Indiana Hunting Fatalities and accident...

[Willie]

Teenage hunter fatally shot in southern Indiana

ST. ANTHONY - State wildlife police say a 15-year-old boy has died after being shot while deer hunting in southern Indiana.
State conservation officers say the teenager from French Lick was wounded while hunting with a family member Sunday afternoon near the Dubois County town of St. Anthony. Officers say a gun was apparently being lowered from a tree stand when it fired, wounding the teen in the abdomen.

The boy died after being taken to Jasper Memorial Hospital. The teenager's name wasn't immediately released and the agency says the shooting remains under investigation.


Southwestern IN Hunter Killed in Apparent Accident

MARTIN CO., IN - Indiana Conservation Officers are investigating the shooting death of a Shoals man.

Authorities said Steve Kelsey, 64, was found dead early Saturday by family members near his Shoals home.

At this time, conservation officers believe Kelsey was hunting Friday when his shotgun discharged while he was putting into a golf car. They said he was shot in the chest.


Investigators are waiting on the Coroner's report and a test of the firearm involved to be sure that's what happened.




Hunter shoots self in foot in southern Indiana - 13 WTHR

A Salem man was injured when his shotgun accidentally fired while deer hunting last week.

Conservation officers say Matthew Caudill was hunting Tuesday near Enon Church Road in Washington County when he climbed his tree stand with a pull rope attached to his shotgun. When he started to pull on the rope, the gun fired and struck him in his left foot.

He was taken to St. Vincent Hospital in Salem before being taken by ambulance to University of Louisville Hospital, where he underwent surgery. He was listed in stable condition.

 

[SEIndSAM]

I have never hunted from a stand, is it that hard to load/unload from a stand???

 

[cschwanz]

I've hunted in a stand every day for 15 years and i still have the same amount of holes in me that God gave me (well except for a knife qwound, but thats a different story, haha). 5 seconds to unload a gun and 5 more seconds to load it back up when you are on the ground is well worth my time and safety.

 

[Kirk Freeman]

Lowered from tree stand??? Like a dumbwaiter or something (forgive me, I do not know).

Why not just sling it scramble carry and climb down?

 

[Gamez235]

Lowered from tree stand??? Like a dumbwaiter or something (forgive me, I do not know).

Why not just sling it scramble carry and climb down?

In case you fall. Regardless it should be unloaded when climbing or crossing anything.

 

[CountryBoy19]

Lowered from tree stand??? Like a dumbwaiter or something (forgive me, I do not know).

Why not just sling it scramble carry and climb down?

Typically raising/lowering by rope it thought to be the safer way to get the firearm into the tree stand. That permits you to use all of your body's appendages to worry about climbing into the tree stand vs. worrying about keeping the slung shotgun in the right place, or maneuvering into place in a tree stand without worrying about the gun getting caught on things.

The problem comes in when people don't think to load or unload the firearm...

 

[windingwinds]

Those accidents were so preventable it hurts to think about. No cost involved, just unload the darn gun. So sad.

 

[42769vette]

"Conservation officers say Matthew Caudill was hunting Tuesday near Enon Church Road in WashingtonCounty when he climbed his tree stand with a pull rope attached to his shotgun. When he started to pull on the rope, the gun fired and struck him in his left foot."

does this sound wierd to anyone else or is it just the way im reading it? how do you shoot yourself in the foot when your pulling the rope up. do these morons tie the rope around the front sight so the gun is pointed up at them? i use a pull rope and rarley unload my gun before doing so, but the barrel is pointed at the ground when in in the tree pulling it up, and the barrel is pointing at the ground when in in the tree lowering it back to the ground. obviously i dont tie it threw the triggergaurd

 

[clfergus]

These hunters coming to a treestand near you...makes me really comfortable to start hunting public land next year.

 

[raggedoutcummins77]

it only takes a few sec to unload and to reload use your head like the other guy said what he do tie it around the frount sight

 

[CountryBoy19]

"Conservation officers say Matthew Caudill was hunting Tuesday near Enon Church Road in WashingtonCounty when he climbed his tree stand with a pull rope attached to his shotgun. When he started to pull on the rope, the gun fired and struck him in his left foot."

does this sound wierd to anyone else or is it just the way im reading it? how do you shoot yourself in the foot when your pulling the rope up. do these morons tie the rope around the front sight so the gun is pointed up at them? i use a pull rope and rarley unload my gun before doing so, but the barrel is pointed at the ground when in in the tree pulling it up, and the barrel is pointing at the ground when in in the tree lowering it back to the ground. obviously i dont tie it threw the triggergaurd

Wait, you mean to tell me that the trigger guard wasn't put on the gun as a convenient rope attachment point? Duh... I've been doing it wrong all these years and somebody finally tells me that the loop by the trigger is to protect the trigger from being pulled by mistake and it's not a rope loop? Goash... how could I have not known that??

 

[Colt]

Yes, unload a cartridge gun before climbing up to a treestand or climbing down from one. If it's a muzzle loader, decap it. Here is a neat product that is both a convenience and provides additional safety. I have used a borrowed one in the past and ordered my own today.

Tree Stand Gun Hoist

 

[DRob]

Copy and paste

I see the 2011 versions of this story have begun to come off the presses. It would save the media a lot of trouble if they had a template for these stories so all they'd have to do is plug in a few details like date, location, name, age, and condition of the person. Everything else is the same story every year.

 

[TLHelmer]

That is a tragic and preventable mistake. I feel bad for the family.

 

[Classic]

Typically raising/lowering by rope it thought to be the safer way to get the firearm into the tree stand. That permits you to use all of your body's appendages to worry about climbing into the tree stand vs. worrying about keeping the slung shotgun in the right place, or maneuvering into place in a tree stand without worrying about the gun getting caught on things.

The problem comes in when people don't think to load or unload the firearm...

Well, none of those accidents involved a sling.....

 

[ylwfever69]

I think the point of all three stories is the same. Leave your gun unloaded until you get it and you up in the tree stand. The other is unload it before getting on your golf cart.

 

[CountryBoy19]

I see the 2011 versions of this story have begun to come off the presses. It would save the media a lot of trouble if they had a template for these stories so all they'd have to do is plug in a few details like date, location, name, age, and condition of the person. Everything else is the same story every year.

Yup, most hunting accidents every year involve a dropped shotgun or a shotgun in the process of being hoisted into the stand... when will people learn that these aren't toys?

Well, none of those accidents involved a sling.....

Point being? Have you ever tried to maneuver into into a stand with a safety rail with a shotgun slung over your shoulder? Probably just as dangerous as hoisting a loaded gun up.

 

[rao]

my buddy just told me about a young guy in Muncie last week that was retrieving his dad's deer. Apparently the deer wasn't dead yet and when he was attempting to cut its throat, he was kicked a few times in the chest...called his Dad saying he was having chest pains and died shortly thereafter due to complications from internal injuries... what a bummer. Hunting can be a dangerous sport and I agree, you certainly have to use some common sense. I think most accidents could have been avoided.

 

[iChokePeople]

my buddy just told me about a young guy in Muncie last week that was retrieving his dad's deer. Apparently the deer wasn't dead yet and when he was attempting to cut its throat, he was kicked a few times in the chest...called his Dad saying he was having chest pains and died shortly thereafter due to complications from internal injuries... what a bummer. Hunting can be a dangerous sport and I agree, you certainly have to use some common sense. I think most accidents could have been avoided.

And THIS is why you don't unload. You keep your weapon loaded and at the ready and spring down from the tree like a ninja, ready to do battle:

Fort Wayne Hunter Killed By Deer
By Maureen Mespell
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November 15, 2011 Updated Nov 15, 2011 at 11:13 PM EST
[/FONT]ALBION, In. (Indiana’s NewsCenter) – A Fort Wayne man was killed Monday by the deer he shot.
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[/FONT]62 year old Paul J. Smith was at Chain O’Lakes State Park hunting deer and called his son around 9 a.m. to tell him he had shot a buck. When Smith came down from his treestand to field dress and tag the deer, he discovered the deer was still alive. He told his son that he and the deer got into a scuffle before he killed it with a knife.
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[/FONT]Smith then called park officials for help in transporting the deer to the reduction hunt check in station. When an employee arrived at Smith’s location, they found Smith unconscious.
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[/FONT]Attempts to revive Smith were unsuccessful and he was pronounced dead at the scene.
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[/FONT]The Noble County Coroner’s office has ruled Smith’s death was due to a lacerated liver, possibly from an encounter he had with the deer he shot. The autopsy revealed that the lacerations on his liver were in line with internal bruising.