Hunter shot by other party member. Makes you wonder
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Hunter shot by other party member. Makes you wonder
A man is fighting for life after being shot by his hunting companion in a central North Island range.
This is the second shooting involving a hunter being mistaken by a deer in the last month.
The 48-year-old Tauranga man was flown to Waikato Hospital by rescue helicopter on Wednesday evening with a critical gunshot wound.
He was in a critical condition on Thursday.
un - fucken - believable
Here we go again
A couple of mates I hunt with we use the Garmin rhinos for tracking each other’s position especially in close to each other’s hunting area for the day as we normally split up. I would say this type of kit may save a life of your buddy, but no guarantee like Identifying your target.
What I want to know about both these incidents recently is what were the guys wearing? I guess this will come out in the inquest for the poor bugger in the Kaimais. Hope like hell the bloke today pulls through.
I read again recently the research regarding deer sight, the colour spectrums they see, UV reflection etc. Debated again with the wife tonight about her reservations about hunting public land, especially bush. She’s not happy about going into public land anymore - flatly refuses the Kaimais despite the fact we look right at them out the bloody kitchen window.
Problem is its hard to get a definitive position from the science, someone that will say “Deer see X, Y and Z and that’s it”. Its more like well maybe its XYZ but could be ABC and more besides. Luckily we hunt mostly private but I think we take it for granted sometimes and should still wear some kind of hiviz. Whilst we hunt as a couple or with our kids, we only ever take one rifle... its the other bugger that we don’t know is there thats our concern.
Damn fine work by the Taupo rescue crew who are under pressure to keep their service.
Yes - been there - done that
Taupo have ALWAYS been right on the button !!!
Does it matter? Seems that in thick bush, where for whatever reason a lot of guys (like me) don’t wear hiviz, it does matter. Because every year we have the same small but disastrous hunter-shoots-hunter nightmares. The id your target mantra isn’t working for a tiny percentage of hunters, with the same consequences over and over. Never has worked 100%, seems like it never will. So the next step is legislation like many of the US states, thou shalt wear blaze orange to a certain level of coverage. Which no one really wants to see happen, because many of us balk at it.
Ask your wife / girlfriend / mother, whoever, how would you like me as a hunter to be dressed in thick bush? I make my kids wear blue hats and blaze orange singlets matter of course, why the fuck don’t I wear it myself???
Anyway, as pointed out above, the Taupo team pulled off an amazing rescue today and that’s worth recognising big time.
It's the other fecker that needs to identify their target that I worry about. I usually wear blaze orange on public land, and when I come on places like this I see clowns making excuses like 'in certain light blaze looks like deer', well it aint a bloody deer so that's a dickhead excuse. I'm sad to say I am considering switching to blue, I don't care if a deer can see it, I'd rather miss the odd chance of a deer than be shot by some wanker.
I read somewhere that in 1 state in USA, something like 62% of hunters shot were wearing blaze. Goes to show that no matter how much we try and educate folk, it will never work 100%.
That observation is very prescient!! Spoke today to one of those who were first on the scene, and the combination of the helicopter crews smarts, local knowledge, familiarity with the location and years of experience have just gotta be significant contributors to the outcome achieved yesterday.
And while the 'powers that be' might argue that those guys will inevitably retire/move on, the actual reality is that with a local base in Taupo they will educate and train the next generation of operators to do just what they are doing now. The notion that a similar service can be provided to the CNI ( Kaimanawas, western Kawekas, Ahimanawas, south western Ureweras, Tongariro Nat Park, King Country) by machines based in Napier, Palmerston North, Hamilton or Tauranga is laughable.
Who gives a f**k what the deer see? It's what hunters see that's the problem Flyblown.
A great many hunters give a fuck what the deer see Allizdog, that’s why so many of us choose not to wear hiviz. Rightly, or wrongly!
Anyway, I didn't really wanna start a debate, was more responding to the OP question "makes you wonder".
It does make me wonder. Am I doing the right thing? Am I teaching my kids right? Am I right to challenge my missus about her reticence to go into the bush on public land (she's ex-Army, tough as, but very aware of the fuckwittery that we are surrounded by in this world.) Sometimes too aware maybe.
I just don't go into the bush at all this time of year. The land down here is very open so that helps.
However when I lived in Katikati I stayed out of the Kaimai's during the roar.
I have told the story on here of the occurrence that changed my mind forever about being in the bush this time of year. At H & F Tauranga talking to a guy I knew working there when a car load of hunters walked in on their way into the bush for a roar trip.
One was clearly pissed which is fine as I presume he was one of the passengers. This guy wobbled up to the counter and asked for some ammo, the salesman asked what caliber ..... and waited...... the guy looked at the box's of ammo on the shelf for awhile and mumbled something about going back to the car to check his gun. This pissed fuckwit didn't even know if he owned a 308 , 270 , etc etc.
At that moment I decided that was it, I didn't want to be in the bush at that time off year with people like this walking around looking for something to shoot with a high powered rifle.
Funny how Bow hunters never shoot each other ? Gotta get in close for the shot, real close, patience and skill.
To the guys on this forum I wish you a successful roar, an exciting roar but most of all a safe roar so you can go home to wife's , friends, kids and the rest of your life.
The guy shot up in the Kaimai's was a Kati boy like me and was 4-5 yrs ahead of me in school. I never knew him but it was close enough to ram the decision home that I stay out this time off year.
Ive 30 years of hunting ruahines and kawekas in an oilskin or swandri weather dependent never been shot, why? because i don't wear BLAZE ORANGE because when faded it takes on similar colour as a red deer at certain times of the year and then bang your shot.
Better to be wearing camo or green and not be seen in my opinion
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It might not even be a case of what people are wearing, but a case of people in the bush with a loaded gun waiting for the ‘animal’ they hear close by to step into a clear spot to pull the trigger.
Just wear blue mate. Movement is what deer pick up. Plenty of deer been shot by blokes in blue alswannies or blaze. Sticks out like dogs balls in the bush and doesn't under any circumstances look like a deer.
All the science says is that deer can distinguish blue from green. Which they can't from orange. The deer still needs context and to see an outline to identify what you are
agree, Blue is most un natural colour there is.
Had a phone call from the eldest son earlier to tell me it is my nephew,still hanging in there,in a coma,lost spleen a kidney,perforated bowel.more surgery tonight.
Sickening. Hope he makes it.
Can anyone say where it was, what happened, how far away, what was he wearing, caliber and optics ? These things get sanitised by the time an official report comes out.
Hats off to the first aid he recieved, Was it any special antibleeding stuff used ?
Score one each for heroic on site care, locator beacons and rescue helicopters.
sorry ... taupo hospital not waikato ....... skills knowledge and good judgment from the crew
Yep, the haemostatic agents are hard to use on intra abdominal wounds. I'm picking he would have been getting sicker by the minute. A masterstroke here was the waikato crew meeting them in taupo with a stack of o neg blood. This would have been vital to carry oxygen to his heart muscle and brain. Hope he recovers well.
Emergency services need better funding to keep doing this.
Update on Zane,tubes coming out today,been bringing him round slowly,he gave a nurse the fingers this morning.
They were going to operate again for fragments in the spine but are now going to leave them.
on a colostomy bag for three to six months.
One lucky guy ! Speedy recovery Zane, and keep giving those nurses the finger ay ;)
Oh man oh man. Prognosis sounds positive all things considered. I feel for his mate too.
speedy recovery, one lucky/unlucky bugger.
Yes speedy recovery.
Thank god help arrived in time and that they were able to call in the help. From the posts above that's what saved his bacon.
Amen! And let's also write to our local MPs about this.
Zane hopefully will survive and display his PLB on the mantelpiece for many years to come.
No excuse not to carry one as they have become a bit smaller and lighter over the years...
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I think that makes the point.
Firstly, can anyone tell me how the hunter from Tauranga is? Secondly, I went hunting in the same area just two days after this incident without knowing this happened, although means nothing, and can tell everyone that the area is reasonably open where most shots would be at least 25-45 mtrs. I never wear high vis and neither does my hunting partner. I guess I have been hunting too long and too careful? The question I have to all is... Did these shootings happen 30 years ago? I don't remember any, although not saying they didn't, and obviously is it stag fever or just bloody idiots in the bush who cannot tell the difference between an animal with 4 legs and that of one that walks on 2 legs and in this case twice the height? Sorry to the family of the person who was shot and shame on the idiots who shoot before investigating what they are shooting at. Note to all hunters....YOU OWN IT WHEN YOU PULL THE TRIGGER......you can't say sorry