BARNEVELD, Wis. – The Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) recently named two individuals the 2024 Ethical Hunter Award recipients for outstanding individual acts that aided other hunters during the archery and firearm deer hunts.
Eliot Babino of Platteville and Cody Kabus of Independence were honored at an April 17 ceremony held at the offices of Vortex Optics, the corporate sponsor of the DNR annual honor.
Babino found two deer rifles left at a boat landing at Yellowstone Lake. Earlier, he had helped two hunters trailer their boat and suspected the firearms belonged to them. Babino contacted DNR conservation warden Jane Voskuilen to assist in getting the firearms back to their owners.
Cody Kabus dispatched a deer he thought he had wounded the previous afternoon, only to realize another hunter had, in fact, wounded it. He successfully made sure the large-antlered buck got to the rightful bowhunter.
“We want to ensure future generations have good stories to hear about hunters doing the right thing. Or, better yet, see these actions as they occur in the field,” said Lt. Renee Thok, Wisconsin DNR hunter education administrator. “These ethical acts are real-life examples of how to hunt correctly and ethically, and it is very important to highlight and honor them.”
This ethical hunter award was first presented in 1997. The public submits nominations, which are judged by a five-member panel of DNR conservation wardens, active or retired, and two outdoor writers.
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