# Person killed by a young hunter



## SteepNDeep (Sep 11, 2007)

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26171830/?GT1=43001

Sorry if this is something already discussed, but it was new to me. Too young? Looks like they are headed back up to 14.


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## proutdoors (Sep 24, 2007)

> Capt. Bill Hebner of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said he and his colleagues would like the state to *re-institute an age restriction for people who walk into the wilderness alone with a gun*.


They SHOULD not be letting 14 year old's be in the woods hunting with a rifle w/o an adult. Utah is doing it the 'right' way with mandating an adult be with ALL hunters with rifles under the age of 18.

Second thing I noticed, the article said this is the FIRST incident like this in 25 years, and yet the masses are freaking out. Is it a bad deal that this woman was killed? Yes indeed, for BOTH the family of the lady and the kid who shot her. What were his parents thinking sending a BOY out alone to hunt bears? :evil:


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## Huge29 (Sep 17, 2007)

+1


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## SteepNDeep (Sep 11, 2007)

Good points Pro. The only thing I would say about it is that, in any case, the frequency of non-hunters being in the woods while hunters are will only increase. I am not saying deaths will be happening a lot, I think a lot of this obviously has to do with the boy involved. I'm also glad that the 18 and younger requires an adult and I wasn't aware of that. I never shot at just anything that moved while hunting as a youth - never. I've always shot at what I intended to shoot at, but I do remember chambering things more quickly as a youth. I would hear movement and I would chamber something in case it was what I hoped it was. These days I won't load until I've looked, and anyway it makes more noise to pop it in real fast and buck fever like  . I can kind of see how, as a youth, buck/bear/whatever fever can have a greater factor in certain situations. 

Sad story for sure.


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## #1DEER 1-I (Sep 10, 2007)

proutdoors said:


> > Capt. Bill Hebner of the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife said he and his colleagues would like the state to *re-institute an age restriction for people who walk into the wilderness alone with a gun*.
> 
> 
> They SHOULD not be letting 14 year old's be in the woods hunting with a rifle w/o an adult. Utah is doing it the 'right' way with mandating an adult be with ALL hunters with rifles under the age of 18.
> ...


+2


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## BPturkeys (Sep 13, 2007)

Tragic story and a real shame. 
There is a little quirk in the Utah law concerning youth hunters that really does need to be changed. Did you know that even though the youth hunter in Utah needs to have passed hunter safety, the parent or guardian does not! That youth can legally be in the field with his 30-06 accompanied by his 21 year old "never even seen a gun before" friend! If the intent of a guardian is to insure that the youth is under constant supervision, does in not make sense that the gaurdian be as least as well trained in hunter safety as the youth!! It's like not requiring drive education teachers to have a drivers license! I know that most generally the parent of the youth is probably a hunter themself, but I'll guarantee you that it is not the case all the time. Something to think about and maybe mention at the next RAC meeting you attend.


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## elkfromabove (Apr 20, 2008)

Pro, You brought to mind some things that we, and the general public, sometimes ignore when reading a story like this. Not even an experienced hunter should hunt bears alone, let alone a young kid. A wounded bear is extremely dangerous. And if the kid didn't even identify his target, how did he expect to get a killing shot? Indeed, what were the parents thinking letting him go alone?

The Washington (and other states) law regarding young hunters going alone is flawed and and does not do justice to our fine sport.
I hope this tragic happening gets the attention of hunters as well and the non-hunting public and that hunter safety classes become mandatory in all states and that young hunters are accompanied and mentored by trained adults.

And it usually takes only one rare accident with guns for the anti's to rile up the general non-hunting public into believing that the gun is the problem (it isn't) and that this happens all the time (it doesn't).

BPT, Excellent point! An untrained accompanying adult could be worse than no accompanying adult! The Utah rule needs to be reworded/rewritten. I, for one, will speak up because I'm out there in the field with my kids and grandkids during rifle season when this could be a problem.


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## gwailow (Jan 20, 2008)

This all boils down to irresponsible, pathetic parenting. They are either parents that don't care what their children does or parents that think their children are capable and able to handle everything regardless of danger to themselves or others. That's pathetic. Hell, I don't even like to go hunting by myself and I'm 28, even the most experienced hunter/marksman/outdoor enthusiast can have an accident happen.


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