Reports- Conservation Officer Shot by Hunter

[travisrage]

Be a little less friendly? Yikes. Hard to imagine that.

Incidents I heard of- this one with the dec and the other one where the son shot his father upstate. How many others are there


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[raymerlo]

    
Advocating for Conservation and Sportsmen Since 1933

ECO shot in Town of Gallatin, Columbia County (DEC Region 4); hospitalized in Poughkeepsie
Published reports say a New York State environmental conservation officer is hospitalized with a gunshot wound suffered while investigating reports of illegal hunting in the Town of Gallatin (Columbia County) on Tuesday evening.

The Department of Environmental Conservation says two of its enforcement officers were checking out reports of possible illegal hunting around 5 p.m. Tuesday. Gallatin is about 15 miles north of Pine Plains (Dutchess County).

Officers and Investigators from Columbia County (Region 4) and Dutchess County (Region 3) were on the scene.

One of the two ECOs investigating the possible illegal activity was shot in the upper leg or hip during the course of his investigation. The officer underwent surgery at MidHudson Regional Hospital in Poughkeepsie and is listed in stable condition.

WNYT-TV reports the man who shot the officer was charged Tuesday night with assault. He's being held in Columbia County jail without bail. The hunter - while apparently properly licensed - was hunting after legal shooting hours.

The New York State Conservation Council, Inc., hopes for a speedy recovery for the wounded officer. We recognize the danger our ECOs place themselves in each and every time they respond to an even seemingly routine call. We are confident that there will be a thorough investigation and that all appropriate charges will be applied.  
 

[uberyan]

On 11/30/2016 at 3:44 PM, Fletch said:

I am by no means making excuses for anybody and I hope this officer recovers fully and quickly.

 I have read another study like the one below. Maybe it was in Outdoor Life years ago. Anyhow this should be a must read. It is very interesting material for sure and I would love to see more research done to possibly help stop this from happening.

 

http://www.huntersafetylab.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/mistaken-for-game-hunting-accidents-a-human-factors-review1.pdf

 

So why do these kinds of accidents not happen during bow season, or do they?

Is it a simple matter of distance? I honestly don't know what the average distance between shooter and victim was in most cases but considering the majority of deer taken are under 100 yards.

I know JMP and Upstate mentioned something like that almost happening to them during bow season, but I don't recall hearing much on actual accidental shootings.

This is not meant to pit bow hunting versus regular. I see the merits in both. I might take up bow just so I don't have to try to cram so much travel in a short season.