14yr old shot in Aitkin Cty. Mistaken for a deer by 45yr old man.

[BigWadeS]

After listening to different stations today and hearing more detailed reports, I say get a rope....he was drinking throughout the day and then shoots at sounds....when you are this negligent maybe you should just stay home and listen to the voices in your head...I can not believe that they are only seeking man 2...it's amazing to me how some feel no concern for their actions...

sorry had to vent a little bit

[iland99]

From the Star Tribune:

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The charging papers said Ferguson, 45, of Maplewood, called police about 5 p.m. Saturday after discovering that he had shot Brandon after mistaking him for a deer. Ferguson said he fired twice after hearing leaves crunch and seeing something brown move through the thickets some distance from his tree stand. He said Brandon had brown hair that looked like a deer's back.

In court Tuesday, prosecutor Lisa R. Rakotz said Ferguson admitted to police that he had been drinking alcohol Saturday, which was confirmed by a witness. She said that Ferguson has had several drunken-driving convictions -- state records show about five since 1993 -- and that his driver's license was conditional upon not drinking.

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So the kid's brown hair looked like a deer's back? How can you see his hair without seeing the blaze orange jacket and pants he was wearing?? This is bad enough, then you toss in the fact that he was drinking. How is this manslaughter, and not a homicide??

[Whoaru99]

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The thing that really tees me off is I've seen this story on about three different news stations and they all seem to emphasis that the boy was wearing a camo hat.....as if that played a role. Give me a break ! The story does make me sick especially after having two kids of my own. I saw them interview the mother on TV and she had to be heavily medicated because she didn't seemed too broke up or she and her husband had to be in alot of shock. That is another thing the pees me off. Leave the family alone for crying out loud!!!!!

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Certainly not trying to assign blame on the boy, but it is in the regulations that the visible portion of a cap is supposed to be blaze orange.

Had that rule been followed this MIGHT not have happened.

Seldom is an accident/incident the result of one single cause. Almost always there are multiple contributing factors - any one of which avoided would break the chain of events leading to the tragedy.

For me, this is really a solemn reminder to always wear a blaze orange cap or hat. To rely on someone else to "do the right thing" or have "common sense" when your life may well depend on it can be fatal as is clearly evidenced.

[Ufatz]

Hey Pete, I said it earlier and I'll say it again: the charge should be negligent homicide. Lets watch to see if the DA upgrades it.

[Marmot]

Earlier this week, I heard on a Breezy Point radio station the shooter has 5 DUIs since 1993 and admitted to drinking prior to the accident. When news of this hunting accident first broke, I felt sorry for the shooter. I have since changed my opinion due to the past drinking convictions and admission of drinking prior to hunting. I agree with the get a rope mentality. Drinking and hunting should be mutually exclusive.

Edit: Anyone able to confirm the DUIs convictions? I heard it on the radio, but have not been able to confirm it on the televised news, Internet, newspapers, etc.

[tealitup]

Someone told me this weekend that he admitted drinking. But I do not know if that ment the night before or on the stand. The night before I understand... On the stand or getting drunk before going out... You make your own judgements.

[Rotwieler]

i get so mad at these accidents i cant even coment. ive been shot at!

[870Express]

Whoaru, do you really think a blaze orange cap would help if blaze orange coat and pants didn't. The blame is completely on the shooter.

[Whoaru99]

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Whoaru, do you really think a blaze orange cap would help if blaze orange coat and pants didn't. The blame is completely on the shooter.

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Clearly the guy that pulled the trigger didn't know what he was shooting at. Based on what I've heard/alleged about where the boy was shot, draw your own conclusion about whether or not a blaze cap/hat MIGHT have helped.

It's hard to imagine that one could not be seen in a blaze jacket and pants, but that SEEMS to be the case, doesn't it?

I think to suggest that a blaze cap/hat may have saved the boys life is no more blaming him than it is blaming a car accident victim to say they MIGHT still be alive if they have been wearing a seat belt. Or, no more so than saying a motorcycle accident victim MIGHT be alive if they had been wearing a helmet.

[knoppers]

I had recently heard we was under the influence of alcohol. he was illeagal right off the bat, and then shooting at movement makes me sick to my stomach. this guy should get lots of time to think about what he did in prison.

I was grouse hunting this fall, a grouse landed in some pines, I heard him clucking and seen his shadows moving through the pines, but I could not shoot becuase I could not identify my target. its that simple.

[sakazulu]

Just plain awful! I don't care if the poor boy had a camo hat on! There IS no excuse! I lost a friend a few years back and he was shot right in the chest by a member of his own group! The shooter did some time but not enough to replace what effect that has had on that family FOREVER! I get to deal with that every year and it really makes you wonder about the other guy. Enough so that my wife is scared every time I head out. With close to a 1/2 million firearm hunters in the woods, there are too many variables and I am quite frankly suprised it doesn't happen more often. Deer hunting ain't an excuse to party and go out half cocked. Sorry folks, but I get so mad when I read these things and know it didn't need to happen at all! Minnesota deer hunting is such a great thing!

[Swill]

I feel very sad for this family who has lost their son. Being a father of 2, I could not imagine the pain of losing my son to such a terrible accident.

This year, at 32, i started bowhunting. I started because I was sick of "beer camp" and the whole safety issues with gun hunting. Given that I practice shooting my targets at 30 yards of less, I am thinking no person has been accidently shot by a bowhunter in the united states. Or at least I would be very, very surprised.

Given all of that, gun deer hunting is still very safe in MN, but I think I will now stick to bowhunting.

Again, my prayers are with his family.....

[Mr.Seaguar]

Drunk or not, camo hat or not, still sickening this level of irresponsibility. I had an instructor once tell me, dont just think about the guy who is gonna get injured/killed, but for the rest of your life think of having to look at the faces of his wife and kids.

[Crappie Rage]

The more I know about this incident, the more trouble I have believing this was an accident.

[almostthere!]

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Given that I practice shooting my targets at 30 yards of less, I am thinking no person has been accidently shot by a bowhunter in the united states. Or at least I would be very, very surprised.

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No hunter has been shot by a bowhunter. (Not that I know of.) But some bow hunters has been shot by small game hunters. So, put on some blaze orange when out in the field at all times.

[Howieroch]

Know your target before you shoot. It's a basic rule of hunting.

Second, alcohol and guns do not mix. Ever. A couple of beers AFTER THE GUNS ARE PUT AWAY FOR THE DAY is fine, but guns and alcohol do not belong together.

A number of years ago while hunting on my family's land (near aitkin) I had a similar situation. I was on my stand -on private land- and I saw a patch of white moving through the brush. I knew there was an open spot ahead so I waited for the "deer" to step into the open. When it came into the opening in the brush I saw to my horror that it was my neighbors nephew, dressed from the neck down in blaze orange and wearing a white stocking cap. I felt sick to my stomach that I could have even thought this was a deer, but I made absolutely sure of my target before even thinking about taking the safety off my rifle. At 60 yards through the brush the blaze orange WAS NOT VISIBLE - all I could see was the white hat. I'll say that again, AT 60 YARDS IN THE BRUSH THE BLAZE ORANGE WAS NOT VISIBLE. This incident scared the heck out of me. Later that day I caught up with my neighbor and told him what had happened. He didn't seem too concerned and said he would talk to his nephew about not wearing a white hat AND not crossing the property lines. The next year he walked through the same spot again wearing the white hat...

When this happened, I was looking through my rifle scope when he stepped into the open(that was WRONG and I know it), but as I said the safety was on and my finger was NOT on the trigger. That day I learned how important it is to have binoculars and make 100% sure before ever raising a gun. I also now wear blaze orange head to toe - bibs, parka, gloves, hat, clothes under my parka... I'd wear blaze orange boots if I could find them. Before this happened I thought a hat and a vest were plenty of orange. I still get a sick feeling in my stomach when I think about this incident.

We all need to be careful out there because you just never know...

[WalleyeGod]

Great story Howie.

I had my 14 year old daughter out for the first time deer hunting this year. The Mrs. has heard or read this story and I am not sure she is going to let HER daughter go out next year. It did not help that I was a victim of skyline shooting (no harm done) a couple years ago either so it makes it harder again to convince the other half that it really isn't that dangerous. Yeh, right.

This is just a trajedy. Cannot even imagine.

WG

[Dave S]

my wife was a wreck this year knowing that both of our sons were going to be in the woods this year as part of our group of 13.

Had it not been for my dad having a slug bounce off his chest back in '88, I don't think it would be such a problem. But the person with the itchy trigger finger who said he "heard something" hasn't hunted with the group since that incident.

My dad was very fortunate that all it did was knock the wind out of him. He still has the slug to this day.

[Swill]

how does a slug bounce of your chest!!!

Any word on what type of rifle that guy was using up in Aitkin? You would think it was not a slug gun.

Should the whole state of MN be slugs only? How far are non slug hunters shooting these days?

I have always hunted with my slug gun or bow for deer and I now my max distance with a slug gun was around 50-60 yards and bow is 30 yards....

Swill

[UdeLakeTom]

We have one in our group that says, the regs on say from the waste up....He also wears a faded blaze orange, now finally after being told he isn't being seen by our group, he has decided to buy a new jacket when they go on clearance.

He is just too cheap to go fully blaze. Hopefully next year we won't have problems seeing him and if he does get the pants he will be warm enough to stay in a stand instead of trying to chase the deer. The good news is one of my nephews is so cautious that even if he sees a deer, he doesn't want to shoot if he is uncertain of the back ground.

[nofishfisherman]

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Had it not been for my dad having a slug bounce off his chest back in '88, I don't think it would be such a problem. But the person with the itchy trigger finger who said he "heard something" hasn't hunted with the group since that incident.

My dad was very fortunate that all it did was knock the wind out of him. He still has the slug to this day

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Was he born on the planet Krypton?

[Dave S]

the slug glanced off a tree first, then hit him in the chest pocket where he had a box of slugs. The first shot hit the ground 10 feet infront of him, the second hit him in the chest.

[Scupper]

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the slug glanced off a tree first, then hit him in the chest pocket where he had a box of slugs. The first shot hit the ground 10 feet infront of him, the second hit him in the chest.

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May I ask where did this information come from?

[Dave S]

Scupper,

I'm not sure if you've read through this entire thread, but I almost suspect that you are thinking that I was talking about the 14 year old who was shot by Aitkin.

My post was in reference to my dad who was hit in the chest in the fall of '88. They were making a drive through a woods that is on flat land and fairly open. One of the drivers claimed to "hear something" and shot twice in that direction. They were walking 3 abreast within line-of-site. The shots were fired in the vicinity of my dad. The only explanation is they glanced off a tree, towards him. As I mentioned earlier, he still has the slug to this day.

[Scupper]

LEP7MM,

I appoligize as I did indeed think you were refering to the Aitkin incident.

Sorry...