Victim Mistaken for Game

Another type of incident that should never happen occurs when the victim is mistaken for game. Do you or other students in class look like deer, elk, bear, or pheasant? Of course, the answer is no. Unfortunately, some hunters fail to correctly identify their targets or their shooting backstop while hunting. They hear a sound in the brush or they see sudden movement ... and they fire before they clearly identify their target. Some hunters are so anxious to shoot an animal that they suffer from “buck fever.” They get nervous, forget firearm safety rules, and sometimes shoot other hunters. These types of incidents are easy to prevent.

• Never fire at a sound or movement.
• Always use binoculars to identify your target and backstop.
• Never use your rifle scope as binoculars.
• Never wear the color of any game animal found in the area, and wear hunter orange to help identify yourself as a hunter.