NEAR MISSES, ACCIDENTAL OR UNINTENTIONAL. THEY HAPPEN
- Thread starter Highland Lofts
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Walking up a winding dirt road in the hills to an unsupervised shooting area. Hear gunfire and then bullets snapping down the road, around the next corner. Yell our heads off, sneak a peak around the corner when the gunfire stops, and discover a young couple shooting back down the road they themselves had to walk up to get there. I've tended to avoid "public shooting areas" since.
epags
Member
when I was stationed in Missouri a civilian work mate asked it I wanted to deer hunt his property. He only wanted something like $20 so I said yes. Got there at o-dark 30 and (wearing orange as required by law) I found a tree to set up under. As daylight came I looked around and saw at least 5, maybe 10 hunters in their orange within my sight even though this was a fairly wooded area. I remained very, very still until sun up then started whistling and made my escape never to hunt his property again.
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epags
Member
I thought of another incident. May years ago while stationed in Alaska a number of fellow airmen wanted to go caribou hunting. Since I had a cab over camper I was 'selected' to host breakfast. As we were exiting the camper, one of the group's members' rifle goes off behind us. No one was injured and the camper was untouched. He claimed he was just closing the bolt (obviously on a live round) and 'it just went off'.
At the time we figured he had his finger on the trigger (which he denied of course). Much later I learned that the early Remington 700s had a problem with the safety and were recalled to have the problem fixed. So maybe he had not 'fingered the trigger'?
Of course there was not good reason for him to be loading his rifle while exiting the camper. Did not hunt with him again.
At the time we figured he had his finger on the trigger (which he denied of course). Much later I learned that the early Remington 700s had a problem with the safety and were recalled to have the problem fixed. So maybe he had not 'fingered the trigger'?
Of course there was not good reason for him to be loading his rifle while exiting the camper. Did not hunt with him again.
Conelrad
Member
My designation of .223 Rem/5.56 NATO being 'wimpy' is based on personal findings.
Firing 10 rds at a car windshield @ 50', 5 made it thru, but no real damage to the upholstery. The rest bounced off.
Firing 10 rds thru a Creosote bush @ 50' into a cardboard target, 4 solid hits, 2 fragmented, the rest who knows.
Firing one .223 round at something living can either kill or incapacitate if that is the first thing it hits. Otherwise, not so effective.
Just as a control, the same tests were conducted with 7.62 NATO. 10 rounds fired, 10 solid hits. (clear thru the car, out thru the deck lid)
Firing 10 rds at a car windshield @ 50', 5 made it thru, but no real damage to the upholstery. The rest bounced off.
Firing 10 rds thru a Creosote bush @ 50' into a cardboard target, 4 solid hits, 2 fragmented, the rest who knows.
Firing one .223 round at something living can either kill or incapacitate if that is the first thing it hits. Otherwise, not so effective.
Just as a control, the same tests were conducted with 7.62 NATO. 10 rounds fired, 10 solid hits. (clear thru the car, out thru the deck lid)
Patocazador
Member
Here's two of many instances not including idiots shooting low birds on dove fields.
My brother and I were in thick woods still-hunting through the timber. When we got close to a field, we sat down against a large oak to rest and reconnoiter. About 30 seconds later a bullet hit the tree above our heads fired from the field. We circled around and encountered a man and his young son who were sighting in their rifles after missing a deer earlier. Needless to say we gave them a good chewing out about gun safety. They bowed their heads and went back to their car.
I went to a church charity hunt every year on a large plantation in West Alabama. Shotguns with buckshot only. We were placed on stands depending on a random draw and warned not to leave our stands. This time the truck dropped off a man and his son and made a large hairpin curve and placed me out at the base of the curve about 50 yards from the man and son. If either of us shot at 90 deg. to the side we could hit each other. I left my stand immediately and walked around the hairpin curve to their stand and told them the stands were too close to either side. We agreed not to shoot at each other and I walked back. Halfway back a doe jumped up about 20 yds. in front of me at the top of the curve. I shot a bit to my right and she went down but got up immediately and ran towards the man and son. No shots came from their stand so I walked back to ask them if they saw it fall.
When I approached, I saw the boy laying on the ground curled up. I panicked because I thought that maybe a buckshot had ricocheted and hit him even though I didn't shoot in their direction. I ran up screaming, "Are you alright." The father looked at me funny and said, "Yeah, my son hasn't been feeling well for the last day. I think it's the flu."
I have never been so relieved in all my life for any reason. They said they didn't see the deer even though a dog found it dead less than 20 yards from their stand.
This one was on me because I just should have stayed on my stand as instructed.
My brother and I were in thick woods still-hunting through the timber. When we got close to a field, we sat down against a large oak to rest and reconnoiter. About 30 seconds later a bullet hit the tree above our heads fired from the field. We circled around and encountered a man and his young son who were sighting in their rifles after missing a deer earlier. Needless to say we gave them a good chewing out about gun safety. They bowed their heads and went back to their car.
I went to a church charity hunt every year on a large plantation in West Alabama. Shotguns with buckshot only. We were placed on stands depending on a random draw and warned not to leave our stands. This time the truck dropped off a man and his son and made a large hairpin curve and placed me out at the base of the curve about 50 yards from the man and son. If either of us shot at 90 deg. to the side we could hit each other. I left my stand immediately and walked around the hairpin curve to their stand and told them the stands were too close to either side. We agreed not to shoot at each other and I walked back. Halfway back a doe jumped up about 20 yds. in front of me at the top of the curve. I shot a bit to my right and she went down but got up immediately and ran towards the man and son. No shots came from their stand so I walked back to ask them if they saw it fall.
When I approached, I saw the boy laying on the ground curled up. I panicked because I thought that maybe a buckshot had ricocheted and hit him even though I didn't shoot in their direction. I ran up screaming, "Are you alright." The father looked at me funny and said, "Yeah, my son hasn't been feeling well for the last day. I think it's the flu."
I have never been so relieved in all my life for any reason. They said they didn't see the deer even though a dog found it dead less than 20 yards from their stand.
This one was on me because I just should have stayed on my stand as instructed.
Scout21
Member
Last squirrel season I dropped a round into the chamber of my 10-22 to load it before heading out to hunt. When I put the round into the chamber it wasn't completely seated. I figured that the bolt would push it into the chamber the rest of the way. Just as I was letting the bolt fly forward I began to reconsider, but it was too late. POW!! I guess the round hung up instead of fully entering the chamber and the resistance was enough for the bolt or extractor to ignite the round resulting in an out of battery ignition. The bullet impacted a few inches from my front truck tire, which was between my friend and me. It would've sucked to have to replace a tire, but it would have sucked even worse to have shot my friend, who was standing a couple feet in front of me. I make sure rounds are fully seated in the chamber now. I never found the casing, but I imagine it was absolutely mutilated.
Patocazador
Member
Usually, that's due to dirty ammo (on the outside) or a chamber that needs to be cleaned. I've seen the condition many times while trying to use .22 ammo that has been laying around in boxes or drawers for awhile.
__steve__
Member
Was riding a mountain bike through the desert, west side of Vegas in late 80’s. Started hearing bullets wizzing and crackling by, and close too. What in the hell, someone is shooting at me.
Scout21
Member
IIRC the ammo was perfectly clean. The chamber was likely clean as well because I haven't cleaned it since and it looks fine right now. It was a year ago now, but I seem to remember that the round was actually further out from the chamber than in my pic. My theory is that the bullet was the only portion that was in the chamber at the time, leading to the casing sagging a bit due to the lack of support, and when the bolt went forward and pushed against it it bent further, jamming it up until it finally ignited. I've included what I think is a more accurate representation of the position of the cartridge at the time.
d2wing
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Hunting accidents where people are shot are very rare where I live. I did have an instance where the Mossberg pump I was using went off as I was pumping the unused shells out into my trunk after a hunt. It put a hole in the truck of my car and damaged a tire. Turns out the screw holding the safety came lose and the gun went off when I worked the action.
tactikel
Member
1- I was Pheasant hunting with my Dad and 2 friends. the hunting party in the next field over flushed some roosters and took several shots. A second later a pellet hit the right lens of my glasses dead center.
2- an older gentleman I shot trap with for a few years before university told me about his last deer hunt. He was sitting at the base of a large oak tree on a game trail. Later in the morning a Hunter was walking the trail, saw my friend move out of the corner of his eye, pivoted shot from the hip. The slug hit 6” above my friend’s head. He got up took the rifle away from the guy, slammed it against the tree several times breaking it in half. He walked out of the woods and never hunted deer again.
2- an older gentleman I shot trap with for a few years before university told me about his last deer hunt. He was sitting at the base of a large oak tree on a game trail. Later in the morning a Hunter was walking the trail, saw my friend move out of the corner of his eye, pivoted shot from the hip. The slug hit 6” above my friend’s head. He got up took the rifle away from the guy, slammed it against the tree several times breaking it in half. He walked out of the woods and never hunted deer again.
I don’t blame him for his response. There are idiots out there.
Scout21
Member
I'm not a big public land hunter, but it's nearly unbelievable how many stories I've heard and read of people shooting at simple noises and movement. I can't fathom someone being that stupid.
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
They will shoot at noises and movement. I can wholeheartedly explain the stupidity because I think all hunters have had the same thoughts run through their heads. There comes rationalization at near light speed that the sound or movement could only be the intended quarry. So your "stupid" categorization happens very fast.
The hunters with less self control will pull the trigger. Properly trained and mature hunters with appropriate self control will wait to make a positive identification. This all happens very slow, right.
The problem is that hunters that have been successful with making sound and movement shots in the past will keep making them as part of 'normalized negligence.'
For example, check this out. It isn't public land hunting, either. The Karen Wood story is a tragedy. She was shot in her own backyard by a hunter, off property, She, her actions, and her family were treated as if they were in the wrong for her getting shot. After all, she was an idiot for wearing white gloves that might look like the flash of a whitetail, right? The hunter who killed Karen Wood, was treated like the victim. So not only was negligence normalized at the individual level, but at societal level as well.
It is a horrible, rather dystopian story, but it really happened...
https://newengland.com/today/living/new-england-history/karenwood/
There's one I heard about during college from a man that was on the hunt with a group of guys. As the evening progressed, the campfire was burning. One guy's rifle (or shotgun) was leaning on a tree. You guessed it. It slid down and discharged. The hunter's own weapon took HIM out..
aaaaa
Member
Young city boys thinking they are going to go hunting. Hunt far, far from the big cities.
Armored farmer
Member
Not a first hand story but one that I read in the book "White Hunters".
It seems our professional hunter was being mauled and repeatedly gored by a wounded Buffalo when his loyal gunbearer got the double rifle reloaded and dispatched the furious buff with a shot through the neck.
The hunter was near death but was hauled back to Nairobi where he was treated for his many wounds and recovered.
Months later, while out on safari, he became aware of a lump forming on his arse. As the days passed , the lump grew and became angry.
Finally back in Nairobi he visited his doctor who though he "had better have a go at that" with a scalpel.
Upon lancing the lump on his butt cheek, a .470 Nitro Express bullet popped out.
Apparently when the gunbearer dispatched the enraged buff, the .470 passed through the neck and into the backside of the P.H. The doctor assumed it was just another gore wound and treated it as such.
In the book, several hunters were killed by clients or gunbearers in an attempt to stop maulings from lions, elephant, leopards, and Buffalo.
It seems our professional hunter was being mauled and repeatedly gored by a wounded Buffalo when his loyal gunbearer got the double rifle reloaded and dispatched the furious buff with a shot through the neck.
The hunter was near death but was hauled back to Nairobi where he was treated for his many wounds and recovered.
Months later, while out on safari, he became aware of a lump forming on his arse. As the days passed , the lump grew and became angry.
Finally back in Nairobi he visited his doctor who though he "had better have a go at that" with a scalpel.
Upon lancing the lump on his butt cheek, a .470 Nitro Express bullet popped out.
Apparently when the gunbearer dispatched the enraged buff, the .470 passed through the neck and into the backside of the P.H. The doctor assumed it was just another gore wound and treated it as such.
In the book, several hunters were killed by clients or gunbearers in an attempt to stop maulings from lions, elephant, leopards, and Buffalo.
JMO, I hunted public land once and only once. Figured it best to pay extra for a real lease with rules. If you broke one of those rules bye bye and no refund. I have been hunting on the same lease for 30 years now. One rule is no shooting lanes in the direction of another blind or across the adjoining properties fence line...
Double Naught Spy
Sus Venator
Hunting accidents where people are shot are rare everywhere in the US, but they happen all the time. That sounds contradictory, but things like hunters education programs have really improved hunting safety, but at the same time, news services are on the internet so even small town back country incidents are apt to get reported as do overseas events. I have Google Alerts send me daily updates on hunting accidents (reported in English). There isn't hardly a day goes by where there isn't one or more hunting accidents that show up, most being from the US.
For example, Nebraska has had only 4 such 'accidents' this year (rare), 3 of which happened over a 3 day period last week (almost seems like an epidemic), yet such events are actually fairly rare despite the reporting. There are 10s of thousands of hunters in Nebraska and hunters often hunt several times a year, so 4 events really isn't very many, but the number should be closer to zero, right? https://www.wowt.com/2022/11/21/nebraska-reports-third-hunting-accident-three-days/
Here is a Google search on "hunting accidents" in the last week, most of which are bow/gun related, but there are some treestand and other such events included as well. There are a bunch, including an often joked about type of accident where the owner is shot by their dog. There seem to be one or two of these every year. Sadly, there are no gun safety classes for dogs.
https://www.google.com/search?q=hun...HSEQBRgQpwV6BAgDEBc&biw=1056&bih=483&dpr=1.82
The hunter killed by his own dog was in Turkey, BTW. https://nypost.com/2022/11/28/hunter-accidentally-shot-dead-by-own-dog-in-freak-accident/ https://nypost.com/2022/11/28/hunter-accidentally-shot-dead-by-own-dog-in-freak-accident/
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