Has anyone been shot at while hunting?

[Shraggs]

I’ve been shot at.

First legal year to hunt, (12 or 14 old) on the family farm just came out of woods at legal time here In Michigan. It’s was long walk thru the 400 acres field to the homestead. I’m midway in the field from the road so 400+ yards and hear men talking and look right and I barely could see three guys looking my way leaning on the fence.

Then puff of smoke and hear a whizz by me. I stopped and looked around for the deer that must be near. Nope. Holy shit they shooting at me. Thought about what to do it’s a cut hay field no where to go as another two bullets whizz by. So just walk thinking I’ll be harder to hit and wondering what did I do to have someone mad enough to shoot. After another 4 shots it stopped.

I reluctantly told my dad, the head of the camp for my grandfather who generally had 40-45 hunters a season. There was a lot of quite talk over dinner and no fun and joking. Something was up, thought I might be in trouble…

Next morning all hunters piled into their trucks to go to another piece of land to put some drives on. We stopped at the trailer where these guys who shot at me were renting or family place to hunt whatever. Dad said do not get out of truck…

When he got out, they all did loaded up, and stood in formation as he went to their door. There was a short chat, then we were off to hunt.

O the way home I could tell they were gone, so I asked what happened. He just said they won’t ever do that again nor will they ever return.

It was many years after, after most of these men are gone including my father. So I asked a surviving friend about. Apparently they were drinking and saw me in the field and wanted to see if they could hit me or scare me - believe they were then “you have 3 hours to pack leave and never return. You will sell your property. If not your trailer will be Swiss cheese and if you’re alive when I walk in I’ll gut you still alive and burn it all down.”

Honestly don’t know how much of that was amplified but knowing my father I’m sure it’s partially true.

Definitely proud of him, very Old Testament and appropriate in my view.

I your case just know way to know who and have an ethical candid productive conversation with folks to square things away.

 

[JMasson]

I’ve never been shot at while hunting. Plenty of other experience with it though. If I was hunting, I’d seek cover and start trying to identify the point of origin. If the rounds got closer and I could identify the POO I’d level my rifle and be prepared to return fire. If I couldn’t see the POO I’d probably high tail it out of the area or behind a terrain feature to defilade.

I’m thinking you were hearing ricochets, as others have said. Still wouldn’t sit well with me. There’s places I expect it. Hunting in the US is not one of those places.

 

[Bubblehide]

Yes, more than a couple decades ago while bow hunting. As it turned out, it wasn't fun for the shooter either.

 

[JMasson]

I’ve been shot at.

First legal year to hunt, (12 or 14 old) on the family farm just came out of woods at legal time here In Michigan. It’s was long walk thru the 400 acres field to the homestead. I’m midway in the field from the road so 400+ yards and hear men talking and look right and I barely could see three guys looking my way leaning on the fence.

Then puff of smoke and hear a whizz by me. I stopped and looked around for the deer that must be near. Nope. Holy shit they shooting at me. Thought about what to do it’s a cut hay field no where to go as another two bullets whizz by. So just walk thinking I’ll be harder to hit and wondering what did I do to have someone mad enough to shoot. After another 4 shots it stopped.

I reluctantly told my dad, the head of the camp for my grandfather who generally had 40-45 hunters a season. There was a lot of quite talk over dinner and no fun and joking. Something was up, thought I might be in trouble…

Next morning all hunters piled into their trucks to go to another piece of land to put some drives on. We stopped at the trailer where these guys who shot at me were renting or family place to hunt whatever. Dad said do not get out of truck…

When he got out, they all did loaded up, and stood in formation as he went to their door. There was a short chat, then we were off to hunt.

O the way home I could tell they were gone, so I asked what happened. He just said they won’t ever do that again nor will they ever return.

It was many years after, after most of these men are gone including my father. So I asked a surviving friend about. Apparently they were drinking and saw me in the field and wanted to see if they could hit me or scare me - believe they were then “you have 3 hours to pack leave and never return. You will sell your property. If not your trailer will be Swiss cheese and if you’re alive when I walk in I’ll gut you still alive and burn it all down.”

Honestly don’t know how much of that was amplified but knowing my father I’m sure it’s partially true.

Definitely proud of him, very Old Testament and appropriate in my view.

I your case just know way to know who and have an ethical candid productive conversation with folks to square things away.

Good lord. That’s honestly terrifying. It’s one thing if someone doesn’t know a person is there or has no reasonable way to know someone is the vicinity. It’s another to intentionally do it to a hunter that is walking through a field. I hate to think about what I would do if it was my son that it happened to. I don’t know if I’d remain as calm as your father and his friends.

 

[MallardSX2]

My own dad has shot me twice actually.

 

[Fartrell Cluggins]

My own dad has shot me twice actually.

Well damn boo, did you deserve it?

 

[Z Barebow]

Not intentional.

When in high school (16 YO), I was on a 2 track with my car checking traps. All of a sudden, I heard a a loud bang. As if I bottomed out/hiy a rock. I stopped and looked back. I could see skims in the snow. I looked my car and there was a dent in the driver's door, directly across from me. Someone shot my car while I was driving! Based upon marks in the snow, it was from one of 2 directions. Eliminated the one direction because it was too close. I drove around to top of the hill where I estimated the shots came from. As i started down the field drive, this guy was driving out. I stopped him. He asked what happened and I told him. The dumbs##t had a target set at the edge of the hill. His bullets were dropping below his view. (He was shooting a .22) I told him I wanted him to pay for damage. He asked for 3 estimates! (Which I got him) Then he refused to fix my car! said it cost to much! ($100!) I talked to my cop neighbor and by the time this all played out, they couldn't do anything.

One foot higher, and it would have hit my driver's side window. If it would have penetrated the door, it would have hit me.

 

[Blackmamba]

I was in a tree and the shooter was way off in the distance. I don’t think it was intentional but I could def hear bullet ricochet and whiz by over head. Enough to make me fire my sidearm in the air so the shooter would be aware someone was in that area.

 

[ODB]

Yes. Turkey hunting on our own property. We saw these knuckleheads on our land, said hey what the hell and boom! Shotguns-a-blasting. Pellets were hitting the tall, dry grass and they took off.

Was some loser Va hillbillies.

 

[Go West Old Man]

Yes, once back in late 1990’s while sitting in a tripod one late afternoon in a clear cut in middle Georgia. Heard one shot from far up & over a ridge I’m 12 o’clock facing. No way was it line of sight. Simply stupid reckless ignorant behavior. Knowing the land well it had to come from close by neighboring rural residential or pasture property that I knew was not hunted ever. Couple seconds later I hear the inbound bullet and the hear it hit the rocky dirt easily within 20’ of the tripod. Decided that was good enough reason to call it a day, go back to camp, have a bourbon, & start cooking a good supper !

 

[Patton]

Have been shot over but not shot at.

While antelope hunting, we located a group of antelope around 2 miles away on top of a mesa that was only accessible via 2-3 chutes/rock slides in the south cliffside. The rest of the mesa was either landlocked by private or had 20-50' vertical cliffs.

We had moved into 500 yards of the group and were trying to close another 50 or so yards when we saw another hunter come over the rise. After aimlessly walking with himself skylined for 100 or so yards, he sees the antelope still 350-400 yards in front of him. The herd was between us and him. We were in orange but had dropped down into a small 2' depression/gulley in the ground and were well hidden (like any savvy hunter on a stalk would do).

It was a sinking feeling knowing what was about to happen as the herd was directly between us and captain idiot as he shouldered his rifle and then started to let it rip. Two bullets cracked over my friend and I who were on the stalk. The sound reminded me of the noise that the little spinner, bee fireworks make. "Bbzzzzzzz" followed by the rifle boom. As the group began to run, he let another 2 rounds go that happened to go over our other two buddy's heads that stayed back at a 45 degree and 200ish yards to our back right.

None of his shots connected, not surprising as he tried to freehand a 350+ yard shot. After the dust settled, we stood up and kindly let him know of our presence. He turned around without saying anything and walked away. The jackass likely didn't have access through the private land based on who the landowner was, and he 110% did not access via the few legal ways to get up on top.

Outside of getting peppered while dove hunting a crowded field, that was hopefully the first and last time.

 

[OXN939]

Today I was out hunting West of Benson AZ, just north of Mescal in Unit 33 for mule deer. I was hunting in AZ State Trust Land, East of Mescal Road by mile marker 3, to provide some context for those that know the area.

Didn't have much luck in the morning, saw a few doe but no bucks. By the early afternoon I ended up hiking to an area that was just a bit South of where I was hunting in the morning and on Friday, to see if there was any good terrain to glass from. While hiking around I heard a series of gunshots - at first I thought someone was just a really bad shot and shooting at a deer, but after the 4th or 5th shot, I assumed they may have been target shooting and didn't think much of it besides it being a bit odd (even though I don't think target shooting is allowed on AZ State Trust Land). I ended up on a hillside facing south, and setup my tripod and bino's to glass.

I was there for about 5 minutes, and then I would hear a gunshot and a second later the whizzing of a bullet flying over my head. Boom, another shot and bullet flying over my head. I hit the deck to reduce my signature, as I was pretty exposed on the hillside that I was on. I think one or two more shots went over me, then a pause. I got up in the kneeling position, and as soon as I did I hear another boom, followed by a bullet flying over my head. At this point I'm thinking "what the F...CK, someone is definitely shooting AT me". I waited another moment or two, then grabbed my backpack, tripod with binos and my rifle and ran over the crest of the hill so I was no longer exposed. No more gunshots after that.

I headed straight to my vehicle, which was pretty close at that point. I would periodically stop and scan with my bino's to see if I could see anyone in the vicinity. I never saw who was shooting me. I'm assuming they were shooting from a dirt road that runs parallel to Mescal, that had a few spots which they could've shot at me from. As I left in my vehicle there was two guys and a girl loading up an OHV on a trailer where the dirt road meets Mescal Road, but this is a popular hunting area and I'm not going to make any assumptions it was them without any proof.

I have no idea what to make of this situation. This is my first hunt ever, and only my second day hunting (and last) for this specific hunt. Tomorrow is the last day for my specific hunt, but after today's experience I'm just going to call it quits and cut my losses. I was really excited about picking up this new hobby, but this really puts a damper on my enthusiasm for it.

Agree with others that the sound pattern you're describing doesn't sound like the person was shooting directly at you- might have been the echo of whizzing projectiles or, like some suggested, ricochets. Bullets from centerfire rifles move several times the speed of sound and the profile of the crack they make as they pass is very distinctly unforgettable.

Never been shot at hunting, but I did watch some dude "glass" me with his riflescope one time, presumably to check out the orange thing. Blaze orange laws suck

 

[Blowdowner]

About the bang/whiz vs whiz/bang in a string of shots that all goes out the window plus imperfect memory with adrenaline.

 

[Pony Soldier]

Was working in 74 and we were sampling an outcrop on a cliff. A party was drinking heavily and then they started to shoot at us for entertainment. We yelled to get their attention but they just shot closer and laughed.

The attitude changed when I started shooting back. When I put a bullet into the pond next to their cars, the party was over and they got into their cars and left - quickly.

 

[gentleman4561]

Earlier this year.

Local cattle farm a coyote hunt, Dad and Son both live there.

I am about 800 yards behind sons house at 1AM playing a coyote howl, suddenly BAM BAM BAM.

Dad forgot to tell his son we were going that night, son blasted his shotgun off the deck.

Scared me good!

 

[Novahunter]

I had some dumb hunters shoot my house last year. Opening day of firearms season in VA. I hunted til about 9am, came home, and was talking to my Dad on the phone about the morning. Heard a bang, and it sounded really close. I looked out the window (our house is close to the top of a big hill, and we have a great view of surrounding properties) to see if I could see a deer running in a nearby field while I am talking with my dad.

Next thing I know there's a shot followed by what sounds like a sledgehammer hitting my house. I'm a bit perplexed, like that couldn't have actually been a round that hit my house. I tell my dad I have to go, and I step out onto my deck. Hear a whizz over my head + a bang of a 3rd shot.

Now, I'm pretty pissed. I called around to some neighbors to locate said "hunter's, no luck. Then went around knocking on doors of adjacent properties, and left a few notes on doors. After more phone calls, located the property, owner, and was put in touch with the hunters. Drove down the hill and met them and had them show me where they were hunting. They had a decent sized doe they shot.

They showed me their spot, and direction they shot the deer. It ran up the hill away from them and they kept blasting at it with 12 ga slug guns as it was running up the hill and skylined. They're shots were directly up the hill pointed at my house which was about 200 yards away from their shooting position. I verbally thrashed them a bit, and reminded them of gun and hunter safety. Got their phone numbers and names and said if anything ever happened again the Sheriff's would be involved next time.

 

[TheHammer]

You were hearing ricochets not being shot at.

This! If you were being shot at first you would hear the wiz and then the report. I’ve experienced both, one was a 12gauge slug and well he had a couple brenekes ring over his head back. I’ve experienced both near rounds from a 7mm and ricochets from unknown. Needless to say after confronting the individual with the 7mm and handing him his rifle after picking it up, he hasn’t hunted that public spot since. Where I hunt things get a little competitive and guys are putting in more effort. I would assume based on your details that the rounds were skipping off the ground and being deflected in your direction. A little Courteous reminder to them would’ve been sufficient.

 

[kthomas]

It certainly could've been ricochets.

Some of the shots were very close together, so my brain could've interpreted the previous gunshots with the projectiles flying overhead.

While I'm very experienced with rifles, I've never been shot at nor worked the pits before.

I think some of you are right, I probably experienced ricochets going right over my head. Still very unsettling, but not malicious in intent. Probably some hunters that didn't finish their hunt successfully and decided to have fun with their leftover ammo, which happened to ricochet over my head.

 

[Where's Bruce?]

Agree with others that the sound pattern you're describing doesn't sound like the person was shooting directly at you- might have been the echo of whizzing projectiles or, like some suggested, ricochets. Bullets from centerfire rifles move several times the speed of sound and the profile of the crack they make as they pass is very distinctly unforgettable.

Never been shot at hunting, but I did watch some dude "glass" me with his riflescope one time, presumably to check out the orange thing. Blaze orange laws suck

That happened to me too. I'm glassing on the side of a hill in the early morning and catch a glint. In my binos I see a guy prone with his rifle pointed right at me. I give him the bird thinking, he'll get the message not to use his scope as a monocular but he keeps doing it, watching me. So I threw my rifle up on the tripod and returned the favor and when I see him in the scope, I give him the bird again along with an arcing thumbs up motion telling to move along. Then I racked a round. He got up quick and ran off. I figured it must be some stupid kid who didn't have enough common sense to set up with the wind in his face or the sun at his back. Tense thing to have a rifle pointed at ya. For someone to be pulling the trigger...OMG! I would be shooting back after taking video with my phone to prove i was under attack. That's just crazy.

 

[gabenzeke]

Twice. Both by target shooters doing it in places it isn't legal.

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