Woman shot while mountain biking

[jfb]

http://nhpr.org/post/hunter-shoots-mountain-biker-hopkinton-park#stream/0

 

[dug]

So, it was entirely possible he shot at a deer, with a clear view behind it, and the biker (traveling at a high rate of speed) came into view with little or no warning?

I also read at some point she was hit with a "fragment" which could mean she was not a target, but it was a deflected shot?

I think I'll wait a little bit before commencing the stoning.

 

[skiguy]

I think I'll wait a little bit before commencing the stoning.

No worries the real stoning begins in a month or so when people in the woods start post holing your favorite trail or when a news snippet about a rescue occurs.

 

[sierra]

The proud American tradition of "guilty until proven innocent in the court of public opinion"? I have been on juries and the instructions on a criminal trial is innocent until proven guilty. Do you propose getting a rope and a bunch of bike riders, deputize them as deputy sheriffs and hang the individual off the nearest tree branch?

The limited press on this is that F&G is reconstructing the event to rule out accidental causes. That means collecting facts that support or don't support various scenarios. These are accident, negligence and deliberate. If the individual who pulled the trigger had a sniper nest and was aiming for human prey, he would be in jail with probable cause or out on bail. F&G must have decided that this event hasn't risen to that level and thus have decided to investigate and then file charges as appropriate.

Sure the individual who was shot can get a lawyer and I expect the lawyer will definitely try to make some bucks off the deal but I am glad that F&G approaches this objectively.

I'm all about traditions.

 

[jniehof]

It looks like F&G is being unclear about whether the restriction on discharge within 150' of trails and 300' of developed recreation areas is a "best practice" or a "regulation". A deer slug can be effective at 100 yards and my cousin was shot at nearly 200 yards because somebody shot up at a deer on the ridge and the loft gave it extra range. The slug was found in his clothes after going clear through his body...he did make a full recovery. My family switched to buckshot after that incident. People in general seem unaware of exactly how large a clear area is necessary, and some of those unaware are carrying rifles. I'm starting to wonder (not seriously) if in addition to the orange it's worth making a bunch of noise, both for being noticed and for scaring the game away. Jerk move, but it eliminates the "oh I was just taking the shot at the game and didn't see the person" issue.

 

[wardsgirl]

Oddly enough, I was scolded by a woman on the Guinea Pond/Flat Mountain Pond Trail yesterday for not wearing blaze orange. I was wearing orange pants and a blaze yellow longsleeved top. Is the wearing of blaze orange a requirement for hiking in hunting season?

 

[egilbe]

Oddly enough, I was scolded by a woman on the Guinea Pond/Flat Mountain Pond Trail yesterday for not wearing blaze orange. I was wearing orange pants and a blaze yellow longsleeved top. Is the wearing of blaze orange a requirement for hiking in hunting season?

Nope. High visibility colors are still high vis.

 

[TCD]

Useful info here:

http://www.ihea-usa.org/hunting-and-shooting/requirements/hunter-orange-requirements

So in most of our areas on VFTT, there is no *requirement* to wear blaze orange. In states where there are actual requirements, the requirements are written to apply mostly to hunters, and not so much to other people in the woods.

However, studies appear to support that blaze orange is the "most visible" color. So it's the color I recommend. And a hat or vest are good places for it, rather than pants or shoes. SAR studies show that things that are up off the ground, even a few feet, can consistently be noticed further away by an observer than things that are closer to the ground.

 

[ChrisB]

Howwwwlll

...I'm starting to wonder (not seriously) if in addition to the orange it's worth making a bunch of noise, both for being noticed and for scaring the game away. Jerk move, but it eliminates the "oh I was just taking the shot at the game and didn't see the person" issue.

I often howl like a banshee if I think there is a chance a hunter might be in the area I'm passing though. Just as I do when in grizz country out west, and for the same reason. Both critters will attack before fully identifying the prey, although the grizz has a better sense of smell.

IMHO hunting and hiking is not a viable "shared use" of the same patch of forest.

And having had buck fever a few times while bow hunting, I know how hard it can be to delay the shot until you can fully see the target.

cb

 

[peakbagger]

A FYI on hunter orange versus other high visibility colors. Almost every hunter has to take a hunter safety license at some point to get a license. Hunter Orange is the color that is drilled into them. When I was scout in the early seventies, hunter orange was somewhat new to scene. The traditional safety color at the time was red and the hunter safety courses were pushing the big increase in visibility afforded by Hunters Orange. I expect 40 plus years of hunters have been trained that orange is not a deer which is a good reason to stick with orange.

I remember that anyone completing a hunter safety course in Maine at the time would get an LL Bean belt pouch made out of hunters orange which was intended to hold a "How to survive in the Maine Woods" pamphlet and a self assembled survival kit. An interesting aside is that Maine has a growing population of Menonites and Amish, they will not wear hunters orange as it is not in keeping with their beliefs, they now can get a waiver from wearing orange and wear red instead.

For those paranoid about hunters in the woods, you can always hike in Maine on Sundays as there is no hunting on Sundays

 

[egilbe]

I keep forgetting one can hunt in NH on Sundays. This time of year, Sundays are for football.most of my hikes are planned around the Pats schedule. I can have more than one passion.

 

[iAmKrzys]

Useful info here:

http://www.ihea-usa.org/hunting-and-shooting/requirements/hunter-orange-requirements

So in most of our areas on VFTT, there is no *requirement* to wear blaze orange. In states where there are actual requirements, the requirements are written to apply mostly to hunters, and not so much to other people in the woods.

I think this web page is directed primarily at hunters while in fact at least in some cases the requirements may apply to non-hunters as well. For example, I dug up a picture of a sign posted at one of the State Game Lands that I visited in Pennsylvania a couple of years ago. I might be not be reading this correctly but it appears to me that wearing orange is required of non-hunters as well:

I believe hunting in Pennsylvania on Sundays is mostly forbidden and same holds for New Jersey.

In New York I think hunting on Sundays is permitted and wearing bright colors while hiking is encouraged but from my reading of the below sign it is not required:


Personally, I prefer to minimize chances of getting shot while in the woods, so I even got myself an orange rain cover for my backpack and I put it on during hunting season.

If that cover some day helps me avoid getting killed or injured it may turn out to be the best $11 I have ever spent on hiking gear.

Finally, in a similar case few days ago in New York a hunter killed a woman who was walking her dogs: http://abcnews.go.com/US/york-woman-killed-hunter-mistook-deer-police/story?id=51377244

 

[skiguy]

Hikers have lot’s of privelages. Why not stay out of the woods for a Month to let Hunters do the same.

 

[egilbe]

Hikers have lot’s of privelages. Why not stay out of the woods for a Month to let Hunters do the same.

I only hike in places where I’m pretty sure hunters don't want to go. As was mentioned, get too far from the road and that makes for a longer drag. Wilderness areas are pretty good for hiking in November. I’ve had no issues with hiking, nor hunters, but I wear blaze orange, just to be on the safe side.

 

[Raven]

This coming weekend is the final weekend of rifle season for deer in NH. Be extra careful. This is the last opportunity hunters have this year for a deer in NH with a rifle. (12/3 is last day).

Also, interestingly enough, if you shoot a deer in NY, you can't bring it back to NH through Mass or Vt.

 

[peakbagger]

This coming weekend is the final weekend of rifle season for deer in NH. Be extra careful. This is the last opportunity hunters have this year for a deer in NH with a rifle. (12/3 is last day).

Also, interestingly enough, if you shoot a deer in NY, you can't bring it back to NH through Mass or Vt.

My guess is NY is on the fringe of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) ("mad deer disease") epidemic? Given the overpopulation of deer in the suburbs in southern New England I expect when CWD hits its going to hit hard.

 

[Hill Junkie]

Summit fever can push us hikers into making poor decisions that result in our peril. A similar thing can happen with hunters. It is called buck fever. When game is spotted, adrenaline spikes, and impulsive decisions can be made with disastrous outcomes. As a former hunter from Michigan, I have seen this play out too many times. This is part of human nature. You can light up like a Christmas tree and extensively train hunters, yet there will still be this element of risk. I don't hunt anymore. I frequently ride and hike in popular deer hunting areas of southern NH and accept increased risk this time of year. I feel wearing prescribed colors makes risk lower than risk of curtailing what I love to do.

 

[Raven]

My guess is NY is on the fringe of the Chronic Wasting Disease (CWD) ("mad deer disease") epidemic? Given the overpopulation of deer in the suburbs in southern New England I expect when CWD hits its going to hit hard.

Yes, CWD is what F&G has as the reason on their website.

 

[sierra]

Hikers have lot’s of privelages. Why not stay out of the woods for a Month to let Hunters do the same.

What privileges do hikers have? Besides, on most of the 4k's, you will never see a hunter. I always find it fascinating when hikers try to bring up restrictions on themselves. I've heard mention of quota's, limiting car's in parking area's. The whole idea behind going to the mountains is to get away from restrictions, imo. I'm not skipping a month, so someone can have the woods alone to hunt.

 

[dug]

What privileges do hikers have?

Well, for the better part of a century, contributing $0 toward S&R, trail maintenance, etc. of which many of the costs were alleviated by hunting and fishing, I'd say is a start.