Core Principles on Hunter Safety

[Piperdown]

Hello to all the fine members here on HBC, yes it is I, Piperdown. I have been away for a few years after losing my wife to cancer and well to be honest there seemed to be no more hunting stories being posted on here, just nutbar conspiracy theories and talk about the Orange guy.

So please be gentle on the Piper for his first thread back....

Well this hunting season up at the cabin in 6-04 I came very close to being shot. I will try and tell the situation as best I can and keep it short. So I had 2 friends along for my Leh and we went to an area with some decent elevation to spot from. We split up and went on our ways.

I get a call from my one buddy, I have a shooter, great, I am about 4 km away but hike over. As I draw near he states the bulls have gone up and over between 2 hills and are now out of sight. Just then I hear a side by side coming up, so I stop on the little spur road I am on before venturing towards the moose. I wait and wave my shooting sticks at the atv, and they wave back so now they know I am going into this small area. I also have a blaze orange hat on, never hunt without one on.

As I hike up and over a small hill, buddy radios the moose have come back down and are in full view, I say no problem, jump down onto a bench in front of me. Find the bigger bull, get a good solid rest on a tree but am waiting for him to just turn a little more broadside. Bull is starting to turn, safety off and I hear the atv coming back, safety back on. The atv comes to a stop directly down from me so there is no way I have a shooting lane, I know what is going to happen so hug the tree I am behind, bang flop, bull down.

Now I am 75 yards directly behind the bull right in the line of fire, I wait a minute or two and then yell as I don't need the jacked up hunter letting fly with another shot. Well lets just say the conversation didn't go well. From the time the atv saw me and from when they came back was 9 minutes, he knew I was in there as there is only one way in or out. The hunter tried to dismiss it, said he was gone 30 minutes, as stated it was nine minutes confirmed by text messages sent, how far can one go in 9 minutes. I was less than 100 yards from where he had seen me.

Now hopefully things have changed on this site and I don't get racked over the coals but people you need to hunt safely and ethically, I didn't care about the moose, I care about living. I had weeks left on my leh and tipped over my biggest to date, 19 points. In parting with the hunter I suggested he retake his core course with emphasis on the safety part when hunting.

If this hunter is on this site I hope you learnt something, I think you did because as I went to hike to the truck you were apologizing profusely to my friend, but really that was a little to late, you could have shot me or someone else. Hunt safely and there will always be another chance at an animal, don't lose site of the situation you find yourself in when hunting.