Sorry partner, thought you were a turkey...

[Sea Dragon]

Number of accidents during 2001 spring turkey hunting season is highest on record

MADISON --

"This spring season, we saw the most turkey hunting accidents in Wisconsin since the reintroduction of the bird to the state in 1976," said Lawhern. "But to call them ‘accidents’ is misleading. In most situations it’s a matter of the hunter simply not following the basic rules of safe hunting."

Turkey hunting ‘incidents’ are very predictable. Nearly one-third of all injuries occur when hunters shoot themselves. Another common incident occurs when two hunters separate and one ends up stalking the other’s call or decoy, shooting their partner based on movement, sound, or what they thought was a turkey.

"The chances of actually getting close enough to a turkey by stalking one are very slim," says Lawhern. "The turkey is wary by nature and has extremely keen eyesight. A hunter should never attempt to stalk a turkey. Instead, they should try calling the bird to within their unobstructed shooting range."

This year’s spring turkey hunting incidents occurred in the following counties: La Crosse, Grant, Portage, Trempealeau, Richland, and Jackson.

In La Crosse County, a 14-year-old boy shot himself through the foot while moving his shotgun. The boy had the gun’s safety engaged, but placed it in the off position when he sat down. In Trempealeau County, a hunter mistook two other hunters for turkeys and shot them as they were walking on a trail. In Richland and Jackson counties, hunters shot their partners after mistaking them for turkeys. In both cases, the shooters reacted to movement or color, not the telltale beard of a male turkey.

"It’s clear to see that in each of these situations the hunter did not follow one or more of the most basic rules of firearms safety," Lawhern said. "Know your target and what lies beyond it and keeping the safety engaged until you’re ready to use your firearm are fundamental when it comes to enjoying a safe hunt."

[Kahuna Tuna]

Man, and to think I used to believe turkeys are stupid.

[Q-ball]

Yup. We got got called to a shooting 2 years ago...16yr old kid heard "turkey" calling, so he decided he'd try to crawl up on it. He had no orange on, which in PA is required for turkey hunters unless they're in their blind (camo'd hiding spot). The "turkey" that was doing the calling turned out to be a hunter, dude was mid-50's I think. Anyhow, the old dude shot the young dude. He took the brunt of the birdshot in the upper chest, shoulder & face and somehow lived. How hard is it to just put on an orange vest or something? I think the turkey's are safer than the hunters during turkey season:D

[johnny]

Seriously though, anyone who thinks they can "sneak up" on a turkey ... shouldn't be given a gun!

I'm around NYC and I stopped hunting for this very reason, which was a real shame because it was a good time to hang out with my father.

We changed to bowhunting for a while because there are WAY fewer trigger happy, testosterone burdened, kill anything to become a man idiots out there. Granted one of my fathers friends almost killed someone in a car when he slipped while shooting his bow and shot straight across a highway :eek: but accidents like that do happen.

I can still remember bow hunting the day rifle season opened up... I was in a tree stand quietly waiting and just relaxing ... I heard a rilfe shot that couldn't have been more than 100ft away... sure enough.. two hunters had shot a fawn that was underneath my stand (mind you I had orange on since it was deer season). However... if you think I was about to show myself to two gun carrying lawbreakers and tell them that they just committed a crime by shooting a fawn that they were now dragging out of the woods... you are NUTS! Do I think they would have shot me? perhaps. Do I think that those type of people would shoot at ANYTHING that moves.. you had BETTER BELIEVE IT!

I try to stay outta the woods during hunting season... orange or no orange on... unless I'm hunting... and even then I make sure I'm in a stand or against a tree and staying still.

It's insane sometimes... but I'd still take it over walking downtown at midnight wearing bright orange ;)

Nick

[Kat]

I remember that, several years ago somewhere in the eastern US, a woman was shot dead in her back yard by a hunter who was after white-tailed deer.

Later, the hunter was exonerated and cleared of all charges because the woman had failed in her responsibility to wear an orange vest. IN HER OWN BACK YARD!!!!!!

People are getting away with murder out there...

Crazy, crazy, crazy...

[johnny]

Kat,

There have been a few trials here in the NorEastern US about men who've gone hunting with their wives and one is "accidently" shot to death.

Nick

[JSC]

Ha, Im from Wi and I know someone who was shot in the side of the head from a distance by his brother! It was like 15 years ago though and the guy lived OK. Kind of funny story. They both tended to smoke a little if you know what I mean and his little brother was picking up something from the ground in the weeds bobing up and down and his brother thought he was a turkey and blasted him. Lucky for him it was from quite a distance so he only caught a little spray of BB's. They said he might have bleed to death if it were not for a state trooper going by when they reached the nearest road. It turned out fine but he still has sone BB's floating around the side of his head, seriously. Maybe turkeys have karma working for them.

[O'Man]

I have had to ask hunters to leave my back yard and point out to them they are in violation of the law(within 450 ft. of a house without my permission)

The funny/scary part is the last one seemed to think climbing my tree(fat guy, his climb was all of 4 feet... maybe he was afraid of heights) and wearing camos would hide him from me. I guess he did not realize I saw him run and hide when I pulled into my driveway.

I wonder if he had a camoflage wallet:D

[Vilas]

See, as one of the boards few liberals to the core, this is my ONLY objection to hunting.
I see hunting one's own food as a million times more honorable than going to the supermarket, like I do, and picking up a dead slab of something I've never had to deal with. I know families that most of what they eat is what they grow and hunt themselves. For those people who do that, one can't help but applaud them, and make sure they have the right to do so.
Hunting one's own food is not only morally right, in my opinion, but something that goes back to our earliest ancestors. Anyone who has the guts to look their dinner in the eye is a far better person than I.
That said, I have a very close friend whos family hunts and grows most of their food. He won't shoot a deer untill he can look it in the eye. He and I disagree on every count politically, but how can one POSSIBLY object to a person's right to go hunt and grow their own food?

I object to recklessness and lack of common sense, to machismo and impulsivity, never to hunting.

Flame away if you will... :)

[JSC]

Vilas, I agree on the hunter gatherer thing its the people that kill for sport or fun that bother me. I do not hunt personally but I do eat dead animals.

[Rin]

Let's see, you gotta kill your own meat, eh? I can just imagine the pressure on the animal populations if everyone had this attitude.

How 'bout this? You go to the store, but instead of prepared meat, you select your animal you want to have for dinner. They lead you to a holding pen where you get to kill and dress it. Cattle, pigs, chickens, fish...whatever.

Nah, been there, done that.

Just for reference, I see no honor in modern day hunting. None, zero. There's no challenge to it, no risk--unless you count the other hunters out there with you. Hunting is simple slaughter. I've done it and I get no thrill from the kill. I do enjoy the chase, though. If it wasn't for the other hunters out there, my gun would be a camera.

Now, you want to prove you can run with the big dogs? Try hunting boar (100-400 lb blokes) with nothing but a dog and a big knife. That gets the blood going.

[Sea Dragon]

I'm not objecting to people shooting animals. I object to people shooting people! Getting all misty eyed over hunters seems to be a misplaced sentiment though. While I don't hunt, I do fish and don't get any kicks from filleting them (on the rare occasions I keep my catch). Doesn't make any difference to me whether I buy it in the store or catch it myself. There's certainly not enough animals in the wild to support our population year round. I can stand the guilt of consuming captive creatures if it protects others from extinction.

Fortunately those in charge of our natural resources keep track of how many stamps they issue each year. Wild animals that had disappeared from many areas of the country are now returning to their natural ranges because of careful management. The morning before reading the article I posted here, I had the pleasure of seeing a pair of wild turkeys in a state forest. It was fun gobbling back at them as they scurried into the woods. In hindsight, I feel fortunate that there wasn't a moron with a gun nearby! ;)

Just to paint a fairer picture of this, the normal rate of hunting 'accidents' is something like 1 in 100,000. This year it climbed to almost 1 in 10,000.

[Q-ball]

Hiyas...I agree with hunting, although up til this year I've never gone. It's necessary in my area to keep deer populations down, otherwise they starve to death which imo is a worse way to go. I do plan on going deer hunting for the first time this year, but it's going to be with a pistol as I enjoy pistol shooting & I want it to be challenging. Oh, & Rin, I do plan on going wild boar hunting with a pistol as well. I've read some stories about them that'll curl your shorties:D

Q!!!

[DanConnor]

I live in a rural area in upstate New York. Last hunting season, I was awakened from sleep by an early morning gun shot, very close. I looked out the window to see a buck running across my front yard- it made it into our back field and collapsed there. Less than a minute later 2 hunters came walking down the road looking for their deer! Way, way too close for me. Its a rural area, but there are houses scattered all around...

BTW, I have looked quite a few chickens in the eye. Actually, its not a bad thing to do to sort out your feelings about eating meat. After a few years of chickens, I mostly look avocados in the eye now.

[johnny]

Dan,

Aint it fun to cut their heads off and watch them run in circles!?! No... I meant the avacados ;)

Rin,

I'm sorry we can't be the big man you are. I think most people that go bow hunting for deer though realize not only do you have to wait for the deer to get within 30 yards, but you have to make an almost perfect shot. Oh and I've seen the people who go boar hunting with dogs... the dog chases the boar into a corner, while the person with the knife jumps on it..... when you do it WITHOUT the dog... I'll give you the credit you want.

I agree that we have to be careful with how much we hunt, that's the reason there are regulations out there. Trust me... they take into account poachers and illegal hunting though. People around here that have apple orchards and corn fields have begun to post want adds for hunters. Their entire fields are being devistated from the deer populations.

Those turkeys are pretty cool huh! Smart critters too. Around here you can see them almost as much as deer now... it's kinda erie when I'm fishing on the hudson and at sunrise you can hear them gobbling from the shore.

Dan,

I think the regulations say you have to be 500ft away from houses/roads. You can hear a gunshot from a LONG ways away, so they may have been farther than you think. Then again if they showed up only 2 mins after you heard it... maybe not ;) Those aren't good hunters either... when you shoot a deer you're supposed to wait for at least 20 mins so that you don't keep it running and have to track it for 3 miles. If you don't already, you may want to put posted signs up on your yard. At least that will keep them outside your boundaries. (or should :D )

Nick