Truly tragic and senseless. Seems like many deaths of this kind in the woods involve someone shooting a member of their own party. A man shot and killed his own son on the Grand Mesa, Northwest of my location a few years ago. If you come across more info on this incident, I would be interested in learning of it. I do not mean to imply that this particular shooting was anything other than an accident, but some are not. For what it is worth, my thoughts and deepest sympathies go out to the family and friends of the victim. Makes me deeply sick and sad.
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The man that shot this poor soul has absolutely no excuse for doing what he did unless it was flat intentional . Mistaken for an Elk my A** . I am also assuming that the newspaper report was accurate and not somehow sensationalized by the liberal media...
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OEH: The incident is being reported in this region (where it occured) as well, and the media in Colorado is decidedly of a Republican/Conservative bent. I share some of your skepticism, but I do not believe that any of us has as of yet enough information to start crying " Murder" . Regardless of whether the reporting media has lib or cons leanings, it should be reported as a sobering reminder to all of us to never let our standards of safety down.
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"Friend of Men, Lover of Women, Purveyor of the Brutal Truth"
Their is way to many pepole in the hunting world that go on the " Brown it' s Down" saying.We all must remember hunting saftey and befor you pull that trigger,know your target and beyond.
It is truly traggic,a few years ago here in Montana a mother shot her own son in the guts,when she was unloading her rifle.
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I posted this in the bowhunting forum as well, but i am going to keep up with this to see what the shooter gets. beans if you hear anything post it too, since i assume it happend in your area.
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First and foremost, I feel for the family as he had children and a wife. It' s hard to imagine and then again it' s not as I lost my brother in law to an ATV accident some years back. I certainly wouldn' t put this in the same category but the end result is the same. Although I wasn' t there and the only one that really knows what happened is the man who was holding the gun, I can' t understand how someone can pull the trigger and not be sure of the target. I' ve heard of veteran turkey hunters doing it but what goes thru their mind. Do they get so wound up that they actually think they see an animal?? It' s baffling. Or is it the brown it' s down as BBJ mentioned. I really hate hearing these stories but they are definitely a reminder to all of the worst scenario in hunting.
There is absolutely no excuse for shooting a human being in mistake for game. I fully realize that bullets ricochet and that they travel much farther than one could think, but to shoot someone in mistake for game is a conscious decision.
If the individual had been driving a car and did something that dumb, he would be charged with manslaughter or homicide by motor vehicle. I think such a charge would be appropriate in cases where a guy shoots first and identifies his target later. With a felony conviction, he would never be allowed to own a gun again. We don' t need this type of person hunting in the woods with us.
I am sure there will be some who will use the old, " There but for the grace of God, go I." , excuse, but it doesn' t hold water. The people who shoot another human being in mistake for game are not ethical hunters. They are careless and could give a crapola less for anything other than killing a deer or a turkey. If there was a real penalty, such as jail time and the loss of the right to own firearms and hunt, perhaps they might think a bit more before taking the safety off. I think it is worth a try. For those who think this is just a bit more creeping gun control, think again. The framers of the constitution saw a difference between honest citizens and criminals. In my mind, a person who shoots another person in mistake for game is just as much of a criminal as the one who poaches.
I had a friend who was killed nearly 30 years ago under similar circumstances. He was hunting during the rifle season, wearing blaze orange on his body and hat. Another hunter, from less than 70 yards away, mistook him for an elk and shot him in the neck, killing him instantly. The guy that shot him had already tagged an elk. He is still around today, going to work, coming home to his family
I don' t recall what he received in the way of punishment, the death was ruled an accident.
Another hunter killed
