Mt Whitney Zone Forums General Discussion Sheriff: Hiker mistakenly shot by Ore. bear hunter

Sheriff: Hiker mistakenly shot by Ore. bear hunter

SUBLIMITY, Ore. (AP) — A California member of the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves was shot and killed in Oregon after authorities say a hunter mistook him for a bear.

Rest of the story here

This is gross negligence on the part of the hunter and he will eventually be prosecuted. Unfortunately that won't bring back the young man so senselessly killed. The number one rule of hunting is to always identify what you are aiming at before taking a shot.

A woman hiker was killed in Washington State a couple of years ago by a hunter. She was hiking in foggy conditions on a popular hiking trail and a 14 year old hunter who had been dropped off with his brother by a grandparent also mistook her for a bear. He did not have a clear view of her, she was on the trail and had stopped to take off her pack and was bent over. He was eventually convicted of manslaughter, but that won't bring the woman back.

I had been on the fence about buying a blaze orange pack cover for fall hiking and this story is the tipping point.

Don't leave home without it.
That is what we do in VA mountains when the season is in, and even then, we know it is not 100% effective.

During hunting season here in Wisconsin, I don't even go near a forest. Blazing orange doesn't save you from alcohol-impaired hunters.

It's best to be invisible one way or another.

For all hikers no matter what state you reside in:

Know when the hunting seasons are and stay out of the wilderness during those times.

If you hear gunshot, remember a projectile can carry for a mile. A .22 caliber can do a lot of damage due to its size.

There have been two times while I was hunting that an errant arrow landed at my feet.

Hunter orange is not a safe guarantee especially through thick brush or forests.

Not all hunters are sober hunters.

Remember they are the ones with the weapons so don't get into an argument with them no mater what state of mind they are in.

My condolences to the Marine's family. Very tragic.

The hunter has been charged with criminally negligent homicide. Apparently he also has three prior convictions for violating wildlife regulations.

Turner man charged in hiker's fatal shooting

One less idiotic hunter roaming the country.

+ @ti2d.... I forwarded that advice to my friend Karyn who goes out into the forest, woods, field for Fish and Game and the Santa Ana Watershed Association and runs into hunters all the time. She is provided Orange vests. She told me that nearly every time she gets near a hunter, they pull out their wallets and provide hunting licenses, though she has no authority over it. She has never been shot at, but says it's a bit scary during deer season.