A deer hunter walking out of the woods was mistaken by another as a deer and shot in the back.
The man was shot with a rifle by another hunter who mistook him for a deer, said Officer Fred Gorchess of the N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission.
The victim was walking out of the woods near Watha about 5:30 p.m. Friday when he was shot, Gorchess said.
A 23-year-old man was charged with negligent hunting resulting in bodily injury, a misdemeanor, in connection with the shooting, Gorchess said.
The hunter that was shot is hospitalized in Wilmington recovering. There is little other details that have been made public to help explain how this could of happened. Hunters in North Carolina are required to wear unknown if either had it on. The end of legal shooting light was at 5:32 pm the article states the accident happened around 5:30pm.
Bottom line is the shooter failed a number of safety rules including the most important one to identify your target. In most cases like this one I don’t feel that the victim shares any of the blame because the shooter is 100% responsible for the identification of the target and the release of the bullet.
Don’t get me wrong there are things we can do to reduce the risk of getting shot including wearing hunter orange hat or vest. Use artificial light when exiting the woods. I wear a light clipped on my hat so as I walk out there is little doubt what I am even though I have the utmost trust in the safety of the individuals I hunt with.
Hunter safety is all our responsibility so be safe.
Post by Dan McLaughlin AKA Moose
