This incident could happen for a 14 year old as well as veteran hunter. You must identify your target 100%. -- My best friend and turkey hunting partner Wade Wineman was shot one fall A.M. I will tell his story, in hopes that illustrates the point. --- There was a huge flock of fall turkeys sighted by members of the hunting club where we turkey hunt. My friend's family owns the land and leases out the deer rights plus another 150 acres on the north end are open for them to turkey hunt in. This fall there was a huge group of birds (near 100) in the section of woods that they could hunt. My friend Wade went in this section to hunt and I went down further in his woods to hunt. The wind was howling this particular morning. Wade slipped into the Air Strip woods after first making sure there were no hunters coming from the airstrip side. He went in and was calling next to a large cane break at first light where the big flock was sighted. He heard, what he thought were turkeys, yelping on the other side of the cane break. He got in a narrow slough and was coming up out of the slough on the other side. He had just been kee keeing on a mouth call when "Bomb" he was shot. It knocked him to the ground. He got up and stagered to his feet. A fellow came up and said " Where is my turkey, What did you do with my turkey.?" Wade said, what turkey, you just shot me. He staggered out to the airstrip and the Game Warden friend that watches Wade's woods got him in the truck and took him to the nearby hospital. He was hit by 17 pellets in the neck, head and shoulder. Two pettets went through his neck (just missing the juglar) and remain there today. THERE ARE A LOT OF THINGS THAT LOOK LIKE TURKEYS IN THE WOODS. BE 100% POSITIVE BEFORE YOU PULL THE TRIGGER!!!! This hunter had to testify how he shot someone at hunter safety coarses across Ms. I hope the young hunter has to do the same!
