A 18 yr. old girl , Megan Ripley, a non hunter , was shot ( Muzzleloader Season ) in woods near Her back yard in Paris Me. She was seen riding Her Horse earlier in the day.
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18 yr.old non hunter Killed in Paris Me.
- Thread starter Bandit
- Start date
Very sad [sad2]
Totally sad.....did you all read the posts underneath the article? They want to hang this guy. The girl was riding her horse in the woods during hunting season without safety orange on......
I really feel badly that she was shot and killed but if you live anywhere near where hunting is allowed you should know the rules. I take non-boaters on my boat all the time. I make them wear a floatation device.
From what I read it is required for you to wear orange during hunting season in Maine if you are going to be in the woods. I'm not a hunter so I don't know this as fact but just from what I read on those posts.
A girl has died.....it is incomprehensibly tragic that this happend, but her suffering is over. Her family will suffer and probably never get over the loss but I imagine in time will come to cope and become spokespeople for the anti's....the man who killed her will be living in hell in his mind for the rest of his life.
Now they'll want to revamp rules and laws and regulations but accidents will still happen. They always do. But as was mentioned in the story they have more fatalities with boating and skiing and snowmobiling and nobody is bitching about that.
I don't even hunt and rarely go to Maine but even I know Maine is a HUGE hunting favorite.....
A little common sense could have saved a life. I'm not absolving the hunter from his responsibility but this was completely preventable and both parties bear equal responsibility. Unfortuantely she will never learn that lesson.
I really feel badly that she was shot and killed but if you live anywhere near where hunting is allowed you should know the rules. I take non-boaters on my boat all the time. I make them wear a floatation device.
From what I read it is required for you to wear orange during hunting season in Maine if you are going to be in the woods. I'm not a hunter so I don't know this as fact but just from what I read on those posts.
A girl has died.....it is incomprehensibly tragic that this happend, but her suffering is over. Her family will suffer and probably never get over the loss but I imagine in time will come to cope and become spokespeople for the anti's....the man who killed her will be living in hell in his mind for the rest of his life.
Now they'll want to revamp rules and laws and regulations but accidents will still happen. They always do. But as was mentioned in the story they have more fatalities with boating and skiing and snowmobiling and nobody is bitching about that.
I don't even hunt and rarely go to Maine but even I know Maine is a HUGE hunting favorite.....
A little common sense could have saved a life. I'm not absolving the hunter from his responsibility but this was completely preventable and both parties bear equal responsibility. Unfortuantely she will never learn that lesson.
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I have a house in Maine, don't have "No Hunting" signs on my property and don't wear Orange vests in my backyard. My kids don't go into the woods and we rarely play in the yard during hunting season.
On the other hand I don't care if someone was wearing camo fatigues and got shot at... shooting ANY person by mistake is completely unaccptable IMHO. I don't hunt, but I support it completely. It's my belief that a hunter absolutely needs to know what he/she is shooting... I find it absolutely unacceptable that someone could even remotely look like a deer. Come on... it's a sport.. if you don't KNOW what you are shooting at you don't shoot!
This is bad crap for hunters and all of us avid shooters.. it hurts us ALL.
Sucks big time!
On the other hand I don't care if someone was wearing camo fatigues and got shot at... shooting ANY person by mistake is completely unaccptable IMHO. I don't hunt, but I support it completely. It's my belief that a hunter absolutely needs to know what he/she is shooting... I find it absolutely unacceptable that someone could even remotely look like a deer. Come on... it's a sport.. if you don't KNOW what you are shooting at you don't shoot!
This is bad crap for hunters and all of us avid shooters.. it hurts us ALL.
Sucks big time!
Lugnut I agree. However do we even know if she was mistaken for a deer and wasn't just hit because she was down range and the hunter didnt see her?
+1
I was just looking out my window into my neighbor's yars and trying to guestimate 150 yards as was mentioned in the story. Obviously I won't know until the investigation is complete but in Maine and in the woods would you have a straight shot at a deer let alone see on 150 yards away through trees and brush and what not?
Hunters help me out here. IMO I think he was shooting at a deer that was much closer than 150 yards away and missed. This girl was down range which he probably couldn't see and she was struck by the shot when it went astray....
Does this make any sense?
That is a large reason for deaths in rifle zones. With the limited range of a shot gun slug or an arrow, deaths from those types of weapons are typically mistaken targets. I have no idea about the range of that muzzleloader.
J
Jose
A modern, rifled muzzleloader shooting a magnum charge behind a saboted, high BC bullet will shoot accurately to 200 yards, maybe 250.
This is unbelievably sad.
I have a serious problem with the practice in most states of condensing rifle season into a few days in December. Such a practice, while not an excuse for this disaster, is most definitely a serious contributing factor. It places unnecesary pressure on hunters and it concentrates the number of hunters over a short period of time. Add no hunting on Sunday (as many eastern states do) and it is downright stupid.
Make the seasons longer and adjust the number of tags accordingly.
This is unbelievably sad.
I have a serious problem with the practice in most states of condensing rifle season into a few days in December. Such a practice, while not an excuse for this disaster, is most definitely a serious contributing factor. It places unnecesary pressure on hunters and it concentrates the number of hunters over a short period of time. Add no hunting on Sunday (as many eastern states do) and it is downright stupid.
Make the seasons longer and adjust the number of tags accordingly.
![[wink]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/002.gif "Wink [wink]")
A litttle more on it
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/3408632.html
http://morningsentinel.mainetoday.com/news/local/3408632.html
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This is definitely sad..... I mean wtf was this guy doing? Is it
really that hard to make sure that what's there is an animal before
you pull the trigger? The hunters commenting in the article seem
equally mystified by this guys actions. IMO it must not be that
hard to avoid shooting people; there are guys who are paid to cull deer
from quasi-urban environments and they seem to have no trouble doing it
without killing anyone in the process.
This sucks because it hurts legitimate, safe hunters, and it's also possibly
going to cause a backlash that will hurt gun owners in general.
-Mike
really that hard to make sure that what's there is an animal before
you pull the trigger? The hunters commenting in the article seem
equally mystified by this guys actions. IMO it must not be that
hard to avoid shooting people; there are guys who are paid to cull deer
from quasi-urban environments and they seem to have no trouble doing it
without killing anyone in the process.
This sucks because it hurts legitimate, safe hunters, and it's also possibly
going to cause a backlash that will hurt gun owners in general.
-Mike
I went looking for deer in Maine (Windham, to be precise) maybe a dozen times this season. On one trip I was surprised to hear what sounded like a domesticated dog barking and running around, then a couple of minutes later a woman walked past with the dog, her two little kids in tow. They were all dressed in blaze orange & so were immediately & obviously visible. I thought it was a good idea, if you are going to go strolling through the woods where there are people hunting, take the time to minimize the risks! I feel for the girl's family though ![[sad]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/004.gif "Sad [sad]")
Just some info relayed from a friend of the family. She wasn't riding the horse and she was pretty close to her home. The initial information they got was the hunter was aiming at a horse on the property, missed and hit her.
Wow! That goes along the same line when I would go goose hunting in Canada and see guys shooting at Swans flying by. I would yell for them to stop. They told me they thought they were snow geese. The size difference between a snow goose and a swan is about the same as a 180 deer and a 1200 pound horse...
![[thinking]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/010.gif "Thinking [thinking]")
[sad2]
blaze or no blaze, near the home or in the middle of wilderness, it is the hunter's responsibility to "KNOW HIS TARGET AND WHAT IS BEYOND". There is no excuse for this.
Insinuating that it is in any way the girls fault (for not wearing blaze, etc.) is not right. Imagine a drunk driver hits a car full of kids (not wearing thier seatbelts) and a kid gets killed. Is it the kid's fault?
Yes, you should wear blaze in the woods during hunting season (and wear your seatbelt, year round), but that hunter is 100% at fault.
Matt
blaze or no blaze, near the home or in the middle of wilderness, it is the hunter's responsibility to "KNOW HIS TARGET AND WHAT IS BEYOND". There is no excuse for this.
Insinuating that it is in any way the girls fault (for not wearing blaze, etc.) is not right. Imagine a drunk driver hits a car full of kids (not wearing thier seatbelts) and a kid gets killed. Is it the kid's fault?
Yes, you should wear blaze in the woods during hunting season (and wear your seatbelt, year round), but that hunter is 100% at fault.
Matt
J
Jose
+1
There should be time to be served for this. If this does not meet the definition of negligent homicide, I don't know what does.
D
daceman63
Anyone have any idea on the statistics concerning accidental shootings vs. deliberate shootings by licensed gun owners?
And the same for accidental shootings by licenced gun owners vs. shootings by unlicensed thugs?
I only ask because although this incident was tragic and more than likely was caused by a major lapse in judgement on the hunter's part you are making a huge case for the anti's to ban hunting.
Hunting accidents whether extreme negligence or a true mishap are RARE!!!
But in reading how you all want to hang this guy out to dry, and probably desrvingly so, you are providing ammo for the anti's to make a bid to snatch hunting away from us.
At some point hunting may be the only way we get to retain certain firearms but after reading some of the posts out here I'm not even hopeful of that.
I'm truly sorry the girl was killed. Lets see what the investigation yields. No, she shouldn't have been killed because she was not wearing safety orange, but think of this.....more than likely we wouldn't be discussing this now if she had been wearing it.
And the same for accidental shootings by licenced gun owners vs. shootings by unlicensed thugs?
I only ask because although this incident was tragic and more than likely was caused by a major lapse in judgement on the hunter's part you are making a huge case for the anti's to ban hunting.
Hunting accidents whether extreme negligence or a true mishap are RARE!!!
But in reading how you all want to hang this guy out to dry, and probably desrvingly so, you are providing ammo for the anti's to make a bid to snatch hunting away from us.
At some point hunting may be the only way we get to retain certain firearms but after reading some of the posts out here I'm not even hopeful of that.
I'm truly sorry the girl was killed. Lets see what the investigation yields. No, she shouldn't have been killed because she was not wearing safety orange, but think of this.....more than likely we wouldn't be discussing this now if she had been wearing it.
Patriot
NES Member
Bottom line. There is NO excuse for shooting and killing a person during
hunting season under any conditions. The hunter ought to be dealt with
severely. I have no truck with this level of stupidity, none.
TBP
hunting season under any conditions. The hunter ought to be dealt with
severely. I have no truck with this level of stupidity, none.
TBP
+1
I am a hunter. While it is a good idea for non-hunters to wear orange during hunting season, the fact that the young woman (and her horse) were not wearing orange IN NO WAY absolves the hunter from his duty to be sure of his target.
You MUST be sure of your target. You MUST know what is beyond your target.
http://www.mcelhineys-guns.com/
I was in this store in July and was taling to the owner. I was talking about deer hunting, and he said "I go in the woods every year and take a few sound shots". I thought he was joking but he said he was serious. I said " that's the f#%king stupidest thing I have ever heard", and left.
My dad used to joke with other hunters, when we saw them in the woods. They would come up and say "Any luck?", and my dad would say "ahh just a few sound shots". Then when walking away he would say to me "best way to keep our secret spot a secret spot"
I was in this store in July and was taling to the owner. I was talking about deer hunting, and he said "I go in the woods every year and take a few sound shots". I thought he was joking but he said he was serious. I said " that's the f#%king stupidest thing I have ever heard", and left.
My dad used to joke with other hunters, when we saw them in the woods. They would come up and say "Any luck?", and my dad would say "ahh just a few sound shots". Then when walking away he would say to me "best way to keep our secret spot a secret spot"
know what you are shooting at first,if in doubt dont pull the damn trigger.
if a hunter does'nt know the difference between a deer and a freakin' horse than maybe that hunter should not be hunting until such hunter learns the difference. there is a valid reason why all hunters should take a saftey course.
take a few sound shots! holy shit,there is one person i would'nt want to be near during hunting season.every time i read something like this happening or hear some f***ing idiot say something like that i question why i even hunt.
if a hunter does'nt know the difference between a deer and a freakin' horse than maybe that hunter should not be hunting until such hunter learns the difference. there is a valid reason why all hunters should take a saftey course.
take a few sound shots! holy shit,there is one person i would'nt want to be near during hunting season.every time i read something like this happening or hear some f***ing idiot say something like that i question why i even hunt.
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I have absolutely ZERO empathy with the hunter. Sorry, but I think he needs about 5 years in the slammer to contemplate his crime. And, remember, I hunt.
I've heard others talk about "sound shots" and "fur shots" many times. I usually try to find out what town they hunt in, and hunt at least 2 towns away, in case they screw up which town they're in.
Facts are, the hunter is 100% responsible for the bullet, when it leaves the barrel. It's his responsibility to make sure it is safe. I've passed on numerous shots, including one at a big buck (at least 8 points, close to 200 pounds) this year, because I DIDN'T HAVE A WARM FUZZY FEELING ABOUT THE BACKSTOP. Sorry for shouting, but, that's how important I think it is. Better to pass on the shot, than to hurt somebody.
I've heard others talk about "sound shots" and "fur shots" many times. I usually try to find out what town they hunt in, and hunt at least 2 towns away, in case they screw up which town they're in.
Facts are, the hunter is 100% responsible for the bullet, when it leaves the barrel. It's his responsibility to make sure it is safe. I've passed on numerous shots, including one at a big buck (at least 8 points, close to 200 pounds) this year, because I DIDN'T HAVE A WARM FUZZY FEELING ABOUT THE BACKSTOP. Sorry for shouting, but, that's how important I think it is. Better to pass on the shot, than to hurt somebody.
Ok... need a define on some lingo here...
"Sound Shots" & Fur Shots"
Sorry... never hunted and not sure what they mean.
As for the hunter; how the hell you mistake a horse for a dear and miss and hit a girl... I have no clue, but he needs to be taken care of.
I have sypathy for him and jail will not do to him what his heart will feel for ever (if he is a decent person) but he still needs to be punished for his carelessness.
"Sound Shots" & Fur Shots"
Sorry... never hunted and not sure what they mean.
As for the hunter; how the hell you mistake a horse for a dear and miss and hit a girl... I have no clue, but he needs to be taken care of.
I have sypathy for him and jail will not do to him what his heart will feel for ever (if he is a decent person) but he still needs to be punished for his carelessness.
![[shocked]](/xen/styles/default/xenforo/smilies.vb/007.gif "Shocked [shocked]")
I've never heard the terms before myself. But I suspect that a "sound shot" means the hunter shot in the direction from which he heard a sound. I suspect that a "fur shot" means the hunter saw what he thought was the fur of a deer (but not enough of an outline to identify it positively as a deer) and shot at it.
Both of those practices are patently unsafe and unethical.
Not for anything but a horse doesn't even move like a deer. I'm not a hunter so I won't be condeming this guy but how big does he thing deer get? A moose maybe...but a deer????
As I said I don't hunt but I have seen plenty of deer and they aren't even close in size to a horse.
As I said I don't hunt but I have seen plenty of deer and they aren't even close in size to a horse.
