A 3-year-old hunter wounded two people during Wisconsin’s youth turkey hunt on April 12 in Rochester Township, according to an incident synopsis provided to GearJunkie by Lt. Renee Thok of the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources.
The shooting happened on state forest land at Honey Creek Wildlife Area in Racine County. According to Thok, a 34-year-old male mentor said he saw what appeared to be a turkey fan and movement in the woods. The mentor then knelt and helped the 3-year-old stand in front of him, aim, and pull the trigger.
Instead of hitting a turkey, the 12-gauge semi-automatic shotgun blast struck a 40-year-old male turkey hunter and the hunter’s 7-year-old child. Both victims suffered pellet wounds to the back, hand, and head. Both were admitted to the hospital, and their injuries did not appear life-threatening at the time of the report.
Investigation
Thok said the investigation remains active and ongoing. She also confirmed that one of the injured people was an off-duty law enforcement officer, going on to say that the detail does not affect the investigation.
At this point, the case has not been referred to the Racine County District Attorney. Thok said it is still unclear whether Racine County or a surrounding county would handle any review.
Wisconsin Law Allows Mentored Hunting Without Hunter Education
Wisconsin’s 2026 youth turkey hunt ran from April 11 to 12 statewide and is open to hunters younger than 16. Youth hunters must be accompanied by an adult age 18 or older. Wisconsin also allows mentored hunting without hunter education if the participant hunts under the mentored-hunting program.
Thok said the 34-year-old mentor in this case did not hold hunter education certification and was exempt through military training. She said the 3-year-old mentee did not have hunter education certification and did not need it under Wisconsin’s hunting mentorship law.
Wisconsin statute 29.592 says a hunter may participate without hunter education if the hunter is with a qualified mentor and remains within arm’s reach.
Questions About Ethics and Safety
This raises safety and ethics questions about age, qualification, and the act of turkey reaping.
Wisconsin law may allow mentored hunting at this age, but as we know, legal and wise are not always the same thing. A case like this is going to make people ask what kind of judgment a 3-year-old can actually exercise in the woods, and what kind of judgment a mentor should be expected to exercise on that child’s behalf.
The 3-year-old in this case did not have hunter education. The mentor in this case was also exempt from hunter education because of military training, which is likely to add another layer to the debate over what kind of experience translates to safe mentoring in the turkey woods.
It also puts a bright spotlight on target identification and the risks that come with turkey reaping, a tactic where a hunter uses a turkey fan or decoy as cover while moving toward a bird. Wisconsin DNR says the tactic is legal, but also warns hunters not to use it on public land or in the woods because of the safety risk.
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