Hunter found dead in Quakertown

[TommyG]

Truly sad. Can you imagine the poor boy who gets a call from dad saying come help me I got a really nice buck and then arriving to this?

These incidents fall under the negligent vs accidental category in my mind. You don't accidentally shoot someone when you are hunting. It is pure negligence. A man does not move like a deer. Orange or not it should be easy to tell the difference. Someone shot at something else with no backstop and the round ended up there or, much worse took a shot at brown and moving brush and killed this poor man. What a shame.

[theo]

Truly sad. Can you imagine the poor boy who gets a call from dad saying come help me I got a really nice buck and then arriving to this?

These incidents fall under the negligent vs accidental category in my mind. You don't accidentally shoot someone when you are hunting. It is pure negligence. A man does not move like a deer. Orange or not it should be easy to tell the difference. Someone shot at something else with no backstop and the round ended up there or, much worse took a shot at brown and moving brush and killed this poor man. What a shame.

Agreed.

I couldn't believe when I used to hunt that I would hear shots when it was completely dark. I was walking to my spot in the a.m. and could hardly see my hand in front of me, and someone supposedly tries to shoot at a deer.

.

[bogey1]

something smells fishy.
time will tell.

[DVE]

...or, much worse took a shot at brown and moving brush and killed this poor man. What a shame.

Agreed. It's all about target recongnition, and people out there that don't do it shouldn't be out there in the first place.

[YosemiteSam]

The most dangerous thing you do is drive to your hunting spot.

[gnbrotz]

Also any newer hunters MUST have passed the hunter ed class in order to even buy a hunting lisc.

In PA, the law does indeed make such a requirement, but an applicant simply 'affirms' the fact by their signature. I completed the required course a few years ago, before purchasing my first hunting license, but I was not asked to show proof while completing the purchase of my license.

[shortthrow50]

yes it is easy to mistake a human for a deer at almost a hundred yards in thick wooded areas if your not very experienced.Like someone else mentioned, some of these clowns shoot the first thing they see walking and making noise as long as its NOT wearing orange. The reason for the vest and this guy took his off. Ill bet the other idiot that shot the guy pannicked when he found out he shot the vestlessguy and rolled out of dodge super quick. Woulda been much easier for him if he stuck around and told the truth.

[27hand]

I'm wondering the same thing. Still, he should have never removed his vest. I'm sure that will be brought up by someone in the media at some point.

I carry a very lightweight secondary vest I put on to clean or drag my deer so I am always orange. I used to hang my hunting jacket close by but decided to just keep one on.

This is upsetting EVERY time this happens.

27

[AxiTech]

Someone used the words "Kmart hunters". There is a lot of truth to this. I know for certain that there have been hunting licenses sold to individuals who haven't had the safety course and did not meet any of the other criteria either. This happened at the Warminster Kmart years ago, and if it happened there, you KNOW it happens elsewhere too. I even gave the kid at the register a hard time about it. His response? "So what, they lie all the time about having a license last year, or they tell us they are a veteran. Big deal!"

My wife and i were talking about this at dinner. She took the stance that if he took off his orange, it was his fault. I explained that the shooter is responsible for where his shot lands regardless of what others did or did not do correctly. Her not being a hunter kept her from initially seeing this. It took a bit of explaining, but I got through to her. Non-"gun" folks just don't have the mindset that we ,who were blessed to have firearms introduced to us early and correctly, all have. That is a shame.

Lastly, about 14 years ago, I was hunting up on Broad Mountain above Jim Thorpe, Pa. About noon, I heard a commotion in the woods about two hundred yards away. I looked through the scope and spotted a nice 8 point or better buck moving through the deep brush. No clear shot. But, he was headed for a clearing. I got the rifle up and steadied on a crook in a tree. Aimed at the clearing, and waited. I watched the deer diddy-bopping through the brush. Seriously, that is the best way I can describe it. He had this 'ghetto' walk going on. It was kind of comical. My wife's step-dad sees me looking and I point it out to him. He gets his much more powerful scope up on the deer. He looks at it for a good ten seconds and says, "DO NOT SHOOT AT THAT DEER!" I didn't. When it walked into the clearing, I saw what he saw and I couldn't with my lower power scope. The deer was being carried, front legs ove the shoulders, it's head being supported by the head of a guy who was wearing full camouflage. No orange at all!! His buddy was a hundred yards behind him carrying both rifles and the first guys coat.
I had come very close to shooting that guy, but figured I'd wait for a better shot in the clearing. I'm a free man today only because I waited. It happens just that easily!

[bogey1]

Lastly, about 14 years ago, I was hunting up on Broad Mountain above Jim Thorpe, Pa. About noon, I heard a commotion in the woods about two hundred yards away. I looked through the scope and spotted a nice 8 point or better buck moving through the deep brush. No clear shot. But, he was headed for a clearing. I got the rifle up and steadied on a crook in a tree. Aimed at the clearing, and waited. I watched the deer diddy-bopping through the brush. Seriously, that is the best way I can describe it. He had this 'ghetto' walk going on. It was kind of comical. My wife's step-dad sees me looking and I point it out to him. He gets his much more powerful scope up on the deer. He looks at it for a good ten seconds and says, "DO NOT SHOOT AT THAT DEER!" I didn't. When it walked into the clearing, I saw what he saw and I couldn't with my lower power scope. The deer was being carried, front legs ove the shoulders, it's head being supported by the head of a guy who was wearing full camouflage. No orange at all!! His buddy was a hundred yards behind him carrying both rifles and the first guys coat.
I had come very close to shooting that guy, but figured I'd wait for a better shot in the clearing. I'm a free man today only because I waited. It happens just that easily!

thats some scary shit. thank god you didnt pull the trigger.

i dont use a scope so i can only take 75-100 yrd shots.
before i settle in my spot, i look 360* to get an idea where the projectile might go if i miss.