# Hunting Accident



## 7mm08 (Dec 22, 2005)

Hello Fellow Hunters, I heard on the news today that someone was shot while coyote hunting. I'm up in north-central MN & didn't get the location. I just thought I'd remind everyone to be careful. I know that it's pretty easy to keep pulling the trigger with a semi-auto in the heat of the moment. I don't know if thats the way it happened, but I just want everyone to be careful. Later


----------



## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

They didn't give any details, other than the guy was a member of a 10 person party of hunters. In my opinion having that many people hunting together is an accident waiting to happen.


----------



## Bloodyblinddoors (Oct 25, 2006)

Story.

http://wcco.com/topstories/local_story_007170728.html


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

Fallguy: I dissagree. I hunt with a group of 25 total in rifle season. That's ALOT of deer shot, never any people. The only accidents I know of that have happened in 30 years of the same bunch hunting the same land is a guy shooting himself in the foot a couple years ago and a couple people fell out of their stands and broke a couple bones. I've only been up there for 3 years but I've hunted with the bunch for a long time and I'd trust anyone of them with my life. Except maybe the guy who shot himself in the foot... he's not allowed up there anymore, though. Moral, hunting with the right bunch can make a whole world of difference.


----------



## DOGKILLR (Oct 9, 2006)

It's according to what type of hunting you are talking about. A well planned deer drive where standers monitor established game trails and know where they can and cannot shoot (and using shotguns) and drivers making enough noise to give their positions is alot different than a bunch of guys surrounding a field with high power rifles shooting at a coyote high balling between them. It all goes back to using common sense. Know what you are shooting at and what lies between and beyond your target. High powered rifles and crowds just don't get it with me. Even when deer hunting established clubs, I want to know where the rest of the guys are hunting. There's some people out there that don't need to have a gun in their hands at all. You know the kind. The ones that tell their buddies that they were watching them thru their scopes,etc. I know that accidents can happen and I have compassion for whoever shot that young fellow (they will have to live with that the rest of their life) but people need to be more careful.


----------



## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

Not that it matters in this incident, but I have a question. In the article and on the news clip both state


> There is no season for coyote hunts and hunting licenses are not required.


 I have access to some good MN coyote areas but when Icheck into licensing what I found was me being a ND resident it would cost me $156 for a non-resident fur bearers license. Is this not required, can I hunt coyotes in MN with no license needed?

As for this incident, I feel bad for the families and hunting partners this involved.


----------



## DOGKILLR (Oct 9, 2006)

Did they mean there is no closed season? Here in NC the coyote is not considered a game animal and there is no closed season. I still think you have to have a hunting license though to hunt them.


----------



## LeviM (Dec 3, 2006)

MossyMo-

You do need a MN nonresident liscense to hunt yotes. I can't believe its that expensive to hunt coyotes in MN, that is Ridiculous! I bought a nonresident ND liscense and it was only $27.


----------



## MossyMO (Feb 12, 2004)

LeviM
I agree. After I checked into it then I went to NDG&F website to see how much for a MN resident to hunt in ND............pathetic. And this is to help the state manage the coyote population, there are many MN ranchers that would raise hell with the DNR if they knew they were chasing away people that would help bring coyote numbers down with their greed.


----------



## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

weasle414 said:


> Fallguy: I dissagree. I hunt with a group of 25 total in rifle season. That's ALOT of deer shot, never any people. The only accidents I know of that have happened in 30 years of the same bunch hunting the same land is a guy shooting himself in the foot a couple years ago and a couple people fell out of their stands and broke a couple bones. I've only been up there for 3 years but I've hunted with the bunch for a long time and I'd trust anyone of them with my life. Except maybe the guy who shot himself in the foot... he's not allowed up there anymore, though. Moral, hunting with the right bunch can make a whole world of difference.


Weasle414: I disagree. To each his own-I will stick to my groups of 4-5 people when I hunt. Do whatever you feel safe and comfortable doing.

It is too bad for the family of this hunter. I am sure they are feeling much pain right now.


----------



## thepain1 (Dec 20, 2006)

Im so good i dont need anyone to hunt with they just take your dogs. :withstupid: :sniper:


----------



## saskcoyote (Dec 30, 2006)

Fallguy said:


> They didn't give any details, other than the guy was a member of a 10 person party of hunters. In my opinion having that many people hunting together is an accident waiting to happen.


Fallguy, I agree with your observation. Weasle414 says he hunts in a group of 25. I guess everyone has their own definition of hunting -- with 25 hunters, I would suggest any concept of stealth, cunning, woodscraft, etc. would have no place here. Stalking game silently, playing the wind, matchng wits with your prey, at least in my estimation, would have little resonance with a party of 25. Again, everyone has his or her own definition of hunting but it certainly doesn't appear Weasle's concept of hunting would fit Fallguy's nor mine. 25 guys with rifles? Shooting, probably. Killing, maybe. Hunting, debatable. Dangerous, you be the judge.


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

saskcoyote said:


> Fallguy said:
> 
> 
> > They didn't give any details, other than the guy was a member of a 10 person party of hunters. In my opinion having that many people hunting together is an accident waiting to happen.
> ...


I see where you're coming from, but one thing I didn't even mention is the sheer size of the area we hunt. We have about 100 acres(more or less, I'm not sure) and have more than double or triple that in county land surrounding us. We never drive the deer, either. When all 25 guys up there, it can be kinda dull in the woods sometimes, just from the amount of shooting that's going on but the whole group is only there one weekend out of the year. I also hunt muzzleloader season which is, IMO and probably yours too, more of a hunt than it is with everyone up there. After first weekend of rifle season, we may get up to 8 people the next, maybe 6 opener of muzzleloading, just me and maybe my dad the next weekend and about 10 guys the last weekend of muzzleloader(7 of which are just up there to have fun at the shack and take things down and bring them back home.) All I was really trying to get at with the number of people in our group was that even if the guy was hunting with 9 other people, they could still have well enough space to walk and never see another person. When I walk(and believe me, I walk ALOT... an hour after sunrise, I'm out of the stand walking untill 2 hours before sunset) I could walk confidently enough that MAYBE I'll see 3 people's orange thru the brush or accross a field in a day. So, size of the group doesn't always matter. I dunno how much land they where on but if it's anything like what I hunt, they probably didn't figure it'd be a problem.


----------



## 1shot1yote (Dec 23, 2006)

MossyMO you should check into the laws a little more in MN to be sure because residents need only a small game license to hunt coyotes here. I wouldn't think it would be any different for non-residents. Did you check on a furbearers license or a trapping license because I know that trapping license's are more expensive than a small game license. I'll try and find my game laws and see.

Justin


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

1shot1yote said:


> MossyMO you should check into the laws a little more in MN to be sure because residents need only a small game license to hunt coyotes here. I wouldn't think it would be any different for non-residents. Did you check on a furbearers license or a trapping license because I know that trapping license's are more expensive than a small game license. I'll try and find my game laws and see.
> 
> Justin


Go to page 26 in the Reg. book.


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

Wait, scratch the pg. 26 thing...


----------



## DOGKILLR (Oct 9, 2006)

You say 100 acres? 25 people? And you walk all day without seeing anyone else? You must be walking blindfolded then. I don't believe I could hunt 100 acres, with 25 people, and not see anyone else while walking that little bit of land in a day. I don't know where you're from but 100 acres ain't much land anywhere you go. If somebody asked me to go hunting with 24 other guys on 100 acres I'd tell them they must out of their cotton-pickin mind. 2 people max while deer hunting stands and sitting there, maybe 2 hunting together for yotes, and 5 max hunting rabbits with dogs and thats it.


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

It's page 22...


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

100 of OUR stuff... most of the guys head out onto the 300 or more acres of county stuff around us.


----------



## 1shot1yote (Dec 23, 2006)

Yeah I checked into it not only do non-residents need a furbearer's license but the also need a small game license. This come's to a combined total of 216.50 Kind of a rip off if you ask me since our coyote hunting doesn't seem to be that great anyhow. I'd spend the money on gas and go west.

Justin


----------



## Fallguy (Jan 23, 2004)

Fallguy said:


> weasle414 said:
> 
> 
> > Fallguy: I dissagree. I hunt with a group of 25 total in rifle season. That's ALOT of deer shot, never any people. The only accidents I know of that have happened in 30 years of the same bunch hunting the same land is a guy shooting himself in the foot a couple years ago and a couple people fell out of their stands and broke a couple bones. I've only been up there for 3 years but I've hunted with the bunch for a long time and I'd trust anyone of them with my life. Except maybe the guy who shot himself in the foot... he's not allowed up there anymore, though. Moral, hunting with the right bunch can make a whole world of difference.
> ...


I better clarify what I meant. When I pheasant, goose, and deer hunt I hunt with possibly 4-5 people. While predator calling its me and my partner, and under special circumstances a third person but usually just two. That's plenty in my mind.


----------



## DOGKILLR (Oct 9, 2006)

400 acres ain't enough either. I hunt here in the East, have been in a few deer clubs and have ran a couple of them... the last one we had approx. 4,000 acres. We only allowed 20 members max. on that and that was too many in my opinion. You take 4,000 acres divided by 20 hunters and that gives each an area of 200 acres each. I finally decided to get away from that sort of thing and hunt 800 acres with one person (who I would trust with my life). We don't even hunt the same tract when we go deer hunting. He'll hit one and I will hunt another.


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

Very true, I never thought about the coyote factor in it. I preffer to go alone or maybe with one other person. I wouldn't think it'd be too practical to have 10 guys trying to call in yotes... Sorry for all the confusion and ranting...


----------



## 1shot1yote (Dec 23, 2006)

Thanks weasle414 I was trying to look on the internet but it's a pain in the but in pdf format. Yeah I guess residents don't even need a license to hunt coyotes in MN cause they are unprotected. Seems like a bunch of BS for non-residents to have to pay that much.

Justin


----------



## BigDDL (Sep 29, 2004)

Large party hunting can be done just as safely as hunting in smaller groups. Although I now hunt alone or in small groups I've hunted in large groups when I lived in PA. It was never just a bunch of "yahoos" getting together and driving deer. Our groups were made mostly of local farmers/landowners and their families. The size of the drives was not that impressive, but the terrain is what made large groups necessary. Sloughs are easy walking compared to stickers or mountain laurels so thick you cannot see deer running five yards away. 
With proper organization, knowing the terrain and drives, and following basic hunting saftey there is no reason for anyone to get hurt. I can guarantee that everyone worked just as hard for their deer as any solo hunter. If you were lucky and got your deer early in the season you had better show up without your rifle for the rest of the season to help drive deer for those that still had tags or you had better not show up the following year. The feeling you get from hunting with family and friends is something I'll never forget and look forward to doing again.
Simply put, if you cannot see your target clearly or you cannnot see beyond your target-don't even take the safety off!


----------



## weasle414 (Dec 31, 2006)

BigDDL said:


> Large party hunting can be done just as safely as hunting in smaller groups. Although I now hunt alone or in small groups I've hunted in large groups when I lived in PA. It was never just a bunch of "yahoos" getting together and driving deer. Our groups were made mostly of local farmers/landowners and their families. The size of the drives was not that impressive, but the terrain is what made large groups necessary. Sloughs are easy walking compared to stickers or mountain laurels so thick you cannot see deer running five yards away.
> With proper organization, knowing the terrain and drives, and following basic hunting saftey there is no reason for anyone to get hurt. I can guarantee that everyone worked just as hard for their deer as any solo hunter. If you were lucky and got your deer early in the season you had better show up without your rifle for the rest of the season to help drive deer for those that still had tags or you had better not show up the following year. The feeling you get from hunting with family and friends is something I'll never forget and look forward to doing again.
> Simply put, if you cannot see your target clearly or you cannnot see beyond your target-don't even take the safety off!


Well put! That's alot like our party, too. Most of the guys are nothing more than a bunch of childhood friends who grew up to be farmers and mechanics and a cop or two in the mix. The only time anyone gets crazy is when it's 10 or less of us and that's after we've filled our tags and are just there to hang out at the shack and maybe shoot a grouse or two around the shack.


----------



## People (Jan 17, 2005)

I am posting the artical because I am sure wcco will remove it soon enough. Then late commers will not be able to read it.

Jordan, Minn. Man Killed While Hunting Coyotes

(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.


----------



## BigDDL (Sep 29, 2004)

I don't understand why anyone would not wear blaze orange when hunting in a group with rifles. If you are group hunting stealth is not as important as if you were solo hunting. I don't place any blame on the state for not requiring orange-it should be common sense!


----------



## xsnipax (Dec 15, 2006)

i hunt in the upper peninsula of Michigan and in my party of hunters at the cabin their is aprox. throughout the season 22-30 full grown men (few teens) we perform drives through swamps so thick you cant see the blaze orange from the driver on either sides and their only 20 yards away, or snow soooo deep that 4 wheel drive trucks have a hard time breaking trail(and these trucks are owned by firefighters and police men; nice trucks), or the hills on a logging road that are so icy the trucks cant make it up, its a whole different way of hunting their. we perform drives that literaly take 4-5 hours to do, these drives might start in the middle of the woods then halfway through the drive the people have to spread out and start marching to their left because theirs a river that runs blocking off the way. for deer hunting many people when hunting is fun, but coyote hunting idk?


----------

