# Coyote Hunter Shot



## Horker23 (Mar 2, 2006)

Jordan, Minn. Man Killed While Hunting Coyotes

There may be charges in the case of a Jordan, Minn. hunter who was shot and killed while coyote hunting Saturday.

Michael Wagner, 26, was hunting with his uncle and several acquaintances -- in all, a group totaling 11 people -- near Webster, Minn.

According to Sgt. Bill Skarupa, a spokesperson for the Rice County Sheriff's Department, Wagner had just fired at a coyote.

Moments later, "a friend heard a muffled shot and heard the victim scream, 'Oh, my God!' And he went to the ground and died very quickly," said Skarupa.

Five other people in the group had fired shots at about the same time. Authorities said it remains unclear if one of them fired the fatal blow or if Wanger accidentally shot himself.

Investigators collected all 15 guns used by the hunting party as evidence. There were a variety of high-powered rifles capable of shooting at a long range.

The explosion in the coyote population in Southern Minnesota has made coyote hunting more popular recently. There is no season for coyote hunts and hunting licenses are not required.

Investigators interviewed the 10 people who were hunting with the victim, who were described as shaken and distraught.

An autopsy is being performed, and those results could help answer the question of whether one of the other hunters shot Wagner. If so, charges may be filed in the case.

"Very tragic, what the outcome is," said Skarupa.

Skarupa said Wagner was wearing camouflage, as was everyone else in the hunting group. Blaze orange is required for deer hunters but is not required when hunting coyote. 
(© MMVII, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)


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## Jiffy (Apr 22, 2005)

11 people hunting yotes in the same area at one time?!?!?! Thats a big group. It must have been a pretty big area.  You HAVE to know where everybody is at all times. IMO thats too many people in one area without orange on. Recipe for disaster!!


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## Old Hunter (Mar 8, 2002)

Very tragic to see such a young mans life end long before it should. The whole hunting party was at fault for group hunting in camo with rifles. It sounds like a lot of the blame could be shared.


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Regardless of blame that's very tragic.

I feel for the family.


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## dakota31400 (Jun 10, 2006)

Whats up with Minnesota Hunters.


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## apeterson (Aug 3, 2005)

dakota31400 said:


> Whats up with Minnesota Hunters.


what does this have to do with this accident??? :******:

:withstupid:

If you dont have anything worth saying then keep it to yourself!!

:******: :******: :******:


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## nodakoutdoors.com (Feb 27, 2002)

Let' squash the fact of where they were from right now. No need for that type of stereotypical garbage.

Again, I can't say how horrible this has to be for their family and that someone is going to have to carry this for life.


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## h2ofwlr (Feb 6, 2004)

Sort of almost old news, it happened almost a couple of weeks ago and was posted on the Mn hunting site 1.5 weeks ago...

I believe they were making drives to flush out coyotes with blockers. Similar to how pheasants hunters hunt fields.

http://www.startribune.com/462/story/921227.html

*Shakopee man killed in shooting accident during coyote hunt*
It remains unclear whether the shot came from the victim's gun or from someone in his hunting party.
By Anthony Lonetree, Star Tribune
Last update: January 07, 2007 - 8:47 PM

She was there when her son bought his first gun, a shotgun, she recalled Sunday, a gun made especially for left-handers.
Michael Wagner loved to hunt.

Ten years later, on Sunday, his mother, Nita Wagner, of Shakopee, was left to cope with the shooting death of her son, killed Saturday, authorities say, while hunting coyote as part of an 11-member hunting party in rural Rice County.

Michael Wagner's death, sheriff's Sgt. Bill Skarupa said, was almost certainly accidental. Still to be determined, however, he said, was whether Wagner, 26, may have stumbled and shot himself, or whether someone else in the party fired the fatal shot.

Nita Wagner said that's not important.

"I guess I know what I need to know: It was an accident, and he did not suffer," she said. "And he has gone to a better place."

Among those hunting with her son Saturday was an uncle, who was his godfather, Nita Wagner said. Everyone in the party, she said, is "devastated."

Bigger game, too

Coyote hunting is fairly common in Rice County, Skarupa said, and especially so this winter with its warmer weather. Though Skarupa himself said he prefers to hunt alone, people sometimes will use larger parties, he added, in order to set up posts to which hunters will direct animals to. Wagner, he said, was on foot when he was shot.

The shooting occurred about five miles west of Webster, and was reported to authorities about 12:15 p.m. Saturday. Wagner died at the scene.

On Sunday, his mother recalled her eldest son who as a student at Shakopee High School had the luxury of already knowing his passions for both work and play.

He would go on to make patterns for molds at the same Scott County company where he apprenticed as a high school sophomore, Nita Wagner said. With his friends, she said, Michael would hunt in Rice County, and go west to Utah, too, to pursue bigger game.

And with his father, Randy Wagner, who was not a hunter, Michael worked on classic cars. He is survived by a younger sister and twin 11-year-old brothers, his mother said.

As authorities work to complete their investigation, Nita Wagner said she's tried to assure his fellow hunters that her son would not want them to second-guess or blame themselves.

"People die in car accidents every day driving to jobs they dislike," she said. "Mike was having a great day doing what he loved with the people he loved."

Anthony Lonetree • 612-673-4455 • [email protected]

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*Jordan, Minn. Man Killed While Hunting Coyotes 1/07 *
Lisa Kiava Reporting

(WCCO) Faribault, Minn. There may be charges in the case of a Jordan, Minn. hunter who was shot and killed while coyote hunting Saturday.

Michael Wagner, 26, was hunting with his uncle and several acquaintances -- in all, a group totaling 11 people -- near Webster, Minn.

According to Sgt. Bill Skarupa, a spokesperson for the Rice County Sheriff's Department, Wagner had just fired at a coyote.

Moments later, "a friend heard a muffled shot and heard the victim scream, 'Oh, my God!' And he went to the ground and died very quickly," said Skarupa.

Five other people in the group had fired shots at about the same time. Authorities said it remains unclear if one of them fired the fatal blow or if Wanger accidentally shot himself.

Investigators collected all 15 guns used by the hunting party as evidence. There were a variety of high-powered rifles capable of shooting at a long range.

The explosion in the coyote population in Southern Minnesota has made coyote hunting more popular recently. There is no season for coyote hunts and hunting licenses are not required.

Investigators interviewed the 10 people who were hunting with the victim, who were described as shaken and distraught.

An autopsy is being performed, and those results could help answer the question of whether one of the other hunters shot Wagner. If so, charges may be filed in the case.

"Very tragic, what the outcome is," said Skarupa.

Skarupa said Wagner was wearing camouflage, as was everyone else in the hunting group. Blaze orange is required for deer hunters but is not required when hunting coyote.

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*Wagner likely shot by another hunter*
Submitted by sfiecke on January 12, 2007 - 12:32pm. Shakopee Valley News

The Rice County Sheriff's Office believes Jordan resident Michael Wagner was accidentally shot by a member of his hunting party on Jan. 6 near Webster.

Sheriff Richard Cook said he's "fairly certain" Wagner did not shoot himself.

He is "99 percent" sure the death was accidental, but said he will not rule out other possibilities.

A slug found near the victim's body is being analyzed to determine if it's the one that killed Wagner and whose weapon it came from. The office will probably learn soon who fired the shot, but it could be two to three months, Cook said, before DNA results conclude whether it was the deadly slug.

Cook said Wagner, 26, was wounded by one bullet that exited his heart and would have died almost instantaneously.

"That probably gives the survivors solace, if there is any," he said.

Wagner's funeral was held Thursday. He was an avid hunter, who also enjoyed restoring classic cars and Motocross motorcycle racing.

"He was doing what he loved on the day he died," said his mother, Nita, who lives in Shakopee, where Wagner graduated from high school.

Wagner was hunting coyotes with his uncle and nine others in rural Rice County, about 2 miles northwest of Webster, when he was killed.

The Shakopee native had recently helped his father restore a 1960 Chevrolet El Camino, and he just finished overhauling his favorite bike. It was waiting for winter racing on solid ice.

A small-town guy, Wagner bought a house along Jennifer Lane in Jordan two or three years ago.

In October, Wagner's company, Enterprise Pattern and Prototype, followed, moving from Shakopee to a new building along Enterprise Drive in Jordan.

Each morning, Wagner walked from his rambler to work with his hunting dog, Willy.

The Hungarian pointer stayed the day at the 10-employee shop, which makes equipment for the foundry industry, and played with Wagner during breaks.

"He became our mascot," shop foreman Jim Gare said.

Nita said her son's life was going just as he wanted.

"He was working a job he loved, he had a house that was perfect for him, his dog, his friends, his hobbies," said his mother. "He was perfectly content. He had found what happiness was all about."

Wagner was employed as a machinist pattern maker. He started at Enterprise as an apprentice at about age 15, based on the recommendation of his shop class teacher, who had also taught the company owner.

"He asked if he had an outstanding student, somebody that stood out," Gare said.

Wagner continued working while taking machining courses from Hennepin Technical College. He graduated with three two-year degrees, his mother said.

"Mike was very, very good with his hands," Gare said, and he made a lot of custom parts at work and home.

Nita said her son was the typical Minnesota hunter, and although her husband doesn't hunt, Wagner often went with an uncle who was also his godfather and like a second father to him.

He counted deer, elk and pheasants among his game, but last weekend's hunt wasn't for food but to get rid of a nuisance.

Coyote have migrated here in the last two to three years, Nita said, annoying farmers and devastating the pheasant and grouse population.

"That's why the group was out, they had been there before," she said. "Most farmers will welcome anyone to come and do this for them."

Wagner was always helping others - whether it was his family or friends, Gare said.

He was a positive individual who was "older than his years," Gare said.

Wagner would shovel his grandparents' driveway before work and in the summer mow their lawn, Gare said, even when his days at Enterprise lasted 10 to 12 hours long.

Wagner is survived by his parents, Randy and Nita Wagner, 21-year-old sister Molly and 11-year-old twin brothers, Brian and Eric.

Asked what she'll miss most about him, Nita Wagner said, "Everything."

"Everyone who knew him said this was such an exceptional person," she said. "There was nothing bad you could say about him."

Shannon Fiecke can be reached at [email protected].


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## taddy1340 (Dec 10, 2004)

This is very sad. I pray for all parties involved.


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## ndwaterfowler (May 22, 2005)

I echo your post Taddy.


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