MADISON, Wis. — An 11-year-old male died in a hunting incident on Sunday in Green Lake County, according to the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources and the Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

The Wisconsin DNR said the fatal incident occurred shortly after 9 a.m. when a 41-year-old male shooter was attempting to unload his firearm in the back seat of a vehicle.

As he was doing so, the firearm discharged and struck the 11-year-old victim in the chest.

The Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office, emergency medical services and the Wisconsin DNR responded to the scene in the Township of Seneca, which is in the county.

Following the incident, the victim was flown via Med Flight to a hospital, where he later died.

Both the shooter and the victim were a part of the same hunting party.

In regard to the incident, the Wisconsin DNR and Green Lake County Sheriff’s Office expressed their condolences to the family and friends impacted by the loss.

The incident comes on the heels of the gun deer hunting season opener on Saturday. It runs through Sunday, Nov. 27.

Ahead of the season, the Wisconsin DNR urged hunters to make safety their number one target and shared several safety tips, which you can find here.