Thread: How Could This Happen ?

X2 on what @mopheadrob said.
Always a bit of a no-no shooting near huts when i was growing up. That was because of my mates dad, who was a forest ranger, and that rule did apply because of the predominantly non hunted track to the huts we used to frequent. Much more likely to see non hunters there.
Same went with the walking track they were on. Never had the gun loaded either. Did some very fruitless stalking on the tops by above the appropriately name top hut and its newly built replacement but quite a bit further around, plus a bit of the same by the old one hour back down the track, but again that was 10 min walk away and not on the track.
I will add though that some older school friends at that lower hut during some holidays in the rain and snow did resort to splitting some firewood with their 303's as some wanker had pinched the axe.
From this you could probably work out I havent done much hunting from huts. I'm sure there have been quite a few shot from huts now and again.
Bit of common sense applied here really but these young fellas have certainly been very fortunate they didnt kill someone

We were all brought up the same & not just from my old man any older hunter we were invited along with to show the ropes always drilled into us no shooting near huts & gun unloaded on walking tracks frequented by trampers etc. I can say in all honesty neither l or anyone l have hunted with have ever shot near a hut in my 30+ years of hunting.

Plus it was only up to a few years ago before they really cracked down on it that it was not unusual to find private camps scattered through even the remotest areas,made from everything from loca timber to tarps & ground plastic sheets.So you never knew when you would come across someone ,down here there was infamous old Hippy hermit that lived in one of my hunting spots right in the middle of a good patch of trees.He would make buttons etc from cast antlers & sell them at the markets once a month,he lived there for 8 years that l know of.

well we have taken great pains with my boy , and daughter for that matter , to drill into them when it is safe, identify target beyond doubt etc . When we were at one of our local huts around a month ago the lad beat us to the hut and came barreling back down the track , "there's 2 deer right next to the hut!' did you shoot at them "no" why not "cause they are right next to the hut and don't know if it's safe" good lad
Kinda sucked because we ended up walking out empty handed and he was gutted because he so want's to drop his first deer , but still had enough restraint to think before he acted .
So if the younger one's are trained properly there is hope and as much as I hate to say it knowing the costs would be added to our license , it is probably not a silly idea to actually have some kind of training at least in the practical side of firearms handling...say at an indoor 22 range maybe.

oh and as an aside there was one guy in my famdamlies course who wanted a license simply because his dad had died and he wanted to keep his old man's firearms in the family , apparently had no desire to actually use them.