Bird hunter almost shot me

stick flicker · 10-07-2003, 08:29 PM

I was out deer hunting this weekend with my wife and young son this weekend on the Middle Fork of the Santiam this opening weekend and was almost hit by a quail hunter withj birdshot. I was sitting out on a rock that was next to the road and overlooked a large unit when I heard a shot and bullets hitting the rock that I was sitting on below the road. Ibailed off the rock and took cover ready to defend myself and scared out of my wits. I started yelling and I hear this guy asking where the sound is coming from to his parteners. All the while my wife and son are freaked out about what is happening. I climbed up to the road as fast as I could to confront the guy and proceeded to get hostile with him. It was all I could do not to hit this guy with the bino's I was holding, and if it wasn't for his appologetic natuire and the fact that we were both holding firearms I don't think I could of held back. He evidently pulled up to the corner in back of us 50 yards and shot a quail off the road and the shot went right at me. I was wearing hunter orange but he couldn't se me anyways. Please think before shooting where your bullets are headed and know that someone might be just around the corner. I am still upset about this and will be for a while.

Capin' Dan · 10-07-2003, 09:08 PM

Stick fliker I'm not condoning this by any means it really seems like a very unfortant accident. There was no way of knowing you were down there if he couldn't see you. Sometimes even when wearing orange if there is a lot of brush or blackberries we can't see through them. Now if he could see you and still took the shot then it is gloes off and toe to toe. Not sure what the answer is. Hunting those roads with berries and cover is the best way to hunt quail and grouse. Sounds like a very unfortant situation for both of you.

Dan!

Rustyoar · 10-08-2003, 06:17 AM

(Please think before shooting where your bullets are headed and know that someone might be just around the corner. I am still upset about this and will be for a while.)

This is kind of a hard thing to do. I don't remember hunter safty warning to consider that someone might be "around the corner" I think you overreacted big time. Or maybe your defenses came up a little early because your family was out there. Doesn't sound like the guy did anything wrong, just accidental circumstances. I think you could have handled it differnently.

drhall99 · 10-08-2003, 08:14 AM

Capin' Dan and Rustyoar,

I'm not trying to bust anyones chops but this is a serious issue! One of the first things they teach you Hunters Safety Courses is that there is no such thing as an unpreventable accident. Hunters are ALWAYS responsible for their aim, good or bad. Obviously when stick flicker said "just around the corner" he was using a figure of speech, since bullets and shot travel in a relatively straight line. Last I heard, they don't change direction very well (not including wind drift, etc..) This bird hunter made a mistake, that's why he apologized. It's mishaps like this that keep me from fly fishing the coast range in the fall.

If anyone doubts that the bird hunter was at fault, please retake the hunters saftey course!!!

Good luck hunting and wear that Orange!!

D.

Edited to exonerate ifish's birdhunter - it was a man who was bird hunting, a bird hunter. Sorry if you got emails due to the way that I typed bird hunter. I missed the space bar.

[ 10-08-2003, 04:02 PM: Message edited by: drhall99 ]

Killertraylor · 10-08-2003, 09:56 AM

I'm suprised nobody has picked up on the fact that the quail hunter shot from the road! From the description you gave, it sounds like he was just roadhunting for quail - I don't think you should have given this doughball the benefit of the doubt under the circumstances. That's illegal and the law is meant to protect people who might be on or near a road. Glad you weren't hurt.

birdhunter · 10-08-2003, 10:07 AM

Very sorry to hear about this stick flicker. Sounds like you were very fortunate. Glad you weren't hurt. I'd just like to clarify that NO this wasn't me. I've been in eastern Oregon mule deer huting. Would it be possible to change the title to "a bird hunter"? Dont' mean to be picky about it or downplay the situation at all, but I've already gotten a few e-mails.

id. painter · 10-08-2003, 12:57 PM

People are so quick to judge on a site like this . Sorry you are getting called the culprit, Birdhunter.
That never even entered my mind. id. p.

nitrobass · 10-08-2003, 01:29 PM

Seems like an accident thats tough to place blame on, so I wont even think along those lines. Sure the guy shot at a quail off of a road but thats definitely not uncommon. You've got a deer hunter glassing a unit off of a road, and a bird hunter driving and shooting along a road. Public land, seasons overlapping, rifles, shotguns, nerves, lots of people out in the woods...Lots of chances for stuff to go wrong.

ReelTrouble · 10-08-2003, 08:53 PM

I am definently in agreement that the bird hunter was at fault, you are always responcible for where you shoot. What im curious about is how do you really prevent something like that. I know i hunt for grouse in some thick brush sometimes and I always have my eyes peeled for other hunters, and I dont hunt in areas where a rig is parked and I think people might be hunting. What else can you do to really prevent an incodent such as this one, or is it truly and accident?

Fshklr · 10-09-2003, 05:27 AM

A hunter or shooter is responsible for his or her shot! If you are uncertain of the terrain behind your prey or cannot see that your shot will travel safely with GOOD JUDGEMENT then don't take the shot!
A man and his family could have been seriously injured or fatal.
:whazzup: [img]graemlins/stupid.gif[/img]

Several years back I was hunting with my dad in an alder thicket. All of a sudden mutiple blast are going off and we ccan hear the bullets whizzing overhead as we hit the ground!! Dad points to a tree 6 feet away and cracks off 3 rounds and shouts there is somebody down here idiots!! we then hear 2 vehicles speed off.

[ 10-09-2003, 06:31 AM: Message edited by: Fshklr ]

chummer · 10-09-2003, 09:48 AM

Is quail season open on the west side? It opens this weekend on the east side.

Tilla · 10-09-2003, 12:03 PM

Undecided. Pellets raining down is commonplace in waterfowl hunting, even on ones self [img]graemlins/dork.gif[/img] . Pretty darn hard to shoot flying birds in thick cover and know whats over trees, brush, thickets and terrain.
It is the forgiving nature of small birdshot pellets that allows the circumstance of shooting in a direction in which if someone or something is not known or seen in the sight picture, the trigger can be pulled. These are not my rules, just how it is even in the most reasonable and conservative situations.
In general, bird hunters and big game hunters are a poor mix.

SureSet · 10-09-2003, 01:06 PM

This is a interesting situation, only in that you were deer hunting and he was probably roadhunting for deer and happened on a bunch of quail. I too have a difficult time with guys driving around and jumping out shooting at birds/animals with no regard to who is there or what backstop they have.

On the other hand, go stand anywhere near Heppner for the pheasent opener a week from now and there's a good chance you will have shot landing near or on you. The "other guy" may be responsible as the shooter, but I also take on some of that risk when I enter the field. I never go hunting without understanding that I may get shot at, intentionally or not. All I can do is minimize my risk by wearing orange, staying clear of doughballs, and wearing glasses (if I'm bird hunting).

I've personally never had shot break skin, but I've seen a few people duck hunting with a pellet buried just under the exposed skin. They wern't happy, but it's hard to blame anyone.

I suppose you could go buy a couple hundred acres and post it all, then you'd feel safe, at least until the dork who can't read....

SureSet