Bob CollinsA deer hunter in Northfield, Minnesota, isn’t doing much for the image of the sport.
KARE 11 reports the hunter shot a family dog. His excuse is he thought it was a stray.
Why does that factoid matter? Because Minnesota has an odd law that allows hunters to shoot dogs.
“I asked the landowner, I says, ‘Was he chasing the deer?’ he says ‘No, he was just coming down the trail and this man who was in the deer stand shot the dog,'” says Jim Hullett, Diesel’s owner.
In Minnesota you can legally shoot a dog if it’s chasing big game, but only between January 1 and July 14, and only if the discharge of firearms is allowed. The law is somewhat confusing but the hunter admitted to killing the dog, saying he thought it was a stray.
The case has been given to the county attorney.
“We’ve never had this happen before where an animal’s been shot when it’s not chasing wildlife, so it’s new to us and we’ve forwarded the reports to the county attorney’s office for their review to see if they can find any charges that are applicable,” Rice County Sheriff Troy Dunn tells KARE.
