassing and using my tree stand.." is a bit premature..

I would wait until all the facts are out before we cast judgement on who did what..

IMHO..

More details and a video at......

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/6551094/

[GaryL]

That's is correct, If the one who owened the tree stand started shooting first it was wrong, trespassing or not it was wrong...breaking into my home, threating me or my family yes...And for all we know the man may have had permission to hunt that land and just got in the wrong tree stand.

As I do not know all the facts I don't have a right to say much about it.. But it is wrong to kill some one innless you life is threatened

[FlyingAce]

After rereading my posts I guess I was a little premature in my judgments. But the points still remain, and if there was a major dispute where one person was dead wrong, no pun intended, why didn't they just called the authorities. After all, that is their job anyway: To Protect and Serve.

[GaryL]

Right on Jim.. thanks for the link W.W.

[stump]

I don't know who fired the first shot, and obviously there is a lot more to this story than what's come out in the media. I anticipate that over the next few days and weeks each side will emerge pointing fingers and claiming self defence. The story will be in the headlines for some time, all of which will give hunting another black eye and could potentially stimulate more debate about gun control. Unfortunately, the real story will be lost, and that's how and why 5 people tragically lost their lives and left mourning families behind to agonize over how meaningless it all was. My heart goes out to the families of the victims, talk about senseless deaths.

[raydaughety]

We just heard on the radio that the first three wounded called back to camp for help. When they arrived, they were fired upon with an AK-47 by the man in the deer stand. Like you said, it's still too early and I'm sure we'll hear more as the day goes on. The anti's are going to have a field day with this one.

[Jim C]

I hear it was an SKS carbine-a ten shot fixed magazine rifle that was not covered by the recently expired "assault weapon" ban

[Woody Williams]

Here's a link to Milwaukee Journal Sentinel article with a couple of 15 minute videos of press conferences with hospital staff and local law enforcement...

http://www.jsonline.com/news/state/nov04/277439.asp

The two initial hunters on the property with permission were coming in for lunch and noticed another hunter in one of the stands used by their group, radioed into their cabin/camp to check who might be in the stand, and were told all their party were accounted for...

Chai Vang, the asian shooter, apparently was confronted by the two, got down from his stand, removed the scope from his SKS, walked away about 40 yards, turned, and opened fire on the two. One of them was able to radio their party for help. He had gotten the license tag number from the back of Vang's vest (Wisconsin, like many states, requires display of license tag on the back of the hunting jacket), and wrote the number in the dust on his atv before collapsing.

The others evidently came to the site on ATV's unarmed, and while attempting to aid their fellow hunters, came under fire from Vang, who will still in the area. That group scattered, and he apparently chased them throughout the woods (400+ acre tract), shooting them one at a time.

Details after that are sketchy, but apparently other hunters came on scene, at least one in a pickup truck, and helped remove the wounded hunters from the area. Some reports have it that they exchaned fire with the shooter while recovering the wounded hunter.

At some point, the shooter, now out of ammo but still carrying his gun, ran into two different hunters on ATV's, said he was lost, and they gave him a ride out to the nearest road, where law enforcement was in full strength and arrested him.

Shooter is out of St. Paul Minnesota, and had a valid non-resident tag. According to local sheriff, the guy may have come in with two other hunters, got separated, found the empty stand, and set up to hunt it...

[Red Label]

whatever happened it is beyond belief....I am at a loss for words.

Mike