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MURRAY COUNTY -- Stray bullets hit two residences in different parts of Murray County during Minnesota's firearms deer hunting opener, Murray County Sheriff Heath Landsman confirmed this week.
There were no injuries reported, but both incidents are under investigation, Landsman said.
Landsman said Thursday that the Murray County Sheriff's Office has identified suspects in each of the incidents.
The deer opener in Minnesota was Nov. 7-8. Starting this year, the state no longer has restrictions on using rifles for deer hunting. Instead, individual counties in the former shotgun-only hunting zone have the option to adopt county-level restrictions. According to the Minnesota Department of Natural Resources' website, Murray County is not one of the counties that has passed shotgun-only deer hunting restrictions.
Landsman said Thursday that over the deer opener, a stray bullet struck a residence near Walnut Grove, and in a separate incident a bullet struck a residence in rural Avoca. People were at home in both residences, but no injuries were reported, he said.
A bullet striking a residence is a public safety concern, Landsman said. He said the issue likely would be discussed by Murray County Commissioners at an upcoming county board meeting. However, he noted that even when shotgun zones were in effect in Minnesota, people could legally hunt with handguns that use the same kind of ammunition as a rifle.
"Does the problem go away if you go back to shotguns? I don't know," Landsman said.