If you’re a turkey hunter, then you know the joy to be found in the spring woods pursuing gobblers.

But you don’t have to be a turkey hunter to imagine the horror that transpired on an otherwise fine Saturday afternoon in the woods near Belle Plaine.

That a father shot and killed his child has to be a worst nightmare realized for anyone.

There is a temptation to characterize the incident as a terrible accident. And while allowing that no parent would intentionally shoot a child, to term it as accidental would be an attempt to soften the edges on such an egregious hunting transgression.

A fundamental rule of hunting is this: A shooter has to be absolutely sure of his target.

That’s it. Period.

In an e-mail, someone with extensive experience in the outdoors and firearms recently pointed out that accounts in the media, printed and broadcast, emphasized that the youngster had moved from the place his dad told him to stay.

Implicit in these stories, he said, was the suggestion that since the kid hadn’t followed instructions, he shared in some of the blame.

Experienced hunters know that the young victim, regardless of the circumstances, was absolutely blameless.

In the meantime, a few details — no turkey license, possible trespassing — are emerging.

In the big picture, such things are trivial when weighed against the incident itself. The official investigation continues.

Statistically, all hunting is safe. But the circumstances of turkey hunting — where participants are fully camouflaged and out in the woods imitating sounds made by the game they and others are pursuing — hold the greatest potential for injury.

Fortunately, most of us understand this when we carry our shotguns into the woods.

In the three decades Minnesota hunters have had the opportunity to pursue wild turkeys, there have been 15 shooting incidents. Until a week ago, none of them were fatal.

It’s a fair bet that most would not have occurred had the shooters simply adhered to the basic rule of making certain of the target before they pulled the trigger.