News: Wisconsin Deer Hunting Season Fatalities - 1948
Contact: Stan

Surnames: Hawthorne, Schmidt, Milback, Jones, Mikkelson, Kluve, Sather, McCaskey, Stemp, Lachman, Ruedy, Nickerson, Hickerson, Ellie

----Source: Colby Phonograph (Colby, Clark County, Wis.) Thursday, 11/25/1948

*** Note: The beginning of the article was cut off and was not available at the time of transcription.

Latest reported victim was Earl L. Hawthorne, 51, Monroe, who died at a Park Falls hospital after companions found him wandering near their cabin. Death was due to a cerebral hemorrhage.

William F. Schmidt, 52, Oakfield, died Tuesday shortly after being shot by a member of his own hunting party in Clark county.

Don Milback, 17, Marinette high school senior, was injured fatally by a bullet Saturday near Cauldron Falls in the town of Stephenson.

An earlier hunting death was that of Mrs. Rosemary Jones, 25, Antigo, whose body was found late Saturday near Buckatabon lake 18 miles northeast of Eagle River. She had been hit in the neck by a bullet. Mrs. Jones had been hunting with a party of friends and relatives.

Mike Mikkelson, 69, of Rhinelander, was struck in the chest by a stray bullet. His son, Arthur, 29, found him mortally wounded.

Ervin Kluve, 17, of Poplar, Langlade county, was struck in the head by a shot which went through a companion’s body. The other man, S. Sather, 24, of Rhinelander, was in a serious condition with a wound in his shoulder.

The two other victims were Lee McCaskey, 64, Richland Center, who was killed by a bullet as he hunted near Necedah, and Stanley Stemp, 50, Madison, who was found dead, apparently of a heart attack, in the woods near Athelsane in Marinette county. McCaskey and Stemp died Saturday morning before the season was two hours old.

Reported apparently out of danger at a Tomahawk hospital was Kenneth Lachman, 29, Wausau, who was wounded in the abdomen Monday as he sought his forked-horn buck near Hazelhurst.

A Sparta high school football player, Dean Ruedy, 17, Bush Prairie, was struck in the face by a blast from his father’s gun Monday. Ruedy fired at his son in the brush, mistaking him for a deer. Attendants at a Sparta hospital said Dean was in serious condition with part of his face shot away.

Howard Nickerson, 18, Columbus, was shot through the left shoulder and arm Tuesday by a hunting companion 10 feet away as they both fired at a buck in eastern Forest county. Hickerson was reported in good condition at a Rhinelander hospital.

Gordon Ellie, 18, Coleman, was reported in fair condition at a Marinette hospital after being struck in the abdomen by a bullet.