SPRING 2021- THREE TURKEY HUNTING INCIDENTS, TWO FATALITIES.

[mookyj]

Half way thru the spring season in our nation, millions of turkey hunters have already worn out some serious boot leather across the southern zones of the USA. It is expected that we return home from a full day hunt or mid day to the local diner just in time for the firehouse siren at twelve sharp. This season, two hunters will not return and a third escorted to the local hospital. The very low statistics does little to comfort, or to avoid the lump in our throats when we think of it. A fourth victim is being tracked for more info, and is lacking crucial details.

click for more: http://www.turkey-talk.com/tblog/?p=2008

[ManfromGreenSwamp]

With the advancement of tungsten shot,  near misses and winged hunters will become more serious I'm afraid. Terrible


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[mookyj]

No details to speak of in any of the reported events, last year was bad enough with 12 incidents.  In a few that I followed up on, it is the use of low brass that redeemed a number of worst-case outcomes. We could expect it to be far worse in the higher-performance shells. One from last year was a crossbow thru the forearm at eight yards, Not pretty at all.

[Sir-diealot]

Since you follow these and you are also from NY Mike you may remember 11 years ago a Mennonite shooting his brother when out turkey hunting. I have been driving for the family for almost 30 years now and that was a very scary situation, had the older brother not had a cell phone on him he would have more than likely died. He still has to go for lead testing every year because some of the shot got so close to arteries and spine that they determined it would be to risky to remove.

I saw a lot of incorrect things posted about that incident and agree they need to be reported better so we can learn more.

[mookyj]

Yes, I do recall that. Gabe Jerome is a friend of ours, he is mostly blind from being shot. Still hunts with aid from others. Unless I get to interview directly the involved parties the news reporters are not qualified to report these stories as any important facts are left out, misstatements, or incorrectly attributed. It is hard to further reduce the number of incidents when the causes are not properly categorized, and the events are mostly glossed over.  I have found that most want their privacy preserved and unwilling to provide any details beyond what is initally reported, and I honor that.

[Sir-diealot]

Yes, I do recall that. Gabe Jerome is a friend of ours, he is mostly blind from being shot. Still hunts with aid from others. Unless I get to interview directly the involved parties the news reporters are not qualified to report these stories as any important facts are left out, misstatements, or incorrectly attributed. It is hard to further reduce the number of incidents when the causes are not properly categorized, and the events are mostly glossed over.  I have found that most want their privacy preserved and unwilling to provide any details beyond what is initally reported, and I honor that.

I think a lot of it may also be that many times it is being investigated for criminal prosecution so they are unwilling to talk. The one good thing that did come out of that shooting is they discovered the one that shot could barely see, no one had caught it before. They got him glasses and he was shocked that there was separation between the leaves in the trees, they had always looked like one big blob to him.

[Old Gobbler]

My uncle Michael Kelly was killed turkey hunting 30 years ago ...someone (stranger)shot a 16ga slug at the sound of a turkey - more could be said about it , but I know from experience it makes and leaves people nervous talking about it

Hunting accidents typically have one of several key ingredients , ignorance of safety protocols,  and improper firearm handling are the 2 that are always bubbling to the top ...put that train of thought pattern in the hands of a idiot who must kill at any cost and eventually

I know 2 other individuals who have been shot while turkey hunting public ...both were shot and left to fend for themselves,  one with a .22 another with buckshot ....

I heard the shot ...that fatally killed a pompano beach man he was killed with buckshot while turkey hunting in river ranch Florida....I was within 300 yards when another man shot his friend with #4 lead in the head and neck when a turkey flew in between them ...the sight of a ambulance going full off road will not be forgotten

Florida turkey hunting is dangerous,  private and leases are safer but still have risks

People ask me why I ALLWAYS use a decoy ....figure it out

As far as peoples obsession with wanting to kill a turkey and brag about it at near football field ranges ...I ask how can anybody tell the difference in a early morning , in fog , poor lighting the difference between hen , Jake or Gobbler? At these ranges I see them bragging about ? There is a reason why rifles are banned for turkey hunting ...think about it

I've been in places where birds were hammering,  people were moving in on my location , I  just got up and walked right on out of there and never came back...it best to leave , then to never leave the woods for good