Evidently, 70 year old PA hunter walked into a setup of other hunters that were calling, and got shot - TWICE!
http://news.maryland.gov/dnr/2015/04/20/nrp-investigating-hunting-accident-in-allegany-county-pa-man-wounded/
NRP Investigating Hunting Accident in Allegany County; Pa. Man Wounded
April 20, 2015
A Pennsylvania man was injured Monday morning in a turkey hunting accident at Green Ridge State Forest in Allegany County, the Maryland Natural Resources Police reported.
Robert Lee Verbeck, 70, of Philipsburg, is being treated for pellet wounds to his face and shoulder at Western Maryland Regional Medical Center in Cumberland after he was shot by a 16-year-old who was hunting with his father and a friend.
The three hunters, from North East, set up their decoys not far from the intersection of Orleans Road and Dug Hill Road. Verbeck, who holds a valid Maryland hunting license, entered the area unbeknownst to the three hunters. Two shots were fired.
NRP received the call for assistance at 7:30 a.m. The investigation is continuing.
Maryland spring turkey season runs from April 18 through May 23. Only bearded turkeys may be harvested in the spring season. Hunters may use shotguns ? loaded with No. 4 shot or smaller ? crossbows or vertical bows. Hunting is allowed from one-half hour before sunrise to noon through May 9, and from one-half hour before sunrise to sunset from May 10 through May 23.
The NRP Hunter Safety staff and the National Wild Turkey Federation offer these reminders:
Be sure of your target and what is beyond it before you pull the trigger. Know the identifying features of the game you hunt.
Leave the area if you suspect there's another hunter already working the same bird.
Resist the urge to stalk turkey sounds. It is nearly impossible to sneak up on a turkey and it could lead to an accident.
Never wear bright colors, especially not red, white, blue or black because these are the colors of a wild turkey gobbler.
Remain still and speak in a loud, clear voice to announce your presence to other hunters if necessary. Never move, wave or make turkey sounds to alert another hunter of your presence.
Maintain a clear field of view when using a camouflage blind or netting.
Is orange required in Pa? I thought it was. I typically wear orange while on the move on public ground and when carrying a bird out!
Orange is required in PA but the hunting accident was in Maryland Not PA. Unless things have changed since I hunted Maryland, orange is not required there. A hunter doesn't look anything like a turkey; it is really sad that some hunters fail to identify there target and blast away at some movement in the bushes.
Just read it again, dude was from Pa.
Stuff like this absolutely amazes me... How can people be so stupid? smh Hopefully the guy will be alright!
Quote from: Ihuntoldschool on April 20, 2015, 09:41:45 PM
Orange is required in PA but the hunting accident was in Maryland Not PA. Unless things have changed since I hunted Maryland, orange is not required there. A hunter doesn't look anything like a turkey; it is really sad that some hunters fail to identify there target and blast away at some movement in the bushes.
Agreed, there is no excuse to not know what you are shooting. It amazes me how people can mistake a person for a deer or, especially, a turkey.
I too always wondered, "how can this happen". Psychologist will tell you the human mind can and will see what a person wants to see. Is this an excuse, no, it's a warning to maintain mental discipline at all times. work at being in control, talk yourself into looking around and thinking through the hunt and shot. Do not make sudden reactive shots! Once a mistake is made both the shooter and victim are injured, no one walks away unscathed! NO turkey is worth injuring or killing a fellow hunter.
This topic is an especially sensitive topic to me. You see I was shot in a turkey hunting accident in 2009 and nearly died. I am almost in tears as I write this as it evokes so many emotions. It is hard for the shooter to live with too. However, it is good to share and keep safety in people's minds. Don't say things like, how stupid can someone be, that in a way is setting in your mind, "this can't happen to me". I bet most shooters and victims felt the same. Say I will avoid all risky behaviors ans situations at all cost. Say, "it could happen to me, but I will be aware and remove myself from harms way whenever I can". This will mean losing an opportunity at a turkey some times, but take my word for it, it's better than fighting for your life and a year or two of recovery or leaving behind your family. Tell your spouses and kids you love them before you leave every day. There is no feeling as sad as sitting alone on a forest floor dieing and thinking "I'll never get to hug my wife again, I'll never walk my daughters down the isle, I'll never know my grand kids"!
We have had a turkey hunter shot in Iowa this season too. Last I knew, his condition was unavailable.
In 1990 a friend of mine & I were walking out of the woods after working a bird. Bird was on a string then all of a sudden it disappeared. We nicknamed the bird "Houdini" & after a while we decided to walk out. We were walking & talking in a normal voice when all of a sudden "BOOM" & we both went down. My friend was hit worse than me as several pellets broke the skin & he was bleeding around his chest/neck. I was hit more in the torso/legs. It burns! I yelled at the guy & he gets up & runs over to us. As I was drawing back to punch his lights out, 2 things went through my mind 1) as mad as I am I'll kill him & 2) he was crying. Figured punching him wouldn't do anymore than seeing a grown man cry. We were lucky that day that we didn't get any pellets in the eyes or even worse killed. It's a scary feeling. While your laying there for a moment you don't know what to feel. You run the whole of gamut of emotions in a few short seconds. I sure hope the gentleman in Maryland is alright. I'm sure the kid that shot him feels terrible! The parent with them should've been more in control but I really don't know the situation. Hope it all ends well for all involved.
my honest opinion is I know things happen but if someone shoots someone while hunting , then that person should never be allowed to legally hunt again
I realize that accidents happen, but there is no excuse for not taking the time to IDENTIFY your target before shooting. That is why they emphasize it so much in hunter's safety courses. I hope all involved are doing well.
:smiley-patriotic-flagwaver-an Scary thing. I got 3 pellets in the face while pheasant hunting on public land years ago. It hurt but could have been worse. I still have never seen a 6'3" 260 pound pheasant with an orange vest on. Be safe everyone
When my son was much younger, I was peppered by a careless pheasant hunter. I went to him yelling words my son had never heard me say before. Don't think he's heard them from me since. I think it gave my son a real life lesson in knowing where you're shooting.
Absolutely no excuse for this!
BEARDED BIRD , how does this happen? I will have to have good self control not to shoot back!
Quote from: turkaholic on April 22, 2015, 05:54:13 AM
BEARDED BIRD , how does this happen? I will have to have good self control not to shoot back!
Absolutely, laws in most states specifically state that you must shoot a bearded bird, which requires you to positively see a beard before shooting. Both shooters in this case should be fined and imprisoned. Never be allowed to hunt again and pay all medical expenses back ten-fold.
I have read many papers regarding the beliefs of many psychologist about the theories of "seeing what your mind wanted you to see." Utter hogwash...hunting requires a great deal of mental capacities be used. If you aren't mentally capable of holding yourself in-check at the moment of shooting an "animal", do us all a favor and get out of the woods, you have no business being there, period.
If you were to shoot at me like that, I will assume that are trying to kill me, which you are, and I will shoot back, period.
Sent by this stupid phone
Average 5'10" person vs a 2' tall turkey. Hmmm yea, they sure look close to alike.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.
Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.
The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.
I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.
Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.
Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.
I live about 30 minutes from where this place. That is one piece of public land I never hunt alone. There was a story from years ago when you had to take deer to the check in stations that someone actually shot a goat and tried to check it in as a deer. Lots of movement shooters there.
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 03:04:05 PM
I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.
Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.
The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.
I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.
Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.
Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.
So what your saying is you were going to shoot before legal shooting hours?
Quote from: Gobble! on April 22, 2015, 04:18:51 PM
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 03:04:05 PM
I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.
Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.
What? He stated it was early and the heavy foliage made it even darker. Not to hard to comprehend.........
The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.
I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.
Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.
Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.
So what your saying is you were going to shoot before legal shooting hours?
Quote from: Gobble! on April 22, 2015, 04:18:51 PM
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 03:04:05 PM
I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.
Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.
The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.
I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.
Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.
Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.
So what your saying is you were going to shoot before legal shooting hours?
Not at all. It was well after legal shooting time. That would be thirty minutes before sunrise here, and it can be pretty damn dark in thick woods before direct sun hits them. Couple of years ago I shot a bird twenty minutes after sunrise, but due to the woods and the lay of the land I had to wait for him to turn sideways and his beard become visible before I was certain he was the gobbler I'd heard coming. It was so dark the color didn't even show on his head.
I take it you're saying you don't have much luck shooting gobblers right after flydown. :popcorn:
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 04:52:40 PM
Quote from: Gobble! on April 22, 2015, 04:18:51 PM
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 03:04:05 PM
I won't judge. In most of these situations it sounds crazy the trigger was pulled, but I believe under the right set of circumstances a whole lot of good, experienced and safe hunters could make a mistake that would change a lot of lives. Other than being peppered on dove fields, and a few times duck hunting, I've never been involved in a questionable situation with another hunter, but I came close enough to shooting a stump one morning to make me think twice about how it can happen.
Doc and I were on a roosted bird, and that sucker flew down EARLY. It was late spring, and the heavy foliage blocked most of what little light was available. The bird hit the ground on the other side of a little rise and gobbled like crazy. I shifted as I followed the sound of him walking in the leaves, but he got a little left, and I moved the gun over right as he started drumming...and I mean right there. Light was growing every second.
The dark shape of a strutting turkey appeared, but I couldn't see a head. I slowly clicked the safety off, and I waited. He was drumming like crazy, but all I could see was his shape. A little more light filtered through the woods, and suddenly I could see the red and white of his head. A gobbler with a full fan and bright head is a dead bird in my book, but he was in a tight strut, and I held off.
I clucked on the mouth call, but he just drummed harder and held strut. Then, more light filtered through, and my gobbler morphed into a charred stump. I started shaking. Between the embarrassment of almost shooting a stump and the realization it could have as easily been a man, I was a conflicted turkey hunter.
Through it all, the real turkey kept right on drumming behind that stump, and he never showed himself. He finally wandered away, and I walked over to the stump. Perfect shape, perfect color, and a dropping dogwood flower and old Marlboro pack lined up to give the impression of a turkey head.
Now, I held off and didn't shoot, but I'd been hunting for a long time, and I had a lot of turkeys under my belt. Being honest, I don't know if that would have been the case when I was younger. A pretty simple occurrence that had a big impact on me. It made me a more cautious hunter, and it also made me think twice before condemning another for a hunting accident.
So what your saying is you were going to shoot before legal shooting hours?
Not at all. It was well after legal shooting time. That would be thirty minutes before sunrise here, and it can be pretty damn dark in thick woods before direct sun hits them. Couple of years ago I shot a bird twenty minutes after sunrise, but due to the woods and the lay of the land I had to wait for him to turn sideways and his beard become visible before I was certain he was the gobbler I'd heard coming. It was so dark the color didn't even show on his head.
I take it you're saying you don't have much luck shooting gobblers right after flydown. :popcorn:
Good try. You said it your self a little more light keep coming through yet someone you thought you saw a red head? Tell me if its light enough to shoot how do you mistake a red and blue head for a grey/brown stump?
You hunt Green Ridge?
How far was this stump? No way its light enough to shoot and you cant tell the difference between and turkey and a stump at shooting distances.
Quote from: Gobble! on April 22, 2015, 05:04:55 PM
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 04:52:40 PM
Quote from: Gobble! on April 22, 2015, 04:18:51 PM
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 03:04:05 PM
Good try. You said it your self a little more light keep coming through yet someone you thought you saw a red head? Tell me if its light enough to shoot how do you mistake a red and blue head for a grey/brown stump?
You hunt Green Ridge?
How far was this stump? No way its light enough to shoot and you cant tell the difference between and turkey and a stump at shooting distances.
Don't know what "Green Ridge" is. Possibly you should spend more time in the woods. It's amazing how different things look as light changes throughout the day. By the way, it was a "charred" stump. Black, just as a gobbler appears without direct sun hitting it. The stump was about 25 yards. In this case, an odd set of circumstances and lighting combined to almost fool me. The more time you spend hunting, the more likely it becomes that numerous factors will come together to cause you to have a somewhat similar experience.
Doubt all you like. I've hunted long enough, and successfully enough, to not be overly concerned by the uninformed opinions of those who have less experience.
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 05:17:17 PM
Quote from: Gobble! on April 22, 2015, 05:04:55 PM
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 04:52:40 PM
Quote from: Gobble! on April 22, 2015, 04:18:51 PM
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 03:04:05 PM
Good try. You said it your self a little more light keep coming through yet someone you thought you saw a red head? Tell me if its light enough to shoot how do you mistake a red and blue head for a grey/brown stump?
You hunt Green Ridge?
How far was this stump? No way its light enough to shoot and you cant tell the difference between and turkey and a stump at shooting distances.
Don't know what "Green Ridge" is. Possibly you should spend more time in the woods. It's amazing how different things look as light changes throughout the day. By the way, it was a "charred" stump. Black, just as a gobbler appears without direct sun hitting it. The stump was about 25 yards. In this case, an odd set of circumstances and lighting combined to almost fool me. The more time you spend hunting, the more likely it becomes that numerous factors will come together to cause you to have a somewhat similar experience.
Doubt all you like. I've hunted long enough, and successfully enough, to not be overly concerned by the uninformed opinions of those who have less experience.
Thats cute but your still the one who was going to pull the trigger on a stump at 25 yards in the middle of the dark. Glad that stump didnt put its head up or you may have shot someone.
I apologize for my inability to articulate my thoughts in a way you can grasp. Most of the very experienced turkey hunters I know have had similar experiences.
Just out of curiosity, what states/areas do you and most of the experienced turkey hunters you know generally hunt?
I hunt mostly in TN. The others are liable to be found in virtually any state. To the best of my knowledge I don't know any who was behind the gun in a turkey hunting accident, but I do know a few victims. Just because I understand how an accident can happen doesn't excuse the accident or the person who pulled the trigger.
Here's the deal. It's kind of like missing, spend enough time in the turkey woods and it's going to happen. Sooner or later, your brain is going to tell you to shoot when it shouldn't. 99.999% of the time it's a non-issue, and it will have nothing to do with another person. Most won't pull the trigger, and the few who do probably won't admit it. It's far more common than most realize or care to admit. Thank God it's rare for another to be on the receiving end.
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 08:01:09 PM
I hunt mostly in TN. The others are liable to be found in virtually any state. To the best of my knowledge I don't know any who was behind the gun in a turkey hunting accident, but I do know a few victims. Just because I understand how an accident can happen doesn't excuse the accident or the person who pulled the trigger.
Here's the deal. It's kind of like missing, spend enough time in the turkey woods and it's going to happen. Sooner or later, your brain is going to tell you to shoot when it shouldn't. 99.999% of the time it's a non-issue, and it will have nothing to do with another person. Most won't pull the trigger, and the few who do probably won't admit it. It's far more common than most realize or care to admit. Thank God it's rare for another to be on the receiving end.
I feel like with all this experience you speak of you would have enough sense to not consider shooting at something you can barely see. Do you click the safety off at movement or anything red as well?
Have fun with it. Thing is, the ones to fear are those who don't believe their brains can play tricks on them in the woods. Folks like me will wait because we know we aren't immune.
Jeez Gobble!, give it a rest. You misunderstood Bill's first post and its starting to snowball.
I know Bill personally, have hunted with him (not turkeys), but would feel safe doing so.
His point was that NONE of us are perfect, nor are our brains or eyes. He was suggesting caution. In his example he "thought" he saw a gobbler, he did NOT shoot the stump. Big difference.
BTW Bill, welcome to Old Gobbler! Its not usually like this.
Allan
Buddy of mine shot another turkey hunter, once. My buddy was calling in a tom; the other hunter was stalking the tom, unbeknownst to my buddy. Buddy shot the turkey and it was between the two hunters. The guy got hit; my buddy hadn't seen the guy.
Quote from: BoWhoop on April 22, 2015, 09:17:21 PM
Jeez Gobble!, give it a rest. You misunderstood Bill's first post and its starting to snowball.
I know Bill personally, have hunted with him (not turkeys), but would feel safe doing so.
His point was that NONE of us are perfect, nor are our brains or eyes. He was suggesting caution. In his example he "thought" he saw a gobbler, he did NOT shoot the stump. Big difference.
I full understand what he was trying to say and agree wiht it. Daveco gave a great example that not all of these incidents can be treated the same but the simple fact is by considering a shot in light conditions that you cannot 100% verify your target at 25 yards you are not hunting safe. 25 yards! He called to the stump to get it to break strut so he could shoot it. What if the stump would not have been strutting would he have shot? Then say that stump was not a stump but a person. All I want to make clear is in light conditions that you cannot 100% verify your target at 25 yards you have no right to click off that safety.
Gobble,
I knew it all too when I was your age.
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 10:13:00 PM
Gobble,
I knew it all too when I was your age.
I can only hope that hunt taught you a lesson that was taught to me when I was 15.
I think this is getting a little, dare I say, out of hand. People do make mistakes and there is no doubt that our eyes can, and do, play tricks on us sometimes. I believe the OP was just to say that you should watch where you are going and be aware of your surroundings.
My only question is, was the guy wearing orange when he walked into the setup?
Between this and the post about the snake, I am starting to rethink my public land hunting trips this weekend...
Quote from: Gobble! on April 22, 2015, 10:17:03 PM
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 22, 2015, 10:13:00 PM
Gobble,
I knew it all too when I was your age.
I can only hope that hunt taught you a lesson that was taught to me when I was 15.
I'd love to hear the story of your learning the lesson I was hoping to provide.
Bill, you need to call Doc. We were talking about you the other day & he asked how you were. Btw, I know Bill personally & can attest that he is safe hunter. Did he make a mistake, sure he did but he didn't make a mistake he couldn't change ie: pulling the trigger. At least he's man enough to admit it unlike a lot of folks. Bottom line is be alert to your surroundings. Situational awareness! I hate to hear of someone getting shot in the woods. From personal experience it's not something I wish upon anyone!
There are a few unlikely and rare situations where accidents could happen. Like the one above where the guy was stalking the bird someone was lined up on (doesn't make it ok though). I believe that most of the time it's inexperienced movement shooters.
I think that if you shoot someone while hunting that you should never be allowed to hunt again and you should go to jail 99% of the time.
Look, as the OP stated in the title "hunt safe." No one is immune from being in a situation which could turn tragic. The nature of the game dictates the possibility, and the human mind sometimes fills in the blanks. I told that story hoping to illustrate that a situation I too would have scoffed at prior to experiencing it myself, is possible for anyone of any level of experience. Having related it to enough experienced hunters, I've heard enough similar experiences to know it is more common than most would believe.
If you truly believe it can't happen to you, you are one step closer to being "that guy." I understand the situation I experienced because I was there, and it led to a greater understanding of how some "accidents" happen. I immediately understood how someone less experienced or more jacked up on adrenaline could pull the trigger.
None of that means I excuse the person who pulls the trigger. I had the restraint to wait, and I hope my story helps someone who finds themselves in that position in the future remember to do the same. You can't call it back once the pin hits the primer.
Please read and hope you all take something from this!
Just like the gentlemen sign in names,eggshell and cutt down stated. Until it happens to "YOU", the pure raw emotions that instantly kick in are mind blowing and mind scrambling! After being on the receiving end of the shot,the fear,pain,anger and the adrenalin that overwhelms you, can't even be described. I myself have been on the receiving end of a turkey load twice!!! And I was with one of my ex-turkey hunting buddies when he got literally blasted! As for my ex-turkey hunting buddy. As we always have done in the past,we went our separate ways at daybreak and met together around nine to compare notes. We where sitting on a very large power line cut. The grass was not even ankle high. As we talked about our next move for the remainder of the morning, two gobblers cut loose to our left,then a few minutes later. One cut loose to our right and was closer than the first two birds. I told my buddy,you can have the one on the right. I said, I'm going now because these two are a couple hundred yards away. He said,ok and I'm going to wait for this bird to sound off again before I make a move. I was no more than sixty yards away in the woods line, I hear a gobble from the bird my buddy was to try, then bang! Then the most eerie and most frightening scream I ever heard came next. I ran back to my buddy to see him on the ground rolling side to side with his hands over his face and another hunter pacing back and forth over him. My buddy was shot square in the face! Luckily, a highway was less than two hundred yards away and I was able to flag down a truck driver,who radioed for help. They life flighted my buddy to the hospital. First,most important,he survived! Second, God must have been watching out for him because the very least,he could have been blinded for the rest of his life. Two bb's lodged just below his left eye and one in the socket of his right eye. It's easily understandable,he no longer turkey hunts. How it happened. My buddy was still sitting on the middle of the power line. The shooter who also heard the gobbler,was approaching from up and over from the backside of the power line. It was then when the gobbler cut loose again,that my buddy was at the time getting up from his sitting position. The shooter heard a gobble,saw movement and shot. That was his story to the state police and the game wardens. As for myself. My first hit luckily was just a stinger. I WAS fortunately out of range of the shooter who thought I was a turkey and ended up with some nasty welts from the bb's. I also got to say,this was quite some time ago when they did not have the chokes or turkey loads like they have now. The second time I got shot, I had a bird answering me on a bench above me and he wasn't budging. I had another buddy sitting along side me. I stood up, thinking of my next move,pulled down my headnet,turned to look at my buddy and bang! Thank God, when I turned to look at my buddy,that put my face behind the tree and I took the shot in the shoulder. Again,as I stated earlier. You can't even imagine the emotions that overwhelm you all at once. As I screamed for the shooter to reveal himself, I created some unheard of vocabulary with every other word beginning with a capital "F"! As I'm waiting on the shooter,my left jacket sleeve is no longer camoed. It was solid red in blood and a puddle at my foot. What happened next was the scariest thing personally,that has stuck in my mind since then. The shooter showed up and my God! The first thing I did was leveled my gun at his face. To this day,I thank my buddy for being there and knocking the gun out of my hands. All the emotions that took over all at once, I almost committed murder! The shooter showed and buckled to his knee's sobbing and pleading. Take my gun,take my license. I'll never be able to hunt again the rest of my life! I can't believe I shot another hunter! That's why when I see a hunting show or a video on YouTube,when a hunter is crawling towards a gobbler behind a turkey fan. I jump up and scream at the screen,WTF is wrong with you! So my plea to all other turkey hunters. Please take turkey hunting as if you are on driving on the highway. Be on the defensive! "Don't" assume,just because you are the only one who is "SUPPOSED" to be hunting on that piece of property,that you "ARE" THE ONLY ONE! Don't assume, what you believe is a turkey calling,hen or gobbler is actually a turkey. Always keep it in the back of your mind that it may also be a hunter. Last,this is based off my misfortune and from what I have heard and read from other turkey hunting accidents and this is 'MY OPINION". The majority of hunters who have been shot turkey hunting have been hit in the face and neck area. After you have been sitting a calling from a position for a while and you don't get a response or you fill you need to make a move on a gobbler who has answered but won't move,what is the norm from that hunter when he now decides he is going to move? Like myself and others,you pull down your headnet from your face,think about your next move a few more seconds than stand up. This is when the majority of hunters,not all,have been shot. My opinion,your face is the only thing that stands out. The rest of you is covered in camo and blends in with the back ground. That's why,since my incidents. I always have a orange bucket hat and vest tucked between my and seat cushion. When I decide to get up from a calling position or I believe it's another hunter coming to me rather than a turkey,I place the orange bucket hat on top of my ball cap,the orange vest draped over my shoulders. I then stand up. Then and only then,I proceed to pull down my headnet. Some may think this may be over kill. Better than to be "KILLED"! So to all Old Gobbler members. Foremost,have a safe season and I hope also an exciting and fruitful season for all!
Greg
Quote from: Bill Cooksey on April 23, 2015, 10:17:57 AM
Look, as the OP stated in the title "hunt safe." No one is immune from being in a situation which could turn tragic. The nature of the game dictates the possibility, and the human mind sometimes fills in the blanks. I told that story hoping to illustrate that a situation I too would have scoffed at prior to experiencing it myself, is possible for anyone of any level of experience. Having related it to enough experienced hunters, I've heard enough similar experiences to know it is more common than most would believe.
If you truly believe it can't happen to you, you are one step closer to being "that guy." I understand the situation I experienced because I was there, and it led to a greater understanding of how some "accidents" happen. I immediately understood how someone less experienced or more jacked up on adrenaline could pull the trigger.
None of that means I excuse the person who pulls the trigger. I had the restraint to wait, and I hope my story helps someone who finds themselves in that position in the future remember to do the same. You can't call it back once the pin hits the primer. well said.
Quote from: BoWhoop on April 22, 2015, 09:24:33 PM
BTW Bill, welcome to Old Gobbler! Its not usually like this.
Allan
Thanks Allan. I knew the risk when I posted the story. Nature of the net. Hopefully it helps someone else down the road.
while ive never been involved in a accident all my years,i will say the thoughts of it scare me to death.theres a place of private land im allowed to hunt,usually im the only one that hunts it until the last three years.i actually called in 3 on opening day took the biggest and called another in sunday.but sunday the other bunch was there and I didn't know,i had a tom coming earlier and in the pouring rain I see all the cows start to run,then I see two guys walking fast across this field straight toward the gobbler that was closing the distance to me.they stopped were they last heard it and went to blowing crow calls.these two boys I ran into several years earlierwhen scouting,they informed me how they had killed 2 off the roost and season had not even started.they seem to be wreckless,and I don't like being in the woods when they are around,i feel like they would be ones who would shoot anything that moved.the worse thing is is that I had permission to hunt this place for years from the land owner,but about 5 years ago he leased the pasture land to a guy to run his cows on.this guy doesn't hunt but these 2 boys help him some on the farm,thats how they have a key and they are there hunting all the time.i even think the oldest got his gun rights took awhile back for domestic abuse on his girlfriend.we don't have a game warden here as of 3 years now because the one we had got sent to the pen himself for taking payments that were supposed to be fines payed to the court,he had people he busted sending the check to him,and the cops,well ill not get into them.so the only thing I know to do is avoid this place when I see them boys,its a shame to cause this is a really good place to hunt when they weren't around calling way before season and shooting whatever they can.every time I read a story like the ones posted in this thread I think of these boys and how that could easily be me...
I have been following this thread and I understand the feelings expressed by all, but I do not think assuming only a stupid slob hunter could make the mistake is true. I do think some people are more prone to accidents and hunters like greentag mentioned are scary to think about being in the woods with. A lot of accidents involved very experienced hunters, the guy who shot me was in his 60s and one of the most respected sportsmen in our community. He never imagined how it could be him. My accident was a bit different as it was more a case of careless firearm handling than pure hunting, but the result was the same. He is actually a good friend.
We had made a move on some birds and were trying to kill our first birds with a crossbow. We had the birds close once and got busted and they were still active so we moved and was making a new set up. When all of a sudden the birds called right in front of us. As normal we scrambled for trees. I suddenly felt something like a switch hit my leg, but instantly new from the sound his crossbow had fired. He had forgot to reengage his safety after the close encounter. We don't know if a twig hit the trigger or a solid bump triggered it. The result was the same. I was shot through and through the thigh with a three bladed broadhead. I'm sure firearm handling was second hand to him, but a mental lapse led to a near fatal mistake. I have become the worlds best observer of where hunters have their firearms pointed since. You would be surprised how many "good hunters" let muzzles and bows point towards other hunters. I have watched hundreds of guys rushing to set up on turkeys in real life and videos and you'd be astonished how many times weapons end up pointed at people. As for me I was one of the most blessed men in the world. I had worked as a volunteer EMT for a few years and knew instantly I had only minutes or seconds to react properly. I rigged a pressure point tourniquet to slow the bleeding and my buddy went for help. I started to hobble out as we were a mile deep in the woods. To make a long story short I made it to the local emergency room with 10 minutes to spare, I crashed ten minutes after arrival and was life flighted to a major trauma center. I had lost 40% of my total blood volume and had an inch hole bored completely through my left thigh. They would not close the wound for fear of infection. My whole leg turned black from one massive hematoma and the wounds bled to some extent constantly. After I came home from the hospital my wonderful wife whom I can never repay had to change my dressings multiple times a day for two months. I was so weak I could not walk around the house without feeling like I had been on an all day turkey hunt in the mountains. I truly believe I would be dead if God had not intervened.
So please let's not debate on how stupid anyone is or the profile of who knows what etc., let's just resolve to always as much as possible keep safety in the front of our minds. I forgave my buddy pretty quickly, but it still haunts him to this day. He would tell you that he thought there was no way he could have let something like that happen before the accident. Fellow hunters let's not insult each other, but do all we can to help each other be safer. That is why this thread is so good, it's makes people think!
OK I'm off my soap box
....and this is why this forum is such a great place for information. Thank you eggshell, blkpowder, and others that have shared your experiences. Wow.
I'm from Maryland but rarely hunt western part of state. I've never been involved in a shooting hunting accident but looking back can easily say it would not have taken much for things to have easily gone bad. I have GREAT RESPECT for the guys that shared their accident experiences even though it brings back painful memories. I would be very careful to think that "IT COULDNT HAPPEN TO ME" or that these are scumbags that all need to be in jail even though they should to be held accountable. GREAT READ AND INVALUABLE LESSONS LEARNED!
Thanks, this is a great thread, if there is anything I have learned from hunting it is to never say never, it can happen to you. There is so much involved in hunting that Murphy's Law is applicable, if anything can go wrong it will at any time. Another saying there go I accept for the Grace of God.Thanks again for being so honest and sharing, and you readers out there keep an open mind and an open eye!