Hunter thought he shot a deer — but it was another hunter, Minnesota police say

A hunter was shot and killed in northern Minnesota last week after another hunter mistook him for a deer, police said.

Rain Stately, 33, was hunting in Beltrami County on Nov. 25 when he thought he saw a deer move, the Beltrami County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post Monday.

Stately fired a shot from his rifle — then discovered the apparent deer was actually a man, police said.

The bullet hit 28-year-old Lukas Dudley, killing him, according to police. Stately immediately called 911.

Dudley was also deer hunting when he was shot, police say, though he and Stately were not hunting together.

Upon arrival, investigators noticed that Dudley was not wearing blaze-orange gear common among hunters, or other clothing that would make him easily visible, police said.

Dudley’s body was taken to the medical examiner’s office for an autopsy.

Stately is cooperating with the investigation, police said.

Beltrami County is located just south of the Canadian border.

This story was originally published December 1, 2020 at 1:16 PM with the headline "Hunter thought he shot a deer — but it was another hunter, Minnesota police say."