Pay attention to what is around and behind your target!!!

M

meadams314

New member
Just a friendly reminder. One of my buddies was just shot by a 12 gauge birdshot load from about 20 yards away- apparently one in his group doesn't know how to follow the gun safety tenants. God was watching out for this man, as he will be ok... but after major surgery, knicked intestines, hole in his lung and liver, not to mention birdshot lodged throughout his body including his eye and neck I felt the need to remind everybody to pay attention!!!

One in his group of dove hunters was trying to shoot a low flying dove, and swept several people before finally shooting my buddy... he feels awful, and i'm sure he'll pay better attention next time.. but crap!
 
No excuse for this nonsense! These things can easily kill people! I have been taught one cardinal rule of shooting since I was a child: always make sure no one is in front of the muzzle before firing. If you can see even one person while you're aiming, do not shoot. Unless it's a life or death situation of course.
 
I know some people have limited choices on where they can hunt. But, the other lesson is don't be within 20 yards of somebody you are not completely comfortable with. Or, better yet don't be within 20 yards of anybody. Either stand side by side or be far enough away bird shot won't stick in you works for me.
 
This reinforces my feelings about hunting only with people I know to be trustworthy with their guns.

Glad your buddy is ok.

Be careful out there!
 
A friend of mine was 12 gauged at about 30 yards mistaken for a squirrel!
What????
Yup, sure was. 1 1/4 oz. # 5 shot to both hands & arms, knicked his chin.
He took a real beating from the shot in his hands as most of the knuckles
were shattered. Took months of therapy to get full use of his hands.
He sued the shooter and got a big settlement but he could just as well
have been killed. He was lucky.
By the way, the shooter was charged with reckless endangerment and
convicted so the can be a criminal element to a hunting "accident".
 
How in the Hell !! can some one sweep their hunting party ? That's inexcusable and worthy of a beating. The only accident I ever witnessed was in 1971 (I was 11 yrs old) and one of the boys in our party, tripped and fell, his 410 single shot hit the ground so hard, the stock broke and the gun went off !! and put the pellets in another fellas calf about 20 yds away. No bones were hit and he was ******, he got shot by his nephew! It was pretty traumatic !! for the 4 kids that were hunting that day.
 
Accident like these are what give hunters a bad name. If i witnessed something like that, i'd make sure never to hunt with that person again. Glad to see your friend is ok.
 
I've had this happen to me, luckily seen it coming. On a deer/goat/fox drive each shooter positioned with a visual on the shooters either side spacing varied on terrain but always in sight and made aware. New shooter, started instructing him on how the drive will work and to be familiar with his borrowed pump action and his positioning and fellow shooters..... "Yeh yeh I've been in the military for 9 years I know what I'm doing!!. Well needless to say I was on his left 40 yards away and then the chaos begins mob of maybe 20 odd fallow deer run the line trying to retreat into the bush, a nice buck finds his chance and broke between us. I watch ( luetinent numbnuts ) swing with the bolting deer following and firing all the way as it went between us and continued past us and got away. I in the end was laying on the ground beside my shotgun with a shower of gum tree leaves falling from the tree above my head, even the next person further to my left had bb pelets whiz zing through the scrub around him. There are accidents and mistakes this was neither, the fool disregarded basic, basic principles of shooting, a lot of swearing, push and shove, apologies etc needless to say never came on one of our drives again, could have killed me but luckily no one was hurt less his pride. Knocked some of the arrogance out of him when he seen the BB pellets in the trees surrounding me.
 
Great reminder. Accidents happen and that was no accident that was just plain stupid recklessness. One thing (as someone mentioned) for someone to trip and a gun that was being carried safely to go off for some odd reason. It is a totally different thing for someone to just be careless and not pay attention.

Guess there is a good reason why I only hunt in close proximity to certain people, ones that I trust.

Glad your friend is going to be ok, hope for a speedy recovery
 
This is one of the reasons I stopped bird hunting long ago.

Hunting with a fellow I knew well and trusted.
He got caught up in the moment and swung the barrel right over my head and pulled the trigger.
The muzzle blast blew my hat off.
 
meadams314 said:
i'm sure he'll pay better attention next time..
Click to expand...

He might but he wouldn't get the chance in my hunting party.

Dinging the door on your car is a "Oops, be more careful next time."

Shooting someone is a "Find someone else dumb enough to be around you when you have a gun." No second chances.
 
And sometimes the shootee contributes by getting out of position. As example, moving forward of the line when somebody targets a crossing bird.

Or the famous Cheney thing, in south Texas: The shootee approached quietly, not singing out to alert Cheney of his presence and direction from Cheney.

Adrenalin makes for tunnel vision, so I watch other hunters as well as look for birds.
 
Originally posted by Art Eatman:

And sometimes the shootee contributes by getting out of position. As example, moving forward of the line when somebody targets a crossing bird.
Click to expand...

While this is true, it does not seem to be the case in the OP. In hunts like for pheasant/quail and driven deer, staying in line/position is a must. It still does not mean, one does not need to be sure of their target and beyond before they pull the trigger tho. Regardless of how many times I hunt with folks, I always review the rules to them when hunting in a group. That way there is no question as to what is and what is not expected or considered safe. I tend to not ask back or turn down invitations to hunt from others that have proved in the past that they think the rules are flexible. They are not.
 
Way back when, I took customers hunting for birds, deer, and coyotes. I was never worried except during quail season. Every now and then I'd have a customer that was dangerous. Had to keep an eye on them constantly. I'd have preferred to be 50 yards from them at all times, but being the host meant that I had to stay close to them for the safety of the other hunters. You can bet that I had good shooting glasses on at all times.
 
Things like this are why I am VERY particular about who I will hunt or even shoot with. My son is not a great hunter or shooter but one thing he does pay attention to is muzzle control, passing on birds (doves) that were safe to shoot at but he had lost track of where other hunters were or just was comfortable taking the shot (too far, too low etc.) that is why I will trust him, however being young excitement can still get the best of him so I stay close to him and we do well together. I have had lots of spent shot raining down in public dove fields no big deal and a few folks who shot WAY too close or too low, I am careful to wear something that is visable either on my head or on the shooting vest etc. Have never been shot and don't ever want to be.
 
buck, what worries me most in quail hunting is that--as I said before--the adrenalin rush can lead to tunnel vision. If an adjacent hunter has moved forward and the shooter is tracking a crossing bird, the combination of wrongful advance and tunnel vision can lead to the misery.
 
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