Guys, please be sure of your targets! This poor man shot his 9 year old son mistaking him for a turkey. He told the boy to stay put, but the boy was excited and didn't listen. He approached his father as his father attempted to stalk some birds. His father mistook him for a turkey and shot him in the chest with a 12 Gauge. I can't imagine the pain this man is going thru. This is so senseless.
http://www.startribune.com/local/south/17956264.html

My God. I can only pray for this family. I simply could not imagine this gentlemen's life from hear on out. He will need a strong faith to keep him going. A tragic blow to our sport, but a grim reminder of just how important safety first is and always will be. My wife and I are expecting our first, I cannot stop the dreams and thoughts of getting that young one out in the woods with me as early and I can. Reading this story sent a strong chill down my spine.

I dant imagine what the family is going through. I will have to bring this up with a coworker, he just took his son for the first time out with him on a turkey hunt.The bo and his fatherlook alot like them. thanks for posting this

wow. thats all i can say is wow. i couldnt imagine how bad id feel after that. i couldnt live with myself. but that accident does bring hunting ethics to the table, for all hunters, not just turkey hunters. "always be 100% sure what your target is" has always been a top rule of mine and the people i hunt with. if it looks like a turkey moving through the bush but you dont see a head or body dont shoot. if your deer hunting and see a dark figure moving through the woods at dusk and cant tell its a deer, dont shoot. i was hunting with my best friend last deer season. he left the stand early anddid a grunt call along a side path at dusk by the area i was hunting to mess with me. i knew i could shoot exactly where the grunt came from but didnt want to risk anything. he called me to tell me not to shoot because he knew id be ready but not takin a shot without verification what i was shootin at

How do you mistake a 9 year old child as a turkey...? The guy was either a slob hunter in the first place, or he was just careless. Dont shoot at movement.. shoot at a turkey.. i mean 9 year old kid... orrrr a tiny black turekey.... hmmmmmmm they look quite different..

besides.. what was the idiot doing stalking a gobbler? Isnt that illegal/stupid in the first place??? Thats why you dont go after gobbler sounds---so you dont mistakenly shoot a goddamn human..

thats very sad
what gets me how did he know it was a gobbler or a hen he was just planning on shooting whatever i guess

Very sad, always a reminder to be careful and stay composed, and obviously to indentify your target 100% of the time. When my (13 month old) daughter is old enough to go with me hunting, i will never let her leave my side. This is so sad, couldnt imagine losing the most important thing in my life, while doing what i love the most.

While it is sad and all my thoughts and prayers go out to the family, We can all take something from stories like this.
Make sure of your target.
Make sure of your target.
Make sure of your target!
Regardless of whether or not it was because of something stupid or "illeagl" which stalking is not,at least notin missouri I know, this should serve as a reminder that we need to do all we can to be a safe as possible in the woods. I know when I hunt with a partner and we seperate, if one of us moves we carry hunter orange to put on while we are moving through the woods.

Well, another man who will probably never hunt again and it took the ultimate price paid to teach a lesson.
There isn't a substitute for safety,
There isn't a reason to hunt unethically,
Guns are dangerous, treat them with respect.
Keep in mind your basic hunters safety education always.
Kids get killed sometimes, old women get killed sometimes, its because people keep acting like fools is why it keeps happening