Another phone call you don't want

Well, my friend at this point is still in the hospital...but the docs have elected not to do surgery as no bones were hit, no major veins or arteries and no major nerve damage. They're just going to let the muscle heal and watch...if the muscle pushes the shot inwards, then they'll go in and remove...if it pushes it out, they'll let the muscles do their thing. He started physical therapy today and has to allow that every second of that was pure torture...he's in a lot of pain though, but the docs say that Wednesday he can probably go home...

And the young man who shot him, said he was hunting deer.

I am very glad that I wasn't there as well....scary.....

Dani
 
Jesus Dani,

I am so sorry to hear about your friend and his Ginger dog.

It is a shame.


A real shame.

May he heal up well and be right soon.


It is tough to wrap my head around the idea that someone would have mistaken his dog for a deer,
but not surprised his dog took the shot that would have hit him.
that dog might have saved his life.

So sorry,

We need to figure out a way to help your friend get back on his feet and take on a dog
(when it is appropriate.)

I bet Ginger saved his life by taking the shot.


That is how good dogs are.
 
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It was one of the most surreal days of my life. We went out and Rogers and Todd went down about 200 yds. Well into legal light (so much that Im thinking that it is nearing the end of 'teal time' ) I hear a muffled shot and a dog howling; i put down my run and started running ... i thought it was some kind of dog injury ** disconcerting to find one friend hunched over another.

It did not help that the kid from Burma was absolutely losing his mind.

Im thankful that he was using such a relatively light load; he had one pellet in his chest and if it had been bigger than #2 it probably would have penetrated his ribs. Im also glad the kid had a single shot shotgun -- I honestly believe that he would have unloaded if he had the chance.

And , no, Ginger did not take the brunt of the load -- that was Steve's inside knee and thigh. He actually shot the dog by shooting ACROSS the person. Incomprehensible.

The entire time he was laying their he kept asking about his dog. Heartbreaking.

Turns out the kid was hunting deer (out of season -- soooo the dog looked like -- a doe? Also not permitted ), did not have a hunter safety card, had such a limited grasp of English that I seriously doubt he was capable of understanding the regs. No hunter orange either but I guess his three comrades' colorful attire (red, teal, etc) made up for it.

Hard to wrap around the head, indeed. And the scariest thing is that it could be so much worse.

Im bringing Ginger home Wednesday

James
 
Really sad & sorry to read this story. Im happy to hear your friend will survive though. More bad press for the honest & conscientious hunters & sportsmen / women in the field. I really hope the Fla Fish & Wildlife Dept investigates this fully. The shooter should be arrested & charged with attempted manslaughter and a host of other poaching violations, and his buddies too should be charged. Theres absolutely no excuse for this type of shooting. Some states call it " M F G " (mistaken for game) I call it manslaughter !
Best of luck to your friend and all of us hunters while in the field.
 
Dont know why deer hunting seems to bring out the worst in alot of folks but I hear horror stories like this all the time..Cant understand how any normal human being can mistake a dog for a deer or turkey for a man..or anything like that.and hunting deer out of season to boot...what a shame...hope he does well...
 
Mr. Tennyson -

A couple of us are trying to get some funds together so , when the time is right, we can get Steve a new companion. Ginger, like most of our "best friends" can never be replaced.

Anyone interested email me at:


flawaterfowler (at) att.net

Thanks,

James
 
Dani,

I got home late last night while checking my email when I saw you PM about this weekend. I hadn't even gotten on the net untill this morning. What a terrible thing. I hope he has a full recovery. I've taken the hunter safety course with all my kids. As strict as my dad was about hunter safety I strongly recommend that everyone take it. Sometimes as much as we think we know these courses may hit on something we don't! I have a story where a young man didn't survive and destroyed a family. It's heart breaking to hear this kind of stupidy!

Ed L.
 
I just reviewed two news articles on this shooting. One acticle correctly calls Thang Lian (19) a shooter. The other one calls him a hunter. In reality he is a poacher. Why can't journalists figure this one out?

I hope Steve recovers soon with excellent mobility.
 
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