how can you say that this young man is completely to blame? there are several factors as i have stated before, but it seems people are too focused on making the teen pay. So I will state them again. Weather for one, the lady was bending down during hunting season in a place that is obviously made for hunting and hiking which sure as hell shouldn’t be open for hunting when hikers are there. And hikers shouldn’t be allowed there while hunters are there. I mean any avid hiker like she is portrayed as, should have been aware of hiking season in another area that she was not from, and should have been wearing bright clothing. Yes I am bias on this situation, but with good reason. I don’t care what any of you have to say about me I will continue to think this way and I will not change my mind at all.

I don’t think there is blame that can be put on either of them.  I know both the boys as well and know that they have a strong family. It will be tested during this period of time. 

It is something that the boy will live with forever.  I sure hope it all works out for both families and is deemed an accident which it was.

WHAT THE HELL THE PAPERS STATED AS WELL AS EVER OTHER FLIPPIN MEDIA COVERAGE THAT HAS BEEN COVERING THIS, THAT SHE WAS OFF THE TRAIL ABOUT TEN MINUTES WHICH IS RATHER A LONG WAY WHEN YOUR AN EXPERIENCED HIKER. AS WELL AS WEARING DARK CLOTHES WHEN YOU SURE AS HELL KNOW THAT HUNTING SEASON IS GOING ON. YOU CAN’T HONESTLY TELL ME THAT BEING AN AVID HIKER YOU HAVE NO DAMN CLUE WHEN HUNTING SEASONS ARE. OH I THINK WALK OUTSIDE IN A HUNTING AREA WITH DARK CLOTHES ON. THAT’S PUTTING YOURSELF IN DANGER. I FEEL BAD THAT SHE LOST HER LIFE, YES AND FOR HER FAMILY THAT HAS LOST A MOTHER A GRANDMOTHER AND PEOPLE WHO HAVE LOST A FRIEND.

YOU PEOPLE ARE IDIOTS THAT IS ALL I HAVE TO SAY

Hello, Simply Put.  I just need to simply ask you - why are you yelling?

because I am tired of people being so damn stupid

--but thank you; you made me laugh for that post!

Great job telling us we are stupid and can’t read:
”The woman was hiking on the mountain near Rockport with a friend, just five or 10 minutes from the trail head, when she was struck by a bullet, said Sgt. Bill Heinchk of the state Department of Fish and Wildlife.
According to a Sheriff’s Office news release, the woman had stopped on the trail to put something in her backpack when the hunter took one deadly shot.”
You might want to look up the difference between Trailhead and Trail.

Simply Put - 06 August 2008 04:29 AM

WHAT THE HELL THE PAPERS STATED AS WELL AS EVER OTHER FLIPPIN MEDIA COVERAGE THAT HAS BEEN COVERING THIS, THAT SHE WAS OFF THE TRAIL ABOUT TEN MINUTES WHICH IS RATHER A LONG WAY WHEN YOUR AN EXPERIENCED HIKER.

If the difference between Trail and Trailhead is too much for you, try the difference between OFF and ON.  But I’m the Stupid one, right?

Simply Put - 05 August 2008 03:19 AM

Excuse me! You need to know the complete circumstances before you start talking. You act like I don’t know what I am talking about.

Actually, You act like you don’t know what you’re talking about.

The kid made decisions and took actions based on those decisions, those actions led to death.  This is not an accident. The article title got it right, it was a mistake.  I understand that you know the kid and that he must feel terrible.  The tragic reality is that he F’d up and he is responsible.  Calling us names because we believe in personal responsibility won’t change that.  Blaming the Victim shameful and weak.

You can definitely tell who the family members of the hunters are in this thread.

Simplyput you are so concerned about the family of the hunters.

What if it were a member of your family that was shot? Would you still feel the same?

OR even better what if you were the one who was shot and your family had the “oh the poor hunters family” feelings that you have?

Puts it in a different light doesn’t it?

I don’t understand how a so called perfectly competent hunter could have mistaken a human for a bear and yes I have seen the photos of the area.

Regardless, accident or not someone is still dead. A loss has been suffered.

bunky - 05 August 2008 03:04 PM

Gee I guess I must have a Elmer fudd mentality myself, I pretty much agree with CitizenSkagit!! You gotta have him mixed up with SimplyPut,I mean simply put, he’s the one, for some wierd reason is findind faults with the victims posture on the trail etc.This poor women is in no way at fault,simply put!!!

I didn’t make myself clear that I am in support of CitizenSkagit’s position and analysis. We have people on the street where I live who drive their vehicles with the same lack of caution and concern as was exhibited in the judgment of the 14-year-old hunter wannabe.

jeepasaurusrex - 06 August 2008 01:18 AM

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

Thanks. That helps. I’ve never hiked or hunted there.

Seems like the shooter must have some experience… he hit his target. I learned to shoot a rifle at 12. As I grew up I lost interest in shooting. As for clothing colors, I’ve always tried, when I hike, to wear colors that blend in with the surrounding colors. I try to make my impact as low key as possible. And, I’ve never been aware of hunting seasons.

CitzenSkagit - 06 August 2008 03:13 AM

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.

No matter the conditions, the shooter here couldn’t possibly positively id a person as a bear. He may be an experienced hunter, but he can’t identify his target. It was opening day and he was probably anxious to make a kill. I think he was simply reckless.

I thought someone had posted here that the woman was crouched over and that “it wasn’t a bright blue parka it was a blue like in the E of your Internet Explorer?” Umm...that’s still a woman covered in blue!  Smaller in stature than a bear, bent OVER on a TRAIL where hikers are known to hike!  I cannot believe people are blaming the victim.  The previous poster is RIGHT.  You IDENTIFY your target before you pull the trigger.

In a society where we have laws to prohibit a 14 yr.old from having sex with certain people, and also laws to prohibit things like the sale of cigarettes and alcohol to minors. It just seems a little crazy that in our state a 14 yr.old can go off into the woods and shoot something with a deadly weapon, but isn’t required by law to have an adult present when doing so. Now I have no idea what the visability on the mountain was that day, or what the conditions were like at the time. But perhaps with a bit more supervision, this kid who is probably now pretty devestated, might have been a little more sure of what he was shooting at.

I think its funny all the remarks from everyone its more of an argument to me. Its also funny how this discussion is turning out quite like the one when the old school burned down. Yes the boy is at fault..he should have made absolutely sure that it was in fact a bear. I do think that the standards for hunters should be reconsidered after this tragic accident...thats right ACCIDENT!!!! Accidents happen, and in this case it took someones life. You cant change it now. My thoughts and prayers go to both families, as i’m sure both are having a hard time coping with this accident. Maybe the best way to figure this whole thing out is to let the 2 families sit down with eachother and discuss what should happen.

Also anyone who was raised around hunting, or is a hunter knows that you ID your target before you pull the trigger. Regardless of what the conditions are you make 0 certain that you know what it is you"re shooting at. Seeing how this kid nailed this hiker with a headshot at a distance of 125 yards, he was obviously experienced enough to know that. It’s all just a really terrible tragic and sad situation. This woman who was killed now has a family that has to lay her to rest, and this 14 yr. old kid now has the memory of what happend to deal with for the rest of his life. I think this just goes to show that regardless of what you’re doing, one always needs to be extra careful when out in the wilderness.

Simply Put, I’m sure this ordeal is very hard to hear and read about, for you. I don’t even know those kids who were hunting up Sauk last Sat. morning, but I know Sauk Mt. and it is rather hard to have the spotlight of accusation glaring at our county...our mountains...our people.

That said, I think you should listen well to what others have respectfully stated here and not assume that you must be defensive and especially, not try and somehow place the blame elsewhere than upon the person who let fly a bullet which struck another dead.

Ms. Almli was in the middle of a broad meadow when she was killed on that trail, a trail which is steep and switches back many times as it climbs Sauk. Your young friends spotted what they thought was fair game, from high above. In the fog and the mist that was present up there that morning, when the boy raised his rifle and sited his target, he most certainly did break the cardinal rule of hunters the world over...he did not properly identify exactly what he intended to kill with his bullet. His age, his grandpa, the visibility conditions, the hiker’s attire, her position, nor any other factors should have any bearing on this tragic accident. A legal, safety-tested, licensed hunter broke the rules of hunting and his mistake has resulted in the horrific killing of an innocent woman. He, alone, is to blame, not the state, nor the current laws and restrictions or the mingling of hikers and hunters in our forests or even the age requirements that have been set.

The reckless discharge of that boy’s firearm, his shooting at something he was not sure of, is the reason Ms. Almli is dead. My heart goes out to both her family and his. But this young hunter is the person who committed a crime here in our beautiful county, on the majestic Mt. Sauk. He broke that one rule which normally guarantees that tragedies such as this death will never occur. It’s a shame and so sad for all concerned.

skagitlivin - 06 August 2008 03:36 PM

Yes the boy is at fault..he should have made absolutely sure that it was in fact a bear… tragic accident...thats right ACCIDENT!!!!

You can’t have it both ways.

Simply Put,

You must not know a thing about hunting or guns if i’m not mistaken? Here’s a little news flash, the hunter’s saftey course offered by the state is supposed to promote exactly that, “safety” for all people in the wilderness, hunter and hiker alike. To teach that you make 100% sure that you know what you’re popping off shots at from over 100 yards away, so innocent hikers bent down near a trail head aren’t caught in the wrong end of the crosshairs. That’s why trails aren’t closed during hunting season, because a hunter is supposed to be competent enough to tell the difference between a caucasian woman hiking down a trail who’s in her 50’s in a rain poncho, or a brown or black bear weighing hundreds of pounds walking on four legs instead of two. The fact is the boy screwed up, and this situation is unfortunate for everyone involved. But you can’t sit here and try and place blame on the victim for strolling through the woods one day, and then suddenly being shot because a trigger happy kid made a very critical error in judgement that ultimately cost a woman her life. Think about it, what if you did’nt know the kid, what would you think then? Or if it was your cousin, daughter, sister, or wife that had been shot, what then would you have to say? Would you be trying to place blame on the shoulders of your loved one, for some reason I highly doubt it.....

This is definitely not a case of “both sides are at fault”.  People are free to hike on PUBLIC land without expecting to get shot.  If you are going to be firing off a high-powered rifle, the responsiblity is on you to make sure of what you are shooting at.  Otherwise, it’s criminal, regardless of who you are.  People need to be held responsible for their actions.

The most important rule in hunter safety was totally over looked....ID your target

Its a manslaughter case...rather then negligent homicide

I’m not going to jump on the “allowing kids to hunt alone is so irresponsible” bandwagon - that’s too easy a way out of this one.

I don’t hunt, but my first thought was is it normal to hunt bear in the same places folks go hiking? Doesn’t bear hunting take place well off the beaten path?