Kerry hunts, campaigns in Ohio

WASHINGTON, Oct. 21 (UPI) -- Sen. John Kerry said he bagged a goose during a two-hour hunting trip with Ohio Rep. Ted Strickland on a Springfield Township farm near Youngstown.

The Democratic presidential nominee bought a hunting license on Saturday and used a borrowed 12-gauge shotgun Thursday, the Youngstown Vindicator said.

He was in the battleground states of Ohio and Minnesota, meeting with Sportsmen for Kerry and seeking votes in Columbus and Minneapolis.

Kerry is to combine a hot topic of the day -- stem-cell research -- with economic issues in his talks. The widow of actor Christopher Reeve was expected to introduce him. Kerry mentioned Reeve during the third presidential debate as someone who could have benefited from stem-cell research to help him recover from spine damage. Reeve died a few days after that debate.

The pictures of the day will likely come from the goose hunt. The National Rifle Association, which recently endorsed President Bush, has pledged to take Kerry to task for the several photo opportunities that have featured the senator with firearms. The NRA says it will spend up to $2 million to deflate ideas that Kerry is pro-gun.