Hunter Safety - Hunter in Utah Shot by his dog while duck hunting
- Thread starter CGeminski
- Start date
Scott Bell
Active member
I'm paranoid about that happening. It's easy to remove the shell from the chamber when you leave the boat (though remembering to put it back in can be a challenge some days!!! ) 
I do like the statement "no ducks where injured" in the article.
I do like the statement "no ducks where injured" in the article.
CGeminski
Well-known member
I take my gun with me as well for two reasons...
First is safety. I always feel more safe having the gun in my hands than anywhere else where something can happen. I can use an unloaded gun in an emergency to help me get out of the mud, or fire 3 shots in a dire emergency to signal for help.
Second, I cant even begin to tell you how many times I have gotten out of the boat to move decoys and ended up shooting birds while standing in the rig!
Let's all be safe out there guys... this guy got a bunch of pellets in his posterior for a two reasons... he was unsafe and too lazy to unload his gun. A loaded gun has no business being left alone with a dog in the boat, safety on or not. An extra few seconds to unload could prevent a situation like this or worse.
First is safety. I always feel more safe having the gun in my hands than anywhere else where something can happen. I can use an unloaded gun in an emergency to help me get out of the mud, or fire 3 shots in a dire emergency to signal for help.
Second, I cant even begin to tell you how many times I have gotten out of the boat to move decoys and ended up shooting birds while standing in the rig!
Let's all be safe out there guys... this guy got a bunch of pellets in his posterior for a two reasons... he was unsafe and too lazy to unload his gun. A loaded gun has no business being left alone with a dog in the boat, safety on or not. An extra few seconds to unload could prevent a situation like this or worse.
TimJ
Well-known member
Another safety reminder, not that this would be likely while duck hunting. http://www.ktvz.com/news/29885102/detail.html
Mark Spolarich
Well-known member
That story reads like a person making up something just to cover up the truth!
Cody Williams
Well-known member
The Utah story happened just over the hill from where I live, at the Bear River bird refuge. This guy was super lucky as a decoy took the brunt of the shot. Anyone interested can read his first-hand account here:
http://utahwildlife.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=38971
My favorite part? He mentions the drake pinny he shot before anything else, there's a true duck hunter for you!
http://utahwildlife.net/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=38971
My favorite part? He mentions the drake pinny he shot before anything else, there's a true duck hunter for you!
Last edited:
CGeminski
Well-known member
Here is the text of the Utah hunters account from the link above:
Well, after a few hours of debating whether to post this or not, I decided to let my pain perhaps serve as a safety reminder for others.
Started out as a beautiful morning at the refuge with my son and brother-in-law. Had 5 ducks down despite an iced-over pond, the first being the most gogeous drake pintail I have shot in years.Had a nice greenhead sail out on us and during a break I decided to walk back to the boat and run out and pick it up( it had sailed about 200 yards before dropping straight out and the dog was having a tough time in the ice). My brother in laws dog decided to join me on the walk to the boat. I did the same thing I always do when it is just me going after a downed bird in the boat. I set my double barrel in the decoy box, walked around the front of the boat to get a better angle to push it out of the weeds and just as I had turned to cross the front of the boat and ( in case you haven't guessed) Boom, the gun goes off. I looked back and the dog had climbed over the side and stepped on the trigger. About a half second later I realized I had been shot. I fell down backwards in the water, just from the shock. Got up, called my in-laws because I knew I was gonna need a ride out and didn't to wait for the 3 mile boat ride back to the truck. I gathered my senses as much as possible and realized I had quite a bit of moisture down my legs and was starting to feel faint. I decided a 911 was probably in order. Try explaing to the dispatch how to find you at the winch pole dike crossing while passing out and boating through an inch of ice(lots of noise). Finally made it to the crossing and by Gods graces there was another boat just pulling up in the channel. They gave me a ride across the channel just as the ambulance pulled up. To cut it short(I know, too late) I ended up with 27 number 2's in my rear,1 in my hand and one through shot in my finger. They were able to remove all BUT 24 pellets (they pulled three,everything else was too deep) and the rest have found a permanent home. 35 years of hunting without any accidents, this was a stupid way to break a streak. Whe the end of my season? The 27 holes in my waders would have been tough enough to patch, no way to fix-em up after having been cut off by the EMT's
So let my STUPIDITY serve as a refresher in safety.
p.s. Feel free to make the BUTT of a few jokes, I laugh to ease my mind.
Hope the grammar isn't too bad, the muscle relaxers and pain killers seem
to be kicking in.
Well, after a few hours of debating whether to post this or not, I decided to let my pain perhaps serve as a safety reminder for others.
Started out as a beautiful morning at the refuge with my son and brother-in-law. Had 5 ducks down despite an iced-over pond, the first being the most gogeous drake pintail I have shot in years.Had a nice greenhead sail out on us and during a break I decided to walk back to the boat and run out and pick it up( it had sailed about 200 yards before dropping straight out and the dog was having a tough time in the ice). My brother in laws dog decided to join me on the walk to the boat. I did the same thing I always do when it is just me going after a downed bird in the boat. I set my double barrel in the decoy box, walked around the front of the boat to get a better angle to push it out of the weeds and just as I had turned to cross the front of the boat and ( in case you haven't guessed) Boom, the gun goes off. I looked back and the dog had climbed over the side and stepped on the trigger. About a half second later I realized I had been shot. I fell down backwards in the water, just from the shock. Got up, called my in-laws because I knew I was gonna need a ride out and didn't to wait for the 3 mile boat ride back to the truck. I gathered my senses as much as possible and realized I had quite a bit of moisture down my legs and was starting to feel faint. I decided a 911 was probably in order. Try explaing to the dispatch how to find you at the winch pole dike crossing while passing out and boating through an inch of ice(lots of noise). Finally made it to the crossing and by Gods graces there was another boat just pulling up in the channel. They gave me a ride across the channel just as the ambulance pulled up. To cut it short(I know, too late) I ended up with 27 number 2's in my rear,1 in my hand and one through shot in my finger. They were able to remove all BUT 24 pellets (they pulled three,everything else was too deep) and the rest have found a permanent home. 35 years of hunting without any accidents, this was a stupid way to break a streak. Whe the end of my season? The 27 holes in my waders would have been tough enough to patch, no way to fix-em up after having been cut off by the EMT's
So let my STUPIDITY serve as a refresher in safety.
p.s. Feel free to make the BUTT of a few jokes, I laugh to ease my mind.
Hope the grammar isn't too bad, the muscle relaxers and pain killers seem
to be kicking in.