Know your target

[crabby and son]

http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/maryland/bs-md-hunting-accident-20101204,0,707159.story?track=rss

I find it hard to believe that some one could mistake a human for a deer:eek2: Always wonder if something else was going onnoidea. I hope the guy makes a full recovery............Gary

[Doggydaddy]

Gary:
With flourescent orange which is mandatory there is no reason for someone to accidently shoot someone, the hard & fast rules are identify your target & know whats behind it.

[crabby and son]

Gary:
With flourescent orange which is mandatory there is no reason for someone to accidently shoot someone, the hard & fast rules are identify your target & know whats behind it.

Forrest, From reading the article, I don't think an orange vest or hat was worn........but still there's NO excuse for ACCIDENTLY shooting some one..........Gary

[william a. robbins]

all the deer out there ain't worth that, I wouldn't take a shot I'm not sure about

[joshfkntaylor]

and running dogs isnt an excuse either because its MD! I hope he has a good recovery as well.

[rudedog2844]

Back before blaze orange was required i had someone sneek in sat down near a blown down tree when i caught movement i just knew it was a deer i raised the gun looked thru the scope and decided not to shoot.i watched before long i looked again in scope couldnt really tell if it was a deer then all of a sudden i saw smoke coming from a person. I climbed down walked directly at person whisling. He stood up and i chewed some tail told him he was hunting on private property and told him he almost got shot at.the young man appologized and left shaking. Didnt mean to scare him that bad but better for us it turned out the way it did.over the years ive learned never to trust to shoot at movement.

[Bug Guy]

I had a kid once walk by my stand wearing a brown fuzzy coat during bow season in PA...not even kidding a little bit...I got as far as drawing my bow but never pointed it at him because I couldn't identify it positively as a deer. No reason to shoot a person.

But Gary - you are sometimes right about something being up. This happened in my hometown, in an area near where I used to hunt.

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_news_details/article/27/2010/november/30/hunter-found-shot-to-death-1.html

It's not listed in the article, but the word is that he was shot with a high powered riffle (30-06), which is illegal to hunt with in that area. Guy called his wife, said "I got a dear, send my son down to help get it out". Others in the party found him 1.5 hours after the call. WTF is wrong with people any more. Someone probably shot him on purpose.

[crabby and son]

Back before blaze orange was required i had someone sneek in sat down near a blown down tree when i caught movement i just knew it was a deer i raised the gun looked thru the scope and decided not to shoot.i watched before long i looked again in scope couldnt really tell if it was a deer then all of a sudden i saw smoke coming from a person. I climbed down walked directly at person whisling. He stood up and i chewed some tail told him he was hunting on private property and told him he almost got shot at.the young man appologized and left shaking. Didnt mean to scare him that bad but better for us it turned out the way it did.over the years ive learned never to trust to shoot at movement.

You should NEVER use a scope on a gun to help identify a "target". That's why they make binoculars..........Gary

[Anything-goes]

I'm always dumbfounded when I hear stories like this. I seem to be on the opposite end of the spectrum. I saw 25 deer today while on stand (Same herd of nine came through twice) The only shots I was 100% sure there was no brush or twigs between me and the deer were on smaller does and I was asked to shoot a big girl for a friend today. It's just not worth that chance I'll get a bullet deflection. I also passed on sharp quartering shots for fear of my buddy losing meat. It's just hard for me and I'm sure everyone else here to understand how someone shoots at anything they think is brown? Orange or not!

[FishHook321]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_news_details/article/27/2010/november/30/hunter-found-shot-to-death-1.html

I read the comments at the end of the article and there were a lot of anti-hunters writing in but not too many supporters.

[joshfkntaylor]

i use my scope to look around all the time, although i do carry bino's most the time

[crabby and son]

i use my scope to look around all the time, although i do carry bino's most the time

Bad habit. Also projects a lot of movement as opposed to binos at you head...........Gary

[Bug Guy]

http://www.phillyburbs.com/news/local/the_intelligencer/the_intelligencer_news_details/article/27/2010/november/30/hunter-found-shot-to-death-1.html

I read the comments at the end of the article and there were a lot of anti-hunters writing in but not too many supporters.

I don't bother with comments...99% are a-holes looking to anonymously piss people off. I can tell you there are plenty of anti-hunters out there, but not that many in PA. I'm thinking a local land-owner got pissed because someone shot "their" deer.

[digger63]

Back before blaze orange was required i had someone sneek in sat down near a blown down tree when i caught movement i just knew it was a deer i raised the gun looked thru the scope and decided not to shoot.i watched before long i looked again in scope couldnt really tell if it was a deer then all of a sudden i saw smoke coming from a person. I climbed down walked directly at person whisling. He stood up and i chewed some tail told him he was hunting on private property and told him he almost got shot at.the young man appologized and left shaking. Didnt mean to scare him that bad but better for us it turned out the way it did.over the years ive learned never to trust to shoot at movement.

That last sentence tells me all I need to know!

[longtail]

I spoke with a game warden regarding this incident. It appears, from what he told me, the fellow that was shot was crawling through the marsh in guile (sp) suit when he was mistaken for a deer, and shot. Terrible story, I hope he makes a full recovery.
Certainly in my prayers.

[joshfkntaylor]

ya i know Gary im going to break that habit! and i dont think theres any excuse even if theres a guy crawling around... i mean when you look through a rifle scope and you dont see a head, and legs of a DEER then dont shoot IMO. but either way, that guy has to live with this the rest of his life.

[capuzzi2]

Bad habit. Also projects a lot of movement as opposed to binos at you head...........Gary

While I don't disagree that having binoculars is optimal, sometimes you can have too much "stuff" in a stand, particularly a climber. The more stuff you have (bino's, rangefinder, rattles, etc) the more likely you are going to accidently clang stuff together at preciselt the wrong time. Binos around your neck are in a perfect spot to bang into the butt of a gun that you are moving to take a shot.

[JameyC]

Capuzzi you may be an idiot . First rule of gun safty is never point a gun at something you dont intend to kill. If you are to lazy to carry in binos stay home and watch it on tv.

[Anything-goes]

Capuzzi you may be an idiot . First rule of gun safty is never point a gun at something you dont intend to kill. If you are to lazy to carry in binos stay home and watch it on tv.

WTF? He brought up a very good point. Did he ever say that he used his scope instead of binos? He just said he sometimes doesn't bring them. I rarely bring them as well. I hunt in very thick areas. I often use my scope when I see a deer in the thick stuff to see if it's a shooter before he may step out for a better shot. I only bring binos if I'm hunting over a field.

If you want to offer constructive criticism, read how Gary replied.

[crabby and son]

Binoculars are optional and can get in the way BUT a gun scope should NEVER be used to identify a target or used in place of binoculars. Each time you violate gun safety rules you are one step closer to an accident.............Gary

[hollywood9s]

I find it nearly unbelievable that one could mistake a human for a deer. The story claims the shooter was in a treestand and using a 30.06, so how does one line up a chest shot through a scope and not tell the difference?
Anyone that blindly shoots at movement that is obscured by brush should be barred from ever touching a firearm again.
Accidental shootings due to accidental discharge are one thing, but shootings due to not identifying your target are just plain unacceptable.

[uncljohn]

A land owner may hunt on his/her property without wearing blaze orange. This says it was close to Blackwater, not in it. So maybe it was on private land owned by the victim?

Hopefully the people who use their scopes for ID'ing targets hunt on private land well away from my farm.

[crabby and son]

A land owner may hunt on his/her property without wearing blaze orange. This says it was close to Blackwater, not in it. So maybe it was on private land owned by the victim?

Hopefully the people who use their scopes for ID'ing targets hunt on private land well away from my farm.

THANK YOU.......some just don't get it...........Gary

[BLUEYZWAITN]

anyone ever shot a Deer out of a tree, thats the curious part to me.. Deer can't climb trees and I don't think Turkey is in ... So the Mystery unfolds...