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MA turkey hunt fatality

pupchow

pupchow

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Ugh.

More current news story:
"The details of how Puntin was shot were not released but Yusko said the victim was handling a shotgun when the accident occurred."

Pittsfield man fatally shot while participating in youth hunting program in the Berkshires

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Pittsfield man killed in hunting accident in Great Barrington

"GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. (WWLP) - A man was shot and killed while hunting in Great Barrington on Saturday afternoon.

Great Barrington Police were called to Monument Road for a fatal hunting incident.

A 44-year-old Pittsfield man was participating in a youth turkey hunt with two other adults and a minor when he was killed. No one else was injured."
 
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pupchow said:
Ugh.

Pittsfield man killed in hunting accident in Great Barrington

"GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. (WWLP) - A man was shot and killed while hunting in Great Barrington on Saturday afternoon.

Great Barrington Police were called to Monument Road for a fatal hunting incident.

A 44-year-old Pittsfield man was participating in a youth turkey hunt with two other adults and a minor when he was killed. No one else was injured."
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I read that off the news alert pager. Not good.
 
KBCraig said:
Dressing up like a bush and gobbling like a turkey is a damn good way to get shot. That's why I don't hunt turkeys.
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The victim was the one handling the shotgun according to the article. Dressed up like a Bush or wearing hot pink knickers in this case it wouldn't have mattered.

And you don't gobble when hunting turkeys......you cluck and purr like a hen. Just pointing that out for clarification. :)
 
whacko said:
The victim was the one handling the shotgun according to the article. Dressed up like a Bush or wearing hot pink knickers in this case it wouldn't have mattered.

And you don't gobble when hunting turkeys......you cluck and purr like a hen. Just pointing that out for clarification. :)
Click to expand...

Unless you are in a safe position and a quick gobble can drive big ole Toms to your decoys.
 
What the hell you shooting into a bush for ? You want a dam Turkey or a deer so bad you shoot blind or at a sound ? What next ? Ma going to make hunters carry a picture of a bush and a Turkey so they can compare the two .
 
Woodsy said:
Unless you are in a safe position and a quick gobble can drive big ole Toms to your decoys.
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I'm not at that level. Lol

I'm lucky I've got two Tom's in 4 seasons. Only get 3 days to try max. I'm just thankful to get a legal bird within 40 yards size doesn't matter to me at this point.
 
gscott said:
Well I didn't read the article first so maybe he wasn't shot because someone thought he was a Turkey. Maybe a accidental discharge . Tragic all the same .
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Yes still a tragedy. But somewhat relieved after reading that a kid didn't accidentally shoot someone. That is much worse because two lives are ruined at that point.

Article says it happened at noon.....closing time for legal hunting of Turkey so I'm going to assume they were packing up and then poor guy had a nd
 
Maybe he was shoving the loaded shotgun into a soft case butt first and the trigger caught on something. In this family, if not alone, another hunter will check the gun before it's put away. We know that all guns are always loaded. That's the first thing that my sons and grandkids were taught. Jack.
 
Never forget my first Hunter Safety Course in 1985. It was in Connecticut. Video showed a hunter calling turkeys while wiping his runny nose with a red handkerchief. Inexperienced hunter was called in and shot at the red beard, so he thought. Was a bad day and a very graphic video. In other words, learning occurred on my part.

Know your target and what's beyond it!!
 
The report says that it was a wooded area on Monument Valley Road. Monument Valley road is all woods. The houses are very scattered. It is quite near Beartown State Forest. Interesting how a reporter portrays things.
 
So the second hand report of what happened.
The youth shoots a turkey and opens the action and sets the gun against the tree. The shot wasn't quite clean so Puntin picks up the shotgun and closes the action and then goes to dispatch the bird. While climbing over a fence/wall the shotgun discharged into the side/back of his head. I truly feel sad for all involved.

We all get complacent when it comes to safety. I work construction and see it all the time on jobsites. Sometimes I see it at the rifle range. And all too often I see it in the woods.

Safety needs to be habitual.
 
Fritz the Cat said:
So the second hand report of what happened.
The youth shoots a turkey and opens the action and sets the gun against the tree. The shot wasn't quite clean so Puntin picks up the shotgun and closes the action and then goes to dispatch the bird. While climbing over a fence/wall the shotgun discharged into the side/back of his head. I truly feel sad for all involved.

We all get complacent when it comes to safety. I work construction and see it all the time on jobsites. Sometimes I see it at the rifle range. And all too often I see it in the woods.

Safety needs to be habitual.
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That’s terrible. It’s also why you never cross an obstacle with a loaded weapon. On my hikes into the woods hunting I fall a few times a year, slippery rocks, unstable soil etc. it happens. Not having a loaded firearm until your ready to shoot is pretty key.
 
Tragic. Even more so because it was a youth hunt.
Not that it matters in the end, but I can't help but wonder what the details were. I am having a hard time understanding how the muzzle could end up pointing at the guys head, and the trigger pulled.
 
whacko said:
Yes still a tragedy. But somewhat relieved after reading that a kid didn't accidentally shoot someone. That is much worse because two lives are ruined at that point.

The police have not released the details of how the shotgun accidentally discharged. Our family knows it was an accident.
Click to expand...
 
The police have not released the details of how the shotgun accidentally discharged. Our family knows it was an accident.
 
whacko said:
The victim was the one handling the shotgun according to the article. Dressed up like a Bush or wearing hot pink knickers in this case it wouldn't have mattered.

And you don't gobble when hunting turkeys......you cluck and purr like a hen. Just pointing that out for clarification. :)
Click to expand...

The police have not released a report detailing how the gun accidentally discharged.
 
Brian Puntin said:
He does not drink or do drugs
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I don't believe anyone on NES believes he was. A guy that volunteers his time to mentor youth hunters is commendable.....doubtful he would have been impaired at all during a youth hunt. I believe all deaths involving a fire arm require an autopsy and that is the reason for it. Again.....sorry for you and your family.

As far as this thread here on NES about the accident.......these tragedies are generally brought up on this site so we can learn from them.
 

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