Michael Ryan Kottke, a 24-year-old White / Caucasian male from Lomira, Wisconsin, died on November 22, 2025, while hunting near Oakfield in Fond du Lac County. He was born in Fond du Lac in January 2001 and graduated from Oakfield High School as part of the class of 2019, maintaining strong ties to the Oakfield community even after settling in Lomira. After school, he built a career as an electrician with Pieper Electric and, in September 2021, married Alexia Lynn Flury in Fond du Lac. Friends and family described him in obituary notices as a devoted husband and father whose life revolved around time with his family, including his infant son, and whose interests included hunting, fishing, golfing and outdoor activities that kept him close to Wisconsin’s woods and fields.
On November 22, 2025, the opening day of Wisconsin’s 2025 gun deer hunting season, Kottke went out to hunt in a rural area of the Town of Oakfield, near the intersection of Stumpf Road and Wild Goose Road. That evening, at about 8:28 p.m., the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office communications center received a 911 call reporting that a hunter had been found unresponsive near a tree stand in that area with an apparent gunshot wound. Deputies, emergency medical personnel and the Oakfield Fire Department responded to the scene, where Kottke was located near the stand and pronounced dead. Authorities have stated publicly that preliminary findings indicate the wound was caused by an unintended discharge of his firearm while he was in the vicinity of the tree stand, and they have consistently characterized the incident as a likely hunting accident rather than an assault.
Following the discovery, the Fond du Lac County Sheriff’s Office, working in conjunction with the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, opened an investigation into the circumstances of the shooting. Officials have emphasized that evidence at the scene supports the conclusion that the gunshot resulted from an accidental, unintended discharge of Kottke’s own firearm. Public statements from the sheriff’s office and local media reports have noted that the case is being treated as an isolated incident with no broader threat to the public, and there has been no indication of involvement by any other shooter. As of the latest available reporting, investigators have not announced any suspects, have not suggested foul play, and no arrests have been made in connection with his death; the matter remains classified as an apparent accidental hunting fatality pending completion of all investigative and forensic reviews.
In the days following the tragedy, obituary notices and online memorials painted a picture of a young family and community grappling with sudden loss. Kottke’s death drew attention not only because it occurred on the highly anticipated opening day of gun deer season, but also because of his deep roots in the Oakfield–Lomira area as an Oakfield High School graduate, tradesman and new father. Tributes highlighted his work ethic, his love of hunting and the outdoors, and his commitment to his wife, child, parents and extended family. Community reporting underscored that his passing left a significant void in the lives of those who knew him, framing the incident as a heartbreaking reminder of the risks that can accompany even routine participation in a familiar and cherished seasonal tradition.
