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How in the heII does this happen?

They were probably crawling with a full strut decoy. Not thats an excuse... but I feel terrible for the officer who shot other hunters. That has to be one of the worst feelings in the world.

I've almost been shot twice during bow season by drunk poachers hunting with revolvers. And shot at once during turkey season by a poacher following birds on my property coming to my gun.

It should never happen, but does at least a dozen times each year.

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megalomaniac":wgy0t3sr said:
They were probably crawling with a full strut decoy. Not thats an excuse... but I feel terrible for the officer who shot other hunters. That has to be one of the worst feelings in the world.

I've almost been shot twice during bow season by drunk poachers hunting with revolvers. And shot at once during turkey season by a poacher following birds on my property coming to my gun.

It should never happen, but does at least a dozen times each year.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk
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I hope you are wrong about this scenario. If you cannot tell the difference between a turkey and a decoy as a wildlife officer you picked the wrong profession. I could see a scenario where he shot at a real bird and peppered the hunters and was unaware of their presence.
 
bobbuck":3kdvsczx said:
megalomaniac":3kdvsczx said:
They were probably crawling with a full strut decoy. Not thats an excuse... but I feel terrible for the officer who shot other hunters. That has to be one of the worst feelings in the world.

I've almost been shot twice during bow season by drunk poachers hunting with revolvers. And shot at once during turkey season by a poacher following birds on my property coming to my gun.

It should never happen, but does at least a dozen times each year.

Sent from my SM-G970U1 using Tapatalk
Click to expand...

I hope you are wrong about this scenario. If you cannot tell the difference between a turkey and a decoy as a wildlife officer you picked the wrong profession. I could see a scenario where he shot at a real bird and peppered the hunters and was unaware of their presence.
Click to expand...


X2. I could watch someone crawl behind a live bird and know not to shoot. I know stuff happens, but come on.
 
Until more details are disclosed, I'm going to give the wildlife officer the benefit of my doubts.
Surely, this was some freak accident, I surely hope.

Setterman":2d9brbee said:
Seriously, explain for my simple mind how this ever happens?
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I can think of one simple way it "could" happen, and could happen to any of us.

You have a turkey "playing the game".
You're calling to him, he's gobbling.
You're competing with a hen, also calling to this same gobbler.

You close in a few yards; so does that dad-gummed hen.
There is a calling competition between you and the real hen,
which sounds less than 100 yds away.

Finally, ole Tom tops the little rise at 35 yds, in full strut.
You take off his head with your new TSS load.

Unbeknownst to you, that "hen" was another hunter just 75 yds away,
but you couldn't see each other due to a slight rise between you.

A freaky accident is very plausible,
even if most shootings are due to carelessness and stupidity.
 
bobbuck":27m6akkb said:
I could see a scenario where he shot at a real bird and peppered the hunters and was unaware of their presence.
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This is my biggest fear when I hunt public. The second bird I shot, I knew two other guys were hunting near by and they must have heard the shot. One of them drove past where I was parking and slowed down and looked at me before continuing on and parking with his buddy who was parked next to a different block of woods. I couldn't hunt M-Th that week and in the meantime these guys followed my game plan and shot a bird (I believe) on the bordering private land. That Friday I went in and no one was there. I got about 2/3 of the way back to my spot and i bumped a hen off the roost. I was standing there mad and trying to decide to go somewhere else or continue to my spot and I kept hearing this noise (thump, thump, thump) I look up and here comes the Googan express right behind me. It was their decoy bags bouncing off their legs. There is only one place to park to get into this wood block in that area, so they actually parked next to me and walked right in, knowing i was there, but not knowing where I was. LUCKILY they took the same path and I was able to get them to stop walking and look at me at 7-8 yds and I told them I was going back here to hunt. They looked at each other and left.

Had they NOT come in the same way I did, and ended up somewhere in the vicinity and I called a bird in or they did OR worse a bird just came through that could have been a bad situation in that I would have had no idea they were there and vice versa.
 
Gravey":1znqlypk said:
No excuse but my guess too is they were crawling with a very realistic Tom decoy. Bad deal for all but really an embarrassment for the TWRA. Both were released from the hospital so thankfully they'll be ok. Prayers for all.
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Saw something online that said the ones shot were 90 yards beyond the bird he shot or shot at on public land. Time will tell for sure. Just glad they're ok.
 
I don't think TBI is investigating this at all. Still nothing on their website about it. Maybe TWRA will make a statement at some point.
 
I know this sounds harsh but I really think that anybody that shoots a person while hunting should be charged with at least reckless endangerment and possibly attempted murder.

I know accidents happen but really, shooting a person is wrong. What ever happened to "be sure of your target" and what is beyond the target.
 

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