Sadly this is in addition to: “Spring 2021- Three Turkey Hunting Incidents, Two Fatalities.” We are into the final few weeks of the 2021 spring season, many southern states have seen their seasons completed. It is expected that we return home safely from a day afield. This season, three hunters will not return and three hunters and a hiker taken to local hospitals. The very low statistics does little to comfort their families, or to avoid the awful feeling in our guts when we think of it. A eighth and ninth turkey hunting incident victim is being researched for more info, and is lacking crucial details.
Arcadia man dies, Fall from hunting blind proves fatal
FOUNTAIN COUNTY, Ind. — Indiana Conservation Officers report an Arcadia man died in a hunting mishap in Fountain County.
Hunter wounded as shooter flees in Mason County incident
CHARLESTON. W.Va. — Investigators are looking for a shooter who remains at large in a hunting incident in Mason County.
Turkey hunter shot by another hunter in Pulaski County,
PULASKI COUNTY, Va. —The Virginia Department of Wildlife Resources is requesting help from the public for any information on the hunting accident. Accident occurred in Pulaski County
Missouri hiker shot by turkey hunter
A hiker in was injured after being shot by a turkey hunter who mistook him for a turkey…
Please indulge me for repeating in my posts:
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 owe it to ourselves and to each other to ensure we all get to come back home safely to our families and to return the next season to spend time in the great turkey woods.
I will update as more details are published. We pray for those injured, that have succumbed to their injuries and for their families. May those injured heal well, Godspeed.
-MJ
© 2021 Mike Joyner- Joyner Outdoor Media
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