Getting shot while turkey hunting

[Old Gobbler]

Be alert folks it can happen to you ...


https://youtu.be/8A8aWRvece8

[GobbleGitr]

Yikes!  Anyone know more of the details behind this?  I can't for the life of me understand what the shooter was shooting at, was there a decoy out in front of the people that were shot at?  Inexcusable, regardless

[justin.arps]

My old neighbor got shot turkey hunting, he had set up on A bird off the roost and it didn't like his jake decoy and worked off.
He grabbed his decoy up and looped around on the bird to re set up sticking the jake next to the tree he was set up on.
He re struck the Tom and had him working in pretty vocally, A neighbor slipped the fence line onto Herman's property and saw the decoy and took his shot.
He was hit in the right rib cage, shoulder and face. They flew him out and he was pretty bad off.
It was 35 yds with #5 shot. That thought goes with me in the woods every time I set up on A bird now.


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[GobbleGitr]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-465w_gc1_Y
Last third of this video is an interview with hunters in video.  They are a bit more gracious than the shooter deserves...so fortunate as it was a .243 he was shot with and hit calls in his vest.  I see a turkey fan behind kid that was shot, not sure if that was in his vest and fell out...but my feelings on fanning is that it invites incidents, whether or not it played a part here.

[Sir-diealot]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-465w_gc1_Y
Last third of this video is an interview with hunters in video.  They are a bit more gracious than the shooter deserves...so fortunate as it was a .243 he was shot with and hit calls in his vest.  I see a turkey fan behind kid that was shot, not sure if that was in his vest and fell out...but my feelings on fanning is that it invites incidents, whether or not it played a part here.

It was laying beside him on his right, to the left in the video.

[eggshell]

Well, never ever think it can't happen to you. In 2009, I was shot by a crossbow while turkey hunting and it nearly cost me my life. I have told the story and discussed it plenty here, so I'm leaving it at that and just doubling up on Old Gobblers warning to be triple safety minded

[RiverBuck]

Yep... My best friend in Anderson, SC caught a couple pellets in the leg on public land.
A Dad and his young son took a long shot at my buddies hen decoy.
It was the kids first time turkey hunting.

[ddturkeyhunter]

In 2009 I had my jake decoy shot at by a hunter on public land in Florida.  Taught me to never use a Jake again on public land.  I walked in a few miles to a narrow strip of land in a swamp. I was set up on the side next to the swamp. Guy came in from other direction a shorter walk I didn't know about. So never figure your alone on pubic or private. And besides at that time most people still had in there mines no shots over 40 yards.  Now with TSS and people taking long shots, you may as feel everyone else is shooting rifles out there. 


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[Tom007]

Bad news there. Scary. He failed one of the 10 commandments of gun handling, Know your target and beyond.....

[Sir-diealot]

Friends of my mines son shot his brother turkey hunting, it was very bad as he was shot in the neck and face. He still has to go in every few years to make sure his lead count in his blood stream is not getting to high and also to make sure pellets they chose to leave in him have not moved. Worse part of that for me is I had not even been told about it until I was called to go pick them up at the hospital 60 miles away. Turned out the younger brother did not see very well at all, he has since gotten glasses and sees much better now. Took the little brother a few years but he finally returned to hunting.

[timberjack86]

Lost a friend who was shot by my cousin. Terrible tragedy all caused by mistaken identity.

[Sir-diealot]

Lost a friend who was shot by my cousin. Terrible tragedy all caused by mistaken identity.

Sorry for your loss.

[Notsoyoungturk]

Unfortunately, we see and hear these stories every year.  Sometimes, it is people just frankly doing the wrong thing.  Many times, however, it is new hunters that are involved in the incidents.  Sometimes, they are just excited.  Sometimes, they just don't know any better.  Learning from our mistakes with a gun in hand can be a dangerous thing.

I was fortunate, I grew up duck and deer hunting with dad.  It was irritating how he drove gun safety into my brain.  As a kid, it seemed like the was always harping on my safety, where my gun was pointed, how to cross fences, what was around us etc...  At the time, I didn't realize how important it was to make safety automatic when we hunt.  As an adult, I appreciated this training and made it automatic for my kids and the people we took hunting.

For those doing things they know are wrong, we can't always fix stupid.  As far as the newcomers, we want and need these new hunters if our hunting way of life is to survive.  If you see a new hunter excited about the outdoors, take a moment and give them the mentoring that many of us were fortunate enough to have.  It may temporarily interfere with your hunting plans but it will make hunting better and safer in the long run.  Just one man's opinion.

[Treerooster]

Years ago I use to make a safety post on here. Shannon kept it as a sticky for a few seasons.

The message basically was:

If you think it can't happen to you...you are a danger to yourself.

If you think you could never shoot someone...you are a danger to others.

I happens, and not only to beginning hunters, very experienced hunters can and have shot someone else. Hard to imagine but absolutely it does happen.

Here is a friend of mine after he was shot by an experienced hunter...on private land. About 30 yards with hevi shot 5's if I remember right.

[Old Gobbler]

Years ago I use to make a safety post on here. Shannon kept it as a sticky for a few seasons.

The message basically was:

If you think it can't happen to you...you are a danger to yourself.

If you think you could never shoot someone...you are a danger to others.

I happens, and not only to beginning hunters, very experienced hunters can and have shot someone else. Hard to imagine but absolutely it does happen.

Here is a friend of mine after he was shot by an experienced hunter...on private land. About 30 yards with hevi shot 5's if I remember right.

yes I remember those posts !

The reason I stickied that post is because it's incredibly similar  same setup calling against a tree etc ,to how my my uncle Micheal Kelly was killed while fall  turkey hunting with me , my father and my  uncles fiancee ...The shooter in our case was a deer hunter who raised his shotgun loaded with slugs  and fired at the sound of a turkey call .... Micheal was struck in the head and died immediately , he left behind two boys ..they are grown up men now ,with successful marriages and children of thier own ( one is even named Micheal Kelly in his honor)

The shooter was convinced of manslaughter in the state of Florida, he did avoid jail time due to my father's insistence than any Christian man with a 12 year old daughter should not be behind bars as that is not the right thing to do - It was a very emotional moment in the court , sometimes vengeance doesn't make things right , and the right thing to do isn't easy , in a way God has a reason for the things that happen, it sometimes will never be understandable to us even in our lifetime...but everything has is reason 

I obviously.. continue to turkey hunt , it has been a personal struggled especially in the beginning, where when I would walk in the woods I felt like someone was pointing a gun at my head at all times ..I got over it , but never hunt without placing a decoy out in front of me for safety reasons

Be safe folks - it can happen to anyone of us

Shannon