Walz tramps through tall grass but bags no birds as pheasant hunting season opens

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic vice presidential candidate Tim Walz carried a shotgun and tramped through tall grass as Minnesota's pheasant hunting season opened, giving the campaign a chance to highlight the governor's rural roots and love of outdoor sports.

Neither Walz nor Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan managed to bag any pheasants as they hunted near Sleepy Eye, a town about 90 miles (145 kilometers) southwest of Minneapolis. One person in the governor's own party shot a bird, while nobody in the lieutenant governor's group did, but six birds were harvested among other hunting parties that participated in a community luncheon afterward, the governor's office said.

“They can hide, they can get under the grass,” Walz could be heard saying as they searched for one downed bird.

The campaign of Vice President Kamala Harris has been openly confronting the question of whether some men are reluctant to vote for her because she’s 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 disclosed during her debate with former President Donald Trump last month that she's a gun owner.

On Friday, the Democratic ticket announced the launch of Hunters and Anglers for Harris-Walz, a national organizing program to engage sportspeople, conservationists and rural voters in key states.

The Trump campaign mocked the outing, accusing Walz of “desperately attempting to make up ground with male voters.” The campaign's statement also falsely said there were no guns in sight during the hunt, calling it “a sign of the future under a Harris-Walz administration.”

While it's true that a 36-second video clip from MSNBC tweeted by the Trump campaign didn't show any guns, it was recorded before Walz and his party had donned their blaze orange safety vests and hats and and headed into the field after a safety briefing from a conservation officer. They held their shotguns raised to avoid endangering the energetic pointers and Labradors that tried to sniff out birds for the hunters.

While Walz had a top rating from the National Rifle Association during his 12 years in Congress, he changed his positions on gun issues after a series of school shootings. As governor, he signed legislation in 2023 expanding background checks for gun transfers and a “red flag law” allowing courts to temporarily take firearms away from people judged to be in imminent risk of harming themselves or others. His wife, Gwen, has been a champion of gun safety legislation.

“Sorry Tim, men aren’t voting for a gun grabber,” the Trump campaign tweeted from an official account.

The Minnesota Governor’s Pheasant Hunting Opener has been a tradition since 2011, patterned after the state’s older fishing and deer season opener celebrations. It rotates through host communities in the pheasant country of southern and western Minnesota.

Walz went hunting the morning after attending a football game in Mankato, where he was once was an assistant coach.

Local police and Secret Service agents surround the area as Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate, takes part in the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener near Sleepy Eye, Minn., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate, pushes through thick vegetation as he takes part in the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener near Sleepy Eye, Minn., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate, gets his hunting license ceremoniously inspected before heading out for the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener near Sleepy Eye, Minn., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate, talks with Matt Kucharski, as Scott Rall gives water to his three hunting dogs, during the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener near Sleepy Eye, Minn., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Flanked by his Secret Service detail, Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate, takes part in the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener near Sleepy Eye, Minn., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate, holds Matt Kucharski's dog Libby, a 6-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, to give her a drink during the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener near Sleepy Eye, Minn., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Flanked by his Secret Service detail, Tim Walz, Minnesota governor and Democratic vice presidential candidate, stops during a break to give water to the hunting dogs during the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener near Sleepy Eye, Minn., Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Local police and Secret Service surround the area as Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz takes part in the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, near Sleepy Eye, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz pushes through thick vegetation as he takes part in the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, near Sleepy Eye, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz gets his hunting license ceremoniously inspected before heading out for the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, near Sleepy Eye, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz talks with Matt Kucharski, as Scott Rall gives water to his three hunting dogs, during the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, near Sleepy Eye, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Flanked by his Secret Service detail, Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz takes part in the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, near Sleepy Eye, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz holds Matt Kucharski's dog Libby, a 6-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, to give her a drink during the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, near Sleepy Eye, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

Flanked by his Secret Service detail, Minnesota Governor and Democratic Vice Presidential candidate Tim Walz stops during a break to give water to the hunting dogs during the annual Minnesota Governor's Pheasant Hunting Opener, Saturday, Oct. 12, 2024, near Sleepy Eye, Minn. (Anthony Souffle/Star Tribune via AP)

WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal judge terminated the gun case against Hunter Biden on Tuesday after President Joe Biden issued a sweeping pardon for his son.

U.S. District Judge Maryellen Noreika closed the case the week before Hunter Biden was to be sentenced. He could have faced up to 25 years in prison, though as a first-time offender he likely would have gotten far less time or avoided prison entirely.

Prosecutors opposed dismissing the case, arguing in court documents that a pardon shouldn't wipe away the case “as if it never occurred." Hunter Biden was convicted on three felonies after he lied on a federal form to purchase a gun in Delaware by saying he wasn’t a drug user in 2018, a period when he has acknowledged being addicted. The judge's order ends the case but does not toss out the conviction.

The Justice Department special counsel is also opposed to dismissing a case filed in California after Hunter Biden failed to pay $1.4 million in taxes. U.S. District Judge Mark Scarsi in Los Angeles indicted he would dismiss the case once the pardon is formally received. Still, Scarsi was critical of the president's assertion that his son was singled out for political reasons, saying two judges had rejected similar arguments from his defense attorneys.

The president's Sunday decision to go back on previous pledges and issue his son a blanket federal pardon for actions over the past 11 years has sparked a political uproar in Washington, drawing criticism from many Democrats as well as Republicans and threatening to cloud Biden’s legacy as he prepares to leave office on Jan. 20.

Hunter Biden was originally supposed to strike a plea deal with prosecutors last year that would have spared him prison time, but the agreement fell apart after Noreika questioned unusual aspects of it.

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This story was first published Dec. 3, 2024. It was updated Dec. 4, 2024, to explain that the case was terminated, which ends the case but doesn’t toss out the conviction.

President Joe Biden with his son Hunter Biden and his grandson Beau walk in downtown Nantucket Mass., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)

FILE - Hunter Biden steps into a vehicle as he leaves federal court, Sept. 5, 2024, in Los Angeles, after pleading guilty to federal tax charges. (AP Photo/Eric Thayer, File)

President Joe Biden accompanied by his son Hunter Biden and his grandson Beau leave a book store as they walk in downtown Nantucket Mass., Friday, Nov. 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)