Eleven Turkey Hunters Shot During The 2nd Half Of April, The First Week In May.

This is an update to the previous blog post Seven Turkey Hunters Shot in the 2nd Half of April… As mentioned before our hunting community has no tolerance for one much less eleven fellow turkey hunting brethren being loaded up in an ambulance or worse… None of us want to be there…

I’ll repeat for those that missed the first post: 2.5 million turkey hunters are afield in any given year, the incident rate hovers below 0.003% in an average year. Not to minimize the impact on the victims, the context is that 99.997% of us do the right things and hunt safely. The families and friends would have a very different perspective, and we pray for their families and swift recoveries.

Having said this, indulge me here… once you squeeze that trigger, release your arrow, it cannot be undone, you cannot put the shot load back in the shell, no more than the arrow back on it’s rest. It is 100% avoidable by our own due diligence and commitment to hunting safety. We owe this to each other. Please review common safety tips at the bottom of this.

I have a few updates on the first seven I covered, and now an eight and ninth injured in a shooting incident (archery tackle, making it the second one this season) where the hunter survived, but with gruesome results. It’s not pretty. I’ll refrain from posting the picture. Trust me for not crossing the line with gore as I’ll not stoop to tabloid sensationalism. His partner was hit after a bolt made a pass thru, luckily it did not penetrate. Sadden to report two more shot where an 11-year-old boy has died. His father was also wounded and is recovering.

Turkey Hunter Survives Being Shot in Face; Virginia Game & Inland Fisheries Investigating https://www.outdoorsrambler.com/post/turkey-hunter-survives-being-shot-in-face-virginia-game-inland-fisheries-investigating By Ken Perrotte Update- Shooter has been charged with a misdemeanor for reckless handling of firearms. I will have a story on this in the coming days– MJ

Hunter Killed In Wednesday Accident At Young County Line (TX) https://www.grahamleader.com/news/hunter-killed-wednesday-accident-young-county-line By Brian Smith No incident details or charges have been announced at this time, it is reported that the incident took place while three life long friends were turkey hunting. A foundation has been created in his memory https://www.facebook.com/SethKeenerFoundation/

Kansas Boy Airlifted to Hospital After Hunting Accident https://hayspost.com/posts/5ea6ce33eb7f1705360383cd Hays Post The victim has moved out of ICU after sustaining a shotgun blast to the head. Details are sparse with the mention of a decoy closed to the victim and the failure of the shooter to identify the target is given as a factor for the incident. No details on type of decoy, movement, fanning or reaping is currently available. Individuals involved are reported to be cooperative and the incident is still under investigation. No charges have been announced at this time.

Hunter Lucky To Be Alive After Being Shot, Mistaken For Turkey In Shannon County, Mo. https://www.ky3.com/content/news/Hunter-lucky-to-be-alive-after-being-shot-mistaken-for-turkey-569940291.html By Michael Deene No further details or charges have been announced at this time.

A 14-Year-Old Boy Shot In Jones County Hunting Accident (NC) https://www.jdnews.com/news/20200421/14-year-old-boy-shot-in-jones-county-hunting-accident By Trevor Dunnell Reported to be recovering from face and neck injuries. No investigation findings have been announced at this time.

Boy Shot In Hunting Accident Airlifted, 2nd sustained gunshot injuries (W.Va) https://wvva.com/2020/04/28/boy-shot-in-hunting-accident-airlifted/ By Bailey Pace Update- Both are reported to be recovering, no further details. The cause is also reported to be a lack of proper target ID, shooting at movement thru dense cover. No changes have been announced as the investigation continues.

Turkey Hunter shot with cross bow (IL) – Eric Rheude survives a horrific broad head pass thru from a crossbow @ 8 yards, also striking his hunting partner in the boot. Shooter was targeting the head of a hen decoy that was sticking out of his turkey vest. DNR Investigation findings have been sent on to the attorney general for possible charges. A full story forthcoming in a few days- MJ

Father and 11-year old son shot while turkey hunting, Son succumbed to his injuries. The shooter has been charged with Reckless Manslaughter. The father sustained minor injuries and treated at the scene. https://mynbc15.com/news/local/mobile-man-charged-in-hunting-accident-that-left-11-year-old-boy-dead

I will repeat here for those just picking up on the story… The following tips, good practices are well advised for your safety and that of others:

• Avoid wearing the bright colors of a gobbler’s head, red, white, or blue. Large areas of black may resemble the body of a turkey.  These are turkey colors, and another hunter may mistake you for a bird.
• Be 100% sure of your target. Check your foreground and your background. Those extra seconds of making sure can save a life!
• Always keep the muzzle pointed in a safe direction. Don’t rely on your gun’s safety. Treat every gun as loaded.
• If you see another hunter, don’t move- any motion can be mistaken for a turkey. Instead, call out to alert the other hunter that you are there. Do not wave or attempt to get up, or use a turkey call to alert the incoming hunter.
• Do not stalk turkey sounds; it could be another hunter. Find a good setup with your back to a tree, rock, or other large natural barriers wider than your shoulders. Then go about working to call the birds to you. Stalking is illegal in many states.
• You may consider placing a hunter orange ribbon high on a tree to help other hunters identify your location, or wear on your person entering or leaving. It is a legal requirement by some states, do not assume orange to be an end-all for safety. Always identify your quarry and what may be in front of, behind, or to either side. You have no guarantee that others are wearing orange…
• Reconsider the assumed risks of using “tail-fanning” or “reaping’ techniques (using gobbler decoys, a synthetic fan, or real tail feathers) out immediately in front of you, mounted on your gun barrel or a head/hat mounted product while crawling or stalking. A fan may be large enough to hide you from view from other hunters and you may falsely assume they will properly identify you vs. a real gobbler.
• Always let someone else know where you will be and when expected to be back via text, email, or phone message. In an emergency, precious minutes can make all the difference for someone to direct first responders to your location or for someone to know when you are late returning.

We continue to pray for those injured, that those that have succumbed to their injuries and for their families. May they heal well Godspeed.

-MJ

© 2020 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media