Killed while squirrel hunting...

This reminds me of a situation I experienced when I was about that same age while squirrel hunting. A high school friend and I went squirrel hunting in some MTNF. An old logging road wound along a ridgetop, and we agreed that he would hunt on one side of the trail and I would hunt the other side. We both agreed not to cross the old logging road and to stay on our own side of the woods.

We split up, and I almost immediately found a grove of hickory trees, and the squirrels were thick in this bunch of nut trees. I killed several with my .22 rifle and was having a blast just slipping along and finding shots. At one point, a squirrel came down a tree and was hanging on the side, giving me the stink eye, and I put the crosshairs on him. While I was trying to steady down on his little noggin, I realized there was movement in the scope beyond the squirrel. I lifted my head off the stock and looked, and was surprised to see my buddy had crossed the logging road and was on my side of the woods. He was easing into my hickory grove from across a holler. I yelled at him and stood up, waving my arm at him. He waved back, and I went over to him and asked what the heck he was doing on my side of the road. His excuse was that there weren't many squirrels on his side, and he had heard me shoot several times, so he knew there were squirrels on my side. He had walked over the top and from there saw the limbs swishing across the holler and on the opposite hill. Right where I was.

If I had shot at the squirrel with him in the scope, I don't know if it would have hit him or not. The squirrel was on a small tree, and the tree would have stopped the bullet. However, if I had missed by very much, the tree wouldn't have caught the bullet, and my hunting partner that day was across a small holler on the other hill. And inside my scope's field of view. He was still probably 80-90 yards away and across the holler with woods between us. I certainly might have hit him, being in the scope's field of view. It scared the hell out of me. I brought him over and we hunted together to finish the morning out. He didn't seem to think his crossing over to my side was that big of a deal. I never hunted with him again.
 
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Don_P said:
"......Carson Ryan, 17, of Washington, was mistaken for a squirrel by a member of his hunting party and was struck in the back of the head....."

How is this even remotely possible?
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Sitting by a tree in camo with no hat on, swinging head back and forth. the kid had a big bushy patrick mahomes haircut. Always wear orange, squirrels dont care
 
It happens. When I was 14, (1970), we were elk/deer hunting and the adult I was with thought he had just spotted a bear. He had a bear tag and told me if I get a chance for shot to take it, ( I know, that’s not legal). We were walking through tall scrub oaks and I saw the flash of black fur moving through the brush about 100 yards away. I shouldered and fired. A black Hereford cow charged out of the brush. It did not go down so it was not hit lethally or I missed altogether.
I was so nervous after I’d realized what I did that I couldn’t sleep that night. In my early big game hunting days I learned a critical, valuable lesson……..be 100% certain before you squeeze the trigger.
 
Incredibly sad situation. As hard as it is to imagine that something so avoidable ever happens, sometimes accidents happen. The unfortunate and sad truth of the world is that not every person out there is working on the same levels of responsibility, intelligence, ethics, respect, self control, etc., etc. As sad as this is, unless it was intentional, it will still be considered an accident. A 100% avoidable accident if the shooter had just held themselves to the level of responsibility needed when dealing with firearms.
 
When I was growing up, we had a rash of people getting shot during Spring gobbler season. I never understood that one. Now I know we are not wearing orange during this season (now the rules are different), but for crap sake. Not only do you have to make sure it is a turkey, but you have to make sure it is a male turkey!
 
Megalon said:
When I was growing up, we had a rash of people getting shot during Spring gobbler season. I never understood that one. Now I know we are not wearing orange during this season (now the rules are different), but for crap sake. Not only do you have to make sure it is a turkey, but you have to make sure it is a male turkey!
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A friend of mine got peppered while turkey hunting. He was working a gobbler, evidently, some guy had snuck into the area unbeknownst to my friend. My friend said he suddenly felt like someone had whacked him with the flat of a boat paddle along his upper left arm and neck. He remembers the sound of a shot as a very distant, tiny little "pop" sound. His left arm felt very numb and began to throb and gradually stung like hell. He pushed himself erect and began yelling, and saw just the image of a guy standing about 45-50 yards away before that guy ran off into the woods. My buddy walked out of the woods and drove himself to an ER. He had what looked like lead #6 pellets along his upper bicep and a few in his neck. Conservation Agents and the Sheriff's Department worked the case, but were never able to find who the shooter was.
 
Second the responsibility, intellectual, common sense differences between individuals. I watched a group of pheasant hunters form a circle around a patch of cattails and walk to the middle? I called a deputy friend I knew was on duty, told him what was happening (where). He said I'll never get there to see anything. I told him I called so he could start the volunteer emt. We were still talking when I heard a shot and thru the spotting scope watched one hunter fall to his knees. He caught several shot in the face. Deputy got there about 5 minutes after the ambulance and the group had the guy out to the road.
 
There is something to be said in favor of leasing hunting rights. I always felt a bit safer in the field, having some control over and knowing with whom I am hunting. Always wondered a bit about the practice of "deer drives" for that very reason.
 
I have a friend who was shot in Spring gobbler season several years ago on his own property by a fella that he told NO to. Bill, lost an eye, hearing in one ear, gained 168 lead pellets, and has no desire to hunt anymore. I guess my point is that you may think you know who is on your property/lease--but.
 
No ironclad guarantees against fence jumpers, but they are strongly discouraged down here, Mike. ot saying it doesn't happen, but I have only had personal knowledge of one in a lifetime of hunting.
 
hm1996 said:
No ironclad guarantees against fence jumpers, but they are strongly discouraged down here, Mike. ot saying it doesn't happen, but I have only had personal knowledge of one in a lifetime of hunting.
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Part of my deal with my landowners is “if” they suspect or find evidence of someone trespassing, then I “remove” them. Once they’re found, I strongly discourage them and anyone they know from ever thinking about stepping foot on the property again. Some are honest mistakes, and some are blatant disregard for others property and they’re willing to fight their way out. Those are the fun ones! I ALWAYS give the option of calling LEO’s first and confessing their sins…in the end, they call.
If found hunting, LEO’s are called immediately. I always have the owner or managers on hand to press charges.
 
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