Thread: Hunter shot in Kaimanawa ranges

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 !!!

Originally Posted by Flyblown

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.

Does it matter what you are wearing. Identify your target.

Originally Posted by TeRei

Does it matter what you are wearing. Identify your target.

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%.

Originally Posted by Flyblown

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.

Me and my brother in law have started hunting with one rifle , less load to carry no temptation to shoot more than one animal no need to split up so low chance of shooting each other, after this case we going to make it the number one rule, one gun per party,

Originally Posted by stevodog

Damn fine work by the Taupo rescue crew who are under pressure to keep their service.

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.

Originally Posted by Maxx

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.

Any up date on how the poor guys are going? Person shot and shooter?

Who gives a f**k what the deer see? It's what hunters see that's the problem Flyblown.

Originally Posted by Allizdog

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.