State eyes new limits on hunters after hiker's fatal shooting

State officials plan to reconsider hunter-education practices and possibly recommend age restrictions for hunters in the wake of last weekend's fatal shooting of a hiker by a 14-year-old boy in Skagit County.

Fish and Wildlife Director Jeff Koenings said the department will also examine ways to separate hunters and hikers, such as increased warning signs, staggered recreation times and temporary closure of certain areas to some recreational users.

"As the state's population grows, and use of outdoor recreational areas increases, we must be sure we're doing everything we can to protect all users," Koenings said.

Pamela Almli, 54, of Oso, Snohomish County, was fatally shot Saturday on a marked trail on Sauk Mountain in the Mount Baker-Snoqualmie National Forest.

The teen who fired the shot from about 120 yards was hunting with his 16-year-old brother. He told police he mistook Almli, who was bent over, for a bear.

Currently, there is no minimum age for hunters in Washington. First-time hunters born after Jan. 1, 1972, are required to successfully complete a hunter-education course, pass a written test and demonstrate the ability to safely handle a firearm.

A state law, which once required some teenage hunters to be accompanied by an adult, is no longer on the books; Koenings said he'll consider whether to ask the Legislature to reinstitute that law or possibly impose a minimum age for hunters.

The teens involved in Saturday's shooting had been dropped off by their grandfather, but he was not with them at the time of the shooting.

Without legislation, the Fish and Wildlife Department cannot impose age rules for hunters, but it can regulate the time, place and manner in which hunting is allowed.

State officials said Saturday's accident was the first time in at least a quarter-century that a person who was not hunting was killed by a hunter. The eight hunting-related fatalities in the past decade all were hunters.

"A fatal hunting accident involving a non-hunter is extremely rare, but that doesn't make it any less tragic," said Koenings. "Anything we can do to reduce the risk of another such incident is well worth pursuing."

Koenings said there's been a significant decrease in hunting fatalities over the past 20 years, in part because of mandatory hunter-safety instruction, requirements for hunters to wear orange garments and other safety efforts.

But a veteran forest-protection officer in Snohomish County said that with the increased number of hikers and hunters in the woods, a tragedy like Saturday's was inevitable.

"We have tried all different kinds of ideas to educate people," said Deputy Greg Rasar, "but none of them were idiot-proof or bulletproof ... it was just a matter of time until somebody was accidentally shot."

Hunting for black bear opened Aug. 1. More than 200,000 people each year go hunting in Washington. Deer and elk are the most sought-after big-game animals, but 50,000 to 60,000 hunters each year purchase bear tags.

Jack Broom: 206-464-2222 or jbroom@seattletimes.com