19-Year-Old Duck Hunter Cleared in Wisconsin Wolf Killing

A young man who was duck hunting with a group of youths earlier in the fall will not face charges for shooting a wolf that threatened them in their blind.

As we reported back in September, Chase Melton, 19, was duck hunting along with two friends, aged 13 and 14, when a group of wolves appeared and began to harass the group. Not knowing what to make of the situation, Melton held strong until one of the wolves got so close that he didn’t have much of a choice but to pull the trigger.

A witness, who was hunting about 300 feet away from the group of young boys, was able to corroborate their story, stating that he reportedly saw five wolves surrounding the blind and another four wolves in the nearby vicinity.

Melton went on to state that one of the wolves continued to close the distance and when the animal was within 8-10 yards of him, he made the call to lethally dispatch of the approaching wolf. Melton fired a single shot from his 12-gauge shotgun, hitting the wolf in the face, killing it instantly.

Following the killing, Wisconsin’s Department of Natural Resources began an investigation into the incident to corroborate the boy's story. Earlier this week, Oneida County District Attorney Jillian Pfeifer stated that she believed Melton acted out of genuine concern and decide not to prosecute the case.

Echoing the sentiment of Pfeifer’s statement, Wisconsin DNR Large Carnivore Specialist Randy Johnson said the agency also decided not to pursue charges.

“I think based on the outcome of that investigation it’s clear that their actions were deemed reasonable given the situation,” Johnson said.

As the case moved up the ladder inside the agency, the DNR’s Lieutenant Conservation Warden Chris Bartelt signed off on their findings, commending his officers on a job well done. Bartelt went on to state that the U.S. Attorney’s Office has also declined to press charges after reviewing the case with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service.

“All of these cases, whether we’re talking about federally protected species or something that we manage on a public level, the intent (of those involved) is always something our folks try to get to the bottom of before we make any final decisions,” Bartelt said.

This is the second self defense case this year in the state of Wisconsin involving wolves after U.S. Fish and Wildlife officials determined another wolf killed in Adams County was also in defense of human life.