I got shot yesterday...

[ogrejager]

Man, I seem to be running into my share of problems this turkey season.

At noon yesterday, I met with 2 of my buddies (The Duck Master and Quack Attack, actually) to go turkey hunting. We wandered around in the woods looking for turkey and didn't see a darned one. Finally, around 5 PM or so we FINALLY heard a turkey. It was a hen, but this time of year, where there's a hen, there's a tom. We were walking down a logging road with 15 foot firs on either side. We quickly set up a couple of decoys--a hen and a jake--in the middle of the logging road and then duck off to either side of the logging road and get set up. Now the calling and the waiting starts.

We sat there for 15 minutes...we could hear the other turkey occasionally. We waited...and waited..and waited....

Suddenly there was this "BOOM!" and something hit me in leg. Somebody had shot at us! More specifically, I'd been shot. I know what had happened--every turkey hunter considers this. Somebody had taken a shot at our jake decoy. The pattern had hit me and one of my buddies. Well, all of us had different reactions--my buddies started ducking while I started yelling, "[deleted explicative]! You just shot me!" Then, rapidly, "WHAT THE [explicative] DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?!"

I stand up and walk to the middle of the road (yeah, okay, maybe not the best move), still [petunias!] at the top of my lungs. We later used a rangefinder to where we found the empty hull (I'd been shot by a 2 and 3/4" lead #4). Standing approximately NINETY yards away was a very embarrassed person and his buddy. Both had on camo shirts and shorts--not even long pants.

"Sorry, man, we didn't see you." Yeah, that's because we were turkey hunting. That means wearing camo, hiding, and calling in turkeys. Not walking around in freakin' shorts and hoping to see one "chillin' in the middle of the road" as you said my poor decoy was.

I guess the guy was a decent sort, though--he was visibly upset at what he'd done. He explained that it was his first turkey hunt and he was really a bow hunter. I guess I got snide then, "Maybe you should stick with that."

He apologized profusely. I accepted his apologies and we went our separate ways. I hold no ill will towards whoever it was and just sincerely hope there was a lesson learned. As the say, no harm--no foul. Nobody was hurt.

There's 3 cautionary lessons, actually.

The first one, and all the videos tell you this, be careful with your jake decoys. People might shoot them! Think about where to put them so that, if they are shot, they don't hit you with the rest of the pattern. Keep them hidden when you're walking around, too. It seems silly but, take it from me, it happens.

Second, and this applies to all hunters--be sure of your target. A moment to use the binoculars that the person was carrying would have shown a decoy, not a jake. Similarly, watching it for 10 seconds and seeing it not move might have done the trick, too. Make sure your target is what you think it is!

Third, know your distances. A 90 yard shot with a 12 gauge? The pellet didn't even penetrate my leg. Other marks showed that the jake decoy was hit, but not penetrated either. One of my 2 buddies was also hit by a pellet, although we were 8 feet apart. Why he was shooting at something 90 yards away is unknown to me. Know your range and the effective range of your firearm.

Be safe out there! If karma is on my side after this, maybe I'll get a big ol' Tom before the season is out...

Rob

[Hunt'nFish]

Rob, Glad you guys are ok. 90yrds huh? Not even my 10ga patterns THAT WELL!
Thanks for sharing.
Hunt'nFish

[Killertraylor]

Glad you are ok! I've been shot few times with a shotgun while duck-hunting. Had a steel BB penetrate my hat once but didn't break my skin. It's scary when it happens - I'd be ticked too.

[where's your bobber dude]

Be careful out there..............the morons are breeding!!

[Quack Attack]

Rob, your being generous... Remember we ranged 89 yds to where we thought they shot from, the hull was at least another 5-10 behind that. He must have been a skilled bow hunter to judge that well. Oh and I think we were more than 8 feet apart, more like 12-15. Still it was quite the experience. I woke up this morning thinking..."I got shot"... BTW I tried to keep it from the wife so she would think I was safe in the woods, but I broke down. She was mad I got home so late so I used the same comment we used for each other all day, "give me a break, I got shot today!" It worked too.

[rip-lightnin]

Uh, isnt Dick Cheney in town for a fund raiser?

[Quack Attack]

Should have seen that coming..

Still that's funny!

[Bait O' Eggs]

proof road hunting is dangerous

Glad your OK, hate to see you end up on the "memories forum"

[Limbhanger]

Man that is scary, one more example why not to stalk hen sounds!!! My good friend and his father had a guy sneak in over in whiteriver and shoot his decoy. Luckily they were not in the line of fire.
Why cant people read just one article or watch one video when they are new at something to learn the basics of safety and tactics. It makes no sense to me to buy all the gear, the tags, the $3.00 a gallon of gas to go out totally ignorant??

I am glad you guys are ok !!

[ogrejager]

She was mad I got home so late so I used the same comment we used for each other all day, "give me a break, I got shot today!" It worked too.

That's a good one! So, if you're ever late again, we just need to wound you? Or was that one of those "good once" excuses?

All I got from my wife was, "Did you deserve it?"

[nailyard]

Man are you lucky he wasn't flinging arrows.

[BloodNtheboat]

Wow, What a Crock.
Dont people get it,Dont come into turkeys!!! Call the turkeys to you!!
You cant fix stupid!!

[NW JET'N]

A guy told me once. "The scariest thing I have ever heard turkey hunting out in the woods? The sound of another hunters saftey being taken off and I had no idea anybody was around!" He told me he has had his decoys shot way too many times. He advised me when calling turkeys into decoys to find the biggest flippin tree out there and put your back up to it. That way if anybody comes from your blind side you are protected.

[scottishsetter]

I just had to re-read this several times;
"Did you deserve it?"


Safety glasses?

[buckhunter]

Good job. My first instinct would have been to shoot back. However, I wouldn't have. Even a warning shot could have provoked W.W.III. At least the guy was truly sorry and you guys are OK.BH

[007SPRIG]

That's totally uncalled for. I've been shot while duck hunting. I reacted much like you did. I was hunting on private ground and knew the one who shot me. He felt really bad and apologized on more than one occassion. It serves as a warning to all of us to know what and where we are shooting at.

[gottafish]

Quite complaining and suck it up. Thats hunting. Couple bbs from 90 yards sheess. LOL

[Half fast Toyn]

Sounds like you need to find a place with more turkeys and less turkey hunters. Glad you can fish another day

[Elkhunter]

Very Scary!

[crabbait]

Quite complaining and suck it up. Thats hunting. Couple bbs from 90 yards sheess. LOL

Reminds me why I quit rifle hunting.

[Flying Roast Beef]

I remember when I was a kid we were hunting quail in Mexico when the same "friend of a friend" nailed three people this way. One of them was me. At this time my dad showed the fellow a 20gg slug and suggested that he be more careful. He hunted off by himself the rest of the hunt.

[Bait O' Eggs]

I wasnt aware Cheney was in the state

[gottafish]

I wasnt aware Cheney was in the state

LMAO

[D-tangle]

Dick Cheney in shorts with a shotgun? Stop the picture, stop the picture!!! Arrrg.

[Twitchs_Tackle]

A couple years ago I was shot 3 times, once each from a group of 3 dumb#%%es who were throwing clays toward a gravel road and shooting over it. As I was walking back to my truck I heard "PULL" then bang 'peppered'...bang 'peppered' bang 'peppered'. All three had shot so fast I couldn't even yell at them... but before the next one I sure did. oh yeah, all three missed the clay too

The world is full of stupid people, be on your toes!

[Cornbread]

Going to high school in Finland we used to grouse hunt on the weekends with friends and family quite a bit. We were walking 4 on line through the forest and we made a big sweeping turn when a grouse flew up between and in front of guy 2 and guy 3. Guy number 1 swung and shot hitting guy 4 my best friend Rope at about 35 to 40 meters with a full choke.(see diagram below, bird is the X) Tore a huge whole in Rope's back and lungs and tore up his arm as well. His Dad carried him back to the car as fast as they could run and they got him to the hospital OK and he lived. Barely. For a few days they thought he would die but he pulled through. We never ever hunted with that guy again even though he apologized many times.

--1
----------2
------------------3
--------------X
---------------------4


At 40 meters or at 90 meters there is no excuse for shooting another person when hunting. I spent 8 years in the US Marine Corps. During which time we had live rounds on us always and were constatly locked and loaded and in those 8 years none of us ever shot at anything that wasn't a bad guy or had an accidental discharge of a weapon. If we could do that in the confusion of being shot at there has never been nor will there ever be an excuse for idiots who shoot people when hunting. In your story you are just lucky he wasn't closer to you so you live to hunt again as did my friend. People who have hunting accidents like that should have their license priviledges revoked for a minimum of five years and be made to go through some serious long term gun saftey course. That would be in a perfect world I guess though where we have a government that has money to set something like that up.