MINNEAPOLIS– Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz spent Saturday morning roaming the tall grass on the opening day of Minnesota’s pheasant hunting season, giving the campaign an opportunity to highlight the roots governor’s rural areas and his love of outdoor sports.
Neither Walz nor Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan successfully captured pheasants while hunting near Sleepy Eye, a town about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis. One person in the governor’s group shot a bird, while no one in the lieutenant governor’s group did, but six birds were taken among other groups of hunters who later attended a community lunch, a indicated the governor’s office.
“They can hide, they can get under the grass,” Walz could be heard saying as they searched for a downed bird.
Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign has openly addressed the question of whether some men would be hesitant to vote for her because she is a woman. Key supporters are starting to make more direct appeals to male voters, hoping to overcome sexism – and apathy – as Election Day approaches. Harris revealed during her debate with former President Donald Trump last month that she owned a gun.
On Friday, the Democratic group announced the launch of Hunters and Anglers for Harris-Walz, a national organizing program aimed at engaging sportsmen, environmental advocates and rural voters in key states.
The Trump campaign mocked the outing, accusing Walz of “desperately trying to catch up with male voters.” The campaign statement also incorrectly stated that no weapons were in sight during the hunt, calling it “a sign of things to come under a Harris-Walz administration.”
While it’s true that a 36-second MSNBC video clip tweeted by the Trump campaign showed no guns, it was recorded before Walz and his party donned their safety vests and blaze orange hats and headed towards the field after a safety. presentation by a conservation officer. They held their hunting rifles raised to avoid endangering the energetic pointers and Labradors who were trying to sniff out the birds for the hunters.
While Walz earned a high rating from the National Rifle Association during his 12 years in Congress, he changed his stance on gun issues after a series of school shootings. As governor, he signed legislation in 2023 expanding background checks for gun transfers and a “scare law” authorizing courts to temporarily take away firearms from people deemed to pose an imminent risk of injure yourself or others. His wife, Gwen, is a champion of gun safety legislation.
“Sorry Tim, men don’t vote for a gun thief,” the Trump campaign tweeted from an official account.
The Minnesota Governor’s Opening Pheasant Hunt has been a tradition since 2011, modeled after the state’s past fishing and deer season opening celebrations. It circulates throughout host communities in southern and western Minnesota’s pheasant country.
Walz went hunting the morning after attending a football game in Mankato, where he was once an assistant coach.
