Something tells me this wasn’t a “mistaken for a bear” thing.  It was an OPEN OPEN OPEN (hello!  OPEN!) field.  This whole story is fishy.

Oh wow people who have never been Sauk need to go up there and look for themselves. It is not an open field. And the weather was horrible. And until you read every story and know the conditions, then really you have no right in saying anything.

I sure would like for the newspaper to show us a photo of the area. Or, give us a better description of the area and conditions. But, I guess they don’t have the staff for that kind of thing.

If you want a better view of the area go to kirotv.com they have video of the area.

I’ve seen the area.  I also SAW to report on KING5, they said that’s where she was shot.  IT WAS AN OPEN FIELD.

sorry it was down an incline and not an open field. I AM SO TIRED OF THESE DAMN KNOW IT ALLS WHO TRY TO TALK LIKE THEY LIVE UP HERE AND ARE THE ####.

To the person tired of all the know it alls.  If you’ve ever been hunting anywhere in the state of Washington, you would know that she was killed in some of the clearest terrain around.  I’ve been out where the visibility is obstructed by forests with lots of brush.  And I have never mistaken a person for a bear.  What this whole situation boils down to are kids out in the woods hunting that shouldn’t have been.  The old law that required minors be accompanied by an adult should never have been allowed to lapse.  We need to pull together and convince Olympia that they need to get that law back on the books.  Signs at trailheads will do little good unless it reads something to the effect of irresponsible people out here with guns.  Beware.  And even then bullets travel faster and further than a person can see or get out of the way of.  I feel terrible for Pam’s family and I feel awful for the young man.  He will carry this with him the rest of his life.  And all because his family was irresponsible enough to let him have a gun and license to go out shooting without an adult. Sometimes people have to be smarter than the law allows.

Perfectly said Concerned Friend.

what if it was your family that was the hunters family? what would you do if you got online and saw all this crap about him being to blame honestly?? Everyone is pointing the finger at your relative. He was hunting, and yes without an adult that probably should have been with him, but considered his grandsons responsible enough to go on their own. Something very tragic happened out of the situation yes. I don’t see how the boy should be to blame honestly if anyone is to be looked into it should be the grandfather.

All I can say is that the boy fired the shot. Ultimately, he’s to blame. I sure fail to see how he could mistake a human for a bear. I just don’t understand it.

I agree with Art. From my previous post on another thread:

Sorry, but I’ve been a hunter for many years and there is no way a responsible hunter would make this mistake. I also can tell you there was no way I’d be out there without my father when I was 14, even after having hunted for years. You simply have to know what your looking at before you pull the trigger. I can’t fathom how anyone would shoot without being 100% certain, and I’m not sure how you could even be wondering if that shape in a blue rain slicker might possibly be a bear. Yes, tragic for all involved, but the fault lies with the hunter, not the state, and not someone hiking who bent over. I do agree that it’d be prudent to wear hunter orange, but most don’t think this though and the lack of hunter orange hardly constitues a reason for blame. And the State, why is it that people always look for someone to blame (and probably pay some $’s) when something bad happens. Give me a break, this isn’t the States fault. This one lies squarely on the sholders of the hunter who pulled the trigger, and the teachers of this young boy who didn’t do thier job in teaching him to identify before shooting, and the parents who sent him out there with a gun.

The so-called story keeps evolving...first it was he had an adult with him, then it was his 16 yr-old brother...now he was alone

His grandfather drove the 7 mile dirt road to drop him off in the parking area at the trail head and left him there, there is NO other way to have gotten to where he was

He walked up the trails switch-backs to a point he chose to “hunt”....what would you expect to be coming up the trail behind you

Its a very popular hiking trail....has been for many years

What the heck would a hunter be doing there....it should be off-limits

His grandfather really does have some responsibility in this.

This is a manslaughter case…

Until you have the facts, reserve judgment on any speculation about the case. I can tell you from the information I have, about 80% of what is posted here is wrong. Wait for the facts.

There are more than enough hunting incidents Nationwide that are similar to this.  There was an incident in North Dakota of two hunters hunting turkeys.  One was crawling a ditch and his partner mistook him for a TURKEY and shot him. 

The bad part about this is the limits on the hunting grounds in this area.  There are many areas that have been disallowed in the past 20 years where there are less public involved in the terrain.  Why?  One would only wonder.

There are many kids that have grown up in communities like Concrete that have hunted all their lives.  The kids older brother is an Avid hunter as is the family.  The 14 year old is an experienced hunter himself.  The trust was in the Grandfather but not the blame..

In the weather that was going on that day, it is a sad incident.  First why would a hiker be out in that weather during hunting season in dark clothing?  If she is an experienced hiker, just like experienced joggers, dress for the occassion. 

This is a terrible incident that will haunt the families of both involved but the addition of laws and regulations is not what needs to happen.  If that is the case, take away drinking, take away driving under 30 and over 60.  There are a lot of things that cause many accidents and death that laws do not change.  Grow from this experience and move on.

Art Shotwell - 05 August 2008 04:34 PM

I sure would like for the newspaper to show us a photo of the area. Or, give us a better description of the area and conditions. But, I guess they don’t have the staff for that kind of thing.

Here is a undated photo of the area. The grasses/bushes are typically taller this time of year.

http://www.schroder.us/NWHiker Uploads/sauk.jpg

Go to king5.com and watch the video. When they actually show the spot where she was shot from above you can see how bad it is.  The grass is very high, it was from above the area where the visibility was even worse, and it was not a bright blue poncho.  It was a dull blue poncho like the top of you Internet Explorer Browser.. 

There are a lot of things that could have been done differently on both sides. 

Very sad either way..

You can not possibly be serious.
Way to blame the victim.  “Hikers should wear orange, not bend down on the trail, etc……..”
How about “hunters should not shoot at trails?” That one ever crossed your mind?
“You shouldn’t wear dark clothing while hiking.” You shouldn’t wear a bear suit while hiking, I’ll give you.  How about “you shouldn’t shoot anything wearing clothing?”
“I know the boys, they were responsible hunters.” News flash:  Shooting at something you are not 100%, beyond a shadow of a doubt, absolutely, sure you want to die is NOT RESPONSIBLE.  Shooting at a hiking trail is NOT RESPONSIBLE. 
“they took the hunter safety course.” It must not require 100% to pass, because they got the “Shoot things you think might possibly be a bear YES/NO” question wrong.
“Both parties are to blame?!?”
“lack of judgement on both parts?” Do you also think the DC sniper victims were to blame when a bullet came out of nowhere and killed them?  They did know there was a sniper out there and they went to the gas station anyway. Did they lack judgement?
Put yourself in the situation, football field full of fog and brush…….
OK.  In that situation, don’t shoot.
Are you even listening to yourselves? 

Of course they feel terrible.  They should.  Their parents should too.

Thank you for pointing out the fact of the conditions and the terrain around. Everyone who has watched the news and everything else and doesn’t live up here continues to say it was an open area. HA! Thank you for stating it in more than one post. It’s about time.

I fail to see why the terrain has anything to do with it. If you can’t positively identify what you’re about to shoot; don’t shoot. If you do, and you are wrong, you shoulder the blame, the entire blame.

Citizen

You are correct.  Also, if you are hiking in a hunting area during mediocre conditions wearing darker clothes you are putting yourself in harms way..

There are a lot of negatives that led to this incident.  An amateur mistake that led to the ultimate fall.  An experienced hiker should have known the season and what was going around..

Anyone that bear hunts knows in the early season the best place to hunt is near trails with lots of vegetation and food.  This is an area of the sorts..

Sad ordeal.