Accidents caused by stray bullets are comparatively rare and they could be entirely eliminated by a little care on the part of the shooters. There is usually a background of some sort that will prevent a bullet from traveling very far when we shoot at a deer. If we pass up shots at deer when this background is missing- such as a deer which is seen on the skyline-we can prevent the possibility of hitting an unseen man who may be somewhere in the background. We should never depend upon the body of the deer stopping the bullet. It is too easy to miss, and most of the high- speed bullets have sufficient power to pass through a deer and still possess energy enough to kill or injure any man who might be in the line of fire.



The presence of several hunters at a field or orchard waiting for deer creates a dangerous situation, unless each man is aware of the presence and location of the others. A few years ago there were eight men watching a twenty-acre field which a deer entered. None of these men were aware of the presence of the others. Twenty-two shots were fired at the deer as it crossed the field.

Nobody was hurt by this crossfire, but one bullet hit a stonewall where two men were concealed and the sound of the ricocheting bullet caused them to cower in the protection of the wall until the shooting was over. (The deer was unhurt.) Such a situation creates a condition where a shooting accident might be termed truly accidental. I usually scout such areas before taking a position and warn any other hunters of my presence as well as locate theirs; and if there are too many hunters watching the place, I leave for a safer if less popular feeding ground.

Shootings caused by the accidental discharge of a gun can be prevented in most cases by proper education in gun handling and by instilling into the mind of every gun handler the fact that a gun is a deathdealing instrument that requires constant supervision. These things should be learned at an early age and, since actual hunting by the young is prohibited, the best way to obtain this education is through some gun club where every action of the beginner is under the supervision of a qualified teacher. Some of the rules which are strictly enforced at these clubs are not practical in the woods, but the fundamentals of safety that are stressed are the very things that might at some time save a life.

Death or injury comes out of the muzzle of the gun and if the gun muzzle were never pointed at a human being, no human being would ever be injured by accidental discharge unless the barrel were obstructed and the action could not handle the excessive pressure. The observance of this simple rule would prevent practically all accidents, and its observance should be easy; but think back to the many times that you have looked up to find that a companion's carelessly held gun was pointed in your direction or you saw some man walk in front of your own gun before you could change its direction. You will see that it requires constant attention to keep that muzzle pointed in a harmless direction.

Shootings caused by the accidental discharge of a gun can be prevented in most cases by proper education in gun handling and by instilling into the mind of every gun handler the fact that a gun is a death dealing instrument that requires constant supervision. When a hunter go to hunting, it is better if he can give his location to other hunters.