UPDATE: The Waushara County Sheriff's Department says DNR Wardens have located the person involved with the accidental shooting in Mount Morris. 56 year-old Gregory Welk was shot by a stray bullet on his property Monday evening. Waushara County Sheriff Jeff Nett says the area is very heavily wooded making visibility low. Welk was wearing the proper orange gear required for gun-deer hunting.
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Update...
An investigation is underway in Waushara County with authorities looking into the accidental shooting death of a northeast Wisconsin hunter.
Deputies say 56-year-old Gregory Welk was hit from what they call a stray round, while on his property in the town of Mount Morris. The round ultimately took his life but not before he was able to call his wife for help. Tonight the search is on for anyone who can provide information into what happened.
You won't have a hard time spotting a hunter out in the town of Mount Morris this week. But on Monday the Waushara County Sheriff believes that just wasn't the case on one private plot of land, just north of Redgranite.
"He wasn't visible to anybody that would have been firing a round. He would not have been seen with all the trees and brush on his property," says Waushara County Sheriff Jeff Nett.
Late Monday afternoon, at about 4:20 Gregory Welk was shot on his private property just off 24th Road and Brown Deer Avenue while he was hunting.
"With everything we got, with the lay of the land and where he was, we think it's an accident," adds Sheriff Nett.
Only a road separates public from private hunting land out here in the town of Mount Morris. That's what lead authorities to believe the situation was likely an accident.
"We get a lot of people that come to the area that aren't familiar with it and they may not know where the boundaries are or where the roadways are," adds Sheriff Nett.
Original Story...
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Today the DNR and the Waushara County Sheriff's office are searching the land on both sides of the road for shell casings and a bullet. The search will continue as they try to determine where the bullet came from exactly and from what type of gun was used. Because while they don't believe its foul play, they would like to get to the bottom of what happened.
Investigators are looking for two men and the driver of a dark-colored pick-up truck from the late 90's or early two-thousands. That vehicle was believed to have left the scene, after Welk was shot. Anyone with information is asked to call the Waushara County Sheriff's department at 920-787-3321 or you can remain anonymous by calling Crime Stoppers at 1-800-800-5219.
The Waushara County Sheriff's Department confirms a hunter was fatally shot Monday in Mount Morris by a stray bullet. It happened along 24th road south of Brown Deer Ave.
Waushara County 911 Dispatch Center received two calls around 4:21pm Monday of a hunter shot. The hunter Gregory Welk, 56, was airlifted to the hospital where he later died. Welk was on his property wearing orange clothing when he was struck by the bullet.
Shortly after the shooting it was reported two people got into a dark pick truck and left DNR public land. The pickup truck is described as late 1990's to early 2000's. It's believed these people may be able to help the investigation. If you have any information contact the Waushara County Sheriff's Office 920-787-3321.
