How does this happen????

[apeterson]

AP State News - Minnesota News and Sports | Brainerd Dispatch: Brainerd, MN


I have no words!!

[bigndn]

That sucks. I'm certain poor hunter ethics and lack of experience have something to do with it. That's all I'm gonna say for now, but I'm disgusted.

[D'Animal]

BELLE PLAINE, Minn. — The Sibley County Sheriff says that a man who accidentally shot and killed his 9-year-old son while they were hunting apparently mistook the boy for a turkey.

Sheriff Bruce Ponath says that Anthony Klaseus of Belle Plaine and his son Hunter were hunting turkey about three miles west of Belle Plaine around 6:30 p.m. Saturday when Klaseus shot his son in the chest with a 12 gauge shotgun.

Klaseus dialed 911 on his cell phone. Emergency responders pronounced the boy dead at the scene.

"He was absolutely panicked. That would be an understatement," Ponath said. "Very distraught."

Ponath said the shooting was an accident but that his department is continuing to investigate the circumstances.

[IDave]

You have to wonder if the son was walking around with a gobble call or something like that. Obviously, he wasn't keeping track. My hunting partner and I sit in blinds and hen call, for the most part. We know where the other is set up. Wandering around in camo shaking a gobble is asking for it. I feel sorry for the family.

[bigndn]

THIS SHOOTING WAS 100% PREVENTABLE. I was trained to always know what you're shooting at. If you can't make a positive ID, don't pull the trigger. Damn, this just pisses me off.

[wob]

Originally Posted by bigndn

THIS SHOOTING WAS 100% PREVENTABLE. I was trained to always know what you're shooting at. If you can't make a positive ID, don't pull the trigger. Damn, this just pisses me off.

X2

Unless the child looked exactly like a turkey or had crept up behind one his dad was shooting at, this should have never happened.

[flintknapper]

Originally Posted by wob

X2

Unless the child looked exactly like a turkey or had crept up behind one his dad was shooting at, this should have never happened.

Exactly!

Every person I have taught to hunt, and every person I have talked to about "hunter safety" gets the same speech (and I am none too nice about it).


1. We don't shoot at MOVEMENT!

2. We don't shoot at SOUND!

3. We don't shoot at COLOR!

We ONLY shoot at targets that are absolutely identifiable (right up to the time you pull the trigger).

There must also be a safe area behind and around the target or WE DON'T SHOOT!

Anybody that can't get that straight....wants to question any part of it...or be a wise-ass, gets booted on the spot!

No excuse for this tragic event... and it shouldn't be called an "accident" either.

[MARLIN375]

There has to be more to the story.......allbeit the sad truth won't change........but there MUST be more than what was reported.
Very obvious facts don't add up.

-effective range with turkey loads 40yrds-MAX.
-Bearded Turkey (must ID sex along with specices, in my area anyways)
-80 lb Turkey that looks like a boy.....I don't think so.


I would believe one stray pellet to the heart of a boy that was in the wrong place, or a shot made in the wrong direction (returning to the vehicle) and the boy not at all in the shot picture.

Misstaken for a turkey is inexcusable/unexplainable and I seriously doubt that is what actually happened.

I always kept my son at my side (from age 7 to 14) after that he stayed on stand EXACTLY where he was told and within ear-shot until he was 16 and now at 17 I trust him completely but he is still required to be under my supervision.

SO sad.

[flintknapper]

Someone in the "Readers Comments" wrote this:

Very Sad- Peace to the Family - this can happen to anybody

Not where I live!

[Butt Ugly Chuck]

Originally Posted by flintknapper

Every person I have taught to hunt, and every person I have talked to about "hunter safety" gets the same speech (and I am none too nice about it).
1. We don't shoot at MOVEMENT!
2. We don't shoot at SOUND!
3. We don't shoot at COLOR!

We ONLY shoot at targets that are absolutely identifiable (right up to the time you pull the trigger).

There must also be a safe area behind and around the target or WE DON'T SHOOT!

Anybody that can't get that straight....wants to question any part of it...or be a wise-ass, gets booted on the spot!

No excuse for this tragic event... and it shouldn't be called an "accident" either.

Amen flintknapper!

Sad story and there's NO excuse for it
Butt

[lunyou]

I was telling a turkey hunting friend that takes his 12 year old son out and he just couldn't imagine how that would happen.

It is a terrible tragedy that shouldn't have happened.

lunyou

[Atoyot1031]

I think I mentioned not long ago about how I was afraid of going turkey hunting alone because of the story below, which occurred very close (within a couple miles) of where I hunt. Similar situation- shooting at movement.

In the MN case, the father has to live with his actions for the rest of his life, while in the CO case, the illegal alien just went back to Mexico...


Qwest executive shot, killed while hunting


Dennis Webb
Post Independent Staff
December 31, 2005

A tragedy for a top corporate executive this year also became a crime with international implications.

Jeff Garrett, 37, of Aurora, was shot to death, allegedly by a Mexican national, while turkey hunting May 14 in the East Elk Creek area above New Castle. He was assistant vice president for Qwest in Colorado and a state lobbyist for the company. He was married and had two children.

"This just was a really terrible, terrible loss," Qwest spokesman Michael Dunne said. "He was a very dedicated and really valuable leader for Qwest."

Police believe the suspect mistakenly confused Garrett for a turkey when Garrett was crouching in heavy brush and calling for a turkey himself.

A June press conference was organized so that Garrett's family could plea for suspects or witnesses to come forward. Instead, investigators used it to announce that a witness had been located, and a suspect identified.

However, that suspect is believed to have fled back to Mexico.

Both the witness and suspect were ranch hands who were believed to be clearing brush when the shooter heard Garrett's calls. Investigators have found the rifle used in the shooting.

Garfield County Sheriff Lou Vallario and Colorado Attorney General John Suthers both have expressed confidence that the shooter will be apprehended and justice will be served, whether in Mexican or Colorado courts.

- Dennis Webb

[apeterson]

more to the story................ :-(





DNR: Hunter who shot son wasn't licensed

The Associated Press
BELLE PLAINE, Minn. — The Minnesota DNR says a Belle Plaine (bel playn) man was hunting without a turkey license when he fatally shot his 8-year-old son.

Anthony Klaseus (KLAY'-shee-us) mistook his son, Hunter, for a wild turkey on Saturday and shot him in the chest with a 12-gauge shotgun.

DNR records show Klaseus had not bought the $18 license required for the hunt, even though he had been drawn in a license lottery and was eligible to hunt during the five-day turkey season.

The violation is a misdemeanor. A DNR official says the agency does not have immediate plans to charge Klaseus with the violation.

Anthony Klaseus' brother says the family did not want to comment on the license issue.

[D'Animal]

So he was techincally Poaching when he accidentally shot his son.

Tragic.

[Mace]

I know where thaqt second shot in the gun would go if it were me...

:sad:

[Atticus]

Originally Posted by Mace

I know where thaqt second shot in the gun would go if it were me...

:sad:

Amen to that.














Wife's got to go, too. It's bad enough to have shot my own kid, but to hear about it for the rest of my life? Unbearable.









I'm just kidding. This was a completely avoidable tragedy.

[KY Longhunter]

Wow...I've been thinking of taking my boys hunting with me (age 6 and 4) but I wouldn't let them out of my sight much less shoot at something I couldn't identify! Scares me to death.

I've killed several turkey since I started hunting many years ago, but there was never any question what I was shooting at.

Truly unbelievable & ignorant. I'm with Mace on this one...

[lingo]

i just don't understand how someone could squeeze the trigger on something and not be 100%. I won't even pull the gun up if I don't have a clear shot. I feel for the family.

[apeterson]

This story keeps getting worse..............

Authorities: Hunter who shot son had alcohol in system

The Associated Press
GAYLORD, Minn. — A Belle Plaine hunter who fatally shot his 8-year-old son while turkey hunting had alcohol and marijuana in his system at the time, according to a criminal complaint Monday charging him with second-degree manslaughter.

Anthony Klaseus, 39, had a blood-alcohol content of 0.06 percent in a field test shortly after his son, Hunter, was shot, according to the complaint filed in Sibley County.

A urine test also found marijuana in Klaseus' system, but the exact amount won't be known for a few weeks, the complaint said.

Klaseus was also charged with reckless discharge of a firearm, trespass and hunting turkeys without a license.

"Obviously, the entire family was hoping for a different decision by the county attorney, but right now their focus is on dealing with how distraught they are and the loss of their only son," Klaseus's attorney, Patrick Flanagan, told the St. Paul Pioneer Press. "It's something they'll have to deal with the rest of their lives."

The criminal complaint gave this account:

Klaseus told investigators he and his son went to a Sibley County field about 5 p.m. on April 19 to hunt turkeys. After they saw some turkeys in the distance, Klaseus told his son to stay put while he circled around to cut off the turkeys.

The turkeys were coming toward his call when Klaseus "heard a snap or something" behind him.

"It was grass high ... and with the boy with camo on and stuff and hood on, it looked like a turkey fanning out," the complaint quoted Klaseus as saying. "Like I said I told him to stay here and I figured it was a long ways, so I fired."

Hunter was dead at the scene.

Sibley County Attorney David Schauer declined to comment on the charges.

[Wile E Coyote]

It's surprising how both sad and pissed off I am right now. Poor little dude just wanted to stay close to the action.

[wob]

The guy shouldn't have been drinking. 0.06 ain't much, no telling with the pot in his blood whether or not he was actually high at the time. I'm not defending his actions, I'm just saying we can't jump to the conclusion that he was loaded when he did it.

[apeterson]

Originally Posted by wob

The guy shouldn't have been drinking. 0.06 ain't much, no telling with the pot in his blood whether or not he was actually high at the time. I'm not defending his actions, I'm just saying we can't jump to the conclusion that he was loaded when he did it.

I have not heard of any formal charges.... dont think there is much you can do to the guy...... think his actions will haunt him more any any punishment the law could bring...

sad sad story.........

[IdahoDoug]

The best commentary on hunters shooting others came from a professional wildlife photographer. He said "In 32 years of photographing wildlife I have never taken a picture of an animal only to find out later in the darkroom that I'd accidentally shot a picture of a man."

It's inexcusable on so many levels it almost defies discussion. Like debating gravity.

DougM

[MudHunter]

Originally Posted by bigndn

THIS SHOOTING WAS 100% PREVENTABLE. I was trained to always know what you're shooting at. If you can't make a positive ID, don't pull the trigger. Damn, this just pisses me off.

I agree 100%. so sad....