Originally Posted by
Savage_99
MZS,
Your report on the WI hunting included this:
"1914 -- Twenty-four hunters killed, 26 injured; license sales at 155,000"
That's incredible and very sad to read.
Are you sure it's right?
It is from the Madison.com site, so it is as accurate as they are. They claim the info is from the WI DNR. There were no shotgun only counties at that time. They did not have to wear even red back then, and I am guessing deer drives were fairly common. Deer drives were bad enough when I was a kid - hunters moving toward other hunters, shooting at deer in between them. I remember a guy shooting at a deer that doubled back in between me and another driver - fortunately nobody hit but the deer. I can only guess there was more a "wild west" mentality back at that time when deer hunting season rolled around.
My dad was involved in a hunting accident back around 1960 - that accident gnawed at him the rest of his life and also seemed to make him go a little off sometimes when deer hunting was discussed, making it rough for the rest of the family. With regard to hunter safety, there are often no second chances - every gun is loaded and ready to fire, always.