Thread: how to stay safe out there/the shit just got real

ok I will kick this one off

when I was 12 my first cousin got a hold of an unsecured firearm and shot his younger sister dead inside the family home with a 6.5x55mm mauser,parents were next door at the time and got home in time to hand her over to the lord.......way before her time.

back about 25ish years ago I was hunting with a mate up at lake sumner area,we had put in big day on loopy tracks and seen no one at all,just getting feel for area/going far too fast in wrong places. we got to nice wee area beside track with grassy bit off and away to one side and stopped for breather, I saw movement down at end of clear spot,a flash of brown so up went rifle to look with scope(BOLT OPEN) nothing then more movement....looking carefully to see what it was thinking to self deer coming out,going back in...then saw blue and red and nearly shit myself as did the two jokers coming up track with brown dog running loose..the track looped around and Id originally seen dog out on front...I thank my old man for drilling positive ID into me from young age.
looking back now I shouldnt have been using scope for clarification...I think we all do it but for Christs sake leave bolt open/hammer uncocked when you do.binos are safer but this is a "get real" thread
Ive had .12ga discharge load of magnum #2s into spaniard bush 6" behind my shin from range of 3mtrs when brother in law (a lefty) was fiddling with safety catch on single barrel shottie out after wallabies........needless to say a right royal bollocking followed that one.

right thats my bit,have at it guys n gals

I've was hunting in public land years ago, sneaking along very quietly in an area were I though is was the only one around when I suddenly got a whiff of cigarette smoke. Holy crap batman did the hair go up on the back of my neck! I started singing ABBA's Dancing Queen at the top of my voice and backed out the way I came in. Basically never hunted public land ever since, and for that reason have never hunted the roar.

Had a couple of mates out. Both were wanting to get a goat with their bow and crossbow. Snuck up on a goat and surrounded it. Was waiting for them to do something the goat was getting agitated. I upped with the .22 and shot it. One guy popped up directly behind the line of fire after I'd fire(he definitely was not in the line of fire and I could not see him) I nearly shit myself...


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I was hunting an area solo looking for a few goats. I was hunting with the bolt OPEN on my rifle. I slipped on some scraggly pine sticks on the ground and fell over. Turns out it was a large pile of pine rubbish pushed into a hole with a dozer and not really covered with dirt. The rifle disappeared butt first into the scragg with the barrel pointing straight up at about ground level just beside where I had landed on top of the sticks. When I got clear and reached back for the rifle and lifted it up I saw that the fall had fully CLOSED the bolt. After checking the action, the fall had closed the bolt and chambered a round and was now fully cocked. As I had landed very close to the muzzle and rolled away by instinct, I also realised then that any twig could easily had moved the trigger causing t to fire. I now hunt with either the bolt closed on empty (solo) or with a single shot rifle with an empty chamber (in group or pair). That day could very easily have been the end of me and to this day I am very grateful that luck was on my side and that I lived to learn not to do something that I thought was the right thing to do.

Always point the rifle in a safe direction.

Originally Posted by timattalon

I was hunting an area solo looking for a few goats. I was hunting with the bolt OPEN on my rifle. I slipped on some scraggly pine sticks on the ground and fell over. Turns out it was a large pile of pine rubbish pushed into a hole with a dozer and not really covered with dirt. The rifle disappeared butt first into the scragg with the barrel pointing straight up at about ground level just beside where I had landed on top of the sticks. When I got clear and reached back for the rifle and lifted it up I saw that the fall had fully CLOSED the bolt. After checking the action, the fall had closed the bolt and chambered a round and was now fully cocked. As I had landed very close to the muzzle and rolled away by instinct, I also realised then that any twig could easily had moved the trigger causing t to fire. I now hunt with either the bolt closed on empty (solo) or with a single shot rifle with an empty chamber (in group or pair). That day could very easily have been the end of me and to this day I am very grateful that luck was on my side and that I lived to learn not to do something that I thought was the right thing to do.

Always point the rifle in a safe direction.

@timattalon

I take it your rifle was cock-on-open?

The current safety advice about hunting with the open action appears based on rifles that cock-on-close, particularly the Lee Enfield, which also has a relatively weak safety. Some cock-on-open rifles even give an audible click on pushing the bolt forwards. The advice really does not apply equally well to every bolt action rifle. Never mind the semis.

Originally Posted by Cordite

@timattalon

I take it your rifle was cock-on-open?

The current safety advice about hunting with the open action appears based on rifles that cock-on-close, particularly the Lee Enfield, which also has a relatively weak safety. Some cock-on-open rifles even give an audible click on pushing the bolt forwards. The advice really does not apply equally well to every bolt action rifle. Never mind the semis.

Not sure it would have mattered. The bolt was pushed closed as it was pushed forward AND DOWN by the branches as it went down. Maybe more force would be needed for cock on close, but the force with which it went down and closed was substantial enough. I just count my lucky stars that i t was going the wrong way to work the trigger as well. (Until it was pulled up, as I could not see the action until it was clear of the shit.

Good thread. Some honesty might prevent a future disaster.

Two incidents for me, both made me think a lot.

1) Saw a "possum tail" hanging out of a densely leaved branch one evening, put the scope on it and saw the "body". Took a shot with 22LR at fairly close range. There was a bit of clattering in the tree and a large bird of prey flew out. It looked unharmed, but I was mortified, firstly because I had potentially shot a protected species and secondly, because I had misidentified my target when I was 100% sure. The relevance of this to recent tragedies has not escaped me.

2) I love my little CZ452 22LR, but the factory trigger was crap. Eventually, I got around to installing a YoDave kit. It went well and the trigger passed all the "bump" tests that are recommended and more. After an evening's rabbit shooting, I was unloading the rifle by cycling the bolt. I was standing at the back of my car with the barrel pointed in to the car, and the rifle discharged. Fortunately, damage was minimal. Don't mess with rifle parts you don't understand and always point firearms in a safe direction. I could argue that my rifle was pointed in a safe direction because there was no one in the way, but I didn't want to shoot my car(!) and there was a risk of ricochet.

Originally Posted by MightyBoosh

Good thread. Some honesty might prevent a future disaster.

Two incidents for me, both made me think a lot.

1) Saw a "possum tail" hanging out of a densely leaved branch one evening, put the scope on it and saw the "body". Took a shot with 22LR at fairly close range. There was a bit of clattering in the tree and a large bird of prey flew out. It looked unharmed, but I was mortified, firstly because I had potentially shot a protected species and secondly, because I had misidentified my target when I was 100% sure. The relevance of this to recent tragedies has not escaped me.

I have nearly done the same thing! I was so sure it was a possum I spotted but then I wasn't completely 100% sure so decided to leave it. I'm glad I did!

My Fiance's Uncle was killed by his mate while they were out hunting, I think he was in his 20's. (This happened before we were born). His family was so upset they got rid of all his guns and hunting gear and hated anything to do with hunting/firearms. We don't really talk/bring up our hunting around that side of the family. But it really has embedded gun safety and identifying your target into our heads and we both always have that accident in the back of our minds when we go out.

A week or so before last roar I figured I'd be safe enough heading out into what becomes a very heavily hunted little area this time of year. Walked in while dark and spent maybe half an hour as vision improved stalking up on a little mob of Red spikers/hinds etc with the bow. Just got enough light to try and take a shot and.......had a round pass by danger close. Ex Army so know what close range live fire sounds like and this was fucken close. Swore as loud as I could (lots) and got outta there ASAP. Never saw shooter and don't know intended target but given geography I think it may have been me. On a side note the 2 odd hours walking back out had a further 6-8 shots heard, very much doubt all those rounds were aimed at Deer. Was the first time around the roar I had been out in maybe 10 years and probably the last for a few more too.

Originally Posted by Preacher

had a round pass by danger close. Ex Army so know what close range live fire sounds like and this was fucken close. Swore as loud as I could (lots) and got outta there ASAP. Never saw shooter and don't know intended target but given geography I think it may have been me. On a side note the 2 odd hours walking back out had a further 6-8 shots heard, very much doubt all those rounds were aimed at Deer. Was the first time around the roar I had been out in maybe 10 years and probably the last for a few more too.

Holy crap, that's scary. I was just now debating whether to take my bow to Pureora for deer or Tangihua for some goats in a couple of weeks. This just made my mind up for me!

Also, thanks to the members candidly sharing their experiences here, it helps hunters with less experience learn from other's mistakes, before they become their own.

Originally Posted by berg243

.maybe something like a map board at end of road with areas marked that parties can mark where they are going might help spread people out or at least know that there are others there to?

Would just make a nice target....

Originally Posted by berg243

if you watch some of the videos on here in slow motion and see the bullet travelling then you realise how close to you the bullet is to actually hear it and it is not nice .been in a live fire zone because someone called wrong target zone not knowing 12 guys where there never seen a dozen guys fit into a depression that normally would only fit about 4 people but we all did.maybe something like a map board at end of road with areas marked that parties can mark where they are going might help spread people out or at least know that there are others there to?

I was in a private pine block last weekend where nobody accept our hunting party was meant to be in 7 guys seen/heard in our block and another 6 seen hunting in to our block at a distance. So i cant see a map board working on public land.
Also a couple of doc blocks i hunt i some times go through farm land (know my truck is safe) so i dont know how many people have come of the road but i know people are going to be in there.