When I hunt rifle season I am only about 300 yards from my truck.
But it is almost straight down, I am holding on to trees as I go down to my spot.
I keep a huge tree to my back while hunting.
I have orange around several trees around me while hunting.

I don't see alot of deer those first 2 days, but I feel alot safer.

I don't see how anyone can classify this as an accident. It was 6AM! How could he possibly have checked his target AND BEYOND???!?!? If you step outside your house, fire a bullet up into the air, and it hits someone on the way down you are guilty of a crime and will be prosecuted. This guy is just as guilty IMO. Criminally negligent homicide at least.

Wait. I don't want to pick on you but how exactly did the gun misfire? Was the trigger touched or did the gun just magically go off?

If I recall shooting time on opening day in central Pa was 6;42AM, that's legal shooting time. I wont go in the woods on opening day in PA until it's light enough to be seen.....

Ron M.

Staying out of the woods during gun season until it's light enough to be seen is probably good advice everywhere, especially when the woods are crowded.

I always make sure I have a light on. I don't think ANYONE could say they thought I was a deer with a flashlight.

SteveFinMD

And was the safety on?

This past year i hunted where there are alot of meadows and they are the first spots you can see at the hint of light and well past sunset if its not cloudy out. These are the kind of areas i hear shooting going on way sooner then it should and way later then it should. The bordering horsefarm that im having a dispute with owner or hunting distance is allowing other people i dont know hunt behind horsefarm on my land and land that is not his to be allowing others to hunt. I dont know these other people and if they are "shoot at a shadow or movement" hunters that I dont know. I have asked him please dont let other hunters back there. They do not have land back there and it is not his land to let allow others to go back there to hunt please not let them go back there but he will not listen. I'll hunt with whoever in the woods as long as i know them and what kind of hunter they are. You take risks hunting and not knowing who else is out there and if they are responsible hunter or not. Its BS when a hunter is shot for any reason unless proved otherwise, especially getting shot in the dark.

So does anyone know how many people total have been killed in PA this year? I dont remember any last year. I thought things were getting better.....

I'm not sure of the number of accidents, seems like a lot this year.
Check the PGC website, www.pgc.state.pa.us

A simple search told me that PA had 4 fatalities in hunting season - and 57 reported hunting related shootings in PA for 2004

http://www.whtm.com/news/stories/1204/194069.html


I found a lot of information about shooting deaths in PA - but very little related to hunting. I could not verify the "6:00 am" shooting - who said that's what time the last hunting related shooting occured? - I couldn't find a link?

FH