What's one of the most stressed topics of hunter's safety?
"Always make sure that you know what your target is, along with what is behind it!"
Take away hunting privleges until they have AT THE VERY LEAST taken hunter's safety again, because they obviously missed the most important part.

Nate

My first thought was "That's ridiculous. How could they mistake him for a coyote." I can see now, how that scenario played out though. I guess it's true you never can be too careful and you can't let the excitement of the hunt cloud your judgement.

What State a while back were hunting at night was permitted for deer, and I said, someone will be killed, I rest my case!

MAY GOD HAVE MERCY ON THEIR SOLES!

In the end there is no excuse for the hunters not positively IDing the target before pulling the trigger. Knowing for sure what you are shooting at is so important. Last year I was hunting yotes at night and I caught a pair of eyes out in the middle of the hay field. The eyes were the right hight off the ground for it to be a yote but the eyes were not acting like a yotes eyes. I just sat and watched for about a minuet and all of the sudden the eyes got up and started walking away. It was a bedded down deer that I had almost shot. It is so easy to just shoot and then start asking yourself questions later, think first then shoot.

This is very unfortunate. You cannot stress safety enough. My thoughts and prayers go out to both families.

This is tragic. I understand why they allow hunting nuisance animals at night, but I'm not so sure it's a good idea. Case in point right here.

I devoted the last 16 years of my career to teach hunters to be safe. I found that most of the negligent shootings were done by "experienced" hunters. I investigated over 75 negligent shootings during my career. You will notice that I said negligent shootings and not accidents. I never saw a hunting accident. The shooter was negligent and pulled the trigger. I have sneaked up on hunters at night that were not following the law. I was very careful when doing so. In my line of work if I am doing my job for the lawful hunters then I had no choice but to do this at times. Not every eye you see at night is a coyote. People could not understand why here in WV the officers spend as much time as they do looking for people spotlighting deer. This is one reason we do it. At night it is very difficult to make ID but it is a must that a hunter do so. I have asked shooters what they saw when they pulled the trigger, and most of them just hung their head and shook their head. What the hunters could have shot was a deer, a cow, a sheep , a farmers dog a lot of things that have eyes. As far a I am concerned their excuse is a poor one. Of course you may not think so until you have seen young people shot to pieces and the other dumb ways people shoot other people. I have had some that were even hard to ID. When you look at these things as long as I have you get a hard attitude about negligent shootings and the poor excuses people use for killing other people. If I got carried on this I'm sorry I guess I just saw too many negligent shootings.

Stephen D. Rexrode

A +1 for you!

Hunting at night under those methods and conditions is sure disaster!

Buckhunter I don't sneak up on hunters anymore because I'm retired. When I was hired I took an oath to protect the natural resources of the State of West Virginia.
The profession of a Conservation Officer is a dangerous occupation but is one that someone must do if we are to have wildlife for the future. We train our officers how to sneak up on people and do it in as safe of manner as possible, but the officers still have to take risks. If a person is afraid to take risks then the job of a Conservation Officer is not for you. I have had people that I have arrested tell me that they had their crosshairs on me but decided different. You might say we are crazy but it must be done. It might have helped me but I was employed as an officer shortly after I returned from Vietnam. I don't think you will find a more dedicated group of people than Conservation Officers. By the way I know that some hunters have had bad experiences but every profession has its bad apples.

I agree with 86ram. That was a crumby or incorrectly used NV system. Or the young'un was just too trigger-happy to take another second to look.

I've hunted that area several times. But in the 80's there weren't any coyote at all there. When did this happen?

Stephen D.,
I'm sorry but you sound 'full of it'. Like most cops 'you' can't make a mistake. Just the pedestrian or in this case the hunter. I'm sorry but unless I misread this post the conservation officers made a huge mistake in their surveillance techniques. JMO, but get off your high horse.

I have been giving it some thought and from your last two comments I have come to the conclusion that you do not like Conservation Officers. Were you arrested or given a hard time by one. Sounds like it.

My thoughts and prayers go out to the familys, especially the ranger's. About 10years ago someone that lived in our county shot another hunter while turkey hunting.Both hunters were calling to the same bird,and neither could tell the gobbler was answering them both.They were moving in from differant sides to the bird.The man who was shot set up first and was setting there when he was shot. The hunter who shot him to this day says he was shooting at the gobbler.Both were known to be very good turkey hunters.I had never hunted with either but had friends who did,and they all said they would never thought this guy would have made such a mistake.The man shot lost an eye and it left him with other problems as well. The man who shot him no longer hunts and moved away, both were in their 40s. All of us that have hunted for many years can recall a time when we were sure we saw a something (a horn,a red head,ect.)and it turned out to be something else or nothing at all. Everyone should realize that their eyes will fool them. If at all possible I do not hunt on hunting leases or property that the hunters do not have point restrictions on deer or size or age class of the animal,something to make them look harder and longer before they shoot.Anytime a person trys to slip in to where someone is set up and calling ANYTHING they are taking a big chance, not knowing if the person as alreading seen an animal coming in and lost sight of it or not. Hunting is still safer than boating ,football and most other sports, but a accident or mistake made by hunter is far more dangerous. BE SAFE