I really didnt want to put this on here but it is important.

[trackeral1]

The long term and far reaching effects of these all to frequent type of tragedies is much worse than a person getting killed or having there life altered forever. We are on the verge of losing our right to posses firearms in the U.S. and these type of incidences provide the anti gun advocates and lobbyists with more evidence to support there case. We as crossbow owners are not immune to such legislation as crossbows are many times listed in the category of single projectile weapon along with firearms. I don't have the answer but as a hunting community if we don't find a way to end these "hunting accidents" soon we will not have to worry about reading about these tragedies any more, because we will not have any weapons to shoot anything with. Knowledge is the key to eliminating ignorance. Practice safe hunting habits and promote it wherever you go, the future of hunting depends on it!!!!!!!!!

[Onetimeonly x-->]

I have a buddy I grew up with who was shot by his cousin
squirrel hunting 39 yrs ago he was 16. He was shot with a shot gun at
20 yards. One of the shot hit the bone above his eye and went
straight down through the middle of his eye and lost 95% of his sight,
all he can see is a blur and shadows out of his left eye. I rode up to
the MI UP recently with him and he told me that in Dec. he is starting
a series of surgeries to repair he vision. With the advances in
medicine and technology as far as surgery goes, they believe they
can restore most if not all of his vision!
What great news can you imagine getting your sight back after all
those years. I'm praying for him and you can bet his cousin is asking
for a little gift from the man above also!

Like everyone has stated, no game is worth a mistake you may have
to live with the rest of your life. It's better to be safe then sorry!!

[Dash]

Thats a tragic story. Most accidents are caused by failure to follow some common sense rules.
It scares me the amount of people willing to take a shot without being 100% sure of the target.
Just refering to a rule in the firearms code here in Aussie which I'm sure is the common between all world borders.

Never shoot at Movement !
Never shoot at a shape !
Never shoot at a colour !
Never shoot at sound !
THE TARGET MUST BE IDENTIFIED BEYOND ALL DOUBT !!!

I HOPE YOUR FRIEND PULLS THROUGH THIS AS WELL AS CAN BE POSSIBLE.

[planter]

Sad story for all even including the shooter. No flashlight for me during bow season just because I feel safer. I sure better not get shot by an archer or I'm gonna be pissed!! Always carry a light during gun and am still scared Chitless.
I know a couple of guys I only hunted with once. One had a minimag taped to his barrel (scared of the dark)and the other spent the day sweeping me with his 12G. Everytime I looked at him his gun was pointed at me.Finally threw up my hands cursed him out and went home.
Every aspect of gun safety should be a natural. I mean why wouldn't your safety be in the right position and so on.

[Hoss]

.It is a criminal negligence to shoot at an unidentified target.

I agree 100%

[MADMAX2]

Good safety tip for sure!! just like wearing your harness when tree hunting!!

[Cyclonic]

Some fellows came to my Mom's to hunt last weekend, after I had gotten out of my stand,(after dark) I heard one of them shoot . When they got to the house I asked where the deer was. Couldn't find any blood they said, only ten minutes had gone by. I ask if it was a buck or doe he shot at. Couldn't tell, he says, too dark! They won't be hunting there any-more!

[Big58cal]

I'm a hunter education and bowhunter education instructor in KY. Any hunting "incidents" (they're not "accidents") I usually see reports of. In the majority of instances, it's from negligence on the shooter's part. In some rare cases, the person who got shot had "almost" as much blame. One, a guy was shot in the face while turkey hunting. He had pulled out an RC Cola can and started drinking it. What color is a turkey's head in the spring? Red, white, and blue. What color is an RC can? Red, white, and blue.

Another incident happened between a couple of bowhunters while hunting while it was raining. The guy who got shot had put a brown trash bag over his body to stay dry, and was down on his hands and knees crawling through some stuff when he was shot.

Granted, in the 2 incidents that I've listed above, several primary rules of hunter education were violated by the shooters. But you've got to wonder if things would have turned out differently if the people who got shot had exercised a little common sense.

The thing to remember is that there's all kinds of idiots out there. Don't put yourself in a situation where some idiot can misinterpret things.

[sinabar]

This is scary because i also walk to and from my stand without a light on.Can bet from now on I will be using a small light.

[muskyman454]

sad to hear things like this.but back a few years ago i came out of the woods and ran into an old man who was hunting on the ridge across from me.i had on a whole suite of orange and he said you were hunting on the ridge across from me i seen you trough my scope!!! and the scope was on a 300 mag i still think about that every year.and yes i really let him have it!!

[Hazmat]

When Traveling to or from my stands in the dark, I shine my flash light every 30 feet or so in a circle around me on the ground. I find that this stands out more than just shining your light in the direction that you are traveling.

While hunting the controlled hunt this November I walked up on another hunter on the property line hunting the next property over, he was sleeping against a tree! I froze in my tracks aprox 20 feet away and started whistling to him, all the while afraid to startle him as he had a shotgun in his hand. After 5 attempts he awoke and saw me we and we chatted for a few moments and then parted ways.
This encounter could have gone wrong in a heart beat, you just never know who is in the brush when we hunt! be safe

[Sopchoppy]

I used to subscribe to Florida Wildlife, it went under a few years ago, and every issue had a page devoted to hunting/fishing accidents. 99% of hunting accidents was shooting at "something that looked like a turkey or deer" or riding around in a truck with a loaded gun in the seat. All could have and should have been avoided. I only hunt on property with my neighbor and we still wear hunter orange when gun hunting. No one else has permission to be there but that means nothing now days. You can never be too safe.

[macbe]

sorry to hear that. we had that happen to a local guy many years ago,first morning of rifle season,shot in the chest with a high power.wardens questioned the shooter,this is what he said,hunters walk in with a flashlight,this guy and his buddy were walking in the dark without one.so he thought it had to be a deer and shot.needless to say i always use a flashlight till i'am in the tree.

[Big58cal]

Opening morning of our gun season a few weeks ago, we had a very bright full moon. There was more than enough light to walk in without a flashlight, but I wouldn't dare do it! I always have a flashlight on any time that I'm walking around when it's dark. You never know who is out there, not to mention any critters that may think of you as "food". Normal "prey animals" don't walk around with flashlights.

[Cossack]

Luckily, I don't have to share the woods with idiots..private land, no firearms allowed during most of our archery season. I do use a red headlamp in the dark even when hunting with friends who know where I'll be. You can bet there will be civil charges filed.