Hunter shot
- Thread starter fratri
- Start date
What getz me is he was hit in the Chest, so he was facing the idiot that shot him. hmmm.. I could maybe get it if the shot was in the back, not like that's any better, at all, but facing the guy? Maybe there was a more of a distance then I imagine, but Geeshe! What was this guy going for? Sound shots!!@! Hope the old guy makes it!
I agree. If hunters did serious jail time for shooting each other, maybe their trigger fingers wouldn't be so itchy.
Good point. Average guys chest would be about say five feet off the ground. When was the last time you saw a five foot tall deer? Head shot? When was the last time you saw a deer with a orange head? Hope the guy survives and then kicks this guys butt.
It's not that risky if you do it properly. And it's certainly not pointless, you can put a lot of deer down with a good drive.
Sorry fellas,
I have come into this a little late. I have actually been hunting fairly hard and with the loss of two tree stands (both doubles for my wife and I) in the past three years, I am running ground blinds with daily set-up and tear-down. More to pack and earlier into the woods.
I have had far less success than I would have liked so far this season.
However, that being said, I wanted to comment on this thread. Many times each season, hunters are getting shot by people who are unsure of their targets. This, unfortunately, is not new. I would like to add a quote from a book, Woodcraft, by George W. "Nessmuk" Sears, published in 1888
"If you go to hunt, take a solemn oath never to point the shooting end of your gun toward yourself or an other human being.
In still-hunting, swear yourself black in the face never to shoot at a dim, moving object in the woods for a deer, unless you have seen that it is a deer. In these days there are quite as many hunters as deer in the woods; and it is a heavy, wearisome job to pack a dead or wounded man ten or twelve miles out to a clearing, let alone that it spoils all the pleasure of the hunt and is apt to raise hard feelings among his relations.
In a word, act coolly and rationally. So shall your outing be a delight in conception and the fulfilment thereof; while the memory of it shall come back to you in pleasant dreams, when legs and shoulders are too stiff and old for knapsack and rifle."
These words, penned in 1888 reflect a philosophy wished for by woodsmen and hunters even then. How so are these practices needed today? I read this book nearly 30 years ago. I have hunted with men (never twice) who shoot at sounds and movements. Our country is smaller (more settled, less raw) now than it was in 1888. We have more hunters than in 1888. Surely, we should, in 130 years, have learned these basic lessons. Yet, somehow, we seem to repeat this year after year.
When I lived and hunted in NS, I often came home empty-handed. So often that my wife once asked why I bothered to carry a rifle. MY answer, too often, was, "So I can shoot back." I have not used that answer once in 12 years of hunting in AB. Not because the hunters are any more educated (still lots of them kicking bullets around at sounds), but because there is more room and I don't mind going off the beaten path.
Best of luck to you all this season.
Ted
I have come into this a little late. I have actually been hunting fairly hard and with the loss of two tree stands (both doubles for my wife and I) in the past three years, I am running ground blinds with daily set-up and tear-down. More to pack and earlier into the woods.
I have had far less success than I would have liked so far this season.
However, that being said, I wanted to comment on this thread. Many times each season, hunters are getting shot by people who are unsure of their targets. This, unfortunately, is not new. I would like to add a quote from a book, Woodcraft, by George W. "Nessmuk" Sears, published in 1888
"If you go to hunt, take a solemn oath never to point the shooting end of your gun toward yourself or an other human being.
In still-hunting, swear yourself black in the face never to shoot at a dim, moving object in the woods for a deer, unless you have seen that it is a deer. In these days there are quite as many hunters as deer in the woods; and it is a heavy, wearisome job to pack a dead or wounded man ten or twelve miles out to a clearing, let alone that it spoils all the pleasure of the hunt and is apt to raise hard feelings among his relations.
In a word, act coolly and rationally. So shall your outing be a delight in conception and the fulfilment thereof; while the memory of it shall come back to you in pleasant dreams, when legs and shoulders are too stiff and old for knapsack and rifle."
These words, penned in 1888 reflect a philosophy wished for by woodsmen and hunters even then. How so are these practices needed today? I read this book nearly 30 years ago. I have hunted with men (never twice) who shoot at sounds and movements. Our country is smaller (more settled, less raw) now than it was in 1888. We have more hunters than in 1888. Surely, we should, in 130 years, have learned these basic lessons. Yet, somehow, we seem to repeat this year after year.
When I lived and hunted in NS, I often came home empty-handed. So often that my wife once asked why I bothered to carry a rifle. MY answer, too often, was, "So I can shoot back." I have not used that answer once in 12 years of hunting in AB. Not because the hunters are any more educated (still lots of them kicking bullets around at sounds), but because there is more room and I don't mind going off the beaten path.
Best of luck to you all this season.
Ted
I have to agree with this. I've been involved in deer drive type hunting in Southern Ontario for 25 years and my family probably for 40 or more. We have never had so much as a close call although we have twice asked a new member of the group not to come back next year as they just didn't buy into the system that if in doubt don't shoot. There are a number of deer that run back between drivers and as long as everyone buys into the policy of nothing you can do but watch him go, maybe we'll get him next time. We put more than enough deer on the ground most years to suit our needs although there are some every year that we should have and don't get. To each their own but it isn't any more inherently risky than any other type of hunting in my opinion and we have a great time every year.
I will add my rant as a deer hunter in residential Southwestern Ontario for the last 25 years or so. ?The shotgun hunts are deep rooted traditions in this part of the country and drives are part of that. Love em or hate em they do put deer down. I personally have never used a shotgun on deer and wouldn't as a personal choice as I feel there are much better guns for deer. One thing I do notice there is never just on shot it is always dump the gun.
I hunt in one of the muzzleloader only zones and can say I can put a deer down from 0-150 yds with one shot that kills no question when placed in the furnace. The PROBLEM is not the hunts or the residential areas they take place in it is the Ontario governments push to sell more licences to make money. For over 21 years our area had 300 allocated for the first November hunt. About 3 years ago we started to notice guys in every block and many trespassing in places that traditionally it was never a problem. Being a bit analytical I started to research why we were seeing so many more bodies in our hunt. Turns out the powers that be decided to start flipping tags from the later hunts into the first hunt and we now have 450 or more hunters in an area that cannot support it due to restrictive permission etc. That and city folk moving to the country that feel the neighbours property is a big park adjoining their land. There will be more accidents due to government putting funding over safety. They are called controlled hunts for a reason the government seems to forget that the control is for the hunter numbers and safety.
This year Saturday the nephew was set up on a small property and saw deer at daylight. Deer reappeared about a half hour later and a doe was running right to him. He was just about to touch off his .54 on the doe at 3 yds and out of the corner of his eye he catches a black spot breaking the bush line. Dog!! right behind the doe so he errs on the side of caution and steps out of the doe's way. He looks where the dog cam out and there are 2 people standing in the bush right behind where his shot would have been directed. He yells and says do you have permission to be here and finds out it is two people from town that drive out to walk their dog. "We didn't know who owns the bush so we thought it was alright" further, "we have called the police as you can't hunt deer here" And then made a run for it before the cops showed.
It could have ended much worse but stupid is everywhere. The biggest problem is the government putting their fundraising strategies ahead of proven safety records established in this hunt over the last 30 years
I hunt in one of the muzzleloader only zones and can say I can put a deer down from 0-150 yds with one shot that kills no question when placed in the furnace. The PROBLEM is not the hunts or the residential areas they take place in it is the Ontario governments push to sell more licences to make money. For over 21 years our area had 300 allocated for the first November hunt. About 3 years ago we started to notice guys in every block and many trespassing in places that traditionally it was never a problem. Being a bit analytical I started to research why we were seeing so many more bodies in our hunt. Turns out the powers that be decided to start flipping tags from the later hunts into the first hunt and we now have 450 or more hunters in an area that cannot support it due to restrictive permission etc. That and city folk moving to the country that feel the neighbours property is a big park adjoining their land. There will be more accidents due to government putting funding over safety. They are called controlled hunts for a reason the government seems to forget that the control is for the hunter numbers and safety.
This year Saturday the nephew was set up on a small property and saw deer at daylight. Deer reappeared about a half hour later and a doe was running right to him. He was just about to touch off his .54 on the doe at 3 yds and out of the corner of his eye he catches a black spot breaking the bush line. Dog!! right behind the doe so he errs on the side of caution and steps out of the doe's way. He looks where the dog cam out and there are 2 people standing in the bush right behind where his shot would have been directed. He yells and says do you have permission to be here and finds out it is two people from town that drive out to walk their dog. "We didn't know who owns the bush so we thought it was alright" further, "we have called the police as you can't hunt deer here" And then made a run for it before the cops showed.
It could have ended much worse but stupid is everywhere. The biggest problem is the government putting their fundraising strategies ahead of proven safety records established in this hunt over the last 30 years
As stated, stupid is stupid, you can't legislate that away.
The dog walkers reminded me of a recent interaction. My girl and I were out hunting behind the father in-laws private property when we were told by non-residents we couldn't hunt there (on crown land), nor take a buck in an area they like to hunt. GOOD LUCK with that I say. We are both Canadian residents, Ontario residents, local residents, and I am aboriginal, where do these people come from anyway, lol.
The dog walkers reminded me of a recent interaction. My girl and I were out hunting behind the father in-laws private property when we were told by non-residents we couldn't hunt there (on crown land), nor take a buck in an area they like to hunt. GOOD LUCK with that I say. We are both Canadian residents, Ontario residents, local residents, and I am aboriginal, where do these people come from anyway, lol.
