Gun Safety has to be paramount and this week for Survivor Friday we’ll look a little bit at safety while afield. The last day of the western North Carolina Deer season was tragic with the fatal shooting of a non hunting person by a hunter.
Deer season ended Saturday in Western North Carolina on a tragic note when a young hunter shot a man hiking in Pisgah National Forest. The unidentified man was dead by the time authorities arrived on the scene. At this time authorities are looking at this as a hunting accident.
December 14
While hunting and shooting are very safe sports statistically any accident has the potential to cost someone their life so we have to be careful and follow the rules.
The NRA has some great gun safety rules that we all should review from time to time. The one I really want to focus on is;
Know your target and what is beyond.
Be absolutely sure you have identified your target beyond any doubt. Equally important, be aware of the area beyond your target. This means observing your prospective area of fire before you shoot. Never fire in a direction in which there are people or any other potential for mishap. Think first. Shoot second.
This appears to be the major rule that was overlooked in this situation at least from the reports we are hearing.
Unbelievably Captain Greg Daniels of the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission Enforcement Division reports that two hunters looked down the scoped barrel misidentifying Mr. Martinez as a deer and allegedly then Kyle Keith fired the single fatal shot.
I’ve never had a situation where I thought a person was a deer or some other game animal but I’ve had numerous times when I’ve seen something that I wasn’t sure of that I eventually identified as another person. We have to be careful when we are hunting to properly identify what it is we are about to shoot at because once a bullet is fired there is no calling it back. The more recent experiences I’ve had is having a trespassing hunter slip in between me and a gobbler I was calling. The hunters camo was real good because I walked up and sat down 20 feet from him to call to a gobbler that had shocked gobbled to me before fly down. I was about to tree yelp when the hunter whistled and waved at me. I never brought my gun up on him but it did unnerve me a bit about how close I was and not aware of him. That particular day my first set up was messed up as I blew up on him for trespassing on private property and making sure he left before he messed anyone else that was hunting legally on the property that day.
This particular situation in Pisgah National Forest on the last day of the deer season was highly unusual because you have two hunters that have misidentified a person as a deer. I should also point out that it is not acceptably to use the scope on your rifle or shotgun as an aid to help you properly identify your target. Binoculars or a spotting scope is the equipment you should use and once you’ve identified your target then use the scope for shot placement. I know a few hunters that have had the unnerving experience of walking up on another hunter and to discover them pointing their gun at you and looking through the scope. These hunters in Pisgah National Forest should never had used the scopes on the rifle to study the object to see if it was a deer.
As hunters we know about hunter orange and most states require hunters to wear it during certain seasons and certain types of hunts. You can not always depend that other hunters will follow that rule nor can you depend that other users of the area will be wearing orange. Seeing a flash, a bit of white, or a patch of brown is not enough information for an individual to properly identify their target. You must clearly identify your target and know beyond a shadow of a doubt what you are about to shoot at.
Once you’ve identified your target you need to make sure that there is no one in front behind or around your target. Hunting new areas it can be difficult if you do not have a good perspective of the area so you know where roads, hiking trails, houses, cabins, and any other areas that may attract people. If in doubt do not take the shot it is not worth the risk. I’ve passed up a number of shots over the years because I didn’t feel it was safe at that moment. Often times I was rewarded with a better shot opportunity but sometimes I went home empty handed.
We all want to bag a deer or turkey but none of us want to have or cause an accident. Safe gun handling and shot selection are extremely important and should be careful thought out prior to taking the shot. In this particular situation what should of been a fun day of deer hunting has lead to criminal charges and the knowledge that their actions have killed someone.
Bullets can’t be called back so lets be safe and educate those around us how to be safe. Most states offer hunter safety class for free or at least inexpensively. Even if you’ve been hunting a while and are not legally required to take the class you should still consider taking it. Take it with a youngster or someone who has never hunted and introduce them to the great sport.
