A squirrel hunter said Monday he was trying to cope with accidentally shooting a bowhunter over the weekend in southwestern Wisconsin, mistaking the man’s movement for that of a squirrel.

David R. Devine, 55, of Onalaska, Wis., offered brief remarks in a telephone interview Monday regarding what he said was a “tragedy.”

“I would thank God if it never happens to anybody ever again,” Devine said. “You can quote me on that.”

The bowhunter, Patrick J. Humfeld, 55, of Trempealeau, Wis., was taken by medical helicopter to Gundersen Lutheran Medical Center in La Crosse after being shot in the head Saturday morning. As of Monday, he remained in serious condition, officials said.

According to the Trempealeau County sheriff’s office and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources:

The incident happened before 8:03 a.m. Saturday — when a 911 call was made — on private land at N17958 Marsh Lane in the Town of Gale.

Devine was hunting squirrels with a semiautomatic .22-caliber rifle, a common firearm used for squirrel hunting.

Devine “saw movement by a tree that he thought was a squirrel and fired at it,” according to a release by the sheriff’s office, which is classifying the shooting as a “hunting-related accident.”

“(Devine) then realized he had shot a bowhunter who was sitting on the ground using the tree as a back brace,” the sheriff’s office said.

Devine was about 180 feet away when he fired the shot, according to Lt. Tyler Strelow of the DNR, which is investigating the incident, along with sheriff’s investigators. Strelow couldn’t say whether Devine’s rifle had a telescopic sight. Both men were wearing camouflage, which is legal for both squirrel hunting and archery this time of year. Devine had a valid small-game license, which allows squirrel hunting.

Neither Devine nor Humfeld owns the property, and Strelow said whether either man had permission to hunt it remains part of the investigation. The owner of the property could not be reached Monday.

Devine declined to discuss the incident further.

Dave Orrick can be reached at 651-228-5512. Follow him at twitter.com/OutdoorsNow.