Yes know a lot of those folks up here.

I found this on www.freerepublic.com thought you would find it interisting. Marktwain is the poster on freerepublic

I was born within 50 miles of the shooting area. I will refer to this area as the "North Woods" as it is common among the local population. I grew up there, and spent my youth roaming the woods and rivers. I became an accomplished woodsman, hunter and trapper. I financed a significant fraction of my college education with the proceeds from the trap line. I was a game warden in Wisconsin for a short time early in my career.

Much of the information that I recently read about the area is speculation and prejudice, based on little or no personal experience. I have kept in touch with the area during my career and maintain close ties with family and friends. I feel fortunate to report that none of my relatives or friends was immediately involved in the shooting itself. I would not be surprised if peripheral connections are discovered in the course of the next few weeks. What follows are my personal opinions and observations formed over the last half century.

Northern Wisconsin has a culture that has formed primarily during the last 120 years. A look at the lives of some of the early settlers can be found in Laura Ingles Wilder's famous "Little House in the Big Woods". Prior to 1880, most of Northern Wisconsin was covered in "Virgin" pine forest that had grown up since the end of the Ice Age, about 10,000 years ago. After the Civil War, increasing interest in the lumber potential of the area resulted in the harvest of nearly all of the forests by 1920. The cleared land was sold to farmers of primarily German, Scandinavian, and eastern European extraction, who found the area flora, fauna, and climate similar to that of their ancestral lands. Their populations vastly surpassed the remnant of the Chippewa and Ojibwa and other tribes, who had displaced earlier groups of Indians.

The glacial till that covers the area has only small pockets of fertile land. Most of the land is suitable only for growing poplar, white pine, Norway pine, jack pine, and various hardwoods, while tag alder swamps, lakes and streams, cover considerable area. The primary industries are dairy farming, lumbering, and tourism. The area is famous for its hunting and fishing. Since World War II, much of the marginal farmland has been abandoned, with vast forests once again covering much more area than cultivated land. More than half is public land, owned by various government entities. County forest cropland, National forests, and Indian reservations cover significant areas of the North Woods.

The dominant culture in the area is this mix of self-reliant farmers, small businessmen, lumbermen, and resort holders, with a small minority of Indian tribes remaining on the reservations. Considerable numbers of Indians have integrated with the more recent immigrant populations. This culture is extremely law abiding. Murder is especially rare, with most cases confined to the Indian reservations, where alcoholism is rampant. Some proto gang activity apparently aimed at taking control of Tribal casinos has resulted in an increased murder rate in the last decade. Remove the tribal component, and the murder rate for the area falls well below that of Canada. The people in the area are reliable red county folk, with the Indian reservations forming the rare rural blue county.

There is however, an underlying sympathy for socialism, transplanted to the area with 1900's German and Scandinavian culture. For example, my family was intimately involved in the formation and sustenance of a rural farm cooperative to supply needs not provided by the early local merchants.

People are, in large majorities, church going Catholics, Lutherans, and Baptists. Nearly everyone is familiar with and trained in the safe operation of firearms. Open carry of firearms is legal, but not common when not hunting, although a burgeoning black bear population has increased the number of individuals who routinely carry guns when out in the woods. An amendment to the state Constitution, passed in 1998, enshrined this familiarity in a state right to keep and bear arms for self-defense, security, hunting, recreation or any other legal activity. However, a statue in effect before the amendment passed prohibits carry of loaded firearms in a vehicle, and has not yet been repealed or tested in the state Supreme Court. This prohibition has made the regular open carry of firearms for security or defense too inconvenient and unsafe for most people. The constant loading and unloading of firearms every time one enters or leaves a vehicle is judged by many to create more security problems than it solves, when the extremely low crime rate is considered.

Most people are strongly patriotic. Careers in the military are respected, as is service in the National Guard. The National Guard in the area has received awards and national recognition. My next-door neighbor was an officer in the Guard who rose to become the Commander of the State National Guard.

Deer hunting is the area sport, surpassing all others. I believe that more people participate in deer hunting than are football fans. Arrangements are made for children to take off from school during the traditional nine-day deer season, which always starts the weekend before Thanksgiving. Junior High and High schools take on a deserted appearance at this time. A vast lore of deer hunting traditions and stories form part of the popular culture. Going deer hunting is a rite of passage for young people. During the last two decades, there has been a considerable increase in the number of women and girls joining the hunt. My sister in law and niece have both shot many deer, and in the last three years each has shot a black bear.

Hunting parties hunt in familiar territories. After a decade of two, territories become as well known as an urban neighborhood. The phrase "move down along the swamp to the end of the pine plantation has as much meaning and precision as "driving down Fifth Avenue to Joe's Deli". Territories often overlap and tend to cover both public and non-posted private land, usually by tradition and permission. Neighbors often exchange hunting privileges, sometimes with pertinent information, such as " sure, you can do a deer drive, but watch out for the horses" or " there's been a big buck hanging out around the field down by the river. Larsen's gang saw him the other day, but he was too quick for them to get a shot off".

Hunting with a handgun is legal, but the firearm of choice is the rifle. Only expert shots and hunters use handguns as a handicap in order to introduce a greater challenge to the hunt. Calibers used to hunt deer are limited to those fired in center fire rifles. As most handgun calibers are available in center fire rifles, this does little to limit the choice of handguns, however the barrel length for hunting deer must be at least 5 inches. There is no magazine limitation for hunting rifles or pistols. If a shotgun is to be used, it must be at least 20 gauge, and must be used to fire a single projectile per shot. Buckshot, despite the name, is not legal for hunting deer. Hunters are required to wear at least 50% blaze orange clothing, and a back tag (a little smaller than a license plate) with an identifying number.

During the last decade, a combination of mild winters and the sustainable harvest of softwoods have resulted in an enormous deer herd. The herd is so large that not enough hunters can be found to reduce the herd to sustainable numbers. As a consequence the bag limits are generous. In some management areas, an antler less deer must be harvested before the hunter can legally take an antlered buck. Additional permits are available at $12 each. There is no longer any reason to poach deer, as people can legally harvest more than they can eat during the year. When I was growing up, giving a deer quarter to a family was a sign of generosity. Today, it can be difficult to give away a deer, as few people seem willing to process the meat themselves. It is a prosperous land, and the people have no shortage of good food.

Despite the large numbers of hunters and deer; the requirement to wear blaze orange, increased firearms safety training, and improved firearms technology have reduced the number of fatal firearm accidents enormously during the last decades. Now fatal accidents are rare, though not unknown. Hunting is far safer than baseball or other sports. Violence involved with hunting is almost unheard of. Other than the murder of a game warden about 20 years ago, I cannot recall another single intentional homicide resulting from a hunting situation. Compared to national averages, the area has an extremely low crime rate. Like Switzerland, it boasts both a strong tradition of firearms use and an extremely high proportion of firearms ownership. I am not surprised that no one shot back at this assailant. The event is so rare as to be far outside normal experience. No one shoots another person deliberately in deer season! The occasional fatal accident provided all the necessary cover for the shooter, as others drawn to the scene were almost certain to believe that a terrible accident had occurred. I suspect that even those who were shot did not realize that they had been shot deliberately for some time.

There is little racial or ethnic tension in the area. I was raised to be tolerant of others, and tolerance in the area has increased over the past decades. I have two cousins that are half Indian, and another who married a very beautiful young woman of Vietnamese ancestry. I do not know if she is Hmong. I have never asked. The highest tension came with court decisions in the 1980's to enforce tribal hunting rights in existing treaties with the tribes. There was considerable talk about the pending destruction of the deer herd. The burgeoning deer herd and generally increasing game populations have removed that source of tension. No one was ever shot, the talk died down, and I have not heard the subject discussed for more than a decade.

Taverns are common, with beer a popular beverage. Outside of the Indian reservations, none of the counties are "dry". While many hunters drink during deer season, it has been my experience that most drinking occurs at night, after the day's hunt is done. Drinking inhibits sharp senses, fast reflexes, and good judgment. All of these are desirable while hunting. Alcohol is also a diuretic. When you are wrapped in multiple layers of clothing for warmth, urinating can involve some time, effort, and discomfort!

The people of the area are resourceful, hard working, well educated, friendly, and community oriented. The limited number of high paying jobs means that many young people leave the area to seek their fortunes elsewhere. I did so, and never felt handicapped by my upbringing, values, or education. Instead, I felt privileged. I often pitied urban dwellers for their poor, deprived existences. Now, I realize that many of them pitied me!

While this has been an exceedingly long vanity, I hope that it has been some help as background to the recent shooting. I only hope that time will shed more light on this perplexing and shocking event.

I agree with you a 100 percent. When I was growing up you hunted where you wanted. No one cared all the neighbors did the same. I still let any one hunt on my property as long as they don't tear it up. The only one that can't is the guy who brought 60 next to mine and closed roads posted and allows no one on his. He will not let anybody on his he can't come on mine. I told him he was free to hunt ours if we could hunt his answer isn't printable.

When he first brought it he told me he didn't want to act like the big city guys and asked how we hunt up here I told him we hunt each others just as neighbors have done for ever. Well he turned out to be big city asshole like the rest. Don't step on my property you migh hurt it ect.(note I own more then double what he does) He had a chance to greatly increase the area he hunts but he decided to be a asshole instead. He not only lost the use of my property but the other neighbors too.

Instead of haveing just a 60 to hunt he could have hundreds.

I guess I never grew up with that attiude I find it unreasonable when others have it. May some of you that have it can in lighten me why.

P dog shooter,

Very nice background piece. I appreciate it and much of what you noted rings a bell with me.

I want to fill in a bit more of some recent changes. One of the most notable changes in the North Woods is the drastic influx of suburbanites and out-of-staters (primarily Illinois folks but some Minnesotans as well) as area transients. The influx of out-of-state folks is being driven by their desire to "Escape to Wisconsin" and get away from the rat race they face at home during the week in Chicago and St. Paul/Minneapolis (at least this has been my observation). That influx has had some dramatic and negative impacts on the North Woods. The most notable impact has been the aggressive acquisition of land (particularly lake property) and the erection of dwellings by these visitors that most residents would never dream of as a primary home -let alone a weekend retreat. The price of larger acreage has skyrocketed in the past ten years to the point of it being untouchable by a local (or anyone else with less than a six figure salary and "old money" to bankroll the purchase).

For those that have layed out significant sums of cash, they become very possessive of their right to hunt, fish, etc. on their own property without trespassing by anyone else. You can probably imagine the thoughts of a relatively recent new landowner: "I just dropped $400,000 for this 100 acre piece of hunting paradise, I had better find not be anyone trespassing - especially during opening weekend of deer season." (Now I am not suggesting this was the situation in the recent incident but it gives you a bit of additional perspective.)

1.) Many locals are uneasy about what is happening before their eyes with the weekend warriors transforming their backyards (and frontyards) into a weekend retreat where a certain amount of "to hell with everyone else" attitude comes along with them for the weekend.
2.) The ability of locals to buy property is becoming very difficult - they are getting priced out of the market so to speak (and they are the ones that have to live there and make a living).
3.) The occupations in the North Woods is shifting very heavily to serve the tourism industry. The number of farms lost in this State during the past ten years has been devastating. Other higher paying jobs in areas like manufacturing are also being moved off-shore. The choices are quickly limiting - Walmart or the resort. The high variability of weather during the past four or five years (particularly during wintertime) has made the tourism business especially challenging.

There are just a lot of dynamics going on there. Much beyond what has been mentioned here.

GV

Thanks for the link Mike. Yes it was Bob Markle I was reffering to. One of the wardens from Columbia County replaced him after he was killed. For some reason I don't remember Warden LaFave's death in 1971. I should have because I was still in wisconsin, but I don't.

p dog shooter

You are so right when you mention the increase of the deer herd. I can remember in the early fifties, in Columbia County where I lived, when a person saw a deer they just stoped and looked at it in awe because it was such a rarity. Even the year of the picture gv posted which was 1964 the deer kill was not very high at all compared to what it is now. As you say I would never have dreamed there would be so many deer someday when hunting back then. It was bucks only and usually you were lucky to see more than one buck all season. I usually shot the first one I saw.

I never said I did any of the things you mentioned.



I just stated what attituded used to be. My family was some of the first homesteaders in the area we have owned land in the area long before you even thought of it and have managed the forest for game and timber all along.



Your are right things have changed the more city people who buy land wanting there little bit of country. Then they want to turn it into the city. Yep this is my lot don't you dare step on it you might hurt it.



The best way to ruin your vaction spot is to move there.

Yes the deer herd is very high this year between bow and gun hunting the 4 in my family killed 12. Years ago I didn't even see that many in a whole season.

The southern part of the state is even worse they have no winter kill ect. Their deer herd is huge.

So why is very body worried about some one shooting "their" deer. I think it is jelousy they belive if they keep all people off their poperty all the deer well come to their woods and they can shoot them.

Up here in the northwoods the trouble is with our 9 days season the deer just hide after the first couple of days and if you don't kick them out no one sees them. Its not like having a 60 acrer patch and 500 acrers of farm feild.

Sure if a guy owned 10 square miles one might beable to keep them moving in a natural order by keeping hunting pressure low. But when you have just a some acrers and they are surounded my millons of others just like them and a deer can run across a 40 in a minute or so. The deer hide and only venture out at night.

So if all you do is stand hunt after the first couple of days you most likely will not see most of the deer in your area sure you well pick one up now and then but most off them are laying low.

But you get a few guys moving and getting the deer moving you have a better chance of seeing them. Or having one pushed on to you. That one of the reasons I let other hunt free deer drivers don't even have to feed them afterwards. Sure they might take one now and then but for the most part they do a good job of chasing deer to me.

Sure they migh move a few deer off the property but they also can move deer onto the property.

No the missed place idea that works in the southern part where there isn't a lot a cover of keeping your little bit of country to one selfs and the deer well flock to it does not work very well in the north well when you have millions of acres of the same cover.