One Less Poacher

I dont have the time right now to check how many millions of hunters there are in the USA vs. guns killing people while hunting. I'll bet that its pretty small overall. Most likely much smaller than thugs shooting people in large cities at random, or car accidents by region. In michigan its something like 3-10 per year die while hunting, usually from falls from tree stands.

I know a person has posted that they lost someone due to an accidental shooting, I'm sorry for your loss and cant begin to understand what that must be like. I have had a friend who's dad shot him in Wyoming on an elk hunt, I know he didnt think his son was the elk that had passed seconds before feet from his son that didnt have a shell in the chamber. He bled out at 5000' with help miles away. They had been doing the same hunt for 7 years. Should he have been sent to prison? He died of a heart attack at 61, 1year later, his wife within 2 months after him of heart attack. Last of the family. May the Bidwells rest in peace.

Most hunters are ethical, poachers have little to do with this argument. They arent hunting people, their hunting game for profit or food. Hunting is very safe overall, the exceptions make the news.

Sorry, but this doesn't make one bit of sense so please explain how those things are different. The way I see it, not knowing where the end of your gun is pointing and not knowing what sound you're shooting at is one and the same. The only difference is the 19 year old kid died and the 78 year old lawyer lived.

I guess this poor guy was down hill,,maybe he was short,,a head shot on a human?
one in a million doc one in a million!

There is no excuse for that. And, they are not the same. One was stupidity (kid) and the other was an accident.

I agree they are both careless,but IMO, following a moving target with a gun barrel is different than hearing something that might be a target and shooting in that general direction without ever even seeing the target or sure the target even exhisted in the first place.Cheney saw the quail flying,but failed to think where everyone was,when he pulled the trigger.

I agree. Sad that a kid died for sure. If there was no foul play involved then that illegal hunting trip probably ruined all three boys lives and at least a dozen others. In many places trespassing is no small thing. People need to respect others and their property, and most all other problems would solve themselves.

I would also like to say; this is why you go to the Range and practice good gun habits!

IMO you don't get "deer fever" and shoot at anything that moves, you identify your target aim and fire....you must identify your target and non targets, if your a civilian sheepdog, it would be the "bad guy" and "connecting" with your target..to save the princess.

People with Deer Fever or go out and shoot up stop signs give us good citizens a bad rap.

Regardless of how it happened. It still happened. Some mother has lost her son while another mother has one potentially facing involuntary manslaughter charges. There's no difference here than two teenagers out drunk driving and one of them gets ejected when they miss a curve in the road. Both mothers have "lost" their sons.
I'm a big advocate of hunting (legally) and also a big advocate of gun-safety. It's easy for us to make opinions and point fingers from miles away about this specific event because most of us don't poach. However, when you have teenagers die in a drunk driving accident you don't see too many people saying, "Didn't his parents teach him about alchohol safety?". The old saying "kids will be kids" is certainly true.

Sadly though, there's probably an overwhelming statistic that this kid learned this habit from another family member. (just like most teenage boys are a chip off the ol' block and start drinking because they've seen their dad do it for years.)

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Francismilker

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much" James 5:16

There is no excuse for either one. Both were stupidity.

Totally agree. You don't ever ever shoot in the direction of your hunting buddy, or across his dog, or at a noise, or at an unidentified target. If you don't kill them it's a really good way to get your skull split with the butt of a gun.

Husband hunts pheasant & they fly up infront of/across other people. That is when you DON'T SHOOT. You don't shoot at your target without being aware of what is behind it.

A lot of stupid actions are the cause of accidents. Stupidity kills. Just because good ol' Cheny didn't kill that guy doesn't make him any less of an idiot hunter than the man in IA & the one in MO.

And - someone needs to remind those folks with "buck fever" that you aren't ever going to hear a deer blundering through the woods toward your stand. They are quiet critters.

Stupid people with guns tick me off.

So many are thinking of this was a Normal hunting Accident.Thing is if they was hunting IN season and Legal they would have been wearing at least a Hunters Orange Hat and Vest.

big rockpile

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I love being married.Its so great to find that one person you want to annoy for the rest of your life.



If I need a Shelter
If I need a Friend
I go to the Rock!

and it would have been in the daytime.