Fatal shooting ‘completely avoidable’: hunting instructor

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This article was published 07/04/2022 (996 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Manitoba hunting fatality that led to a German man being sentenced this week to two years in prison has been labelled a tragic but “completely avoidable” incident.

Oleg Unruh, of Rosengart, was fatally shot by Carsten Aust after hunting for deer on private land near Elma, about 90 kilometres east of Winnipeg, around dusk Oct. 5.

Aust, 46, pleaded guilty Wednesday to careless use of a firearm and using a firearm in the commission of an indictable offence. He willingly returned to Winnipeg from Germany, which does not have an extradition treaty with Canada, to face justice.

“One thing I would emphasize is this is not a hunting accident: this is a poaching accident,” said Chris Benson, who teaches hunting safety courses with the Manitoba Wildlife Federation and is a Canadian Firearms Safety Course instructor.

“You never want to see this type of thing happen. It reinstills the message that, if you want to go hunting, take a safety course and learn from trained, qualified instructors on how to be safe.”

Aust, who was in Canada to raise money for a Philippines-based children’s charity, and a friend from Manitoba were hunting for a black bear in a wooded area when he saw something moving in the bush, Crown attorney Adam Bergen told court.

Aust assumed it was a bear and, armed with a high-powered rifle, fired a single shot, which hit Unruh, who was walking back to his vehicle. The 59-year-old school bus driver was shot through the arm and torso, the court heard.

Bergen said a distraught Aust applied a tourniquet to Unruh’s arm and performed CPR.

Aust’s friend told RCMP the pair had the landowner’s permission to hunt on the land while Unruh was hunting on the same property.

Before the incident, the friend said, they encountered Unruh and agreed to hunt on different parts of the land.

Benson said the fatality raised a number of “red flags” and questions for safety advocates.

Before pulling the trigger, hunters must identify their target and what is beyond it in order to make a legal and ethical shot, he said Thursday.

“Shooting at something in the bush that is moving around or something that is making a sound is incredibly irresponsible.”

Also, two parties being allowed to hunt on the same property “doesn’t make sense,” said Benson.

To hunt in Manitoba, resident, non-resident and foreign hunters must complete an education course and have a licence for the specific animal they intend to kill.

Foreign resident black bear hunters must be under the care of a licensed lodge or outfitter.

Aust did not have a firearms or hunting licence, and his friend was not an outfitter.

When Unruh died, fall black bear and white-tail deer archery hunting seasons were underway. White-tail deer muzzleloader and rifle seasons had not yet started.

For some hunts, an orange garment and hat are legally required. Even if they aren’t, most hunters will wear them for safety, said Benson, who’s been teaching people how to hunt and use firearms for more than 20 years.

There are multiple safety courses and licensing requirements in Canada to prevent this type of incident, he said.

“Hunting, despite what a lot of people think, is an incredibly safe activity, and it has to do with these courses.”

— with files from Dean Pritchard

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @chriskitching