Worst opener -Truck window shot out while driving/A Cautionary Tale.

[Scoot]

I hear you Dtro, just trying to find peace in the situation. No fines or tickets were handed out.

From what I've learned over the last few days there's no statute for shooting "into" a road right of way. The statute prohibits shooting "from" the road right of way.

Really? I assume that means the police were notified and involved? I can't believe there wasn't something done in a case like this that would justify a ticket for something? Doesn't running a bullet a couple feet from an innocent man's head out of pure stupidity warrent a ticket for something? Crazy!

I'm glad you're ok. The story from 2012 is much happier! No doubt there are great times and memories to be had in the hunting season- I hope you can focus on them and not this very bad luck experience (bad luck on your part- something very different on the part of the shooter).

[maros91]

Reckless discharge of a firearm. 609.66 sub. 1a (2)

[R. Miller]

Really? I assume that means the police were notified and involved? I can't believe there wasn't something done in a case like this that would justify a ticket for something? Doesn't running a bullet a couple feet from an innocent man's head out of pure stupidity warrent a ticket for something? Crazy!

I'm glad you're ok. The story from 2012 is much happier! No doubt there are great times and memories to be had in the hunting season- I hope you can focus on them and not this very bad luck experience (bad luck on your part- something very different on the part of the shooter).

Yes, sheriff, CO, DNR, all involved after the accident. Along with no statute shooting "into" a road right of way...I was told that in order to charge them it would have to be determined if this act fit a negligent discharge of a firearm, and factors such as "intent" and a bunch of other legal terms would have to be weighed in to determine the level of crime, and that was the reason for not giving out tickets that day....then it was up to me if I would like criminal charges against them...not even sure if the county attorney would charge, and if he did, and they pleaded not guilty to any charges, I'd be having to drive out to testify in court...really the last thing I would want to do.

I have no intention of asking for criminal charges because I understand it was a mistake. When I see reasons for tickets/fines being given out it blows my mind that they couldn't just be ticketed on site for almost killing me. I was shocked to find out there was no statute for shooting "into" a road right of way. Yet if someone was in the back seat of my vehicle all hell would have broke loose. But because the slug missed me by 2 feet, and no one was hurt, they may just have to take 8 hrs gun safety online training again and pay for a $275 window. I don't know. As I mentioned earlier, I'm just trying to let this go, my deer opener/birthday weekend turned into one of the most horrifying days of my life. I also mentioned that the shooters were truly sorry, which at the end of the day I believe they were, sometimes it just seems like some people need a ticket/fine or anything other than a slap on the wrist and a 5 minute parking lot talk about gun safety. I don't get it but its also not something I'm going to dwell on. And certainly not something I have any interest in going to court over. Today I'll be driving to downtown MPLS to get me window replaced instead of getting through the work week to take an early weekend and be back at deer camp. Rethinking my slug hunting from here on out. Now just looking forward to late season roosters, maybe a few more bow hunting sits when the woods quite down from people and of course hard water right around the corner.

[DTro]

I can certainly understand why you wouldn’t want to press charges after speaking with the local authorities,  the “sue first” mentality has taken over in a lot of cases when common sense should have prevailed.  Hopefully the incident is enough to teach them a lesson.

 

But please at least tell me they are paying for the damages out of their pockets?

[Coldwater Crappie Guy]

Thank goodness you are ok.

I will NEVER let anyone do a drive for deer on my property, and the hunting partys around me dont do them either.

I hunt to be out hunting, not for blood.

[hugonian1]

Curious where the slug ended up after breaking the window.

Did it cause additional damage inside your truck?

No good.

Glad you are O.K.

[401TE]

I've had people shoot in my direction 3 times in 14 years of being in the woods/field during firearms season. Twice, poachers shooting at deer in the field in front of me from the road. Heard bullets whistle past me both times. The third time was driving through a refuge on my way home and a doe crosses the road 30 yards in front of me and 5 hunters start blasting away...not sure how they missed me and my truck while they were shooting.

I also had 4 or 5 instances of trespassing on the property I hunt.

All of this kind of junk is why I no longer firearm hunt for deer. Too many people get too wrapped up in trying to kill a deer. No deer is worth dying for.

Glad you are ok, that's some scary stuff! Also, charging these people shouldn't be up to you. It's up to the county attorney to determine the appropriateness of charges...and I'd ask that reports be written and the referral made to the prosecutor in whatever county you hunt in. This stuff needs to be prosecuted to get the message across to irresponsible hunters that there are criminal consequences for recklessly discharging your gun, no matter if you are shooting at a deer. Know what you're shooting at and what is beyond it is the number one rule of shooting. A message needs to be sent that this kind of behavior isn't o.k.

[LABS4ME]

I will NEVER participate in another deer drive. I've been told often how safe they are, if done correctly and, that they do the same drives every year and everyone know what is happening on those drives. I have NEVER felt safe as the bullets begin to fly. EVER! Though the drives are the 'same' each year, there are still too many variables in how the deer move.

It is at BEST a semi-controlled activity, at worst as has been stated it becomes Chaos. Even the group I did it with a couple times several years ago, who always 'know' what was/is happening on these drives, had a huge buck come out... first poster misses and then a driver starts shooting and another poster... I'm sure none had a clue where each other was and totally focused on THAT ONE buck. No thanks. You can hear bullets crashing through branches in the woods. I left. Never been back on another drive. They say I'm a pu$$y. whatever. I know I will be a live '[me]'.

My last argument with them is I "hunt" deer. Driving is not hunting but merely shooting. It does not take one modicum of hunting prowess to be a poster on a drive. Just be ready to slap the trigger. Even less to be a pusher... walk a straight line. I enjoy picking apart a piece of property, figuring out deer movements, the wind, timing of their movements and stand placement. I take pride in knowing I am getting to their level and taking them on. Pushing a deer with a line of hunters to another line of hunters is close to cave man status. I gun hunt on properties in two states with no deer drives... I love bowhunting as well. No problem getting a deer each year. And I know that I 'hunted' it and enjoy the harvest.

Those that drive will always argue the point because that is how they know how to harvest deer... Too me it's not enough of an argument to carry on the tradition, but to each there own. It sucks when a person in a deer drive gets hurt or killed, it sucks ten fold when an innocent bystander is the victim. They were never vouluntarily involving themselves to the risk of the drive.

Good Luck!

Ken

[hockeybc69]

Perfectly stated!!!!!

[BartmanMN]

That is scary. I remember last year or the year before a lady driving home to Buffalo on Hwy 55 had a slug go through her car door and into her leg. She had no idea what had happened until there was blood everywhere.

[castmaster]

Curious where the slug ended up after breaking the window.

Did it cause additional damage inside your truck?

No good.

Glad you are O.K.

I wondered the same. Unless they were quite a distance away you would think that a shotgun slug would do more than just shatter the window. Especially just on one side of the vehicle and not pass through the opposite side window.

[R. Miller]

It went through the window, embedded into the middle seat top, and then must have fallen out as I found the slug laying on my dog bed, back seat, opposite side of shot window.

[Big Dave2]

Quote:

other Restrictions

• No person may discharge a firearm or an arrow from a bow on, over,

across, or within the right-of-way of an improved public highway

(including but not limited to federal, state, county, and township road­

ways) at a big game animal or a decoy of a big game animal that has

been set out by a licensed peace officer.

This is straight out of the 2013 Hunting regulations handbook page 59.

[InTheSchool]

First: so glad you are ok. Second: there is no excuse for this happening.

However, will stopping deer drives prevent this from happening in the future? I feel the same way about field hunting of any kind - too easy to make a shot without knowing the backdrop. And hunting in the woods is not good either as you can't see very far to know who or what is there...

Every hunter has the responsibility to be safe PERIOD. There are no guarantees that any one method is any safer than the other PERIOD.

[huntnfish]

This is why I do not deer hunt and stay far away from anywhere I expect to see a deer hunter. It is without a doubt idiots hunting weekend. I'll be in the duck blind.

I don't think the duck blind is the safest place either. A guy was shot in the stomach while duck hunting by a deer hunter in ND this weekend. He was shooting at a buck going towards a slough and the duck hunters didn't have any blaze on.

[eyeguy 54]

PTL yer on the right side of the dirt.

[JimmyJames]

I will NEVER participate in another deer drive. I've been told often how safe they are, if done correctly and, that they do the same drives every year and everyone know what is happening on those drives. I have NEVER felt safe as the bullets begin to fly. EVER! Though the drives are the 'same' each year, there are still too many variables in how the deer move.

It is at BEST a semi-controlled activity, at worst as has been stated it becomes Chaos. Even the group I did it with a couple times several years ago, who always 'know' what was/is happening on these drives, had a huge buck come out... first poster misses and then a driver starts shooting and another poster... I'm sure none had a clue where each other was and totally focused on THAT ONE buck. No thanks. You can hear bullets crashing through branches in the woods. I left. Never been back on another drive. They say I'm a pu$$y. whatever. I know I will be a live '[me]'.

My last argument with them is I "hunt" deer. Driving is not hunting but merely shooting. It does not take one modicum of hunting prowess to be a poster on a drive. Just be ready to slap the trigger. Even less to be a pusher... walk a straight line. I enjoy picking apart a piece of property, figuring out deer movements, the wind, timing of their movements and stand placement. I take pride in knowing I am getting to their level and taking them on. Pushing a deer with a line of hunters to another line of hunters is close to cave man status. I gun hunt on properties in two states with no deer drives... I love bowhunting as well. No problem getting a deer each year. And I know that I 'hunted' it and enjoy the harvest.

Those that drive will always argue the point because that is how they know how to harvest deer... Too me it's not enough of an argument to carry on the tradition, but to each there own. It sucks when a person in a deer drive gets hurt or killed, it sucks ten fold when an innocent bystander is the victim. They were never vouluntarily involving themselves to the risk of the drive.

Good Luck!

Ken

Agree 100%, very well said.I made a post last year expressing my dislike for deer drives and got "attacked". Deer drives aren't hunting,it's killing and that's it.

Glad to hear you're ok!

[frogtosser]

One year I was sitting on a hill on private land in full view of the guy walking the field on the edge of a woods they were driving. As a yearling proceeded to run across the open field I watched the guy raise his gun and take 5 shots toward me before he hit the deer. This guy was about 150 yds away but i still heard the slug go zing zing zing keplunk into the creek 10yds directly in front of me. This and bullets wizzing by my head a different year in cattails is the reason I dont gun hunt anymore.

[castmaster]

Hmm should others recount their stories of sitting on stand and having idiots shoot at them?

Deer drives arent hunting? But sitting over a food plot thats there solely to attract and keep deer in the area, while waiting for one of the "named" deer on the property to come walking by at 4:14 just as the surveillance system shows he's been doing is hunting???

C'mon!

[Ohboytimmy]

Ryan, I heard your story from your wife a the bar on Sunday. Sorry to hear about the incident. It hurts to see irresponsible hunters and gun owners making a terrible reputation for outdoors men. Not to forget to mention your life was almost taken.

If it were me I would beat the living **** out of the guy, instead of law enforcement giving him a slap on the wrist.

I'm sure this caused a lot of stress for you and your family. The distress will linger on but, don't let that get in your way of pursuing your passions.

-Timmy (your favorite bartender)

[Mo Gator]

If it were me I would beat the living **** out of the guy' date=' instead of law enforcement giving him a slap on the wrist.

/quote']

HA! The perfect solution, beat the **** out of someone in a group of slug gun toting idiots! That would have went well!

[LightningBG]

One crazy thing to think about is that not only did it miss by 2 feet, but it missed by a couple milliseconds, or maybe by an 1/16 of a mile per hour. If he would have been driving ever so slightly slower, the slug would have entered the front seat instead of the back seat. Or if the slug would have been coming at 100 extra feet per second, that could have hit the front seat.

Glad you're OK, and nobody was in the back seat.

Watch where you're shooting folks!

A few years back I was driving an island with a group I had never hunted with. Not my favorite way to hunt, but that's what the invitation was for. Before we headed out, one guy pointed out that I had a little bit of white shirt showing near my collar, under my 3/4 zipped blaze orange parka, blaze orange pants and blaze orange hat. He said "better cover up that white spot, don't want to get shot". I told him "do me a favor and don't shoot at any white surrounded by blaze orange". Crazy to think that some people are willing to shoot at a patch of color. I normally try to save my ammo for animals.

[Musky Buck]

There are so many close calls and thru the years it's amazing what an inch can mean. My aunts horse gunned down, some guys cattle one year, I had a hot bullet sizzle by me in a cornfield, a drive one year the driver was shooting at the deer against the drive rules, a lady one year I jumped a doe and following my trail kaboom I hit the deck again she didn't care about property lines, she saw a deer so shoot right, many many close calls could write a few chapters one day from my relatives exeperiences out there, thankful you didn't get hit or your gas tank, man it's unfortunate and u bet I'm concerned every year. I hope that's your last close call.

[NoWiser]

Some of these stories just make me shake my head. I'm glad you are ok. Very, very scary to think about everything that could have happened. For some reason people's brains just seem to shut down during a deer drive when something jumps up. It's one of the reasons I get as far away from other hunters as I can.

About 8 or so years ago I was hunting with a new group while going to school in WI. They wanted to do a deer drive, which I hesitantly agreed to. I was posting and a big doe came running towards me. Not knowing where the drivers were, I just hid behind a tree and let it run away. When the drive was over they asked why I didn't shoot. I replied "because I didn't know where all of you were!" One of the guys muttered "I should have posted, I would have shot at it." Needless to say, that was the last time I hunted with that group.

[fishhound2013]

There is no way I would have handled this calmly. I believe id have drug those hunters out of that field until the law and the game wardens got there.