Hiker's death prompts calls to raise hunting age... Moves in Wash. to restrict young hunters have met with opposition

SEATTLE - When Pamela Almli set out for a hike on a popular trail north of Seattle, she may not have been aware that bear hunting season had begun a few days earlier.

And it's unlikely the 54-year-old from Oso, Wash., heard the gun go off when a 14-year-old hunter fatally shot her as she bent over to retrieve something from her backpack.

The Aug. 2 accident was a rarity in Washington — Almli is the first nonhunter killed by a hunter in the state in more than 25 years — but that doesn't make wildlife officials and the hiking community any less anxious to find ways to make sure it doesn't happen again.

Capt. Bill Hebner of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said he and his colleagues would like the state to re-institute an age restriction for people who walk into the wilderness alone with a gun.

No charges filed
Prosecutors are reviewing the case, but no charges have been filed. Law enforcement officials have not released the young hunter's name and note that it is legal in Washington for 14-year-olds to hunt without adult supervision.

Washington previously required supervision for hunters 14 and younger but eliminated the restriction in 1994 when lawmakers revised the state's gun laws, said Democratic Rep. Brian Blake, chairman of the House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee.

Blake, who believes the change was accidental, is seeking support for a measure to restore the age limit for solo hunters.

Attempts to raise the hunting age in Washington — last tried in 2005 — have been met with widespread opposition, said Blake, who did not think organized lobbying by hunting groups and the National Rifle Association was entirely to blame.

"Even family members can disagree about how this should be administered," he said.

Phone calls seeking comment from the NRA and Hunters Helping Kids were not returned.

Bucking national trend
Any move by the state to tighten restrictions on hunting would buck the national trend.

More than a dozen states put no age limit on hunting and several others have recently lowered their age restrictions. Some, such as Washington, require a safety course for new hunters, but others leave instruction up to parents.

From Arkansas to Washington, anyone who has legally purchased a license can go into the woods to hunt without adult supervision.