Alaska deer hunter shot, killed by companion in Columbia County

COLUMBIA COUNTY — Wisconsin officials say an Alaska man is dead after his hunting companion apparently shot him.

Department of Natural Resources Warden Jon King says the 39-year-old Fairbanks man was deer hunting with a 35-year-old Wisconsin woman in Columbia County on Sunday.

King says the man apparently handed a loaded rifle up to the woman while she was in a tree stand. The woman had mittens on and grasped the gun around the trigger. The weapon discharged and the man took a bullet just below the armpit.

The warden says no other fatalities involving weapons has been reported to the DNR since the nine-day deer gun season began Saturday. The Green Lake County Sheriff's Department reported a hunter died of an apparent heart attack while dragging a deer to his vehicle Saturday.