11 year old girl killed by father in TX hunting accident

[AshWilliams]

from what I understand we actually have way more carry rights in deep blue Oregon that deep red Texas does.

I carried in Texas when I lived there for five years and with the recent carry restrictions passed in Oregon carry rights are about the same: no federal buildings, schools, etc. In Texas you cannot carry in a bar. I think that's really the only difference at this point.

 

[SrMachoSolo]

Ive fished, backpacked, skied, hunted all my life on National Forest, State Forest and BLM lands here in Oregon, completely free and unencumbered and literally anytime I want. I could never imagine living in Texas, outdoor recreation there is for the privileged only.

How often have you encountered logging companies blocking off access to certain parts of the land with gates on roads that used to be open to the public?

In my experience, this is happening more and more often.

-Robert

 

[Koda]

I carried in Texas when I lived there for five years and with the recent carry restrictions passed in Oregon carry rights are about the same: no federal buildings, schools, etc. In Texas you cannot carry in a bar. I think that's really the only difference at this point.

things are definetely changing, and not for the better. Federal buildings have always been prohibited in Oregon, the new law is different in now other non-federal public buildings (schools, hospitals etc.) can choose to prohibit CCW and it will carry the weight of the law. Not good for gun rights. In Oregon you can still carry in bars, thankfully. Id still say overall, right now, Oregon is still better off than Texas but agree things are changing.

 

[Koda]

How often have you encountered logging companies blocking off access to certain parts of the land with gates on roads that used to be open to the public?

In my experience, this is happening more and more often.

-Robert

I grew up hunting on some private logging lands. Back in the day they welcomed hunters because most hunters are conservative and were pro logging. When loggers lost the spotted owl and other habitat debate it no longer mattered and they closed their lands to hunters because, sadly, most hunters shot their equipment, dumped trash from target shooting etc.

None of the public lands are closed to hunting. I gave up trying to access private timber lands years ago and will be damned to pay to hunt on them or support their finances to encourage them to charge hunters for access. Ive never encountered gates on public lands. There is so much public lands in Oregon I have plenty of options thankfully.

 

[RVTECH]

How often have you encountered logging companies blocking off access to certain parts of the land with gates on roads that used to be open to the public?

Do you have any specific locations that you can cite as examples AND if so did you check into the legality of these areas that were 'blocked off' ? If not you might want to.

About 25 years ago I recall a BIG issue about lessors of BLM land in Oregon trying to close it off to the public. They were LOCKING gates and posting 'private property' signs on fence lines and it got challenged.

When the smoke cleared it was determined the lessors could NOT lock gates on leased BLM land and had to remove 'private property' signs on the fence lines.

At the same time the public was advised they needed to leave gates the way they found them when they entered them and had to abide by ALL laws that applied to the lessor of the property - but were otherwise legally able to access and use it.

 

[Member 53328]

I'd probably eat a bullet after that.

Yea. I wouldn't be surprised if he suck started a 9mm after that mistake. That's a lot to live with.

 

[Koda]

another one.
Heres what I mean when I say they are most always the hunter didnt identify his target.

New York Man Dies in Thanksgiving Hunting Accident

A Finger Lakes hunting trip that was supposed to be a fun start to Thanksgiving ended in tragedy for Zachary Barse, 28, of Gorham, New York. His hunting partner accidentally shot and killed him while Barse was tracking a deer, according to the Utica Observer-Dispatch. Kevin Hudson, 61, of Clifton...

www.themeateater.com

 

[RVTECH]

Hudson was sitting in a tree stand while Barse followed the bloodtrail of a deer he shot earlier. That trail curled back in the direction of Hudson's tree, and as Barse slowly approached the area, Hudson shot at what he thought was a deer.

Apparently I am missing something - If the guy who shot the deer was following the bloodtrail the deer would have most likely wandered off out of the proximity of the tree stand the shooter was still setting in. AND if in a tree stand couldn't he recognize what he was shooting at ? A tree stand should give a better vantage point of the area. I mean is this all taking place in a 100 yards or less?

I am thinking these are a bunch of idiotic, inexperienced hunters who are just shooting at anything that moves. Probably a bunch of 'Huh huh' , Heer, man, hold muh beer whilst 'ah choot at thiz heer deer'.

 

[Hueco]

Fletcher said the father told them he thought he had spent two cartridges while in the stand and remembered loading four into the rifle. He says he ejected two near the vehicle. Then, when he went to clear the hammer, the gun went off. The sheriff says the rifle was lying in one of the seats as Daisy was getting into the truck or had already gotten in when she was shot.

How the fu#* does this even happen? It sounds like an internal mag or tube fed weapon…isn't SOP to work the action again and again until no more rounds are found? Why try to trust a faulty memory when you can observe the chamber at any point with your own two eyes?

 

[Lilhigbee]

isn't SOP to work the action again and again until no more rounds are found?

Only if you're NOT a forking maroon!!

And how do these 'tards always manage to get lethal shot placement?? Especially in the Thanksgiving story above. If he thought his friend was a deer, shouldn't the shot have been significantly lower than the chest?? The vitals on most deer I've seen aren't much above waist high on an average person. WTF???

 

[Tony617]

I have never been hunting but what I have read the bolt action hunting rifles have an internal magazine so you can see when you pull the bolt back if their are rounds in the internal magazine right?

I feel very sorry for the dad.

 

[solv3nt]

How the fu#* does this even happen? It sounds like an internal mag or tube fed weapon…isn't SOP to work the action again and again until no more rounds are found? Why try to trust a faulty memory when you can observe the chamber at any point with your own two eyes?

He mentioned a hammer, so I'm thinking a lever action with a tube fed magazine.

 

[TTSX]

How do you start a conversation like that when you get home?

 

[solv3nt]

I have never been hunting but what I have read the bolt action hunting rifles have an internal magazine so you can see when you pull the bolt back if their are rounds in the internal magazine right?

I feel very sorry for the dad.

Some have a floor plate that can drop the rounds, but it sounds like he may have had a tube fed lever. I took my 4yo hunting with me this year, and he hiked 7 miles with me. When he got cold and wet, he wasn't ready to be done, so I took him car hunting with the heater running.

I had my rifle in the passenger side, and his seat was directly behind the passenger, so I made sure there was no round in the chamber.

 

[Mr Smith]

Man, this nearly sends me into an emotional breakdown -

I simply CANNOT get over wondering how this could have happened - I mean was she so far away from her father he mistook her for whatever he was hunting (the game was not mentioned) or total negligence with gun handling up close.

The guy interviewed at 1.20 said, 'Is somethin' you don' want to hear, but it is reality' was NOT what I considered to be a very 'thoughtful' remark. He made it sound like it was something 'commonplace' to happen.

I have no idea what a hunting 'lease' is but I do have some knowledge of hunting in states with little public land and from what I ascertain these hunting areas are tight-knit and not particularly far from one another.

From what I read in the story it was complete negligent discharge. Says the father had thought he had loaded 4 rounds into the rifle. He had discharged 2 rounds on the hunt, and when he got back to his truck he ejected 2 rounds, and apparently pulled the trigger to drop the hammer while inside his truck with the rifle laying across the seats just as his little girl was getting into the truck.

The details on the discharge bit seem fuzzy at best, but it sounds like he was trying to decock the hammer in the rifle by dry firing what he believed to be an empty gun. No details on what type of gun. I'm guessing it had to be a semi auto or a lever gun. I don't see how you can't tell a bolt gun is loaded unless you literally don't look at your gun while racking that bolt. Even then the gun feels and sounds a lot different racking an empty bolt vs racking a bolt that is pushing a cartridge into battery. Also don't know what possessed him to dry fire the rifle with the barrel pointed anywhere but down range or the ground.

 

[Stomper]

From what I read in the story it was complete negligent discharge. Says the father had thought he had loaded 4 rounds into the rifle. He had discharged 2 rounds on the hunt, and when he got back to his truck he ejected 2 rounds, and apparently pulled the trigger to drop the hammer while inside his truck with the rifle laying across the seats just as his little girl was getting into the truck.

The details on the discharge bit seem fuzzy at best, but it sounds like he was trying to decock the hammer in the rifle by dry firing what he believed to be an empty gun. No details on what type of gun. I'm guessing it had to be a semi auto or a lever gun. I don't see how you can't tell a bolt gun is loaded unless you literally don't look at your gun while racking that bolt. Even then the gun feels and sounds a lot different racking an empty bolt vs racking a bolt that is pushing a cartridge into battery. Also don't know what possessed him to dry fire the rifle with the barrel pointed anywhere but down range or the ground.

A lot of marriages don't survive after the death of a child (under any circumstances), let alone having one of the parents be the direct cause of the death…. the misery is only just beginning.

 

[RVTECH]

From what I read in the story it was complete negligent discharge.

AND what sounds like a lot of stupidity as well. I

The In the video the the reporter said the sheriff said 'the father was handling the gun as his daughter was getting in' so here we have, what - three rules of gun safety overlooked here?

This part of the article is a bit odd as well:
The sheriff says the rifle was lying in one of the seats as Daisy was getting into the truck or had already gotten in when she was shot.

SO my thought is the father was possibly laying the gun in the back seat, or moving it and unaware of where his daughter was.

Regardless total negligence and a complete lack of any gun safety.

 

[bbbass]

I know this section is for NW hunting threads, but this story caught my eye and is a sad reminder of the necessity for hunter safety and awareness:

11-year-old girl killed by father in hunting accident in Harrison County, Texas

Preliminary reports indicate 6th-grader was accidentally shot with a high-powered rifle

www.ksla.com

Condolences to the family. Reading this made my heart drop.

I wish there was a way to put in the emoji, so I'll just put it here.

Multiple safety failures resulting in the accidental death of a 11yr old daughter due to a negligent discharge... A story seen all too often.

 

[bbbass]

How the fu#* does this even happen? It sounds like an internal mag or tube fed weapon…isn't SOP to work the action again and again until no more rounds are found? Why try to trust a faulty memory when you can observe the chamber at any point with your own two eyes?

I have never been hunting but what I have read the bolt action hunting rifles have an internal magazine so you can see when you pull the bolt back if their are rounds in the internal magazine right?

I feel very sorry for the dad.

He mentioned a hammer, so I'm thinking a lever action with a tube fed magazine.

Yes, it sounds like it was a lever action. Think Win 94, etc.

However, even with a lever action, the action opens either top or side and you can see into the chamber and also see if there is another round waiting to be chambered. As was mentioned, you look inside, repeatedly jack to make sure there isn't another round, POINT THE FIREARM IN A SAFE DIRECTION (the ground) and drop the hammer as a FINAL measure. You don't take a FINAL measure while it's pointed at your child... it winds up being HER FINAL MEASURE!!!

IDPA Safety Officer procedure after a shooter finishes a stage:

1. Unload
2. Show clear (both the shooter and the RO/SO visually inspect the chamber)
3. Hammer down (a last measure to ensure the weapon doesn't have a live round chambered... the shooter will point the handgun down towards the ground about 3' away or at least a 45deg angle and pull the trigger... if gun goes boom, both shooter and RO/SO are in trouble and shooter MAY be DQ'd from the match for an ND)

IMO it would be best if ALL hunters followed this procedure BEFORE putting rifles or handguns into the car/truck!!! (Except for you road hunters)

 

[bbbass]

Even if we don't take the Dad's "drop the hammer" literally, on all firearms except muzzleloaders, there is a way to open the action/bolt to see if a round is chambered or ready to be chambered. To not visually check is a negligent violation of common safety rules/measures.

Bad habits can kill.

Complacency can kill.

IMO don't handle firearms if you have either of these!!! Not around me, and not around anybody else, esp kids.