Hunting Accident

[ItalianHunter5]

I wrote that in my first statement because I know exactly what the average hunter is going to look for first, and that's orange. Then I explained to you that I didn't mean it was the man that got shot's fault because of no orange and that it was the irresponsible shooter's fault for not knowing his surroundings. Regardless that the deer was being rolled around on a cart.

[accman]

I don't hunt on public lands, but maybe an orange tarp to cover the deer is in order to protect ourselves.  Cover the brown, and there's no excuse to shoot.  Unfortuneatly, a lot of times you hear this, the hunter hears something big coming, gets excited, and shoots the movement.  You just can't cover every possible chance but a hunter shooting something that's being dragged or on a cart is just plain inexcusable and totally scary.

[philoshop]

The shooter actually missed the deer in the cart, and hit the guy pulling/pushing the cart...? That speaks volumes.

As to a mandatory orange rule, if people like this can be somehow trained to not shoot at orange I'll start working on a trail cam rig that squirts orange paint on the deer I want to take.

[Two Track]

It is much easier to spot someone when they are wearing blaze orange.

 

In my opinion, an orange hat is not enough.  If they are against a tree effectively blocking view of their head, but the shoulder and part of the ribs (covered in well belended camo) is exposed, how do you know they are there?  You could have entered the same woods from different directions at different times and never spotted each other.

 

I could only see one guy from two different angles that was hanging in a stand on Saturday because of his orange hat.  The rest of his camo blended in with the leaves and surrounding brush.  I was 3/4 up the slope  across a stream behind him and he was near the bottom of the slope.  90% of the time I could not spot him to verify he was still there.

 

I am not saying it was the victim's fault for getting shot, you do need to be sure of your target.  But if you are not visible to others,  it does make the safety aspect more difficult on the shooters part.

 

Anyone notice that youth and their mentor's for small game and deer gun season are both required to wear blaze orange?  Head, chest and back.

 

I don't get the big deal about not wearing orange especially during gun season.  If you take a fall and are wearing all camo, how can you be found if you need emergency assistance?  What is there to say that at somepoint someone will take a bad spill and either hit their head and be knocked unconscious, or pass-out from pain/bloodloss.  If happens to hikers, it can happen to a hunter.

[The_Real_TCIII]

I was talking to a guy down in Livingston Cty and he said he knew of an incident of a rifle hunter hitting a house. First day of the new rifle law and bam..Damage done!

better than a full school bus, like when Cattaraugus first got rifle...

[burmjohn]

I rather look like a big glowing pumpkin then get shot. But hey that's just me.

[NeverSeenNorHeard]

In my book, that should result in immediate revocation of all hunting privileges!

[stoneam2006]

I honestly did not know wearing orange was this debatable. I always wear orange as everyone I hunt always has and never had a issue shooting any deer.

[covert]

better than a full school bus, like when Cattaraugus first got rifle...

I went to school with a guy who hit a house when we were still shotgun only and a house down my road was hit when we were still shotgun only.  Dumazzes is dumazzes no matter what they are using.

[The_Real_TCIII]

I went to school with a guy who hit a house when we were still shotgun only and a house down my road was hit when we were still shotgun only. Dumazzes is dumazzes no matter what they are using.

no doubt about it

[incognito]

100% on the shooter. Should loose his right to hunt, and dare I say it, loose his right to carry a firearm. 

 

And his right to walk freely amongst the rest of us. (Jail time.)

[stubby68]

Just because you have a clear view of your target and know for sure what you are shooting at and what you can see behind it doesn't mean there is not and unintended target in your line of fire. There could be someone you can not see in camo hiding a hundred yards beyond the deer. Wearing orange will not make other hunters safer but it will make you safer. Wearing a seat belt when riding with someone does mean they wont have an accident or wearing a helmet while on a four wheeler does not mean you wont reck it but it helps if you do. There is no reason to not wear orange when in the woods. The shooter was the problem in this accident however if the other hunter had orange on then the shooter could have seen it and not shot. I am not saying orange would have prevented this nor that it was the victims fault but orange might have prevented it.

There is no reason to sneak around the woods in camo unless you are doing something you do not want others to see. DO NOT GIVE ME THE CRAP IT IS NEEDED TO GET A DEER. Deer are killed everyday of the season by guys wearing orange. Not just small young on nice mature ones. Weeaing orange is a safty thing period. just as a harness when in a stand is. If you do not slip you wont fall and you wont need harness. IF you do not have an accident you wont need a seat belt. If another sees you then you might not get shot but they cant see you if hiding in bushes in camo.Plain and simple seeing orange would mean no hunter in harms way not seeing orange means maybe no hunter around or is one hiding. Next time you shoot a deer ask yourself is there some one in camo a hundred yards out that i can not see. People learn to look for orange because that can be seen at a long distance camo can not. Think about it how many deer would be shot if we all worried if some one was hiding in camo. If you see nothing behind yo target then are you sure there is no one there. I amnot talking about someone close I am talking 100 yards or so . It would be easy to see the orange yet not camo. Wear orange so others know you are there and maybe you wont get shot you still might but the odds are in your favor when in orange.

Again in no way am I saying the victim was at fault here. How ever if wearing seat belt he could have been passed on.

[Culvercreek hunt club]

This make me remember my hunters education class from about 38 years ago. It was a shoot don't shoot movie. it was a deer going through the brush but just didn't look right. then the deer cam out from behind the brush being carried across a guys shoulders. There is no way to any competent person that this should have happened. I can't believe a deer strapped on a cart could look alive.

[bubba]

I wrote that in my first statement because I know exactly what the average hunter is going to look for first, and that's orange. Then I explained to you that I didn't mean it was the man that got shot's fault because of no orange and that it was the irresponsible shooter's fault for not knowing his surroundings. Regardless that the deer was being rolled around on a cart.

 

 

Maybe where you live, but not all that wear orange and look for orange are average.  I look for a deer and see a deer and identify it as a deer I want to shoot,then I decide if I want to shoot.  I do not  not look for orange and say I can not shoot that guy. And where I live that is the way it is.  But we also do not name our deer and pretend we are on tv like the cool guys.

[fasteddie]

I was talking to a guy down in Livingston Cty and he said he knew of an incident of a rifle hunter hitting a house. First day of the new rifle law and bam..Damage done!

 

There was an incident on River Road in leicester where a scottsville man shot with a ML and his round went through a window and lodged in a desk .

[jrm]

I was talking to a guy down in Livingston Cty and he said he knew of an incident of a rifle hunter hitting a house. First day of the new rifle law and bam..Damage done!

 

All his friends always said he "couldn't hit the broadside of a barn." He sure proved them wrong!  

Edited November 18, 2014 by jrm

[Two Track]

Maybe some people need to have put this way:

Driving a dark colored car at night with no lights on is more-likey to be in an accident, just as hunter in all camo is more-likely to be accidentally shot by another hunter than one wearing blaze orange.

 

Every night I see some car(usually at least 4-5) on the NY thruway without any lights on, or driving with the auto day-time lights (which means NO TAIL LIGHTS).  Real fun to come upon in 65 mph zone, especially when they are driving much slower than the traffic.

 

If you hit them, you are at fault.  You should have seen them regards of them not having the lights on (I know someone ticketed for hitting another car at night that did not have their lights on. The police said his lights should have been enough to see the slower car that had no lights on at 9:00 PM)

 

The same could be applied to shooting another hunter that was not visible to you who was wearing all camo.

 

Please everyone play it safe and wear orange out there and the harnesses in the tree stands.  Let's have hunting accidents down to slipping on rocks and getting a sprain or nicked you-self while field-dressing. 

 

That will put hunters in a much better light than reading about "another dumb@$$ hunter shot a squirrel that turned out to be another hunter" in the non-hunting public's eye.

 

[WNYBuckHunter]

I was talking to a guy down in Livingston Cty and he said he knew of an incident of a rifle hunter hitting a house. First day of the new rifle law and bam..Damage done!

 

Was it on the news or anything?

 

I used to rent a house that had multiple slug holes in the back garage wall and windows.

[steve863]

Just because you have a clear view of your target and know for sure what you are shooting at and what you can see behind it doesn't mean there is not and unintended target in your line of fire. There could be someone you can not see in camo hiding a hundred yards beyond the deer. Wearing orange will not make other hunters safer but it will make you safer. Wearing a seat belt when riding with someone does mean they wont have an accident or wearing a helmet while on a four wheeler does not mean you wont reck it but it helps if you do. There is no reason to not wear orange when in the woods. The shooter was the problem in this accident however if the other hunter had orange on then the shooter could have seen it and not shot. I am not saying orange would have prevented this nor that it was the victims fault but orange might have prevented it.

There is no reason to sneak around the woods in camo unless you are doing something you do not want others to see. DO NOT GIVE ME THE CRAP IT IS NEEDED TO GET A DEER. Deer are killed everyday of the season by guys wearing orange. Not just small young on nice mature ones. Weeaing orange is a safty thing period. just as a harness when in a stand is. If you do not slip you wont fall and you wont need harness. IF you do not have an accident you wont need a seat belt. If another sees you then you might not get shot but they cant see you if hiding in bushes in camo.Plain and simple seeing orange would mean no hunter in harms way not seeing orange means maybe no hunter around or is one hiding. Next time you shoot a deer ask yourself is there some one in camo a hundred yards out that i can not see. People learn to look for orange because that can be seen at a long distance camo can not. Think about it how many deer would be shot if we all worried if some one was hiding in camo. If you see nothing behind yo target then are you sure there is no one there. I amnot talking about someone close I am talking 100 yards or so . It would be easy to see the orange yet not camo. Wear orange so others know you are there and maybe you wont get shot you still might but the odds are in your favor when in orange.

Again in no way am I saying the victim was at fault here. How ever if wearing seat belt he could have been passed on.

  

I like the way you put this.  None of us are even for a second blaming the victim, but why is it so hard for some to understand that it's better to be safe than sorry?  I know that there aren't too many accidents in hunting, but I sure don't ever want to be the one getting shot with a deer rifle or shotgun so I will take the added step to be MORE visible in the woods rather than less visible.  I am totally amazed when I see people hunting on public land in full camo during gun season.  They must have way more trust in their fellow man, than I do.   If they don't give a $hit about someone sending a bullet towards them, at least they should think of their wives, kids, parents, siblings, anyone who they would be leaving behind who would have to deal with the burden of wondering whether a blaze orange vest, or coat could have possibly prevented the tragedy.  The decision for me is a no brainer.  Not one seconds debate in my mind as to what the best option is.

[Doc]

Ah yes..... the old annual blaze orange controversy. It always amazes me how there could even be a controversy....lol. It's just damn foolishness to go afield in a gun season without wearing generous amounts of the stuff. And this idea of people becoming conditioned to stop following safety rules just because they don't see orange is also just plain nonsense.

 

All I know is that when somebody in blaze orange gets anywhere near me, I know immediately, and begin watching them intently until they are out of sight. If they begin standing in an area that I think is too close, or is in an unsafe situation, I very quickly let them know or I move. I like knowing where other hunters are. I think that little piece of information is pretty important for their safety and mine.

 

 

[Two Track]

Exactly Doc.  Never know where someone might be that entered before you, and have to see where the guy coming in is and make sure he/she can see you so everyone has a safe hunt.

 

I even make sure on days when the last pair of clean thermals is white, that the sleeve and collar doesn't show despite the bright orange jacket and/or vest I am wearing.

 

Back where I grew up the biggest year for hunting accidents was when they issued white back tags.  Who knew that some people would just shoot at flap of white?

[wooly]

But..., but..., but..., blaze orange makes my butt look big and I don't have any shoes that match! 

[stubby68]

Know for sure your target is a deer and it is one you want to shoot is fine but you can not be 100% sure there is not a hunter in camo hiding in the brush 100 yards away bubba. I don't care how good you think you are you can not say you have never shot at a deer and knew 100% if someone was out there behind that deer and you just couldn't see them. You can only be sure of what you can see and camo at a distance is very hard to see. Looking for orange and hopeing there is not some unseen person hiding in your line of site is all we can do sense orange is not mandatory. If you make sure you can be seen and not mistaken for a deer and get shot then the shooter is 100% to blame. How ever if you get shot by another from 100 yards away when you are hiding in the brush wearing camo? you take all the blame.

Making yourself seen is safer for you then hiding. Why are you hiding in camo anyways? Are you trespassing ? Are you doing something illegal?

Edited November 18, 2014 by stubby68

[covert]

But..., but..., but..., blaze orange makes my butt look big and I don't have any shoes that match! 

 

Don't worry about it.  I think your butt looks fine.

[Four Season Whitetail's]

Was it on the news or anything?

 

I used to rent a house that had multiple slug holes in the back garage wall and windows.

Yes go back and look at post#22  I was picking up my new Great Pyrenees puppy sunday  afternoon and the guy was telling me it was opening day with the new rifle law but Grow says it was a muzzy shot? Not real sure of all of it.