The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports this morning:

"MILWAUKEE -- Authorities are looking into whether the man suspected of killing six deer hunters in northern Wisconsin this week was involved in the unsolved slaying of another deer hunter three years ago, a detective told a newspaper ...

Jim Southworth was shot to death Nov. 23, 2001, as he hunted on family land 10 miles east of Neillsville and Kirn said he had exchanged frequent calls this week with investigators in Sawyer County, where the six hunters were killed and two others wounded Sunday."

It goes on to say:

"Southworth was shot twice in the back, an autopsy found. Court record say several of those killed Sunday where shot in the back.

Witnesses said they saw a pickup truck with three men inside on a road near where Southworth's body was found, about 80 miles south of Sunday's shooting.

The three men were described as Asian from 5-foot-4-inches to 6-feet tall, driving a silver or gray Nissan or Chevrolet pickup truck, possibly a late 1980s model with a light-colored fiberglass topper.

Chai Vang, 36, of St. Paul, Minn., who is being held on $2.5 million bond in Sunday's shootings, is 5-foot-4, according to a court document.

Vang has owned a 1987 Nissan pickup, the Journal Sentinel said, attributing that information to an unnamed online search service.

Sawyer County authorities have said a dispute over use of a deer stand on private property was a factor in this week's shooting. One of the theories Clark County authorities have been pursuing is that Southworth was shot after confronting a trespasser.

Vang had an out-of-state license to hunt in Wisconsin during 2001, said Mike Bartz, a Department of Natural Resources warden manager. The St. Paul man also had a license in 2000, 2002 and this year, Bartz said."

Watch the media spin this thing into a racial issue....they will pose the owners and dead as a bunch of rednecks and this killer as some poor asian who is needing to hunt to feed his starving family...No doubt, hunters will be cast as a uncontrolled armed mod of inbreds. No one will look into the fact tajt tresspassing is becoming an epidemic in some areas, trespassers avoid being caught by not wearing blaze orange, they kill then wait forever before moving to their deer in case the landowner comes looking for them...Nor will anyone deal with the fact that these people come from a culture that has no game laws, no private land ownership, and likely no regard for the game laws here.

Just my need to rant

I agree with the trespassing part getting out of hand, even where I hunt in a "semi-residential area." I have a tree stand along the very long driveway to our cabin as deer commonly cross over it through the many acres of woods we are in. It is not a residential area but there are lots of cabins in close proximity to one another on a lake, so there are neighbors driveways a few hundred feet to the east and west of me. It is not uncommon to see several hunters wearing blaze orange in their trucks slowly driving up and down my neighbors' driveways each morning of deer season "road hunting" on a private driveway. They do so without permission ( I iknow I've asked the landowners) knowing that the cabin owners are not there or out of bed yet. I suppose they'd make up some story like they shot the deer in the ditch and tracked it there to the private land. Some people feel they have the right to hunt wherever they want and spoil it for the majority of hunters who are respectful of one another. I haven't always owned the few acres I do now but managed to get along just fine on public land or getting permission to hunt someone else's private land.

I find the coincidences very startling and interesting. Luckily forensics should be able to determine if the bullets were fired from the same gun. It would sure be nice for Mr. Southworth's family if they could get some closure.

I definately don't was to presume the guy is guilty before the facts come out but it takes a "madmad" to shoot another hunter. If it happened once it wouldn't suprise me if it happened in the past. Had the 8 hunters in Wi this past weekend been alone then Mr. Vang would be free to commit these types of acts in the future.

Dose WI have capital punishment?

not to my knowledge...as i recollect dahmer got life

no WI does not have the death penalty.

Sounds like there might be a link! This guy will get what he deserves!

But for all you who talk and for all the talk about Asians don't respect others land and always trespass...as a landowner I've met more than my fair share of WHITE hunters that have no respect for the land, people's property, and the animals that live in the woods. This is one issue that is not racial...it has no boundries. Ask any landowner! People don't care (most).

Aint that the truth, My wifes family has a 1000 acres in missouri, last year i was hunting it on my way in a ran out 4 hunters and that evening on my way out 3 pickups were parked in the field these guys were having a deer hunting gathering or something I ran them out too, the only people that have permission to use that land are all family members and a farmer who was hired to farm the fields, my guess is farmer F***head hunts the land and invites all his buddies to hunt there too. when I get back to missouri my father inlaw and i are gonna take care of the problem and if it comes down to it theres gonna be some unhappy people with tresspassing charges on them.

I feel your pain. I don't post my land because it then becomes a magnet for the slops that don't care. And the truth is there are tooooooooooo many of them in the woods.

Lets all pray for the families involved in this terrible tradegy.