Elk Hunter Shoots Horse by Mistaken

COLLBRAN, Colo. (AP) _ A horse being ridden by a hunting guide was shot by a man who thought it was an elk, officials said.

The guide, Raymond Bailey, escaped injury, but the horse died.

Scott Rodberg, 31, of Joice, Iowa, was charged with careless hunting, hunting before hours and reckless endangerment, Jim Morris of the Colorado Division of Wildlife said Tuesday.

Rodberg, who was freed on $600 bond, won’t lose his hunting license, but, ″That guy will never hunt again,″ Morris said. ″He was so shaken up.″

Mesa County sheriff’s spokesman Don Williams said Rodberg fired the shot from about 30 yards. He told officers he thought the animal was an elk.

The incident happened minutes before the start of the hunting season at sunrise Saturday, officials said.