Hunter Fatally Shot By Friend POSTED: 6:43 am EST November 28, 2005[/align] UPDATED: 6:45 am EST November 28, 2005
[/align] WESTPORT, Ind. -- [/b] A hunter who thought he was shooting at a deer instead fatally wounded a friend Sunday afternoon in southeastern Indiana, a state conservation officer said.
The Jennings County Coroner pronounced Gregory L. Saylor, 41, of Westport, dead at the shooting scene outside of Westport, near the Decatur-Jennings county line, the conservation officer said in a news release.
Saylor and his friends Ronald and William Michael were hunting in the woods about 50 miles south of Indianapolis when Ronald Michael thought he saw a deer and shot, conservation spokesman Bill Beville said in the release.
Instead, the brothers went to the spot and found Saylor on the ground. Beville said the shooting appeared to be accidental.
A medical examiner will conduct an autopsy on Saylor's body, the news release said.
I know that hunters orange during gun seasons is required but in all my years of hunting, I have NEVER, EVER, mistaken a person for an animal and cannot see how it's even possible.
The most basic common sense should tell you to identify your target before you shoot.
Stories like that are what make my wife nervous when I go hunting. She's not worried about me.....she's worried about who else may be out there with me.
I agree. I dont see how anyone could mistake a human being for a deer if they were being responsible. You would think that with the time it takes to aim and get your target in the sights, that at some point the person would realize the difference between a deer and a person. Maybe this guy was killed just before dark as he was walking out of his spot and the hunter on the last day of the season risked it and shot at the movement? This should not happen. I can maybe understand someone being hit by a stray bullet by complete accident, but to actually pick out a target, identify it as a deer, then aim and shoot at it shows a lack of knowledge from the hunter. The guy should have orange on but in the end im not sure it would have mattered.
Here is another idea on how it may have looked but the target should have been identified fully first. While the deceased may not have had on orange, he also may have been bent over looking at something on the ground and letting his arms dangle completeing the false image of four legs. He could also have been partially obscured by trees or brush. But the shooter should have waited until he could fully identify his target as to if was a deer or not. Lets all say a prayer or condolance for his family. Also the shooter needs something too. Imagine how he feels.
I always hunt just like I drive my cars......defensively.
There are a lot of idiots out there, especially for the gun opening weekend, and the day before. I also hunt a lot of public land. Regardless of where I hunt, I always use a flashlight when hiking in/out in the dark/dusk. This includes even early archery. There are poachers out there. As far as getting shot in the daylight, orange or not, that is unreal. Completely reckless. The guy should face serious manslaughter charges & go to jail. Consequences should be no different than a drunk driving fatality.
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Member RMEF, Pope & Young Club, UBNM, UWC & SFW-Hate Club
Count me in with the "I don't see how that could happen" group.... HOW in the WORLD can you shoot at a PERSON and think it is a deer!? I just don't understand it. Maybe they had a different kind of tutor than I did (hubby), but I was taught early by my husband to identify the target first and foremost!!! Hunter orange or not, it would have to be pretty darn dark to mistake a person for a deer...
There is no explanation that will get me to see how this could happen unless the person getting shot has a deer "costume" on.
Even then you're an idiot for not being able to tell the difference between a mature deer and a fat guy in a cheap suit.
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ORIGINAL: Buck Huntin Girl
Count me in with the "I don't see how that could happen" group.... HOW in the WORLD can you shoot at a PERSON and think it is a deer!? I just don't understand it. Maybe they had a different kind of tutor than I did (hubby), but I was taught early by my husband to identify the target first and foremost!!! Hunter orange or not, it would have to be pretty darn dark to mistake a person for a deer...
Westport, IN - Hunter shot and killed
