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Hunting accident, be careful!!!!!

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
I just got off the phone with a good friend of mine. He told me that Saturday he was shot with a crossbow and is lucky to be alive.

He was hunting and had some family in from out of state. Saturday evening he was hunting one side of a ravine and another guy was hunting the other, both in treestands. Getting close to dark, my friend heard a buck grunting and decided to climb out of his stand to see if he could sneak up on him. Well the guy on the other side had the same idea and also climbed out of his stand to sneak up on the buck. My friend was hunkered down with his bow in his left hand creeping through some tall grass toward the buck. The guy on the other side saw the bow moving through the tall grass and though it was antlers, shot with his crossbow.

He said the arrow went completely through his right leg, bone and all, and stuck in the other leg. He pulled the broadhead out of his left leg and then passed out. He was life flighted from North Knox County to Columbus. Blood transfusions, MRI, specialists, surgeons, etc. He is currently home from the hospital and will be in a walker for months and has no mobility in the one leg from his hip to his foot.

He also said "Joel you have no idea how painful that was". I can only imagine. The broadhead was a fixed blade and he believes a mechanical blade would have killed him.

At the end of all this on the phone he wanted to stress to me and everyone I know that hunts always have a light when walking around in low light in the woods. His words, deer don't have lights.

You hear about this type of stuff from time to time but when it's someone you know it feels different. This is a great guy that is very intelligent and passionate about the outdoors. Please take something from this incident, be careful out there and prayers are needed. The doctors are saying they won't know if there's any permanent damage for another 6 months or so and I'm sure there will be surgeries, follow ups, physical therapy involved.

I'm glad he's alive. Had that guy aimed a little higher, slightly different equipment, helicopter got there a little later or a number of other things this could have easily killed him.
 

Bigslam51

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
25,778
127
Stark County
Damn that's horrible, my thoughts are with him! That just goes to show that you only shoot when you've identified a target.
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
Oh yeah. It goes without saying you need to know wtf you are shooting at and the guy knew better but shot anyway thinking my friend was still in his treestand. I guess the other lesson here is be careful who you hunt with!!
 

brock ratcliff

Dignitary Member
Supporting Member
24,834
247
A boy I went to HS with was shot through the leg and died a few years back. He was carrying his son across a creek before daylight heading into his stand. The guy that shot him was in his stand, and shot him thinking the weird shaped form was a deer! IDIOTS!
 

Diane

*Supporting Member*
4,715
66
Newark
Damn that's horrible, my thoughts are with him! That just goes to show that you only shoot when you've identified a target.

Unfortunately I have known a couple of people over the years that don't follow this. One guy actually bragged about shooting at sound (gun hunting!).

Prayers to your friend, Joel.
 

Lundy

Member
1,307
127
I have to take exception to that act being called an accident. It was negligence. There is absolutely no excuse for that to have happened, light, no light, it doesn't matter.

I hope he recovers well.

My question would have to center around how and who you choose as hunting partners. Did this guy have no clue that the guy that shot him was ignorant of how to hunt? Was he himself ignorant of how to hunt? His actions in no way should have contributed to being shot but climbing down to try and sneak up on a buck seems to suggest that it was two guys out hunting that really didn't have much of a clue.

Did the guy that got shot realize his hunting partner was a goofdick?
 

jeremy44230

Senior Member
2,370
76
Medina County
Lucky to be alive and good to hear he is. What a shame.

The guy that made that shot should simply have his license revoked for such a careless act. Aren't "we" supposed to know our targets and be sure of what we are trying to KILL???
 

Joel

Senior Member
3,049
113
Centerburg, Ohio
He actually told me it was not an accident it was an incident. It absolutely could have been avoided. I picked the word "accident" but you're right. That is not the right word.

I don't know the others that were hunting, just him. Not sure what all the other details are or what time it was, how far apart the stands were, how far the two were from each other when the shot was made... Bad scenario all around. Worth passing on in hopes someone else learns from it though.
 

Jackalope

Dignitary Member
Staff member
38,841
260
WOW! Scary stuff. I hope he makes a full recovery. Just plain scary.

One thing that kind of threw me though was he said "if it was a mechanical It would have killed me." Just wondering what his thought pattern behind that was.