I'm strictly a bowhunter and hunt strictly in bow season now because of a similar incident around 21 years ago in the mountains of WV. I was 2/3 of the way up a ridge and sitting fat, dumb and happy when I heard the retort of a gun and whistle of a bullet over my head. That was followed by two more. I laid down on the ground and crawled up behind a big tree after the first shot and I prayed "Lord, get me out of this alive and I'm selling my guns and finding a safer way of hunting."

All has been safe, sofar as I know, until last year. On the last day of the hunting season in SC I was hunting on a friends farm. Unbeknownst to be, there were some gun hunters in the woods, too. about 20 minutes before the sun went down I heard the loud report of a rifle going off. This time I didn't hear the bullet whistle, but the person who took the shot was close enough that I could clearly hear him yelling "Yahoo, I got him!!"

I won't go back to that farm again! I will hunt public land that is archery only, first!

Bill