3 Pennsylvania Hunters shot in separate incidents

[ruination]

Other than calling the last 30 completely agree.  If I get him to within 70 and he's headed my direction I'm going mute. Might have a mouth call in to do a heads up cluck while squeezing the trigger. Might not and will no longer worry about it.

Well. More towards the example of sneaking within 70.

I think as the turkey is the one to make the final move you're in the clear, realistically and in enforcement (if there even is any).

[Twowithone]

Goofy hunters take their licenses theres no reason for this. Im from Pa.. and our Turkey Bioligist Guru her name is Mary Jo Casalena she got shot yrs ago turkey hunting I beleive with her son.

[joey46]

That might explain a lot on what many consider a still confusing stalking rule in PA.

[jhoward11]

I honestly cannot conceive how you can mistake a hunter for a bird. Are you just body shooting the bird? I understand your sorry and you helped out, but gun and license taken away for a few years. At the least! Do I hear civil case?? $$$

[eggshell]

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...

Sadly Tom no one wins, it's all bad for everyone. Lives are ruined and people suffer because of one moment of poor judgement. Also, it's sad that the victim never is fairly compensated or provided for. If you want to pursue damages it must be done civilly and that cost a lot and no guarantee that you'll get any recovery. Some insurances will pay some, but it's never enough. The victims are still left with the emotional and physical scars and handicaps. PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE JUST KEEP SAFETY AS A HIGH PRIORITY, a turkey is not worth ruining your or someone else life over. It would not have done me any good or helped me for my shooter to spend years in jail, perhaps it would deter others from taking a chance, but I think stupid is incurable...My incident was 16 years ago and it cost me thousands and thousands of dollars, the shooter paid zero. I will never see a day for the rest of my life that I am not physically handicapped from my injuries. Just the other day my sister asked me why I limp all the time, yeah an 1.5 inch hole through your thigh does that to a man. All I can do is feel sad for those victims, pray for all and move on in life. Bitterness is a sickness too and I prefer to forgive and let go. My advice is when you think you see a turkey imagine it's a grizzly bear that your only going to piss off when you shoot it and it will turn and rip your hindend to shreds....so be sure it's a turkey.

[Tail Feathers]

I swear I called him in, I was purring real softly Mr. Warden. 

[GobbleNut]

Regarding the "no stalking" regulation, I would be curious to know just how many hunters have ever been cited under this law? I would bet there have not been many. My guess is that the entire purpose of the law is to act as a deterrent rather than an actual threat of prosecution...as well as being meant to encourage hunters to use calling as their primary hunting tactic.   

As others have suggested, enforcing this regulation would be impossible. A hunter would basically have to admit that he was stalking (and with no intention of calling) for any such citation to hold up in court. I doubt seriously that there are many hunters who are clueless enough to do that.

On the other hand, in cases of shooting accidents such as the ones described, I think a judge would be more inclined to use the stalking regulation as a factor in his decision-making process...regardless of whether the perp was actually "stalking" under the letter of the law.  Again, I think it is meant to act as a deterrent more than anything else.

[paboxcall]

Regarding the "no stalking" regulation, I would be curious to know just how many hunters have ever been cited under this law? I would bet there have not been many. My guess is that the entire purpose of the law is to act as a deterrent rather than an actual threat of prosecution...as well as being meant to encourage hunters to use calling as their primary hunting tactic.   

As others have suggested, enforcing this regulation would be impossible. A hunter would basically have to admit that he was stalking (and with no intention of calling) for any such citation to hold up in court. I doubt seriously that there are many hunters who are clueless enough to do that.

On the other hand, in cases of shooting accidents such as the ones described, I think a judge would be more inclined to use the stalking regulation as a factor in his decision-making process...regardless of whether the perp was actually "stalking" under the letter of the law.  Again, I think it is meant to act as a deterrent more than anything else.

I believe the regulation is often cited in the investigation of any actual shooting incident, as in the cause was the shooter was stalking the victim's location, which is a violation.

[Yoder409]

I believe the regulation is often cited in the investigation of any actual shooting incident, as in the cause was the shooter was stalking the victim's location, which is a violation.

Exactly THIS

[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...

Sadly Tom no one wins, it's all bad for everyone. Lives are ruined and people suffer because of one moment of poor judgement. Also, it's sad that the victim never is fairly compensated or provided for. If you want to pursue damages it must be done civilly and that cost a lot and no guarantee that you'll get any recovery. Some insurances will pay some, but it's never enough. The victims are still left with the emotional and physical scars and handicaps. PLEASE, PLEASE PLEASE JUST KEEP SAFETY AS A HIGH PRIORITY, a turkey is not worth ruining your or someone else life over. It would not have done me any good or helped me for my shooter to spend years in jail, perhaps it would deter others from taking a chance, but I think stupid is incurable...My incident was 16 years ago and it cost me thousands and thousands of dollars, the shooter paid zero. I will never see a day for the rest of my life that I am not physically handicapped from my injuries. Just the other day my sister asked me why I limp all the time, yeah an 1.5 inch hole through your thigh does that to a man. All I can do is feel sad for those victims, pray for all and move on in life. Bitterness is a sickness too and I prefer to forgive and let go. My advice is when you think you see a turkey imagine it's a grizzly bear that your only going to piss off when you shoot it and it will turn and rip your hindend to shreds....so be sure it's a turkey.

I understand your pain, my dad had polio as a child, one legs muscles were deteriorated for his entire life, it was shorter than the other, special shoes, you know that story. I know it's not a hunting accident, but it's a tragic situation, watching him struggle through life, NEVER COMPLAINING about one thing. I got strong as a kid growing up learning to pick him up off the ground without hurting him. God rest his sole, he was a great man, lived till he was 85. But when it comes to hunting, driving, anything where you CHOOSE to under-take the use of a potential deadly weapon, we ALL take an oath to use same in such a way as to not cause bodily harm to others. Hunting and guns carry a code of ethics that must be followed, there is no wavering from this PRIVILEGED right. Mistaking a human being from a turkey violates this privileged right, thus the right gets taken away. This is a 40 yard sport, we are not shooting across canyons. I understand accidents happen, but when another hunter shoots a person within 50 yards or so thinking they are a turkey, every possible thing within the power of our justice system should be used to keep this person out of the woods and attempt to help the victims and their families. This is how I view my responsibilities as a hunter and sportsman, I hope you understand my views here. I am so sorry that you had to experience your mishap, hopefully strict future policies will be instituted to avoid others from experiencing the same. We all know that accidents can have real bad endings for sure. God bless you my friend.

[eggshell]

I appreciate your thoughts Tom007. I actually agree that the law and legal penalties should be enforced in every case. No way does a perpetrator walk away free, but I still doubt it will fix the problem. Like I said you can't fix stupid. One of my points was that the law does not do enough, the victim is still left holding the bag and bearing the expense, I did.

As for me physically, I do very well and live mostly a normal life. I just walk slower and I limp, but my leg is strong. The imbalance has caused additional wear on my hip and knees and I suppose a hip and knee replacement is coming some day. I get cramps in the leg that stop me in my tracks. I have to have a support between my legs to sleep because I have discomfort laying down for some reason. Something to think about. A shooter may walk away with some fines or even some jail time, but the victim has a life sentence. For those who don't know my story, I was shot through the left upper thigh with a mechanical broadhead from a crossbow while fall turkey hunting.

[zelmo1]

The shooter is responsible for his projectile, PERIOD. I caught some #5 lead in the face 40 years ago. A Pheasant isn't worth a human life. I was 6" 2" and 230 pounds, wearing an orange vest and hat,  hardly mistakable for a pheasant. No excuse for it. Only a pellet in my ear, nose and chin, I was lucky. If it hit my glasses I could have been blinded. Scary thought. The point, and law, is that you positively identify your target, before you even take the safe off is my rule. I pray for everyone in the field is safe and comes home to their loved ones. Many lives are ruined in these cases.  Z

[Tom007]

I appreciate your thoughts Tom007. I actually agree that the law and legal penalties should be enforced in every case. No way does a perpetrator walk away free, but I still doubt it will fix the problem. Like I said you can't fix stupid. One of my points was that the law does not do enough, the victim is still left holding the bag and bearing the expense, I did.

As for me physically, I do very well and live mostly a normal life. I just walk slower and I limp, but my leg is strong. The imbalance has caused additional wear on my hip and knees and I suppose a hip and knee replacement is coming some day. I get cramps in the leg that stop me in my tracks. I have to have a support between my legs to sleep because I have discomfort laying down for some reason. Something to think about. A shooter may walk away with some fines or even some jail time, but the victim has a life sentence. For those who don't know my story, I was shot through the left upper thigh with a mechanical broadhead from a crossbow while fall turkey hunting.

Amen brother, I wish you well and continued success in everything you do. Be safe my friend