This punk is not looking for any more of your responses.

You can't assume that the bullet will hit a tree. Chances are that it will but I wouldn't bet my life or someone else's that it would.

Well rule number one.
Always point your gun in a safe direction.
Just because you are in a wooded area doesn't give you the right to shoot towards other hunters.
Bullets are killing projectiles and do weird things.
I can't believe this discussion is even taking place.

Multiple layers of safety are a good idea. Of course we should all follow the three rules and not hunt with people we KNOW don’t follow them. Like OP, I add another layer of safety and try to keep my treestands and blinds 300 yards apart. I have gone as low as 250 yards. Our woods are very dense, so I could probably go closer. Also, we mostly hunt from treestands so the ground is the backstop. I would absolutely maintain 300 yards minimum with a ground level hunter and double check they know where not to shoot if the hunter is a friend or in my party.

Having been shot while hunting (took a 20 ga worth of #6's to the chest, lucky was wearing a leather shell vest and thick carhart). I can tell you that there is no "safe distance" when other hunters are concerned.

Trees and other obstacles and backstops, terrain, distance, elevation and relief differential (whether due to terrain or hunting from elevated positions like a tree stand), target ID, accurate fire, firearm used, knowing who/what is in the area, safety measures like high visibility clothing on public land, safe gun handling skills, and common sense all work together to make hunting safer for everyone concerned. Statistically speaking, the walk in/out and out due to physical limitations and natural hazards and the use of tree stands are the most unsafe parts of most hunting outings. I have heard that turkey hunting and hunting for birds like quail are the types of hunting where someone is most likely to be shot by accident, due to things like use of camo and hunting in a group walking where a bird may pop up at any time in the middle of everyone, and I believe it. In either of these cases, shotguns and small shot are what is used.

Many turkey hunters are shot by other turkey hunters because a small amount of a red or blue undergarment, or a white sock, is showing. Turkey hunting is not the time or place to be showing your patriotism by wearing any of those colors.

When I was 12 the 30-06 round I shot at a deer using tree for a back stop.
The hunter 60 yards away said the bullet went right over his head.
Got to spend the rest of the trip at the camp thinking about bullet travel

I have seen tracer bullets enter a tree trunk, and come out at 45* angle

I will not hunt on public land

I also think that the laws in some states restricting or prohibiting the use of deer hunting with rifles in the name of safety due to "flat terrain" are flawed. Permitting the use of muzzle loaders or "straight wall" rounds is a "feel good" measure, IMO. Rifles of all types are used in Fl where there is virtually no terrain in most of the state, along with much of the southeast. Much or most of Tn, NC, Ky, Sc, Ga, and Al. is as flat as Fl. Somehow, we deer hunt with rifles in all of these states but manage to not wipe ourselves out every fall. Not to mention, deer hunting doesn't require a large volume of fire to be successful. The less bullets in the air, less chances of one ending up somewhere bad.

When I was in a deer club , it was a shotgun only county , but some people used slug guns . Our rule was anyone using a slug gun had to be in a tree stand , not that buckshot can’t travel 100 yards and be lethal . I hunted on public land in a rifle county once and that was enough for me . I left after the shooting stopped .

I figure when it’s my time, it’s my time. That said, I don’t hunt public land and rarely have to worry about another hunter shooting in my direction. If I was to encounter another hunter, I’d go as far as I could in the opposite direction just for the hunting aspect of the equation.

Highland Lofts said:

I can't believe this discussion is even taking place.

Click to expand...

Dumbest thread ever?

Not to hijacked this thread I will start a new thread, NEAR MISSES, Accidental, UNITENTIONAL.
I have had a few over the last fifty years and have witnessed several.

Highland Lofts said:

Well rule number one.
Always point your gun in a safe direction.
Just because you are in a wooded area doesn't give you the right to shoot towards other hunters.
Bullets are killing projectiles and do weird things.
I can't believe this discussion is even taking place.

Click to expand...

I need to finish reading comments but felt compelled to reply to this one. I don’t mean this belligerently, but just wish to offer a counterpoint. I’m glad this discussion is taking place. Discussions of safety promote greater safety. Even if to some the questions might seem ridiculous, they may yield safer practices is the near future. Now to read the rest of the comments.

I guess we can be thankful it wasn’t a bear thread, Gun oil thread, lube thread, 9mm vs. thread, Wet vs dry tumble thread, how to dry brass thread, striker manual safety vs striker no manual safety thread…………

Fine Figure of a Man said:

I guess we can be thankful it wasn’t a bear thread, Gun oil thread, lube thread, 9mm vs. thread, Wet vs dry tumble thread, how to dry brass thread, striker manual safety vs striker no manual safety thread…………

Click to expand...

What is the best caliber for bear, best oil for after I shoot said bear, while I tumble half of my empty’s wet & dry for science, also while blow drying my empty’s, thinking about my striker fired no manual safty vs a manual safty for shooting another bear that I have almost zero chance of hiking upon? Asking for a friend of a friend who blew a bear outa his skin with a 470 nitro cause we all know bears cannot be killed with “small arms”.
Back to the thread. I want to be at least 300 yards w dense forest around. When someone shoots at something with a rifle. Even then my time could be up. It’s not up to us when we go. Also I refuse to hunt public land. So I don’t hunt anymore. I see how these fools drive. Not a fan of being in the woods with these fools.

Shooting from standing, a 300wm fired level with a 100yrd zero will hit the ground around 500-550yrds… skip a bullet off of the ground and it can bounce a long, long ways. Bounce one off of a tree, it might pick any line it wants…

I’m not willing to count on tortuous path of tree trunks stopping bullets from finding my flesh.

I really don’t understand calling this the dumbest thread ever and other disparaging comments. Why do we have 3 rules of safe gun handling? You only need 1 if you follow it perfectly without fail. But humans fail and so we have 3 rules so there are layers of protection. At 300 yards how many minutes of angle does my 42 regular chest cover? At 50 yards? At 10 yards? It is obvious that being farther away helps. Some of these comments boggle the mind.