Are you conscious of the backdrop of every shot you take? One dead,killed by his hunting pal

[Buckshott00]

I was always taught in firearms safety the shooter should be conscious of his / her target and what's behind it. Failure to do so is failure to be safe on the part of the shooter and it makes them fully responsible.

I would like to say that most of my shots are at a downward angle, but that isn't true. However I where I hunt I am well aware of the backdrop of my shots. Still on Public land in MI, still very rarely an issue with other hunters too close.

[bowhunter75richard]

Sound Hunters are a Danger when hunting State Land;-((

sound hunters are a danger where ever they hunt. There is no place in the woods or fields for these types of idiots !!

[Red Angus]

Making absolutely certain you know your target and what is beyond was heavily emphasized during hunter education and drilled even deeper a couple years later when a little girl a county or two over was hit in the head by a stray bullet while she was playing on the playground.
I prefer to error on the side of caution when hunting.

[bowhunter75richard]

One of the major reasons I don't hunt public land!
I just have to lookout for livestock.

Then he probably told his wife she should go out for a walk in her fur coat !

[JM]

This past weekend we had bbs raining down on us from a nearby group of duck hunters. Obviously it is not the same as a rifle bullet, but the concept is the same. When animals are in range people often lose concept of safety. Same reason so many people who fall out of a tree stand do it while maneuvering to take a shot.

[jcarlin]

I'd say that I try to be aware of my backdrop.
Is it always possible that a ninja in a gilly suit and no orange is at the far side of a field? Yes... but you can't help that.

I was talking to a guy last night who described seeing the biggest buck of his life and missing it twice at 40 yards (he blamed the fact that he dialed up his scope to 7x earlier in the day and forgot to bring it down so was having trouble following the deer. I don't disagree its an issue, but just saying).. "... and then just as it crested the hill I missed a third time!"
I cringed at that last. Launching a 12 gauge slug over the horizon is a big no-no.

I don't doubt it. Making the area slug gun only did nothing for safety other than making people feel better about it.. and thus less safety conscious. Anyone who thinks slugs aren't a big deal, I wouldn't want a 1 1/4 oz slug THROWN at me.

[FirstBubba]

One of the major reasons I don't hunt public land!
I just have to lookout for livestock.

Probably! LOL!

[Pray- hunt-work]

Yes. All of my shots at deer are fifty yards or less; our woods during gun season are pretty bare; and, barring some moron in full camo farther off through the woods, there's no reason why I can't be alert to another hunter beyond my deer. I'm also surrounded by fields in some parts of my woods, with a farm in the distance in one direction and roads in three directions, so again, it's not something I forget about. As for the topic in general, I've always believed that wearing blaze orange is not only wise for your own safety, but also as a courtesy to other hunters, so they can be more sure of their target's background.

Weird, I thought Jhimbo lived in Ohio. This is how rumors get started...

[Gary Devine]

Yes. All of my shots at deer are fifty yards or less; our woods during gun season are pretty bare; and, barring some moron in full camo farther off through the woods, there's no reason why I can't be alert to another hunter beyond my deer. I'm also surrounded by fields in some parts of my woods, with a farm in the distance in one direction and roads in three directions, so again, it's not something I forget about. As for the topic in general, I've always believed that wearing blaze orange is not only wise for your own safety, but also as a courtesy to other hunters, so they can be more sure of their target's background.

Mr. D, you're correct and my mistake, it was Ohio this time.
Many of Jimbo's past threads mention hunting and fishing trips in up State New York.

[MattM37]

Yes. All of my shots at deer are fifty yards or less; our woods during gun season are pretty bare; and, barring some moron in full camo farther off through the woods, there's no reason why I can't be alert to another hunter beyond my deer. I'm also surrounded by fields in some parts of my woods, with a farm in the distance in one direction and roads in three directions, so again, it's not something I forget about. As for the topic in general, I've always believed that wearing blaze orange is not only wise for your own safety, but also as a courtesy to other hunters, so they can be more sure of their target's background.

I believe Jimbo hunts the Adirondack Mountains when he's in New York. I'm in the Fingerlakes-dairy farm area southwest of the ADKs.