11-3-07, hunter killed near Elbow Lake

[Cheetah]

For anyone who hasn't heard. It hasn't received much press yet.

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Quote:

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Sixty-year-old Craig Rupp of Elbow Lake was shot in the chest Saturday morning while hunting southeast of Elbow Lake, authorities said.

Rupp was a Grant County commissioner. He leaves behind a wife and two grown children.

Authorities said he was shot while others in his hunting party flushed deer out of tall grass. A deer jumped up and shots were fired. One of those shots hit Rupp.

Rupp was taken to Lake Region Hospital in Fergus Falls, where he died.

The Grant County Sheriff's Office was investigating the incident.

Elbow Lake is about 30 miles northwest of Alexandria in western Minnesota

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[Steve Foss]

My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and to the rest of the hunting party.

[Sandmannd]

I heard and that's not good. My thoughts are out to his family.

[BobT]

Good story to remind us how important it is to pay attention and identify not only your target but what is behind it and around it.

In my opinion this is negligence, plain and simple unless there was some off-the-wall freak ricochet or something but not likely.

Bob

[Grant Pearson]

my thoughts and prayers go out to his family. It pays to double check what's beyond your target. I could've shot a doe saturday but chose not to shoot due to another hunter being about 40 yards behind the doe. My deepest sympathy to the family.

[Eckie]

Prayers to the family.

Hearing this type of news makes me very angry. As Bob said, this is pure negligence. I'll add ignorance and maybe stupidity to that statment. We see and hear and read this stuff every year. How much of it could've been avoided with the use of common sense?? I don't get it -- KNOW your target. KNOW what's behind your target. KNOW where you're hunting partners are. If you don't, DON'T SHOOT.

Please be safe everyone....I hate having to send prayers to people that lost loved ones because of carelessness.

[shogun]

I had a grandpa - years ago when he was still alive and before i was born, he went hunting once with some friends of his in the Alexandria area. He was scared for his life because apparently that area is/was notorious for that type of hunting - driving deer and blasting at everything, not even knowing or caring what's beyond. He had bullets whizzing past him left and right - needless to say, he never hunted again.

[Steve Foss]

Let's not allow this thread to descend into assumptions and harsh judgments over a situation about which we know very litte.

This is a tragedy for everyone involved, not an opportunity to point fingers.

[NELS-BELLS]

I don't think its isolated to that area near Alexandria. Deer drives are very common in the agricultural shotgun only areas. I grew up and hunted in SW MN and most people would sit in the morning and then the rest of the day, they would drive the groves, thickets and swamps for deer. I'm surprised that there aren't more accidents like that.

Nels

[WalleyeGall]

I want to second this..

I have a connection with this and can tell you that NO judgements should be made! Accidents happen! And I can tell you this is what that was. This was an extremely sad event with all involved.

And I can tell you if you all knew the facts NO one would be saying anything negative.

Yes safety needs to be first and formost, and yes this party could and should of done things different. But no one has a right to judge them expecially not knowing the circumstances.

[Steve Foss]

WalleyeGall, welcome to FM. It's great to have you here. Sorry your first post had to be under such tragic circumstances.

[shogun]

point taken - I'm not saying drives are bad or that any certain area has reckless hunters. This is tragic.

[GoggleEye]

A few years back I was almost shot on a deer drive. The bullets were so close to my head that I felt the vibration from them in my ears and hair. I hit the ground so fast and was so mad at the 65 year old man in the hunting party that did it (I did not know him very well) that I almost could not hold myself back from grabbing his gun and telling him to hang it up for good. Thankfully, I left the situation alone and just left immediately. To this day, I mainly hunt alone and rarely participate in deer drives unless it is with family and close friends that I know are responsible and safe. I feel so sorry for his family and friends and my prayers go out for them. If you know you are not capable of hunting safely (older hunters,etc.)and you put others in harms way, YOU NEED TO HANG YOUR GUN UP AND RETIRE.

[shogun]

I lot of 'older' hunters have never had any kind of gun safety training since it never used to be required, and it's not required if you are older than a certain age. Should be required regardless of age.

[big drift]

When we were younger we had a younger group of deer hunters, my dad was the oldest and the rest ran from 20 to 24 years old.

The majority of us had been hunting for some time and had all hunted together for aquite a long period of time.

We ended up pushing a corn field one time and we had a rule posters were only to shoot the deer to ensure safety. drivers were to unload their guns and load them only when they reached the end of the drive as we prepared to get on line for the spot we had pushed the deer to.

Anyway I was at the top of the hill watching down the rows and here comes 3 does running up the row straight at me. Drivers were back about 75 yards. All of a sudden there was 3 shots all of which I heard. Me and the guy next to me hit the ground.

As i stood up my buddy told me to look at my hat. The bill was dogeared where a slug went thru the edge of the bill. The guy that did it first claimed he as not shooting and then tried to blame it on another guy who had all the shells he started with minus the one he used to kill his deer earlier that morning. Then he said it was my fault for standing there. One excuse after another.

While my brother and dad were keeping me from getting to this guy another friend told the guy to get in his truck and get out of there before I was let go. We have not seen him since. I had heard once the story got out about what happened he has never hunted the area again for anything.

[Eckie]

Walleyegall -

Please accept my condolences. It is a tragedy. I'm truly sorry for the family.

My previous post has the best of intentions and, if followed, many tragedies and accidents can be avoided.

[realtower]

I know that alot of you may participate in deer drives because of tradition or the only thing you know but every year its story after story of close calls or worse from deer drives. I myself have participated in them when I was young and was almost shot. As a person who has done them and have spent alot of time in the woods I can say that I belive that this should not be called hunting. I think everyone needs to take a hard look at what they belive and ask your self if running deer into posters where most of the shots are taken on the run is sportsman like at all. I understand the fun that guys have getting together to hunt but like my dad has always said "It takes a great hunter to go one on one with a deer in there home and outsmart them but it takes a good shot to just shoot a deer". I know some of you may whole hardedly disagree and thats fine. But No matter what kind of hunting you do please take your time and be safe. Sory to take this post here but it needed to be said. My prayers are also with the family

[Shack]

Accidents happen! What can you do.

Walleyegall, sorry to here of this occurring. My thoughts go out to the victim and his family. Again, sorry, but welcome to FM..

I have been hunting for a long time now and have been on several deer drives. I have never had a concern!

I have heard the leading cause of injury during deer hunting season is portable deer stands falling and people falling out of stands in general.

I think things just happen, no matter how safe one is. I thought of this when I was crawling up in my portable a couple times this weekend.

Be safe and watch out for problems that could occur.

Good luck!

[Deitz Dittrich]

WalleyeGal- pleasure to have you with us... So sorry for the loss. Very sad situation and my thoughts are with family and friends!!!

again folks... please dont judge without knowing what happened yourself!