3 Pennsylvania Hunters shot in separate incidents

[10th Legionaire]

I took the Indiana Hunter Education Course in'93 when it first started even though I was grandfathered in due to age. I took it because my buddy and I were planning on going out west to hunt and whatever state we were looking at required it.

The CO teaching it was a good friend of my buddy and I had hunted with him on several occasions. He later went on to become a higher up in the enforcement division. Several times during the course people presented hypothetical scenarios to him asking what the rule of law would be and most of the time he would answer "it's up to the CO who you are dealing with". Of course, if you get a ticket you don't have to just pay it you can go to court and fight it.

Not a good answer for those of us that like cut and dry/black and white answers.

[joey46]

That's why I was hoping it wasn't a "officer discretion" situation. When I lived in KY took the hunter safety course at Ft. Campbell.  Couldn't hunt there without it or a qualifying safety course. Keep my certificate in my license wallet.

[paboxcall]

The PA regulation states "No Stalking. Hunting by calling only."

If you hear a bird at 200 yards, and close the distance by 100 yards, that isn't stalking. If you try to maneuver within shotgun distance instead to snipe him without making a call, you stalked.

Stalking is what happened to a good buddy, he set out his jake and hen decoy to do blind calling. Another hunter hearing the yelping above him, stalked into the setup without calling himself once, and upon seeing the jake decoy he shot it. The payload carried beyond the dekes striking my buddy at about 75 yards. Fortunately he was wearing his prescription safety glasses from work, it saved his eyes.

[Happy]

Unfortunately, being successful is determined by killing a turkey, and most will abandon commence sense and sometimes legalities to make that happen. I have had at least 5-6 gobblers shot out from under me by guys stalking in and popping them with rifles. Function over form. Be careful, gents. Ain't no turkey worth your life.

[Tom007]

Unfortunately I have no sympathy for a hunter shooting a human being mistaken them for a turkey. They should serve jail time, pay tremendous fines for injuries, and never hunt and FISH  in any state in the United States for life. I'm sorry, but these occurrences are not accidents, they are belligerent ignorance of game laws and total disregard for hunter safety and human life. This is my opinion here as an ex-hunter Ed instructor for over 15 years. We made it very clear that hunting is a privilege, and that safety is paramount when going afield. We imprinted "Know your target and beyond" in our students brain, hoping incidents like these would never happen. God bless these victims and their families. Be safe...

[Yoder409]

The PA regulation states "No Stalking. Hunting by calling only."

Save your time.

At one time, I believe I posted a screenshot of the actual wording and section, etc straight from the PA code book.

Ain't doing it again.  Too many lawyers trying to armchair interpret what is brutally plain language.

[mikejd]

I did not watch or read but I think anyone who accidentally shoots someone unless that person was off in the distance and gets hit by shot should be locked up. I bet if a few dozen people got 5 years this problem would be solved. This is no way no how an accident. People do not look like anything we can legally hunt.

[Yoder409]

I bet if a few dozen people got 5 years this problem would be solved.

TOTALLY agreed !!!

The only way to modify bad behavior is to make the price of said behavior higher than folks are willing to pay.

Some old saying about killing a fly with a sledgehammer ain't so much about the fly you're killing as it is about the flies that are watching.

[Zobo]

There is no way anyone who mistakes a person for a bird should ever be able to hunt again. Or even fish for that matter. $300 fine, are you kidding me?

[Cowboy]

Unfortunately I have no sympathy for a hunter shooting a human being mistaken them for a turkey. They should serve jail time, pay tremendous fines for injuries, and never hunt and FISH  in any state in the United States for life. I'm sorry, but these occurrences are not accidents, they are belligerent ignorance of game laws and total disregard for hunter safety and human life. This is my opinion here as an ex-hunter Ed instructor for over 15 years. We made it very clear that hunting is a privilege, and that safety is paramount when going afield. We imprinted "Know your target and beyond" in our students brain, hoping incidents like these would never happen. God bless these victims and their families. Be safe...

Yes. I agree !

Sent from my SM-G990U2 using Tapatalk

[Yoder409]

There is no way anyone who mistakes a person for a bird should ever be able to hunt again. Or even fish for that matter. $300 fine, are you kidding me?

Welcome to PA.   

$300 is the fine for littering, here.

So shooting a man = tossing a burger wrapper out the car window.

Can't make this stuff up.

[joey46]

Where is this $300 fine info coming from? 

For the third year in a row be telling the wife's cousins near State Game land 3xx, 3xx and 3xx maybe next year.  After seeing these differing opinions on what is stalking I'll go with the gobble?? What gobble?  I'm just walking around.  Seriously any regulation with this much differing opinions is basically worthless IMO.  Maybe as we'll intentioned as the old orange cap switcheroo but as universally ignored as a 55mph speed limit from what I'm reading here and hearing elsewhere. Good luck PA this last week.  You've had a rainy season.

Hope these accidents don't result in a mandatory orange pants regulation when hunting on Saturdays.  Knee Jerk regulations are often just that - knee jerk.

[Number17]

The PA regulation states "No Stalking. Hunting by calling only."

Save your time.

At one time, I believe I posted a screenshot of the actual wording and section, etc straight from the PA code book.

Ain't doing it again.  Too many lawyers trying to armchair interpret what is brutally plain language.

The Pennsylvania game commission would disagree with you. In the May 2025 edition of the Pennsylvania Game News there was an article that clearly spelled out what is legal and what is not during spring gobbler season.
You absolutely do not have to call or have a call with you at any time. Sitting in a location silently and waiting for a turkey to walk by is 100% legal. "Bushwhacking" if you will.

[joey46]

I hope that PA Game News is online. Would like to read it.  Still in doubt when trying to close the distance becomes stalking.  As an eternal optomist I'm sure I'll get up there sometime.  Since the wife won't fly the near 1300 mile drive is daunting.

[Gman]

The PA regulation states "No Stalking. Hunting by calling only."

Save your time.

At one time, I believe I posted a screenshot of the actual wording and section, etc straight from the PA code book.

Ain't doing it again.  Too many lawyers trying to armchair interpret what is brutally plain language.

The Pennsylvania game commission would disagree with you. In the May 2025 edition of the Pennsylvania Game News there was an article that clearly spelled out what is legal and what is not during spring gobbler season.
You absolutely do not have to call or have a call with you at any time. Sitting in a location silently and waiting for a turkey to walk by is 100% legal. "Bushwhacking" if you will.

Page 35 of the PGC Hunting and Trapping Digest (July 1, 2024- June 30, 2025) states, NO STALKING Hunting by calling only.

Just sayin'.