# Hunting 'accidents' **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 9, 2007, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341 "2007-12-09T01:19:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/21 "2007-12-09T15:37:10Z")
[QUOTE=Tully Mars] Or the fellow I heard about in East Texas that stopped on the side of the highway to shoot the deer with a bow and arrow. The arrow made a funny sound when it hit and it puzzled him, so he shot it again. I believe alcohol was involved. I’ve also heard about the animated fake deer that move their heads when the car headlights hit them. [/QUOTE] I knew this guy in Montana who was driving one night, and saw a trophy buck by the side of the road. He stopped and got out his camera. As he prepared to take the picture, he hears a voice say “Don’t bother, it’s a fake.” He turns around to see a game warden stepping out of the brush by the side of the road. He gets to talking to the GW and hears this story. They had the fake deer set up. A guy stops and gets out his rifle. He aims and shoots. The deer being Styrofoam does not fall over. They yell at the guy to cease fire and drop his weapon. Instead the guy runs about 10 feet closer to the deer, and takes a second shot. The GW yells again, and the guy runs another 10 feet and takes a third shot, yelling that it is his deer and he saw it first. Oh and BTW they video all of these cases. Can you the judges reaction when he saw that video? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Gfactor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9de053/32.png) [@Gfactor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gfactor)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 3:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/22 "2007-12-09T15:57:09Z")
> [@](#): > > 90 Average annual hunting accident deaths in United States [http://www.akmining.com/mine/minclass.htm](http://www.akmining.com/mine/minclass.htm) > [@](#): > > So far in 2007, there have been fewer hunting accidents reported (11), but a higher number of deaths (six), compared to last season. The 18 reported accidents in 2006 included five deaths, Balda said. [http://www.kentucky.com/306/story/238060.html](http://www.kentucky.com/306/story/238060.html) [http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg04\_huntingtrapping/Hunting\_accident.pdf](http://www.ncwildlife.org/pg04_huntingtrapping/Hunting_accident.pdf) (North Carolina hunting accidents and fatalities from 1960-1995). [Stock Alert: Yoda To Take Over The Empire In $313 Billion Takeover](http://www.lakeexpo.com/articles/2007/10/11/fishing/04.txt) (“In spite of last year’s 24 recorded hunting injuries and four deaths”) > [@](#): > > Texas officials were quick to praise the impact of the Lone Star State’s mandatory safety training as the primary reason for declining hunting accidents during the past 40 years, dropping to all-time lows last year. Two people died in 2005, down from Texas’ most deadly hunting season in 1968 when 37 people died. [http://www.caller.com/ccct/national\_world\_news/article/0,1641,CCCT\_812\_4465586,00.html](http://www.caller.com/ccct/national_world_news/article/0,1641,CCCT_812_4465586,00.html) ---
**Author:** ![ralph124c](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/8797f3/32.png) [@ralph124c](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ralph124c)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/23 "2007-12-09T18:01:19Z")
I had to mention this one! A few years back, a dairy farmer in upsate NY was painting “COW” on the sides of his cows, in fluorescent orange. Seems he had lost a few to hunters-how on earth can you mistake a cow for a deer? ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/24 "2007-12-09T18:06:24Z")
[QUOTE=ralph124c] I had to mention this one! A few years back, a dairy farmer in upsate NY was painting “COW” on the sides of his cows, in fluorescent orange. Seems he had lost a few to hunters-how on earth can you mistake a cow for a deer? [/QUOTE] My father told me the same story about a farmer in Kansas 50 years ago. So unless you have a cite, I think this just might be a urban legend. Or maybe a rural legend as the case may be. ---
**Author:** ![FordPrefect](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/e99b99/32.png) [@FordPrefect](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FordPrefect)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 7:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/25 "2007-12-09T19:11:40Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] My father told me the same story about a farmer in Kansas 50 years ago. So unless you have a cite, I think this just might be a urban legend. Or maybe a rural legend as the case may be. [/QUOTE] That was also part of an old Disney cartoon. I think it was Donald Duck who bagged that “deer”. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 7:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/26 "2007-12-09T19:12:06Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] My father told me the same story about a farmer in Kansas 50 years ago. So unless you have a cite, I think this just might be a urban legend. Or maybe a rural legend as the case may be. [/QUOTE] [Yes and no.](http://www.snopes.com/critters/mishaps/hunters.asp) ---
**Author:** ![Ro\_Carter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/7feea3/32.png) [@Ro\_Carter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ro_Carter)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 7:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/27 "2007-12-09T19:25:31Z")
It is important to note that not all hunting accident deaths are the results of being shot by morons. A former neighbor of mine died recently after falling out of his tree stand while hunting alone on his property. His wife got worried when he hadn’t come back by dark. She found him in a crumpled heap beneath his stand. Anyways. Just trying to say that such incidents are counted as hunting accidents as well, so any statistics that get pulled might not contain just people who have been accidentally shot. ---
**Author:** ![ExTank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/35a633/32.png) [@ExTank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ExTank)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/28 "2007-12-09T20:54:23Z")
[QUOTE=Uncommon Sense] I find it funny how people can confuse a person for a deer in the woods. I’m quite certain I could tell a _fake_ deer from a real deer in the woods. [/QUOTE] [QUOTE=carnivorousplant] Obviously they become excited and shoot at movement without waiting for a good look. 🙂 [/QUOTE] Less obviously, it is also perhaps a hunter who is not properly decked out in bright orange hat or vest, or a non-hunter (day hiker, camper, etc) who wanders into an area with a hunter in it. In either case, it is the obligation of the person with the firearm to ensure that they have properly identified their target before pulling the trigger. I was always taught, by older family members/parents, as well as the NRA, that if there is _any_ doubt about the situation, _you do **NOT** pull the trigger. **EVER**._ ---
**Author:** ![percypercy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8baadc/32.png) [@percypercy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/percypercy)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 8:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/29 "2007-12-09T20:56:11Z")
[QUOTE=Ferret Herder] A friend of mine lives on wooded land and was walking on it one night, out of deer season, pretty near a road. Some illegal hunters put a spotlight on her, assuming she was a deer - at least they were smart enough to check what that moving object was before shooting. She was too shaken up at the time to think about calling the cops or anything, plus since she didn’t see a plate (and had a light in her face, obscuring vision) she didn’t have much info to go on. [/QUOTE] The first few years they owned the place, they were still working and so only came over when their jobs allowed. They found the barbed-wire fence cut to allow 4-wheeler access for poachers. -Lil ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2007, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/30 "2007-12-09T21:34:34Z")
[QUOTE=ExTank] I was always taught, by older family members/parents, as well as the NRA, that if there is _any_ doubt about the situation, _you do **NOT** pull the trigger. **EVER**._ [/QUOTE] Of course. I cannot imagine anyone thinking otherwise, but they do. ---
**Author:** ![medstar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f07891/32.png) [@medstar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/medstar)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 12:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/31 "2007-12-10T00:24:28Z")
[QUOTE=Rick] My father told me the same story about a farmer in Kansas 50 years ago. So unless you have a cite, I think this just might be a urban legend. Or maybe a rural legend as the case may be. [/QUOTE] Maybe the hunters thought they bagged a hybrid cow-deer? Hey, it could happen! 😃 ::d&r:: ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/32 "2007-12-10T16:17:43Z")
[QUOTE=Ro Carter] It is important to note that not all hunting accident deaths are the results of being shot by morons. [/QUOTE] A local man disappeared while out hunting. He hasn’t been found even after a pretty [intense search](http://kdka.com/local/missing.hunter.Burrell.2.597446.html). [[QUOTE=kdka.com](http://QUOTE=kdka.com) link] Fitzgerald is described as a white man and very tall, 6-foot-11. Authorities say he was wearing an orange hunting jumpsuit [/QUOTE] 😕 He is nearly seven feet tall and dressed in a fluorescent orange jumpsuit, how could he _not_ be found? ---
**Author:** ![masterofnone](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@masterofnone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/masterofnone)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/33 "2007-12-10T16:38:15Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Wait a minute! From my limited exposure to hunting equipment (mostly at Canadian Tire sporting-goods stores), deer-hunting camo is orange, because deer can’t see colour. Who would shoot at an orange thing in the woods expecting it to be a deer? [/QUOTE] When I was a kid and went hunting with my father we came accross a “hunter” dressed in a brown jacket and a white watchcap. This is white-tail country. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 4:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/34 "2007-12-10T16:49:28Z")
I took a hunter safety course many moons ago as a young lad in New Mexico. One part of the training was watching a short film, and deciding “safe to shoot” or “don’t shoot” for each situation depicted. I remember one that the whole class had said was “safe”, which showed a deer running lightly from right to left in an open clearing. On replay, as the deer ran past you could see a flicker of orange in the trees behind it at one point, which indicated another hunter behind the deer. The whole class had got it wrong. Lesson: be very sure not only of your target, but what is beyond it. I’m sure that similar circumstances to those in the movie have led to quite a number of accidental shootings. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/35 "2007-12-10T17:49:52Z")
[QUOTE=masterofnone] When I was a kid and went hunting with my father we came accross a “hunter” dressed in a brown jacket and a white watchcap. This is white-tail country. :smack: [/QUOTE] So, in what room is the head displayed? 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Dag\_Otto](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/439d5e/32.png) [@Dag\_Otto](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dag_Otto)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/36 "2007-12-10T18:02:15Z")
[QUOTE=Sunspace] Wait a minute! From my limited exposure to hunting equipment (mostly at Canadian Tire sporting-goods stores), deer-hunting camo is orange, because deer can’t see colour. Who would shoot at an orange thing in the woods expecting it to be a deer? [/QUOTE] That is correct for game like deer and elk. Turkey hunters, on the other hand, sit very still and use camo to blend in. I’ve walked within 20 ft of a turkey hunter, and only knew he was there after he said something. ---
**Author:** ![Solfy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/848f3c/32.png) [@Solfy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Solfy)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/37 "2007-12-10T18:17:00Z")
[QUOTE=Ro Carter] It is important to note that not all hunting accident deaths are the results of being shot by morons. A former neighbor of mine died recently after falling out of his tree stand while hunting alone on his property. His wife got worried when he hadn’t come back by dark. She found him in a crumpled heap beneath his stand. Anyways. Just trying to say that such incidents are counted as hunting accidents as well, so any statistics that get pulled might not contain just people who have been accidentally shot. [/QUOTE] Every year during deer season there is at least one story of a hunter having a heart attack out in the woods. Presumably these are men unaccustomed to the exertion inherent in marching through the woods, or worse, dragging out the deer carcas. Or perhaps they would have had one at home sitting in their recliner, instead. I just know it’s an annual report in western PA along with typically one accidental shooting. ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/38 "2007-12-10T18:42:49Z")
[QUOTE=ExTank] …if there is _any_ doubt about the situation, _you do **NOT** pull the trigger. **EVER**._ [/QUOTE] Unfortunately, one can be without doubt but wrong… ---
**Author:** ![Sunspace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sunspace/32/1250_2.png) [@Sunspace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sunspace)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/39 "2007-12-10T18:45:15Z")
[QUOTE=Dag Otto] That is correct for game like deer and elk. Turkey hunters, on the other hand, sit very still and use camo to blend in. I’ve walked within 20 ft of a turkey hunter, and only knew he was there after he said something. [/QUOTE] Do turkey hunters and deer hunters hunt at the same time? ---
**Author:** ![Trunk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/87869e/32.png) [@Trunk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Trunk)\ **Post date:** [December 10, 2007, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341/40 "2007-12-10T19:00:04Z")
> [@Shagnasty](#): > > I know of one that was supposedly a murder (convenient if you think about it). You have to subtract those (somehow). I grew up in Maine, and every now and then, you’d hear stories about some rural dude who died because his borther/dad/cousin/friend was “cleaning his gun”. I always wondered about those. Anyway. . . You all know the one about the hunter who shoots his hunting buddy by accident? So, he calls 911 from the woods, and says to the operator, “I shot my friend, I think he may be dead.” “Ok, can you make sure?” He says, “ok, just a minute.” BANG! He gets back on the phone, “now what?” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/hunting-accidents/429341.md?page=3)